Day: |
087 |
Date: |
Monday, 28 July 1986. |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
22.7 |
Daily Other Miles |
1.2 (1.0 in Hanover, 0.2 to Shelter). |
Total
AT Miles: |
1707.1 |
Total All Miles |
1756.2 |
Weather: |
Very warm, cloudy in the morning, sunny in
the afternoon, humid. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Oats. Lunch: Sub, fudge
brownies, ice-cream, chocolate milk. Dinner: Pizza, ice-cream,
orange juice. |
Aches: |
Feet a bit sore. |
Animals Seen: |
Chipmunks. |
People Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker, 4 day hikers, many others. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
Woke up at 5:30am after a good night’s
sleep to hear it raining lightly outside. It was very tempting to
roll over and go back to sleep. I got up and packed up using the
shelter of my suspended groundsheet, but it had really more or less
stopped. I ate the last of my oats for breakfast and set off at 7am
through damp undergrowth. The Trail wound around through the wet
dripping forest across pastures and through bogs, so it didn’t take
long for my feet to become thoroughly saturated. I aimed to walk
the 12 miles to West Hartford taking only short breaks and arrived
at the general store there at about noon. I bought myself a big
lunch. Another Thru-Hiker who had spent last night at Cloudland
Shelter (I passed it mid-morning) turned up and we chatted briefly
while we sat on the bench outside the store and ate. (He had
hitched from Dalton to Killington because he said he had walked that
section before.) I left at 1:10pm to walk the remaining ten miles
to Hanover, the first town in New Hampshire, where I planned to
resupply. The calories I ate for lunch seemed to give me a boost
and the time passed fairly quickly as the day became sunny hot and
humid. I stopped at Norwich Post Office en route and posted off
some used maps. The Trail crossed the pretty Connecticut River
where people were swimming and climbed into the pretty college
(Dartmouth) town. There were lots of joggers out. I was undecided
whether to stop at an Inn in town or keep moving, after buying
groceries, to the next Shelter. I also had to ring Peter and John
C. I felt that, after the last expensive motel, another Inn was not
really justified. Also, if I stayed, I would probably call Barb in
the morning – more expense. I walked through town and ˝ a mile out
the other side before I knew it. There I found a supermarket and
did my shopping and then repacked it on a bench in the foyer. By
this time it was 6:10pm, and I decided to have dinner, make the
calls, and keep moving. I walked back into town – very swanky, full
of students and beautiful people, and had a pizza in a shop. I made
my calls and arranged to meet Marj (aunt) and Peter (cousin) next
Friday night at Cascade Inn in North Woodstock and call John C from
Pinkham Notch in a week. I then went to another supermarket, bought
some ice-cream for dessert and another quart of orange juice (we’ll
see what half a gallon of orange juice does for me tomorrow!), then
walked out of town in the gathering dusk at 8:10pm. I arrived at
Velvet Rocks Shelter at 8:45pm – almost dark. There was no-one
there (it looked like a nice spot). I quickly set up the tent, ate
the ice-cream, drank the orange juice, had a wash, hung everything
up, and retired at 9:20pm to update my diary and sleep. Not such a
bad day. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|