GET - AT Hike

New Hampshire!

Level 13 of 14 on our trip–we’re getting so close!  Yet, still so far with two of the hardest, but most beautiful states to go.  We enjoyed our time in  Vermont; it was indeed a very Green State. 

From Bennington we hiked up Glastenbury Mountain, which, according to some locals, is a bit haunted as there was once a town atop the mountain.  There was no view from the ground, but we hiked up the fire town to find ourselves above the evergreen treetops with a dramatic view of some big mountains.  We stayed in a small shetler with our friends Lotus, Thinker, Jon & Jess, and were visited in the night by a porcupine gnawing on the shelter.  So strange!  The next day it rained on us some more as we went up and over Stratton Mountain at 3,936 feet.  It was chilly on top and in the clouds.  Stratton Mountain is the probably spot where the idea for the AT came to life and we wished we could have seen the view Benton McKaye had seen!  We met some southbound hikers (or SOBOs) that told us about this shelter ahead that was like a cabin with windows and a sliding door so we ended up doing about 23 miles to make it to that shelter.  It started pouring rain just as we got there and we were glad to have a roof over our head and a door to shut to keep ourselves warm as it poured all night.

We awoke the next morning to a creek running down the trail and we sloshed our way 2.8 miles in the pouring rain to hitch a ride into Manchester Center, VT with our friends Jon & Jess.  We decided we should take the day off to dry out and clean up so we split a room in a hotel with our friends.  Manchester Center was a nice little town with an outfitter, laundry, groceries, a bookstore and even a theater.  All in all, a nice day off.

It cleared up and we hiked the next day to a campsite where we met back up with our buddies Rocksteady & Butters. We camped out at a shelter that came with a $5 per person (!) charge.  The Green Mountain Club is sometimes called the Green Money Club because they have several charge sites for camping and AT hikers don’t like having to pay to camp!  The next day we ended up hiking about 23 miles to get into Rutland, VT where we could resupply food.  We stayed at the Back Home Again Hostel run by the Twelve Tribes and it was awesome!  A bed with sheets, dinner and breakfast, showers, laundry and some energy bars to go.  We did a work for stay: Andy did dishes and I swept and mopped.  Much thanks to those guys! 

We hiked up and over Killington Mountain the next day, yet again in clouds, and were the only ones in the shelter so we set our tent up inside and slept well.  We hiking into Killington, VT the next day where Andy picked up some new shoes (finally!) and I picked up my film camera that my parents sent me for the rest of the journey.  Met back up with our friends who had gotten ahead and had a nice lunch at a deli in town.  Took us two more days to hike into Hanover, NH, and they were nice, sunny days.  Vermont got bumpier as we got farther north and now we are only a few days from being in the White Mountains that we’ve been hearing about since we started.  The trails were built before the switchback was invented so we just go straight up and straight back down rocky mountains, many of which are above treeline.  Our tired bodies are in for a beating!

We could take this day off in Hanover thanks to Ralph and Karen who run Tigger’s Tree House, a place for hikers to stay.  We are set up in a pop-up camper, which is perfect and cozy, especially when it started raining this morning and we didn’t have to get up and hike!  So thanks so much to Ralph and Karen for your cozy haven!

That’s about all for Vermont, check out the photos on the photos page!  Wish us luck for rocky NH and rugged Maine!

Best,

susan, andy & corley

Well, we made it to Vermont and as soon as we hit the border the trail turned to mud and the sky poured rain.

Not really, but close!  We’ve been lucky with rain on our trip so far, probably only five real rainy days, so all this rain is throwing us for a loop.  We made it to camp last night before the rain hit, and when it did we dove in the tent never to emerge again.  We figured there weren’t too many bears in Vermont anyway, so we slept with our food bags.  But the nice woman who gave us a ride into Bennington, VT this morning told us she had a bear in her back yard yesterday… so I believe we won’t be so lazy again!

The rain, we decided, is better than the mosquitoes of Connecticut and Mass.  Some nights we couldn’t do anything but sit in the tent and read, watching the mosquitoes buzz around.  Andy deemed those two states “Mosquito Boot Camp”, where they teach young mosquitoes how to bug the heck out of people.

We’ve been hiking with some old friends, Stomp and Shuffles, from Kentucky, Lotus, from Virginia, and Thinker, from Indiana.  All these guys started in Georgia the same weekend as us, and we’re excited to have been re-united with them!  I’d put up some photos, but the library doesn’t allow me to plug in my camera so you’ll just have to wait until the next town.

We hope to be through Vermont and into New Hampshire in less than two weeks.  Less than 600 miles to go!!  The terrain of NH and Maine are supposed to be rugged, but beautiful and we can’t wait.  We’ve started to run into South-bound hikers too, who started in Maine and will end in Georgia.  Some have shown their photos to us North-bounders who are getting sick of hiking to inspire us to keep going.  After 1,600 miles and 130 days, we’re getting ready to stop walking so much!

We wanted to say thanks to Jennifer, Vanessa and Mindy for the awesome packages!  You helped my pack to weigh over 35 pounds (UGH!)(but YUM).  Here’s a shout out to Bahama Dave - we’re missing you buddy, and your warm little friend, Nassau Royale :)  Thanks to my sister too, for sending me my ipod, and to Emilie, for getting Andy’s stuff together and sent to Hanover.  Thanks for the letters Claire!  We’re feeling the love!

We’ve updated our mail drops to the end of our trip, with approximate dates of arrival.  Feel free to send us letters anytime, we like mail!

Much love,

susan, andy & corley

www.greateasterntrail.org

www.lekiusa.com

www.mionfootwear.com

Today we”re going to cross the border into Vermont! Getting ready for some bigger mountains and hopefully cooler weather. We took a day off in Dalton, MA. Thanks so much to Tom Lombardi for letting us crash at your house and giving us stinky hikers a shower!
We”re getting excited about being so close to Maine!
Hope all”s well with y”all!

Best,
susan, andy and corley

hello all!

It’s been tougher than we thought to get access to internet as we get farther north– if only the deli’s we get to at every road crossing offered free internet!  sorry for the lack of updates.

We’ve made it to our 10th state with under 800 miles to go to Katadhin.  We are getting excited!  New Jersey and New York were great, although they were tough after the flat ridges we walked through Maryland and Pennsylvania.  We continue to get up at 5:30 to beat the heat.  Well, Andy gets up at 5:30 and I roll out of the tent around 6…  but I’m trying!  We hear that there is a hurricane headed our way and are apprehensive about what that may mean for the state of the trail and our gear!  It’s already so hot and humid that our clothes never dry out.  But that’s life in the woods, I guess.

We spent the fourth of July hiking, but treated ourselves to a hotel room for the fifth of July so Andy could catch the Nascar race on TV, and I could do, well, NOTHING!  But the hotel didn’t have TNT (?) so he ended up watching the race at a TGIF’s across the street.  The next day we had a great time though, so it made up for it.  We hiked 1.7 miles to Island Pond where we decided to camp in the most beautiful spot next to the lake.  We went swimming and relaxed, as one can only do in the woods.

I wish I could write more, but the library is closing so I must end now.  Rest assured, we are still having a great time and making progress toward Maine!

best,

susan, andy & corley

ps. check out photos!