A GUST of Energy: Hiking Continued

31 Aug. Fri:  Arrived in Lansing, Michigan mid-afternoon.  Nice visit with cousin Sharon and her husband Tom who live close to the University.  Marvelous meal at the U restaurant. But we missed the 7 PM ferry from Muskegon, Michigan to Milwaukee, WI.  The decision to take the midnight express ferry happened when Cynthia received an email from Kim Scholz that the band Boston was going to be playing on Monday in Tama, Iowa at the Meskwakie Indian Reservation.  Could not miss seeing MIT college roommate, Tom Scholz and his band Boston!   The ferry ride lasts 2.5 hours normally but we were delayed because of an engine gear not operating to full capacity.  Fortunately we had a room at the Hilton Garden Inn (cheap rate!!!) waiting for us.   Nice moonlit night. OOPS !  It is September!!!!

Midnight on Lake Michigan

30 Aug. Thurs:  Nice walk for a couple of hours.  Don't remember any fabulous meals.   Thurs PM we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express west of Niagara.  Large farms along the roads; scenery felt like the US

View from room 2325 Fallsview Marriott

29 Aug, Wed.  Conversing with Ed K. while driving towards Rochester, NY led to the overwhelming desire to see my good friend even though he could not join us at a restaurant so we  pulled into his driveway and called to let him know we were parked out in front.  Arrival at the Fallsview Marriott on the Canadian side occurred about 10 PM since we took the scenic route (s) to Canada.  This time we were in room 2325 which did not have the proximity to the falls as room 808 but still wonderfully romantic for the girlie.

Ed and Ron - MIT buddies

28 Aug, Tues:  Farewell Vermont!  Farewell friends:  Okie, Owen, Murray, Patty, Bob, Pat, Patrick, Brogan, Jamey, Wanee; you will be sorely missed.  So, too, the trails we have trod in Vermont.   Our sojourn in VT is the longest stay since our travel together started.   The car was successfully packed and recycling done to perfection thanks to the all night work schedule; zooma, zooma we were on the road by three P M arriving at Lake George, NY by five P M.   From here, we travel across Canada to the Midwest before dropping down for Cynthia's class reunion, visiting friends and genealogy cousins.   We will work our way back east to visit sister Carol, on to Philadelphia,  then to MD motorcycle shopping before returning to VA for more hiking until cool weather.   December:  NE coast of North Carolina through Christmas.  2013: the goal is touring on that new bike and hiking in the Rocky Mountains.  We arrived at Lake George for a nice dinner and pleasant stay at a Hampton Garden Inn.  Cynthia was surprised at the very large bodies (male and female) in upstate NY.

Owen and Ron

Fabulous Chef Patrick and Ron with Irish Soda Bread

27 Aug, Mon: Cynthia had her days mixed up!  Tomorrow is departure not today.  Packing continues. Hiking continues.  We made it to the meadow on SP Trail (4 miles RT).  Spectacular views from the meadows overlooking Deer Leap Mountain.  Today's hike was leisurely trying to put the trail maintenance long-term memory (MEMORY???) so when we return in three years or so we can see if the work of the past two summers made permanent changes in the trail.

26 Aug, Sun:  Katie and JP joined us for a delightful dinner at Choice's; it is sure fun to see the enjoyment of hikers eating desserts.  It is the rare time Cynthia will order a dessert knowing that she can have a bite and give it to someone to eat the rest of the serving.  Cynthia went to sleep early while /Ron imbibed Guinness with Katie and JP until the wee hours.  Thanks to Katie for the photo of the finish to the 23 mile hike.  WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!  We are HIKER proud.

Katie's Camera Captures Weary Hikers, Ron and Cynthia!

Photo Finish by Katie Sobalsky

25 Aug, Sat:  Cynthia's girl day at the beauty salon while Ron organizes the piles of boxes and papers flooding the living room.  Two hour hike on SB Trail.  We met a most interesting couple named Henry and MarGy at breakfast; they joined us at Choice's in the evening.  The discovery that Margie is a retired rehab therapist and Henry has a PhD in chemistry provoked some awesome conversation about Cynthia's swollen feet and calves after our 23 mile hike.  She showed Cynthia how to manipulate the lymph system to remove the edema.  

