August 21 - North Woodstock, NH (Day 155 – milepoint 1762.4)

Got an early start in the pouring rain, but was rewarded with the sighting of a Mama moose and her calf. What impressive animals.

Walked through an extremely intense storm with sideways rain and tree branches falling out of the sky all around me. It is baffling that none struck me. Just baffling.

Arrived at Jeffers Brook Shelter for a short break to fuel up for the big 4,000-foot climb up Mount Moosilauke. As I was cleaning my pot, I spotted a day hiker walking up to the shelter. Double-take, triple-take: My God, it’s the Hairy Italian, Chris Esposito. I was stunned and could not believe he was standing there. Big hug and “What are you doing here?”

He was interviewing for a winter ski-patrol job at Mount Snow in Vermont, has a day to kill, and drove up to find me after calling my family to find out my approximate whereabouts. Once up here, he got directions to the nearest shelter and figured he would check the register and see if any thru-hikers knew where I was. And there I was. Kinda gives you the willies.

Much to my unexpected good fortune, I was able to spend the rest of the day out of the rain with a very good buddy. We went
to North Woodstock, I sprang for a couple of bunks at the Bed and Breakfast, and we spent the rest of the day catching up on things.

Micro-brewery right next door to the B&B. Caught a movie in the evening. Smiles joined us. Saw Conspricay Theory. Have I become easily entertained or are there some really good movies out this year? Maybe a little bit of both. Anyway, I’ve had to finish this entry on 8/22 since Chris and I were up so late trading stories. What a great friend.

Aquaholic

August 20 - “Atwell Hilton” (Day 154 – milepoint 1753.4)

Five month anniversary! As if last night’s sky show wasn’t enough, this morning’s sunrise brought colorful skies and immediate warmth.

Good energy all day. Spent several hours on Mount Cabe, enjoying the sun. My pale, white chest turned a golden pink.

Arrived at Atwell Hill Road with 12 Bears. We walked down to the “Atwell Hilton” and met famous Trail Angel, Dizzy Bee, who immediately offered a couple of beers and took our picture for her scrapbook. We have been hearing about Dizzy Bee for a long time and it’s neat to finally meet her. She spent the evening with us around a campfire.

Also here are Achilles, Mahatma, Water Girl, Spice Boy, Easy Walker, Lej, Journeyman, and Starlight.

Aquaholic

August 19 - Smarts Mountain (Day 153 – milepoint 1741.5)

Forty degree temps this morning and a fair amount of climbing today. The strenuous ascent to the top of Smarts Mountain was rewarded with an amazing 360-degree view from the fire tower on top. Killington to the West, Mount Washington to the East, and everything in between.

I was tired when I arrived and tried to take a nap but I had a sugar buzz (from some candy sent by mom) that wouldn’t go away. Not too smart. Spice Boy, Achilles, and I have decided to sleep in the fire tower tonight.

A grand sunset was followed by a big bright-orange full-moonrise! The cycle of the moon: 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds.

Aquaholic

August 18 - North Peak, Moose Mountain (Day 152 – milepoint 1730.0)

Slow getting started this morning but I only had 12 miles planned so I was in no hurry. Joined Silence for lunch at Subway and Ben and Jerry’s and we walked out of town and into the woods a little after noon.

Note: a pint of ice cream is not an ideal source of fuel for a day’s hike.

We ran into Achilles hiking with is father, now Mahatma (formerly, John). They’re down at the shelter a mile back. I’m joined by Silence and Lej on top of the mountain with a good view, clear skies, and a waning full moon.

They say when you get to Hanover, “You’ve covered about 80% of the distance, but only 50% of the effort.” From what I understand
about New Hampshire and Maine, the extra effort will be worth it.

Aquaholic

August 17 - Hanover, NH (Day 151 – milepoint 1717.6)

Woke up this morning feeling slow but surprisingly fine. Spent the day by myself mostly. Couple hours at Ben and Jerry’s, couple hours at Murphy’s Irish Pub drinking water, writing postcards.

Baltimore Jack made a huge lasagna dinner for about 25 people at Tabard House. Far better than the stuff I had at the restaurant last night. Feet swollen, but rest of me feeling good and ready to head north tomorrow.

Aquahoiic

August 16 - Hanover, NH (Day 150 – milepoint 1717.6)

“Ladies and Gentlemen – Elvis has been abducted from the building!”

(This journal entry is actually being written on the 17th, since I wasn’t really in any kind of condition to be doing any writing after the party).

Achilles (a Dartmouth grad) and I started the day with breakfast and then ran around getting things ready for the “Elvis Abduction 20th-Anniversary Thru-hiker Bonanza.” The keg was tapped at noon at Psi Upsilon Fraternity, where Achilles was a member, and everyone met there before heading over to “The Green” for Ultimate Frisbee.

