We took 2-1/2 lovely zero days with friends Craig and Sue who have a place in Sunapee on a lake.

After the typical shower, laundry, resupply we enjoyed swimming in the lake and just relaxing. Twins "Diver" and "Sunshine" frequently come over for visits arriving by kayak and paddleboard. These precocious 7 year olds kept up a lively conversation and were a delight to get to know.

I had a nice paddle in a kayak on the lake and tried out a paddleboard too.

We spent part of one afternoon in a tour of The Fells, the summer home of John Hay who those of you who saw the new movie "Lincoln" may recall as the private secretary of Abe. He was also Sec't of State for McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt. This was a lovely home with beautiful gardens.

Leaving here was tough, but the trail goes on and we are now under 500 miles to go. NH is having something of a heat wave with late afternoon/evening thunderstorms so it's been hot and humid but with some clouds which help the hiking. One night was spent with "the ice cream man." Bill is somewhere in his upper 80s and lets you pitch in his yard. He also has ice cream bars for every hiker. I would have loved talking to him longer but he told Doodles, Amos, Frost and us to make ourselves at home while he went out carrying his tupperware and bottle of wine.  

 Trail conditions dried out some, but not totally.

And the climb up Mt. Cube offered a unique and very handy way to get up a rock face.

At the top of Smart Mt., a 2500 ft climb, we still had enough left to go up this old tower.

Tonight we are at a hostel in Glencliff and near the resupply town of Warren, home of the Calamity Jane restaurant. No, we didn't eat here but I could not pass up the photo op!

Tomorrow is Mt. Moosilauki and in 2 days into the Whites. Weather report is for a "perfect" day tomorrow and cooler temps, so I'm looking forward to it.

The day out of Manchester Center began cloudy, drizzly and with pack covers on but the climb up to the top of Bromley Ski Resort was pleasant enough walking and chatting with Patriot on the way up. This is a small resort and we walked an upper cat walk to their patrol "shack" which both Snowbowl and Sunrise patrollers reading this would be somewhat jealous of.  The chair was not operating today!

There has been so much rain that much of the trail is standing water and mud. You can rock hop over some, go around some, but eventually dry boots and socks are not possible. Boardwalks help a little, but those boards can be very slippery and have been the source of a fall or two.

Then in the middle of the forest came the land of rock cairns. One person must have built one and everyone that comes along adds a rock or two. Strange to see.

One section of the AT had been rerouted to a road walk due to damage from Hurricane Irene, but most hikers now take the trail which was great. At the end there were 3 fords, easy ones that actually felt quite refreshing on this hot day.

The best view in a long time came on a fine sunny morning at the top of Killington Peak. The top is a short but very steep rock scramble up 0.2 mile and the reward is a vista of 60-70 miles distant.

 



 



Down the mountain to the town of Killington, we stayed a night at the Inn at the Long Trail and enjoyed an evening with friends Diesel Bob and Linda. This is the point at which the Long Trail (the oldest long trail in the US) splits off from the AT and continues up Vermont. The Inn is delightful and had the best hiker box we've found for resupplying. It also is unique construction with part of the walls being the rock it was built next to. Most the furniture is local wood too including this beautifully polished bar that must have been 25 foot long.

 

 

Trail conditions got better with less mud and there was this handy ladder climb.

 

Firsts on this section included a porcupine and maple trees ready for spring tapping.

 

Throughout the AT there are stone walls, this one being one of the longest and highest. They were constructed by settlers to keep in sheep or cattle and occasionally we also see remnants of possible homes.



 

And then one evening there was shelter magic. We got in hot and tired after lots of ups and downs in elevation during the day and looked forward to cleaning up in the nearby stream. But in a small pool of icy water we also found a dozen cans of Bud that a caretaker of this shelter had just left. Yep, one was refreshing!



 

 

Wildflowers are back now too. We have walked with the sweet smell of purple milkweed, Queen Anne's Lace, some sunflower family flowers among others.

Yesterday we crossed the Connecticut River into Hanover, NH. Our friends Craig and Sue met us and we are spending 2 wonderful zero days at their cabin on Sunapee Lake. We have heard loons a couple times on the trail but today saw our first one in the lake.

The White Mts. are ahead of us now and the pace will definitely be slowed down as 12-15 miles a day is common here. New England just keeps getting better so I'm looking forward to the next week even with its sometimes steep climbs.



 

 



Somewhere in northern PA we got tired of the forest. It got dark, dense and unimaginative. But I'm happy to say that the New England states have revived the joy of walking in the woods. In the south we had mixed forests and good smells of flowering trees and honeysuckle that brought back good Indiana childhood memories for me. Back now in the conifers it smells like Christmas and the forest is once again varied. We also are seeing more water in the form of lakes as well as puddles from rain. Upper Goose Pond in MA gave us the opportunity for a swim at the end of the day. Whenever possible it's also good to cool off the feet in a good stream as Patriot  is enjoying here.

Mt Greylock is the highest spot in MA and home to Bascom Lodge and this monument. It was originally built as a lighthouse and dedicated to aviators from the World Wars.

The Long Trail was the first trail constructed and goes through Vermont. The AT coincides with the Long Trail for many miles and has been a nice trail so far. An energetic group of young people in the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps was working on the trail up Stratton Mt.