24 Aug, Fri: What fun is this??? Synchronicity!  An AT  maintenance crew was gathered at River Road where the Trail Magic was delivered this morning.  OOPS!!!!  Forget packing! Forget organizing!  Move over maintenance men! You have a new instructor/member for the day!   Zooma zooma!  Get the car back to Cynthia to take to the car beauty shop.  Rush back on foot 90 minutes to the workmen.  What fun is this?? NO FUN!  The trucks remain, a few new board "bridges over bogs" are built, but no crew to be seen.  Fooey.  A couple of day hikers with a car was willing to provide a ride back to the ILT.  Finished financial reviews, organized materials and recycling while Cynthia had to wait 5.5 hours for the car to be detailed.

23 Aug, Thurs: It is fall in Vermont: leaves are peeping.  The forest feels more open, sunlight filters to the forest floor, because the leaves are falling from the trees.  See the colorful leaves: artfully arranged by a certain Smooch Smooch.

Fall is a good time to shift into recovery mode.   A fast hike to the meadows took 36 minutes despite taking time to answer the most asked question, 'What are you doing?"  The answer is, "I am part of the solution and not part of the problem; so I am doing trail maintenance. "   We asked Patrick if that sounded too much like putting a trip on the hikers asking the question.  Some of them seem contemplative at the thought the trail needs care or stewardship.  Some say, "Good job, thanks, keep it up.'  One NY er said, "Why bother, let it be a natural wilderness."  Jerk.  Soon, the trail would  have NO trail.  The community of Killington is celebrating the recovery from Hurricane Irene a year ago.  The damage has been extensive.  Many people lost everything they owned.  A father and son lost their lives trying to save the town water.  People awoke the morning afterwards to discover a neighbor's house was gone.   Cynthia's HP hard drive crashed last night; it is now packaged and sent to Kim in TX for replacement.  Fortunately, Cynthia has a new Mac Book Pro with plans to switch any day.  Today is the day.

22 Aug, Wed:  EXHAUSTION.  Exhaustion.  exhaustion.  Sleep sleep sleep. Short hike  - one hour.

21 Aug, Tues: The overnight at Goddard Shelter in our tent was a great success.  The night was cool;  the down comforter kept us cuddled and cozy.  Cynthia reports sleep was delicious.  Breakfast of protein drinks and Cliff Bars filled the stomach, but not having that morning pot of caffeine to stir the blood depleted energy later in the day.   Cynthia was surprised with a diet coke; she will drink it at  room temperature.  Packed up, hiker chick in tow, we were ready for serious hiking at ten AM.  Cynthia reached the fire tower one mile out first;  she was near the top when the rest of the group arrived - surprised to see her so high.  The 360 degree view of five states was magnificent.  The NoBo trip to Kelley Stand Road was 12.6 miles accomplished in nine hours.  We celebrated our achievement by dining at Bistro Henry's once again but this time treating Katie and J.P.  It is dispiriting to return to see the Trail Magic cooler filled with soda cans containing cigarettes or to find banana and orange peelings scattered around the cooler.  Are the later hikers careless or just not caring?

Backpacks at Goddard Shelter

View of five states from the fire tower

20 Aug, Mon: Parked at Kelley Stand Road where we met Katie and J.P. , two delightful Sherpas, who carried the tent, sleeping bags and other gear once we parked their truck on Rt 9 near Bennington, VT for the 10 mile hike to Goddard Shelter.  The first and last miles were steep and difficult; the last one was especially challenging because it rained and the trail had a lot of rocks, plus we did not get started until 2 PM.  Katie and JP were concerned that we were arriving so late; they hiked back an hour with out tents and headlights in case we needed to camp further down mountain.  We finally arrived at the shelter about nine PM totally exhausted.  Cynthia fell asleep immediately once the tent was up and mattress pad installed.

J.P., Katie and Ron

Katie cooking upon arrival

Our "Home" away from home

19 Aug, Sun: Shopping for gear and a short hike:  a Nemo mattress pad, water purifier, matching shirts with bug protection and food for tomorrow's journey.

18 Aug, Sat: Plans Too Much shuttled us to route 7 to park the car before dropping us at Mad Tom Notch for the hike to Baker's Peak NoBo to connect to Wednesday's final destination.  Deja Vu!  Memories surfaced of Cynthia's harrowing adventure last summer getting turned around at Styles Peak; but, it was good to see trail maintenance had been done with white blazed marking the boulder that hid the trail where she was confused.  She was a great hiker chick clambering up that rock to the peak that was far longer and steeper on this side of the mountain.  Atta Girl!  We met a fine young man from NY who was interested in getting a shuttle back to his car from our parking area.  The hike to Baker's Peak was about eight miles.  We anticipated the blue blaze trail down to the parking lot to be about a mile.  Instead, it was close to three miles making a long day that concluded with a walk in the rain. We had a great meal at Bistro Henry's.

