Day 155
Start: View Stealth Site
End: Norwich, VT
Miles Hiked: 16.7
Miles on AT: 1753.5
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Today, I didn’t feel like hiking. I got a slow start to the morning, but it was so beautiful out that I just wanted to sit on top of a mountain and soak in the sunshine. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the temperature was perfect. I slowly made my way through the balds and fields, taking way too many breaks and enjoying the sunshine while I could.
The apples were out and abundant here. I passed several trees laden with the ripe fruit, some a bit too tall for me to pick. However, I reached a bench carved with messages welcoming SOBO hikers to Vermont that was set right under a huge apple tree. Apples littered the ground and a few were fresh enough for me to try. And, wow, were they tasty! I ate my little wild snack in the shade of where it came from.
After that break, it was time to head down to the road. The trail runs through the town of West Hartford and there’s a trail angel there who gives hikers water, snacks, and lots of info. When I came upon the blue barn, I saw a group of 6 or so SOBOers headed in the same direction. When I got closer, I recognized a couple of them. The mother and son duo Janitor and I had met in VA were there. Turns out they had flipped down from NH due to bad weather to do a section they had missed and were going to flip back up once they were done.
I sat with the other SOBOers on the trail angel’s porch and hung out for lunch. The trail angel, Linda, has been hosting hikers for years and has a lot of knowledge about hiker trends over the years. I got a few goodies from her to add to my hiker lunch and listened to the SOBOs’ stories. They were all Triple Crowners (this was one guy’s Triple Crown hike), so they had a lot of experience on this trail and other trails. I also got to hear the local town gossip about the new library (juicy!) and what was coming up on trail.
I didn’t want to leave my comfy seat on the porch, but soon, it was time for me to go. After saying my goodbyes, I continued walking on the road until I hit the woods again. It wasn’t too much further to Norwich and the VT/NH border, but I still wasn’t in much of a mood to hike. Nonetheless, I put on a podcast and kept moving.
Finally, I reached another paved road that led to the town of Norwich, VT, right across the river from NH. Wow, another state was so close! I walked through the neighborhood of beautiful houses, likely owned by Dartmouth professors and professionals. As I came into town, I knew I wasn’t going to make it across the river into NH today. I was just too tired and ready to stop for the day. So, I got a room in town and called it a night. I had a wonderfully hot shower followed by a wonderfully filling meal, and then hit the hay.
And that’s day 155.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.