The birds are an overdrive this morning, as if they know there are going to be thunderstorms this afternoon, so they need to get all their chatter out this morning while they can. Bird song accompanies me the entire way to the car at the next road crossing. The only other wildlife I see is a young buck taking a stroll on the trail, just like me.
I am so glad that I did Stratton yesterday, with the fabulous weather. Today is super overcast and I know there would be no views for many of the mountains. I'm also glad to be doing a Nero despite my compunction yesterday to get more miles in today.
The hike from the shelter is very easy and obviously very short. I go up and down a series of small hills and have one very small hike uphill lasting only 350 feet of elevation gain.
I cross several small streams, the rocks covered with thick green moss, and have a couple small muddy areas, but nothing major to report.
I make it to my truck at 7:30 AM, and I am pleased to see everything is in order. I always have a moment of anxiety every time I leave my vehicle at a roadside trail parking area.
I Google "top-rated breakfast near me," and pick a spot called "Up For Breakfast," only 15 minutes away in Manchester. One of the beautiful things of hiking with so many ski resorts nearby Is the plethora of 5G cellular towers on top of the mountains. Like most of my trip through Vermont so far, I have excellent service.
30 minutes later I am tucking into an amazing breakfast of Eggs Benedict, home fries, and a huge plate of homemade corned-beef hash.
I can't check into the hostel until noon, so I have three hours to burn. Manchester is a very upscale town, with a very expensive grocery store. A quick search tells me that Bennington, 30 minutes to the south, has a Wal-Mart and Aldi, so I set off to Bennington.
I get the supplies I am running low on, as well as lots of fresh fruit and salmon and shrimp for dinner tonight. I am in the mood for a home cooked meal.
I take a very slow ride on back roads and arrive at the hostel promptly at noon. Jeff, one of the owners, meets me and gives me a tour and runs down the house rules.
The hostel will be bustling once the other guests arrives, so I shower, do laundry, and explode my pack all over the room I will be sharing later. I sit in front of the TV and get caught up on current events while working on my blog.
Guests start arriving and by four the hostel is bustling with activity. I finish packing my pack for tomorrow's early start, then prepare the food I purchased earlier.
While I am cooking, a woman walks in. She looks familiar, but is haggard and trail weary. She comes down a short time later and we talk. She says her name is Mama Turtle. Now I realize that I met her at the Eagle's Nest Shelter 400 miles ago in Pennsylvania, when I stayed there with Kelly. She Is a flip-flopper who was hiking with Tad and his daughters when they first started.
During our conversation it's readily apparent that she is emotionally spent. We talk about the mental challenges of the trail, and I share with her my downs of the last weeks, telling her that I scaled back my mileage in an effort to have more fun and make it seem less like work. I am now enjoying my experience so much more.
I eat most of the pound of shrimp while I prepare a dinner of a pound of salmon, a bag of spinach, a half-pound of mushrooms, four garlic cloves, two lemons, and an entire stick of butter served on angel hair pasta. I top the whole thing with several ounces of olive oil.
I offer some to Mama Turtle and she accepts a small portion, since she already purchased some food in town. She has decided to zero tomorrow and stay another night in the hostel tomorrow night. She says that she needs the break to try to fix her phone battery problems and rest.
The rest of the evening, seven of us sit around the hostel table, and share stories of the trail. We laugh a lot and I love the camaraderie we share. Some of the hikers here are Sham-wow, Mile Marker, Bilbo, Frodo, and another hiker from Quebec doing the Long Trail.
At 8:45 PM, Mama Turtle and I retire to our shared room, where we talk a little more. She thanks me for lifting her spirits, and we exchange phone numbers, hoping to catch up further down the trail.
I go to sleep soon after.
Today's Stats: 2.9 miles, 375 feet gain
Trail Stats: 1,658 miles, 322K feet gain
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