Ron trimming branches that last summer had blocked the view of the AT beyond/over the boulder.

17 Aug, Fri: A short hike through Gifford Woods to "reduce lactic acid in muscles" turned into a four mile 2 hour hike. Glorious day with marvelous fall colors - leaf peeping in Vermont has begun.  Nice new bridge across the Roaring Falls Creek but it appears that the re-routed AT trail will stay re-routed so the locals can enjoy the falls without interruption by hiker trash.   Nice to see some trail maintenance is being done; perhaps this is by the Forest Service?

16 Aug, Thurs:  Sherburne Pass Trail hike to the meadows - 4 miles RT.  The views are magnificent on this clear day.  The computer stuff planned for today was minimally accomplished.   Two weeks and we will be roaring down the road again with so many uncompleted tasks hanging overhead like Joe Btfsplk's perpetual dark rain cloud (Li'l Abner character).  The Wrangel formatting is finished apart from the Catechism (36 .jpgs) that were transferred into Paint and resized.  The Index is next.

15 Aug, Wed: "Plans Too Much" had a change of plans.  We dropped the car at Danby-Langrove Road where he picked us up for the shuttle drop-off.  Upon reaching Griffith Road he discovered it was impassable due to Hurricane Irene, not due to open again for another month;  so we were shuttled back to our car.  We could have hiked the gravel road two miles to the AT, but when Cynthia heard "13 miles" (two by road and 11 on the trail), her reaction was OMG, I can't do 13 miles!!!  Instead, we were dropped back at our car for an out and back trip to Baker Peak; 5.5 hours for the ten mile (RT) record breaker.  Great day for a hike.  Cool and pleasant.  Two hikers were skinny dipping in the stream.  He wasn't shy but she curled up in a ball.   Fooey!

Baker Peak View

Trail to Baker Peak

14 Aug: Tues: Zero.  We needed this quiet time before the 11 mile hike tomorrow.   Ridge Runner came into the ILT and lined up two Sherpas for backpacking us through the 22 mile wilderness.   Monday and Tues.

13 Aug: Mon: We dropped the car at VT 140 along with a cooler of Trail Magic on the trail;  Plans Too Much loaded us into his car for the shuttle to Danby Landgrove Road.  Pleasant, cool day; we didn't break a sweat until the steep climb.  The 8.5 mile hike was tiring towards the tail end as this is the third straight day of strenuous hikes.  It was fun to meet Ridge Runner (Caretaker of the Long Trail) and his cohorts.  The Trail Magic had indeed been enjoyed by hikers - especially the gum drops.  We ate at Little Harry's before shopping.  I went into Price Chopper for a few items and noticed the Dulces De Leches Skinny Cow and thought, "Cynthia has been such a good little hiker girl today, she deserves this ice cream." Then I saw the fat free Raspberry Sorbet and thought, "I have been good, too, and I deserve some Sorbet."  I placed them in the back of the car with more fleurs when I ran into Wal-Mart for a few more items.  When we arrived home, showered and prepared for bed, Cynthia said, "OH! What I wouldn't give for a huge bowl of Dulces de Leches Ice Cream and a huge bowl of popcorn."  She NEVER NEVER NEVER says this.  NEVER!  She did not see the shock on my face when I said, "Wait a minute!" slipped into clothes and ran to the car to fetch the ice cream.  It was not quite soup, but it will continue to get her giggling ad nauseum. What are the odds she would ask for ice cream the very night I (rarely) buy ice cream and forgot to bring the groceries in from the car?

Little Rock Pond with two snakes nearby

Homer Stone Brook

12 Aug: Sun:  One Year and Three Months!  Yellow roses and dinner at Little Harry's.  Busy, Busy, Busy - so busy we did not get started on our short four mile hike until 2:30 PM.  We have hiked part of this section before.  It is a steep elevation gain from the Park close to Sugar Hill Road to the white rocks about .02 off of the AT.   We saw one AT hiker.  We have less than 70  miles to the Mass border - met with "Plans Too Much" to begin shuttling us for day hikes to meet the goal of border to border.  Sounds like 22 miles is not a possibility since there are no roads that access the AT in one region north of Bennington.

