Day 66: Racing the Rain

Summary
June 30th

Stratton Pond Shelter to RT 11

NOBO miles #1650.7

Tolmann’s daily mileage 10.6

Tolmann’s total mileage 627.0
Campers were up late last night. Shelter didn’t settle down for a while. A “feature” of the shelters is that sound travels through the floor, the walls, the bunks (if it has bunks), much like top of a guitar. Every bump, step, etc., gets amplified and, if you’re laying on your side, goes directly in your ear. Last night there was this continuous rumble/shuffle. I fell asleep eventually, and woke later to merciful quiet (well, if you ignore the usual snoring sonata).

The morning pack-up started earlier than usual, as thru-hikers decided to escape before the campers woke up and took over the shelter again. I should say, the campers were actually quite nice and considerate, but by virtue of being a large group, couldn’t help but have an impact.

I took my time getting myself together, since we had a rain shower, and finally set out around 7:30. Today, I was planning on a 5-ish mile hike to a blue blaze trail at Prospect Rock, which would lead me pretty close to Manchester Center. I wasn’t sure of the blue blaze trail length, but I was sure it would be shorter than the 5 mile road walk from the trailhead at RT 11 to town. The downside of this was having to redo the blue blaze when I returned to the trail, then walk the 5 miles up to RT 11.

It was a relatively easy 5 miles, part of which was on a dirt road. It continued to rain off and on.  It took a little less than 2 1/2 hrs, so I was doing better than 2 mph. As I neared Prospect Rock, I passed Coins coming back the other way. He had forgotten a t-shirt at the William Douglas shelter, so was going back to retrieve it. I was thinking that I’d have left it, myself. It’s tough retracing one’s steps like that!

There was a pretty decent view of Manchester from Prospect Rock, so I sat and had a major snack, and kept a weather eye on the sky. Thunderstorms were forecast, with steadier rain starting around 1pm. This was the point to decide whether to take the blue blaze down into town, or to hike the remaining 5 miles to RT 11, and hope for a kind soul to hitch me into town.

I finally decided it was more important to set myself up well for the return to the trail, so I continued on the AT. So my ETA at rhe trailhead was now lining up with the forecasted rain… (of course!)

There was one viewpoint along the way that showed me the highway down in the valley, so as I went along I was waiting for the trail to start dropping to meet the road. As I got to about the 1.5 mile mark, just as I was expecting the trail to start it’s way down, it started to go up. And up. And up, still! Now I was getting tired and I wasn’t pleased that the trail wasn’t behaving as expected. Finally, I pulled my Guthook’s App out, and realized that the road actually came up to meet the trail, and I only had about .3 miles to go. It pays to research the trail ahead of time…

I got to the trailhead, crossed the road to the parking lot, then set myself up above tbe parking lot to give a prospective ride a place to pull off. There were a lot of cars that went by, but it didn’t take long for a wonderful older couple to pull off. They have a camp in Maine near the AT, and were very engaged and engaging. They took me directly to the Price Chopper in Manchester Center. It’s not a majority of folks out there who are that open and generous, but it does renew one’s faith in humanity to experience the acts of trail angels.

 Looking back up at Prospect Rock from the Prce Chopper parking lot

So I spent a couple of hours shopping and sitting at the Starbucks before I called Jeff at the Green Mountain House Hostel. Here you get a shower, free laundry, and free breakfast fixings to make up pancakes or eggs, all for $35 (plus tax) per night. I met a hiker named Bennett, hiking with his dog, a NOBOer named Two Hearted (who knew that there’s a beer with that name?), and a SOBOer named Rock. Later another couple of guys came in. Two Hearted and I are zeroing tomorrow.

In town, I had picked up a half gallon of chocolate milk, some chips, chocolate chip cookies, and a couple of subs from Subway for dinner for today and tomorrow. So I’m pretty well set, here. Oh, and there’s a guitar hanging on the wall!!

So it’s time to kick back, get a cold pack on my knee and enjoy being indoors as the thunder rumbles and now the rain finally pours down.