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| Week Twenty: Fancy toilets, frat houses and the ultimate "all you can eat" meals Sunday
August 21st, 1983 Our slack pack began as a day hike from the Inn back to the south and Route 4. Yesterday, in our rush to get to Mountain Meadows Inn, I had skipped the section of the trail that skirted the road. Why? I wanted to get to Mountain Meadows as early as I could as their policy was to give the first thru-hiker who inquired the option of helping out with dinner and sweeping the floor in exchange for a free dinner - I was up for that. But unfortunately we weren't the first so we ended up stacking wood instead. Once back at the Inn again, I wrote a letter and some post cards and sent them out. By then it was about 3:00pm Not wanting to totally waste the day, we finally got out and hiked a big seven and seven tenths miles to add to the three mile day hike. In this section of trail the Appalachian Trail makes a departure from the Long Trail it had been sharing the path with since Vermont. I found out that one of the thru-hikers left the A.T. today. I will miss Tim Platts as he has decided to leave the A.T. and continue up The Long Trail from where the two trails diverge. I ran into him at the A.T./Long Trail Junction while I was on my day hike back to the highway. I believe he decided to leave the A.T. and finish the Long trail due to the fact that he would not have enough money to finish the A. T. He figured he had enough for the Long Trail, so at least he could say he had finished that trail. Tonight
we stayed at Stoney Brook shelter. Monday
August 22nd, 1983 I had
to laugh when I read the following sign posted in the shelter by
Eric Olson, who is now ahead of me on the trail. Oh yes, Averil Privey was tops! The privy was a gorgeous hexagonal structure whose lower section was constructed of varnished hardwood up to about three feet. Atop that were sections was Plexiglas or Lexan, and screen - so you could see the view while doing your business. The roof was also made of Plexiglas - so the sun could stream in. There was a cork board inside - so as you were seated you could peruse the various massages, catch up on the latest trail news, or post your own. A bit of whimsy amidst the austerity. Had
a troop of scouts come in tonight after I finished my log entry,
and from then on camp seemed like Grand Central Station. As with
many Boy Scout troops, the kids slept in tents. By this time of
the trip the quiet of solitary hiking made me less tolerant of loud
noises and the bustle that had pervaded my life in the city. When
something like this large raucous groups of children invaded, that
quiet was shattered. Kids dashed around camp in endless fervour
performing their self-appointed tasks. With trees to cut, fires
to build, tents to erect (only to collapse upon One of the kids managed to slit his hand open with his sheath knife…what excitement. When I heard of the cut I did amble down to see if they were in need of first aid, but the laceration looked toi me to be superficial, and my presence was not needed. I believe that one of the scout masters eventually escorted him out to a hospital to get stitched up. Rained most of the day.
Tuesday
August 23rd, 1983 The miles went by all too fast, and before I knew it I was on the bridge over the Connecticut River. The bridge was an inauspicious end to Vermont and beginning for New Hampshire. Whenever I think of those two states I think of mountains, notches and trees lots of trees but two lane highways on a modern bridge does not a picture make. I knew that from here on the trail would be wilder and that was why I had begun this trip from the beginning. From here to Katahdin would be strenuous, glorious and exhilarating, but first it was time to enjoy the hospitality of Hanover and Dartmouth College. The thought of being in New Hampshire made me smile, I was now in New Hampshire, my back yard. The trail follows the road over the bridge and into the town of Hanover and pretty much right into the center of Dartmouth College. I met a south bound thru-hiker at about twelve noon, and we spent some time trading information before we each set out on our quests in opposite directions. For me, at the moment, it was finding a place to stay. I stumbled upon Bruce and Eric. They pointed me to the best frat house to stay in, and after settling in a bunch of thru-hikers and I went to Thayer Hall for the $6:00 all you can eat (AYCE) dinner - and we ATE for 2½ hours! Just imagine.... the meal included ice Cream! And lots of it! I felt old when I looked around at all the other college kids around. At age twenty-six, I believe that I was "the older guy" in our thru-hiker group as well. Dartmouth
is a very nice college town, and they cater to hikers, or at least
outdoorsmen, such that I could have been able to pick up a new mini-pump
and cap for my stove. But as it happens, I had another pump set
up sent to me from home when I noticed the problem beginning. After
a while the mini pump fuel cap that screwed in place of the original
fuel cap would not fully hold the pressure and leak, causing the
flame to be less intense and forcing me to pump it up now and then
while the stove was running to keep constant pressure in the fuel
tank.
Wednesday
August 24th, 1983 I've
been thinking about Tim Platts and his deviation to "The Long"
ever since I crossed the junction of the A.T. and the Long Trail.
I have been considering finishing the Long Trail after Katahdin,
but the big problems are my job and of course, money. These are
obstacles in many ways more formidable than the AT. I had been laid
off from my job - just as had happened in the previous year, and
they said that they would call me back when work picked up. Frankly,
I didn't care if they did or not - my first priority was to finish
what I had started and let the chips fall as they may. As far as
money, I had saved up $2000.00 to do this and I sensed funds were
getting short. I had figured that if $2000.00 was good enough for
Ed Garvey than it was good enough for me; unfortunately, I didn't
factor in for inflation. Maybe I can borrow from Sonny because I
know he will understand. The trail is coming to an end soon and
I am not ready to give up my freedom. Thursday
August 25th, 1983 I spent the day just puttered around town and catching up on trail news as Paul and I compared notes on what we had done since we last saw each other. I ate another boatload of food at Thayer Hall. That was a treat. I found that I wasn't concerned about wimping out in a town anymore. I now had the discipline to move along on my own free will, and was sure of myself. The people that lacked the mental discipline had already gone home by now, and barring any unforeseen circumstances me, and all of those around me would make it to the northern terminus. Looking back, I could now see that at the beginning of the journey most people that drop off do so because of either health reasons, or they cannot handle the physical exersion or pressure that hiking demands of their bodies. Once the body becomes adapted to the rigors of trail life, it becomes a mental game to make it through the mid-states. At the end, both body and mind function as one to carry us to the end. Paul shared the floor at the frat house with me tonight, and we all showered at the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) facilities. Still
thinking of the Long Trail. Friday
August 26th, 1983
I don't remember this section as being particularly buggier than any other; however, the presence of mosquitoes brings back a memory of while hiking in Massachusetts and meeting some fine young ladies who were on horseback. I gave up the trail to the horses to allow them to pass, and the ladies stopped to chat with me. On particularly hot days such as that day, I would remove my shirt and hike bareback. I would use my shirt to fan my head and top torso while walking in order to keep the mosquitoes from landing on my head and shoulders. It also provided a bit of breeze. The ladies had noticed this and they asked if I thought the bugs horrendous; to which I replied, "They aren't bothering me as much as they are your horses". We all looked, and there was a cloud, litterally hundreds, of mosquitoes and flies swarming around the animal's snouts. The lead girl quickly said that "she couldn't understand how I could stand being out there with no shirt on, kicked their horses sides, and thundered off at high speed to rid themselves of the voracious insect swarm. Another strategy to rid myself of bugs was to hike quickly and out-distance them, but there were always others to take over the chase; however, if I did hike quickly enough they had little chance to land and bite. Saturday
August 27th, 1983 |
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