View from the White Cliffs

11 Aug: Sat: Synchronicity:  The 75th anniversary of the completion of the AT on the day providence surprised us with the perfect completion of our last leg of the AT to the VT/NH border.  Oke discovered an article in the Mountain News advertising a hike from Norwich to West Hartford, VT with guides Heinz and Inga, a sprightly couple in their 80's, who hiked faster than we did.  Inga has had two knee replacements.  Heinz shuttled us back in his car.

Thanks to Linda B. for this terrific article about the AT 75th anniversary: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2726051.shtml?cat=600

AT Hiking Crew (Heinz next to Ron, Inga far right)

  9-10 Aug:  Early morning rains cancelled today's hikes.  Work on the Wrangel book continued until 4:30 AM \, the tenth. a little sleep, breakfast with Sudoku and back to work re-paginating. It was not as easy as thought. Incredible dinner at Choice's!  Porchini powdered swordfish steak with lemon sauce, couscous with steamed veggies and raisins in curry sauce, MMMMM!  Marvelous

Last night we drove into Rutland for dinner at Little Harry's; severe flood warnings were broadcast via cell phone.  As we were getting fuel in the car Cynthia heard sirens.  Ron did not.  Cynthia  heard  America the Beautiful playing ad nauseum.  She awoke to the sounds of an alarm clock in the middle of the night.   It is called Tinnitus.  No wonder she heard air raid signals and Ron did not.

8 Aug, Wed:  The definition of "early" means when we finish breakfast and drive the hour plus to the trailhead.  Early was eleven by the time we parked in West Hartford, VT.   Frustration describes the  1.7 mile walk through the town to the trailhead with only a couple of visible white blazes.  Remedy: whip out the paint can and brush! Accomplishment is the word to describe the return hike through town admiring the NEW white blazes ... even on a brand new black iron bridge railing!  DispiritedHot is the word  for hiking in 88 degree temps.   Exhaustion describes the  7.5 miles RT.   Sleep is the ultimate remedy.

Pine Beetle damage.  note white blaze!

Blackberries

JOY OH JOY ... back to the car!

Norway Pine on Bunker Hill

 7 Aug, Tues: Joe Ranger Road SoBo to Thistle Hill Shelter and then NoBo about 1.5 miles and return.  Time is questionable with mandatory stops at wild blackberry bushes.  Distance about 6.6 through Norway pine, nature's artistry, trail maintenance making a visible difference on the return trip.   The berries are delicious.  It was quite amusing to run into Slim Pilgrim and others from the ILT.  We noted hostility from the owner of the "Stewardship" farm who left a sign, "Please do not walk on the field," but certainly had no stewardship of the trail by not trimming branches that obscured the white blazes. Sore throat continues.

6 Aug, Mon:  5.8 miles (Cloudland Road SoBo to view #2 and back; then NoBo to Thistle Hill Shelter.  It was very amusing to meet Slim Pilgrim once again.  Throat is still sore but better. 

5 Aug, Sun:  I am told this is a good day to rest, but a maintenance hike is a prerequisite. The Trail Magic cooler was dropped at River Road after the breakfast Sudoku; we trekked Thundering Falls for two hours.  Seeing the fruits of trail maintenance post heavy rain is incredible.  It works.  Dinner at Choice's in Killington was marvelous.  Sore sore throat!

Completed AT Guide Book, page 167

4 Aug, Sat:  The car was parked at VT 103; "Plans Too Much" dropped us off at Robinson Brook Road to continue this last 6.1 mile leg to 103.  Cynthia calls days like today ad VENTures!  Indeed it was.  Instead of taking the detour created by Hurricane Irene we decided to follow the white blazes like the big kids.  It is doable but not without obstacles like wiped out bridges:

AT Trail across a stream

The second missing bridge was over a much wider stream offering two choices for crossing.  Walking shifting logs did not seem appealing.  We crossed  OVER a 14 inch wide root ball of a huge uprooted tree,  down the other side, and then onto rocks in the stream.  It was a hot, humid day with slippery rocks that caused Cynthia to slip and fall mid-hike.  But the real excitement came 1.3 miles away from the car: lightning and deafening thunder roared above.  What to do?  The most treacherous part of the trail was between us and the car.  Shelter came under a pine tree, but just long enough to get into rain ponchos.  Rain and even light hail poured down sometimes making it difficult to see; having hiked that section we knew it was dangerous even dry.  Cynthia slipped again, twice, bruising her arm.  Seeing her fall was the worst experience of our hiking.  Even so, a good time was had by all of the survivors.  Today's hikers to be remembered: OverDrive, Slim Pilgrim. 