Paka Bear divided the teams, North vs. South. Being from North Carolina, he’s been talking pretty confidently about how the South would reclaim dominance over the North and avenge its ancestors. You gotta love his spirit. For the record, the North pretty well embarrassed the South and we will not soon let Paka forget it.

Everyone had a great time and I think we are all feeling the effect of not having done any full speed running in over five months. After the Ultimate game, we walked down to the Connecticut River for a swim then back to Psi U where the party shifted into high gear.

Achilles made a punch called “The Porch Crawler” and things from that point are a bit fuzzy for me, except that I know we had a really good time and it’s probably a good thing I can’t go into detail.

Aquaholic

August 15 - Hanover, NH (Day 149 – milepoint 1717.6)

Cosmo and I covered the 10 miles into Hanover in three hours, which, for me, is pretty fast with a pack. We arrived before any restaurant would serve us lunch so we had second breakfast and relaxed for a bit.

Hanover is the home of Dartmouth College and there are about four student-fraternity houses on campus that allow hikers to crash in their basements. We walked over to the Tabard House, a co-ed fraternity, where we were given a tour and made to feel welcome.

I wandered around town for the rest of the day. Bookstore. Met with the manager at the Ben and Jerry’s shop and set up a 20% discount for everybody tomorrow. He recommended at first that we buy a couple of “party-sized” ice creams like the
“Vermonster,” which feeds about 30 people. “A good way to get a bunch of ice cream to a bunch of people affordably.” he said.

I then explained to him that the average thru-hiker can put away a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting (equivalent to 4 pints). He said, “Oh, the Vermonster would only feed 5 or 6 of you. Maybe we should go with the straight discount.” I agreed. Ben and Jerry’s has been very good to thru-hikers.

Lots of folks started arriving into town, some hitching from as far as 40 miles to make sure they don’t miss tomorrow’s bonanza. All you can eat lasagna for dinner at an Italian restaurant pretty much put me down for the count.

Aquaholic

August 14 - West Hartford, VT (Day 148 – milepoint 1707.7)

Clear skies in the morning offered phenomenal, panoramic views from on top of the cabin. A nice way to start the day.

Lots of ascending and descending today. Vermont has reacquainted us with the physical challenge of backpacking. Tight, sore muscles have returned. Cosmo and I have ended up in a little park in West Hartford. It looks like rain and neither of us is carrying a tent, so he’s under a picnic table and I’ve rigged up some cover with my tarp and trekking poles.

Into Hanover tomorrow to start getting things ready for our thru-hiker party celebrating the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s abduction, which we’ve been planning and promoting in trail registers since Great Barrington, Mass.

Hard to believe we’ll be in New Hampshire tomorrow. Feels like Mt. Katahdin might be a real destination…

Aquaholic

August 13 - The View Point (Day 147 – milepoint 1678.6)

Didn’t leave the Inn until after noon. It is not easy to leave a warm, dry, comfortable place surrounded by good folks and atmosphere to go out alone into the cold, pouring rain. But, “The secret to a long (hike) is knowing when it’s time to go.”

It rained all day so I hiked naked for most of it because, why not?

Only passed a couple of other hikers and they didn’t seem too awfully offended. I used my bandana as a loin cloth when I felt it was necessary. Redressed for the last couple of miles and was very tired when I arrived here at “The View Point,” a private cabin we were told was ok to stay in. I opened the door to the cabin to see Cosmo sprawled out on a king-sized lawn chair eating his dinner. Classic.

Very comfy cabin with a fireplace and a deck on top of the roof offering supposedly excellent views. Hopefully the fog will lift in the morning.

Aquaholic

August 12 - Sherburne Pass – Killington, VT (Day 146 – milepoint 1673.5)

Maggie Mae offered to take our packs to Sherburne Pass. I hadn’t slack-packed in a while and I realized today that I’m in really good shape. At the first road crossing, Silence and I walked a half mile down the road to a quaint little restaurant for breakfast.

We averaged about 3 miles per hour for the rest of the day, which included a big 7-mile climb up Killington Peak at over 4000 feet of elevation. Outstanding panoramic views from the summit. Vermont has been truly amazing. The terrain grows more intense but the rewards are complimenting the effort.

Finished the day at The Inn at Long Trail at Sherburne Pass feeling fantastic after 20 miles. Walked into the Inn, an Irish Pub/restaurant/lodge and found Achilles at the bar, relaxing after his “rough” 5 mile day. I joined him for some Guinness Stout and Long Trail Ale.

Apple Jack, Water Girl, and I decided to share a room together. We’re also joined at the Inn by some Long Trail thru-hikers. Not surprisingly, good folks.

Aquaholic