So far we are really lucking out with the weather. Another rainstorm blew through the mountains during the night, the drops plunking loudly on the shelter while we slept. By sunrise, however, we were greeted by blue skies again.
Everyone in the shelter was up early so we were on the trail by 7:30 am. The morning was cool, the trail mostly level, and the lure of a town day strong causing us to make great time. We played leap-frog with a group of section hikers for most of the morning. This group was comprised of three gentleman in their 60's who are working to hike the entire Appalachian Trail over many years. They were an entertaining group to chat with. One man was a retired teacher who served in the army in Vietnam. He had spent time in the Midwest, including Detroit, so we were able to swap stories. It was comforting to talk to someone who knew something of our home state.
The trail eventually joined Rootville Road, a dirt road that runs into Manchester Center. We made really great time on this stretch of flat, level terrain. After about 3 hours of hiking we reached a side trail to Prospect Rock. We took our lunch from this scenic spot, perched on a slap of rock that jutted out several hundred feet above the valley below. Manchester Center was visible below, tantalizingly close. AT through hiker Hawkeye was enjoying his lunch here as well. His teenage son had joined him for a couple of days on the trail. They had spent the previous day fishing and relaxing at Stratton Pond. Hawkeye had spent much of his life in this part of Vermont and was able to provide us with some advanced scouting on Manchester Center.
After finishing the last of our food we retraced our steps to the trail and began the last 5 mile push to the road. In classic trail fashion, the hiking turned harder, switchbacking up and down several ridges. The sounds of town were clearly audible through the forest as we hiked. The horn on a train blew, a siren sounded at noon, and the rush of traffic zoomed by on the road below.
One of the most maddening experiences in all travel is the "almost there" phenomenon. That lasts .5 can go by painfully slowly, so much so that Mary has forbidden me to say. "almost there" while hiking. Eventually, the trail did finish snaking through the woods and emptied onto a busy highway.
Manchester Center was 5 miles to the West, meaning this would be our first experience hitching a ride into town. We decided our best strategy was to have Mary stand near the road with her thumb in the air while I hung back with the packs. It seemed like people would be more likely to give a ride to a women than a man, especially one in filthy clothes and 6 days of stubble! Our plan worked, as the fourth vehicle that went by pulled over. It was the perfect choice for our first hitch: a teenage girl on her way home from working as a lifeguard at the Bromley Ski Resort swimming pool. She seemed like a pretty safe bet. We climbed into her Suburban, with plenty of room for us and our packs. It was fun to marvel at how fast the miles zoomed by after traveling the last 60 under our own power. She gave us a brief tour of town before dropping us at Sutton's Place.
Sutton's Place is a B and B that caters to hikers. He offers a hiker discount, and the location is ideal. Set about one block up a lazy side street from downtown, it is within walking distance to all of the services we will need. The proprietor, Frank, gave us a run down of the best places to visit while in town. He also gave us a beautiful room with a window air conditioning unit and a private bathroom. Although, to be fair, just about any room would have looked good after 6 days in the woods.
We changed into our cleanest clothes, sorted through our packs and made a plan for while we were in town. We had decided during one of the long climbs that we needed to part with some weight if we were going to be able to keep hiking. We decided to mail home some items we didn't need: the hammock, an extra Nalgene water bottle and the Jet Boil, along with a few small items. We could do all of our cooking with the MSR stove we had brought and the lightweight pot. We walked part of the way to the post office before passing a great smelling small town doughnut joint. Mary graciously offered to walk the rest of the way to the post office while I satisfied my doughnut craving. Mrs. Murphy's Doughnuts had the kind of small town, greasy doughnuts you just can't find anymore. After indulging in a couple of fantastic doughnuts and a large iced tea, I walked down the street and met Mary at Ben and Jerry's for our second treat of the day. It's amazing how good ice cream can taste on a hot day after 6 days of trail food!
Our immediate needs satisfied, we visited the Price Chopper, the whole foods store and the Eastern Mountain Sports for groceries and supplies. After being hungry on the trail for five most of the week we loaded up on high energy foods: nuts, dried fruit, and energy bars. We also bought a clove of garlic to add to our dinners. We learned from through-hiker Spock that this is an easy way to make a dehydrated meal more appetizing, and it helps keep away the bugs. While we were outside the Price Chopper we ran into some section hikers we had met previously on the trail. They are planning to get to Katahdin this year. They are also hiking with a beautiful and adventurous dog named Captain. We watched Captain for them while they did their shopping.
After stashing our purchases in the room we went in search of dinner. We ended up eating at the Firefly. We had outside seating with a great view of the mountains we had been in earlier today. Chips with fresh salsa, guacamole, a veggie burger with Vermont Cheddar and a Switchback Ale really hit the spot. Watching the sun set behind the mountains we both had a great sense of accomplishment. We had walked here from Massachusetts! We've hiked 60 miles already, with 56 of it on the Long Trail. We have 217 miles to go. Tomorrow we are going to take a "zero" in town and see if we can find some fireworks for the holiday. We'll be back on the trail Thursday as we head for Killington and Sherburne Pass.