3 Aug. Fri:  Yesterday's plans became today's plans:  Phone call to"Plans Too Much", driver of a shuttle service for hikers; some of the roads do not have available off road parking making it unsafe to leave a red attention grabbing SUV parked on the road side.   The driver is a super nice fellow who picked up Ron at the drop off spot before getting Cynthia for the ride to the Gondola to the summit.  The hike was 6.1 miles down the south side of Killington Mountain to the Robinson Brook Road past Governor Clement Shelter where Mom (car) was waiting for us parked off the road in the shade. Very nice young man we met a couple of days ago on Quimby Mountain. He was so happy with our Trail Magic.  Wish I had more time to write about the trail!  But a bit:  It was very rocky, with big boulders, not well-maintained.  Lots of muddy bogs. Lots  of dirty water out of our clothing!
 A message to hikers and the AT Conservancy:  
Don't LOG the BOGS! 
The wood logs soak up water keeping the bogs continually muddy.  Instead, dig deeper drainage ditches and build water bars.  

2 Aug, Thurs: Plans changed when we had the wrong phone number for "Plans Too Much."  We spent the day with various and sundry tasks, feeding hikers lunch and some Guinness.


1 Aug, Wed:  Hiked from VT 140 SoBo to Greenwall Shelter - UP UP UP!  Nice family hiking together... imagine:  the girlies refused jelly beans.  Not dad.  They seemed to enjoy learning the benefits of trail maintenance. 

 Our goal for 2012 is to hike every day.  The hikes began in earnest (I mean March - the second week)  in Waynesboro, VT.  Apart from two brief breaks we have consistently hiked every day unless deterred by torrential rain.  Based in Killington, we have the option of hiking right out the front door after a rain since the trails dry quickly now that they are well-maintained.  The AT Guide Book 2012 (pg.170-179) has been hiked from Killington Mountain NoBo to Cloudland Road;  from VT 103,   (pg. 167), we have trekked north to Lottery Road and SoBo to Greenwall Shelter.  As our strength and conditioning increases, and the AT trailhead access roads are increasingly further away, the hike plus driving time takes up the better part of a day.

Hiking will continue in VT for another 28 days until departure into the fiery furnace, AKA the Midwest, for Cynthia's HS Class Reunion.  She is on the planning committee; we haven't a choice:(  After the reunion in Iowa we will spend a few days in MPLS visiting Sister-in-law Carol, plus some of Cynthia's relatives,  and return to Iowa to visit Aunt Eleanor and other relatives.  The goal is to hike at least two hours every day. In the heat, we hope NOT!  Perhaps we could rent local meat lockers and run inside?

AT Vertical Vertical Hiking

A Beatty Happy Birthday and Fourth!

31 July, Tues: Quimby Mountain: Still fatigued from the nine mile day on Sunday we overslept arising at 8:30 AM.  By the time we were foodified, caffeinated, cooler filled with Trail Magic placed on River Road, drove a hiker to the outfitters, and trekked (by auto) a one hour drive from our lodging in Killington (Inn at Long Trail) to Stoney Brook Road, we did not start hiking until 12 noon.  But, hike we did!!! SoBo to the summit of Quimby, steep ascent, but not as steep as the NoBo side of Quimby.  Temp high was 84 degrees but a nice breeze flowed once we were high in the forest. An amusing view on the hike (photo to be posted): a 15 foot stainless steel ladder was placed against a high boulder.  Ascent was up and over! Admired good trail maintenance on this section of the AT. Good stone water bars, nice stone or wooden steps, trimmed overhanging trees (evidence of AT trail maint in VT in the past twenty years. Distance today was about 8 miles RT.  Nice view (apart from the power line) of Pico Peak across the valley below.  The 8 mile hike took six hours, plus the travel time back "home" to the ILT.

View of Pico from Quimby Mountain

        

Interesting fungus

30 July, Monday: Sherburne Pass Trail 2 hours Maintenance hike
29 July, Sunday: 75 percent rain forecast for the afternoon.  Undaunted, we departed on a hike at 12 noon anticipating a turn around. Interesting stop at the Lookout shelter (see photo below) It was a MirAcle, covering nine miles in seven hours, including the half mile access trail called Green Gate, past Chateauguay Road about twenty minutes to our stopping point a week earlier.  No rain!  It was our longest hike this summer. Hurray!

