Manchester, VT – mile 1651 – 75.4% of the trail complete

August 28th – Upper Goose Pond to The Cookie Lady’s
Total miles on AT – 11.1
Elevation gain – 1191ft
Elevation loss – 583ft
Start time: 11:55am
Finish time: 7:50pm
Total time hiking: 4:40
Weather: sunny, warm

My hip appreciated a night’s sleeping on a mattress in the bunk room of the Upper Goose cabin and my body this morning felt about as good as it had in a month. I’m sure the Advil I took last night helped. I lounged around all morning. The blueberry and blackberry pancakes were phenomenal, but I definitely drank too much coffee. I was raring to go!

I headed out with Walking Eagle Child, a section hiker from Fribourg, Germany who started in New York State a couple of weeks ago. We crossed over I 90 and stopped at the Berkshire Lakeside Lodge where we ordered Chinese food for delivery.

I was stuffed but when we got back to the trail, the father of a hiker named JT was grilling on the side of a road and I couldn’t pass up eating a brat.

Walking Eagle Child and I chatted away about some pretty existential material as we walked throughout the afternoon and early evening and arrived at the Cookie Lady’s as it got dark. I rang the doorbell twice but no one answered. No cookies for us. The mosquitos are vicious and made setting up our tents quite challenging.

Walking Eagle Child gave me a prescription cream for my shin this morning. It felt better so who knows, maybe it helped.

August 29th – The Cookie Lady’s to St. Mary’s Church (Cheshire, MA)
Total miles on AT – 18.3
Elevation gain – 1179ft
Elevation loss – 2201ft
Start time: 8:40am
Finish time: 7:30pm
Total time hiking: 7:10
Weather: sunny, warm

I swore that I heard the branch of our food bags crash to the ground in the middle of the night. The Cookie Lady’s welcome instructions had mentioned that there was bear activity in the area. I mustered the courage to exit my tent and check it out. The bags hung unharmed. In the morning I discovered a branch had crashed to the ground, I wasn’t just hearing things.

Last night, Walking Eagle Child tried to bargain with me. I told him I was leaving no later than 7:30 and he countered with 8 o’clock if he let me use his prescription cream again. He also shared his coffee, but we didn’t get off until 8:40. At some point in the morning I got ahead of him. I had told him I wasn’t going to break until we got to the town of Dalton. He tried to make me feel guilty about leaving him behind. Sorry but he’s not in thru-hiker shape, is not dead-set on getting to Katahdin, and I need to make miles.

I chatted with three older ladies at the Dalton Restaurant.

“Aren’t you afraid of something bad happening to you out there? It seems like everyone wants a gun these days and wants to use it as soon as they get it.”

“People watch too much news,” I told them. “I’m safer on the trail than you are in your car. The chances of getting into a bad situation are rare. There are a lot of good people out there.”

I could tell the middle-aged couple sitting behind them were eavesdropping on the conversation, but they didn’t say anything until they left and the man slapped me real hard on the shoulder and said good luck. When I asked for the bill I found out that he had paid for my meal. There are good people everywhere.

About eight north and southbounders are staying the night tonight inside the St. Mary’s Church hall in Cheshire, MA.

August 30th – St. Mary’s Church (Cheshire, MA) to Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Total miles on AT – 11.7
Elevation gain – 2891ft
Elevation loss – 1308ft
Start time: 1:40pm
Finish time: 7:35pm
Total time hiking: 4:40
Weather: sunny, warm

Walking Eagle Child and I took the bus seven miles south to the Berkshire Mall and the Eastern Mountain Sports outlet to look at new boots because my right foot is still bothering me. The lady helping me finished the trail in two segments. None of their boots were a good fit and I ended up getting a new pair of insoles from Foot Locker instead. But I also asked EMS to look at my pack and the lady said it was way too big and that I should have a small or medium, but that I could not return it without a receipt, which of course I didn’t save.

I cruised up Mt. Greylock in the afternoon – an eight mile steady climb where I found Friskie and Feel Good. They camped on top with Lando and Goose, and although it was hard to leave the sunny summit, I headed on to the next shelter where I am camping alone. I want to make Manchester, VT by Friday evening.

August 31st – Wilbur Clearing Shelter to Melville Nauheim Shelter
Total miles on AT – 23.0
Elevation gain – 4307ft
Elevation loss – 4358ft
Start time: 7:45am
Finish time: 7:10pm
Total time hiking: 9:50
Weather: overcast, mild

Wow, I put in a day today. I had to resupply in North Adams a half mile off trail at a Stop ‘n Shop, which took an hour, but other than that, it was go go go, and I had some major up and down to do. It’s the longest day (time-wise) I’ve done on the trail yet.

I ate lunch at the Vermont border, and crossed the 1600 mile mark. I passed Snow White and Night Watch who went in to Bennington. I hadn’t seen them since early Pennsylvania. I caught up to Swiss Miss whom I hadn’t seen since central Virginia.

My body is holding up and the new insoles seem to be better than the last ones.

September 1st – Mellville Nauheim Shelter to Stratton-Arlington Road
Total miles on AT – 21.0
Elevation gain – 1895ft
Elevation loss – 2089ft
Start time: 7:50am
Finish time: 7:10pm
Total time hiking: 9:10
Weather: mostly sunny, warm

An uncomfortable night – my tent was set up on a slant and the hip was sore, but another big day today! And another beautiful early fall day. A lot more fall color at view points. I passed more northbounders and caught up and camped with Iron Butterfly, a woman whom I’ve passed a number of times but haven’t seen since southern Virginia. She’s raising money to stop elephant poaching and she must be well into her sixties. She puts in long days every day and is the ultimate definition of grit.

September 2nd – Stratton-Arlington Road to Manchester, VT
Total miles on AT – 17.5
Elevation gain – 2253ft
Elevation loss – 2352ft
Start time: 7:55am
Finish time: 5:30pm
Total time hiking: 7:05
Weather: mostly sunny, mild

Warm in the sun and cool in the woods which are becoming thicker and thicker as we head north. I love the sound of the wind blowing through the pine at higher elevation. I topped Stratton Mountain –  climbed halfway up the fire tower and was rewarded with a beautiful view.

The caretaker of the cabin at the top of the mountain gave some of us hikers a history lesson on land conservation in Vermont. Apparently this mountain is where Benton MacKaye conceived of the idea of the Appalachian Trail in 1921.

I cooked lunch at Stratton Pond and then made the easy ten and a half miles to the road crossing where I scored a ride into Manchester from a family in a truck camper. The father is slack-packing the trail.

I got a good deal at a nice country hotel and will enjoy my day off tomorrow. Going to watch college football all day! I’m picking up my warm sleeping bag and my new poles my mom send me at the post office. The nights and mornings have been chilly but it is supposed to warm back up.