Date: 2007-09-06
From: Churchill Scott Shelter, VT

To: Brook next to road .5-1 mile after Stoney Brook Sh
Miles today: 13.2

#######Author's Note- 3 nights ago 9/11; I had a friend confront me/critique my journaling.....I knew that my constant talk of female encounters had been too much. My last entries actually had me wondering what was going on with me? Not to get too much into my issues; but, as I have mentioned before; unresolved life issues with be magnified on the trip. The continual loneliness has gotten to me and I am ready to finish this trip. I will try to keep my longings to myself in the future; but, it will be difficult as it is mostly what other hikers are talking about. And of course, it is difficult for thru hiker chics to understand the plight of a lonely NOBO male. Talk about getting shot down when coming into town via e-mail: thanks "Runway"; forgive me for dreaming. Now that I have 398 miles to go; I feel as if I can be "self important" and I am a very useful "tool". Thanks for having the guts to use your name, though. See, I am eating crow here############ OK back to 9/6/07: I woke up afternoon again and it looked like rain. Two colleg3e kids from RIT came down to the shelter and said that it was a 50/50 chance of rainfall. They said that they would be hoping for no rain for me. I got going and it was still a good decsent down to Route 4. The trail was nice and level for awhile. I got to Gifford Woods State Park and skipped the 50 cent shower. SOmething that I regreted later. It was a nice trail around Kent Pond and I wished that I had some time to go swimming. It was too cold anyway, though. In this area, the trail went right through the yard of a nice B&B called Mountain Meadows Lodge. Again, I have no time to dilly dally. The walk over to (Mayor) Quimby Mtn was not bad with some road walking. I could see where I just missed the opening of a new trail relocation that would go by Thundering Falls. I got to the base of Quimby Mtn around dark and ate a significant meal. When I looked at my guidebook; I was surprised to see the climb was 3.3 miles up 1250 feet. Needless to say, it was a serious hike. Again, I was soaked from head to toe and had to rip one of my disposable pack towels in half and wrap around my ankles to get some more padding. I really need to get some gaiters in Hanover, NH. WIth all the sweat and with all the dirt coming into my boots; my ankles were getting scathed something fierce. Quimby had several false summits and once I got to the top and then went on the long descent down to the Stoney Brook Shelter, I was wore out. There were 3 people asleep at the shelter; so, I just kept going down to the Brook. It was difficult to get water here as the brook ran under alot of big rocks. I climbed and slid until I could fill up my water bottles and Jet Boil. I went back and had a liesurely meal; just like it was in the middle of the day. I had to turn off my headlight several times to keep the moths from flying into my food and my eyes. I got going with a good drive. I was surprised with this energy as it was so late. I thought that this would be a long fairly flat hike over to Chateauguay RD. This was not the case, though. The trail went way down for 1/2 mile or so and I nearly walked off of a cliff and had to descend like a crab downwards to keep from falling. I kept going till I hit a little used dirt road(did not ever see or hear a car) with a nice Brook next to it. I could not resist and went down and set up my tent and went to sleep.