Ron admiring the view atop Lookout shelter

        
28 July, Sat:  Cynthia Hiked Sherburne Pass Trail two hours.  Ron hiked to meadows with maintenance en route for three hours. Dinner at Chantecleer in East Dorset to return Sherpa's trail bag left in our car.  The dinner was divine.

27 July, Fri: Augggghhh!  It really IS Friday!  Rain! Sudoku! Computer projects!  New website: AT streambed maintenance.  The rain stopped after our marvelous lunch with a former law enforcement officer and a Santa Claus look-alike who had tears in his eyes thinking of his wife left behind.... an understandable feeling.  Cynthia hiked for an hour while Ron continued hiking and working up to the meadows at Sherburne Pass Trail...  socializing both ways  about stream-bed maintenance. The sky is blue at six thirty PM.

Sherburne Pass Trail GREEN after the rain

26 July, Thurs: Rain!  Sudoku!  Computer projects! Auughhhh!  Tomorrow is Friday?  It is almost August??? What happened to July? We don't have time to go to Nova Scotia, hike, have fun and be in Iowa 6 September.  Nova Scotia is cancelled.

25 July, Wed: Delivered Sherpa and Starfish back to VT 103, dropped off Trail Magic NoBo and hiked from VT 140 to Manerva Shelter [7.2 miles RT in 4 hours].  Zooma Zooma Watch Cynthia Run!  Picked up two tired puppies, Sherpa and Starfish, at Danby-Landgrove Road; they decided to take a zero in  Manchester Center to wait for their pick up on Friday. They deserved a fabulous meal and we found one at the Chantecleer Restaurant in East Dorset.  Two bottles of champagne, a magnificent feast plus dessert and we are ready for beddy bye.

Eerie Forest Floor on Bear Mountain, VT

  24 July, Tues: Delivered Trail Magic (oranges, apples, bananas, grapes and candy bars to the River Road AT before hiking NoBo on yesterday's trail to our stopping point which took exactly 1.5 hours. It took a while to locate the road, plus, Smooch Smooch had a three PM "girl day" appt. at the hair salon. Sherpa and Starfish made 22 miles (their longest day) in eight hours arriving at VT 103 about seven PM.  Dinner at Little Harry's.  Food was followed by fleurs for the girls (Cynthia and Starfish (Eden).  Starfish and Sherpa (cute couple!) celebrated an anniversary. 

23 July, Mon: Happy Birthday Sistah Carol!  Enjoy your new frog refrigerator magnet and being the Froggie Queen for a Day.  Little Carol Ann excels at coloring, doesn't she?  [sidebar: Someone in our family is very delighted with himself for discovering that Sesame Street coloring book: picture a 65 year old guy giggling].

We returned to woods road, (a jeep trail off Perkins Road), we headed SoBo towards Lookout but heat and humidity were deterrents and we turned back. Hiking distance was 1/2 mile to the trailhead, 1.7 miles to Winturri Shelter, 1.5 miles to the stopping point due to almost ninety degree temps and high humidity.  Dinner at the ILT.

22 July, Sun: 2 hours, 4 miles! Parked on woods road or trail aka a jeep trail off Perkins Road, hiking NoBo to add distance from where we had stopped previously SoBo from VT 12.   We recognized the spot where we had stopped before.  The new hoe does double duty doing trail maintenance plus using it as a hiking pole. Lotsa water bars were cleared out.  Hikers were delighted to receive apples and oranges from the backpack.  One very delightful couple named Sherpa and Starfish were resting at the trail about 1/2 mile from the car.  We treated them to dinner and breakfast at the ILT. 

 21 July, Sat: 3 hours 4 miles from River Road SoBo to Gifford Woods Picnic Area ! FAST.  Could not keep up with Smooch Smooch. She has gotten her hiking legs!!!! J.B. Rambo (the Jelly Bean Rabbit) needs an alarm clock set for every ten minutes as a reminder to get those jelly beans in her hands.

20 July, Friday: 5.5 hours, VT 103 SoBo to Manerva Shelter.  Took a photo of an entry by Parkside (above) who drowned in Maine on his AT hike. 