Stratton was fogged in so pictures there, but the rest of the day was a good walk with little rain. Trail conditions vary from great to muddy with lots of rock hopping to avoid wet & muddy feet, usually successful. And then there is the occasional road walk.

Porcupines are having a fine feast on some of the boardwalks..

And the lakes continue to be scenic and, I'm happy to say, not buggy!

Today we're having a nice nero day in Manchester Center, VT at possibly the best hostel yet. In addition to the normal shower and laundry pleasures, each guest is offered a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I just finished my vanilla heath bar crunch. Ahhh... On to Killington...

July 4th in was a memorable occasion. We arrived in Dalton, MA on the afternoon of the 3rd and checked in at Tom Lavardi's AT thru-hiker house/hostel. Tom has hosted hikers for 35 years allowing us to either have a room in the house or pitch in the yard. He provides laundry, showers, food and the occasional haircut. Cody Coyote was ready for one!

The morning of the 4th we got up early and walked downtown to a diner where had a wonderful breakfast of omelets and homemade fries with hiker friendly service. Relaxed with other hikers until mid-day when a BBQ lunch was provided. Hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, chips and then a neighbor brought over fresh out of the oven brownies to go with the ice cream! More hanging out till around 6pm when a new batch of hikers arrived and we had the second BBQ of the day. Yes, we partook of both and after 3 square meals in one day I think I may have even gained a pound. Next morning, before hitting the trail again, he had coffee and donuts for us too. He refuses to put out any donation box or charge a fee, but most hikers left something on his kitchen table I hope!

It was great being able to have time to talk to other hikers here and I thought I'd tell you a bit about who we hike with. Although you can walk for hours and not see anyone, you hike around the same people for a few days and then lose them, sometimes for good, sometimes for a few weeks. Some get off trail for weddings or to meet girlfriends, returning later and you never know when you'll see someone you knew. It was fun in Dalton to run into Amos who we met back at Fontana Dam and had not seen since Virginia. We also reconnected a couple weeks ago with Slacks (he began the trail wearing wool slacks but is now in a kilt), who was with Amos at Fontana Dam and Analog who is now about a week ahead of us. 

Nomad began hiking but is now driving town to town providing magic along the way including some of this 4th of July fest. His van is signed by all the hikers he meets.

In Dalton we met Lucky Strike. He was struck by lightening on the trail and lived to tell about it! Chaser chased a mail drop package for several towns before she just gave up on it - who knows where those packages go! The Triplets actually are. Pumpkin Head wears an orange shirt but that may not be how he got the name. Frost  is memorizing Robert Frost poems on trail. Rock Steady is a geologist.  Jet Pack..yep, he's fast just like a lot of the younger set.

Dalton, MA is a town that we all have contact with every day but would never know it. The picture below looks like an abandoned building, but in fact it is one of several in town that are private facilities which make the paper that your currency is printed on and has been paper money began in this country. Here's to Dalton, MA and to a great hiker hostel!

AT

The mid-Atlantic states are short in mileage and we've slowed down the pace a bit for multiple reasons: heat, humidity, bugs, state parks with lakes to swim in, and most importantly - delis! New York and New Jersey are known for their great delis and we've taken advantage of a few too many perhaps! We are now in the New England states so there's lots to catch up on and I'll just give a few brief notes on states with pictures.

New Jersey included a stop at High Point State Park where the high point of the state is marked with a tower at some 1800 feet elevation. This state will also be remembered for the 3 bears we saw.

New York brought unforgettable heat and humidity along with mosquitoes that are plaguing us through New England. But it also brought the Lemon Squeezer made famous by Marilyn Monroe evidently at some point in time (have not had a chance to look that one up yet)....

 

and Tiorati Circle where we stopped for cooling off and a bit of lunch...

 

 

lunch was significantly improved by Evan of the Jewish Child Care Association who was there with a great group of kids and fed us 2 hamburgers each and then sent us off with left over burgers and hot dogs which we gave to other hungry hiker friends that evening. Thank you Evan!!

 

We pitched at West Mountain shelter that night where you can see views of the NYC skyline in the far, far distance, not enough for a picture but a great panoramic view. 

 

Crossing the Hudson River was the next high point and it was awesome!

 

 

 

It was very exciting to enter the New England states. Soon after crossing the CT line we went over a suspension bridge and through a riparian area with a grand new boardwalk. Turns out CT has rocks too, this time in the form of St. John's Ledges.



 

 

One of the best campsites we've had was Silver Hill, made special by the swing!

Unfortunately CT was also included one of the worst days ever for mosquitoes. No nearby towns had any Deet so we were at the mercy of organic products that did not work at all. One day in particular almost drove most hikers mad. There is so much standing water and of course the rains are not done. That said, we also had a one of the most beautiful hiking days upon entering MA.

We walked up Bear Mt., down Sages Ravine along a nice creek, did Mt. Race with a nice walk along a ledge with awesome views, and up Mt. Everett before finding an early camp a few miles before Great Barrington where we came yesterday. Today is rain, rain, rain and we are going nowhere on the trail! Having a much deserved zero day after a nice nero day yesterday.

Time is almost out on this computer and I have not done pictures justice, but that's all for now!




 

 

 

\