19 July, Thurs: 4 hour 4 mile hike Sherburne pass Trail to the mountains.

18 July, Wed: No need to research Major Joshua Sprague once residing in North Adams ca. 1778-1788,  the records are online in the Sprague data.  Irja,  BD,  you need to talk Drew into flying to Williamstown to see the Clark Institute of Art's "China" exhibit in progress.  Do you know about it Eric and Jean????  Now, we are off to Killington with the Wrangel book formatting to finish, another grant proposal to write, and a few more days of hiking before departure for Nova Scotia (hiking en route).  Will we get a ten miler completed breaking our maybe maybe maybe eight mile distance record (if the weather condition permits? Lunch in Bennington after a failed mission to purchase a long sleeved white shirt at the Salvation Army for two dollars or less.

17 July, Tues: MASS MoCA is across the street from the Porches Hotel and on our schedule today along with the Clark Musuem in Williamstown, Mass. WOW!  The Clark Institute of Art is a huge surprise.  Who would have guessed such fine holdings would be in a small community in Mass?  It was a treat including the cold salmon for lunch at the museum.  Robert Sterling Clark (founder) was a Singer Sewing Machine heir via his lawyer grandfather who got half of  the Singer stock holdings defending Isaac Singer from a lawsuit.  He and his wife became art collectors building a "bomb shelter" to house his artwork after WWII.  MASS MoCA was not as unique as the Clark; but Cynthia enjoyed the Sanford and John Biggers work.  Dinner at the Grammercy tonight was nothing special, nor was the waitress the brightest bulb on the planet.  Walking from ten thirty AM to six PM wore us out.  Good NIGHT!

John Biggers, Houston muralist

16 July, Mon: Happy Birthday!  OH BOY!  This is beloved Smooch Smooch's Big Day! Cynthia celebrates the entire month of July. But, first, a cute couple named the Pink Panthers needed a ride to River Road to hike the loop. They hiked the AT when he was sixty years old back in the early nineties.  She beamed en route hearing the story of our romance.  The grant proposal needed another quick review before hitting the submit button.  Nothing is ever that simple.  It took yet another phone call to D.C. working through the maze of passwords to make it work.   B and E waited patiently before saying good byes to return to Brattleboro while we completed the grant process.  Beanie is coping with sad news that her kidney donor was not a good match at the very last moment.

Smooch Smooch was duly surprised with goodies, fleurs and a vacation from the perpetual vacation, back to the old hotel restored by MASS MoCA, Victorian row houses once the homes of factory workers in North Adams, Mass.  We had a majorly exciting dinner at Mezze Bistro in Williamstown.  Even the raw vegetables were a marvelous mix of flavors.  Lotzza fun and enjoyment seeing an off broadway musical "A Chorus Line" that has been around a long time for good reason.

15 July, Sun:  Ron drove Slippy back to the Stoney Brook Road trailhead and put out Trail Magic with  B and E.  We picked up Cynthia and hiked Kent Pond until raindrops suggested we turn back.  Dinner at Choice's is always delicious.

Painting Blazes

 14July Sat: We found Stoney Brook Road, thanks to Okie, and headed NOBO turning around almost to Chateauguay Road (5.5 hours and maybe 8 miles).  We won't claim a record, yet.  A good hiking find was a fine young man named Slippy (Nathan), a Harvard Divinity Grad (that pleased Cynthia immensely).  We gave him a ride back to the ILT where he joined Beanie and Eddie and us for dinner tonight at Little Harry's.  B and E are here for the weekend.

13 July Fri: Ha. So much for hiking today!  We did not get started until one PM and drove for an hour trying to find Stoney Brook Road.  Irene did a number on that road now impassable and we barely managed to turn around and get oudda there and find brewery for lunch by a lovely brook. As the official high differential taste tester for hot sauces(having earned an award pin Hottest Tongue in FL), Eric C. sent a second package to determine exactly which one is the hottest. This time none of the bottles were broken, but the one in the wooden casket case was definitely overpriced.

Beaver Dam

Lunch at Long Trail Brewery by lovely brook

12 July Thurs: Feeling frisky and adventurous we hiked up the Sherburne Pass Trail NOBO to the AT junction to River Road.  Feeling wornout - we phoned the ILT to ask for a ride back; Jamey picked us up after detailing Mom's interior.  4.3 miles.  Ron finished composing a grant proposal for the Craig Collection digitization project.  Cynthia is duly impressed: MY HERO!  We went to bed at seven PM.

9July Mon, Tues Wed:  Either hay fever or a summer cold caught Smooch Smooch blindsided.  Fever, sinus, all of the yuk stuff but she is weller.  In the midst of this some property sold in TX necessitating lots of paperwork, notaries, etc.  After a trip to Rutland's library to print a document, the courthouse notary did not want to notarize witnessing her signature because it was a TX form.  Fortunately she walked into the Holden Insurance company open door ant the very congenial owner did the deed with no charge.

But all was not lost: Ron with incredible diligence put together a thousand piece double-sided puzzle! 

Kings Highway VT

Quimby Mountain

8 July Sun: Barlett Brook Road AT hike NOBO to the 2nd view. Ron is doing trail maintenance.   The Kings Highway is one of many with that historical name.  We were only .6 mile from the next gravel road when we turned to hike back.

7 July Sat:  It is raining and the  jig saw puzzle is waiting; so, too, we are writing a grant proposal to obtain a book scanner for the Craig Collection digitization project. The rain stopped and we hiked Sherburne Pass Trail, fed a lot of hikers, did Trail Magic.

6 July Fri: UP UP UP and AWAY to the summit of the mountain off of Thunder Brook Road. The steep ascent was only 1.5 miles,  but the two hour climb in 85 degree temps sweat soaked our clothes, the bugs bit and we itched.  The great news is that the feet and low back are doing great.  Hiking and moving helps!  By the time we descended, the two oranges (Trail Magic) we left yesterday were gone.   We met four hikers SOBO and one NOBO on the trail.

A jigsaw puzzle was started and stopped long enough to take Daddy Long Legs and his lovely wife to dinner at Choice's.  Cynthia enjoyed visits in McGrath's Irish Pub with a group of women from CT who are also breast cancer survivors.  Cynthia heartily recommends the book, "Never Fear Cancer Again" by Raymond Francis.  After her amazing mammogram results in June, she credits Beyond Health's Ultimate Wellness Kit (cell detox and cell repair); Ron is recruited to become a case study for artery repair but it is doubtful that a diagnostic mammogram will prove its efficacy.

OHHH!  Lookie in the July American Airlines Flight Magazine for Ron's letter penned during our flight from ATL to Miami 27 April about the Mensa puzzles in the magazine, "My wife does the Mensa word puzzles while I do the Mensa math, together we make a Mensa."  Now that it was accepted for publication, it is entered into competition for 100,000 AA flight miles awarded in January of 2013.  Stay tune!

5 July Thurs: Early bird drove the two hikers back to Route 12 right after breakfast returning with a surprise diet coke for his beloved Smooch Smooch.  Mom (the Lexus) was emptied in preparation for her girl day at the service center but they just washed the outside and not the inside of the car.  At least she has her oil changed and tires rotated.  The service department did not find the cause of the front sensors going ballistic when it is foggy or rainy.

4 July Wed:  We were going to check on the trail magic we left yesterday near Thunder Brook Falls but got caught up in the parade route and back-tracked outta there.  Next stop on things to do was deliver Irish soda bread to the super nice folks that gave us Kool-Aid, soap and water to hose off the poison Ivy Cynthia got on her legs, plus taking us back to the car on Stage Road.  After driving forever we realized the gorgeous views were a bonus even if we could not locate the family again.  We gave up to KILL poison ivy.  Surprisingly, once we were oriented on Stage Road we could see the right road to deliver the bread.  The delighted looks on their faces was worth the delivery!  Nice people.   Returning to Route 12 we trekked up, up and up for a couple of hours only to run into two hikers we had met at the ILT.  We offered them a ride back to the Inn for the night with a promise to deliver them back to Route 12 NOBO in the early morning.

Meadow off Stage Road

Poison Ivy soon to die

 3July Tues: drove to Killington, took the gondola up to the summit and hiked down. The entire trip down was about 6 miles. Upon reaching the jungle junction, Ron made the 3.2 miles downhill to catch the last bus to retrieve the car in one hour!

Killington Mountain Summit

 2july Monday: Hiked from Gifford Woods State Park to Thundering Brooks Falls Road and then drove into Rutland for dinner at Little Harry's followed by shopping for a Camelbak for Cynthia.

 1July Sunday: This is the beginning of the month of  the 52nd birthday celebration.  Sherburne Pass Trail to Jungle Junction to SOBO AT 45 minutes.