Miles: 5.8
We left Hanover successfully today WITHOUT taking a zero... even with somebody offering us a free place to stay. We're getting better at this.
The day started early with a free breakfast at the hotel. The guys then went to do laundry while Sunshine and I took a nap, watched cartoons and started packing our stuff. We took our time getting out. After a stop at the post office, calling home, eating a filling lunch at Lou's (I love that place!) and topping off at a hotdog stand, we were ready to go.
The first couple of miles consisted of roadwalk, which was not too fun in the heat. We crossed the New Hampshire - Vermont border while crossing the Connecticut River, so we stopped to celebrate and do a jig. It wasn't as exhilirating as getting out of Maine, but it does feel good to be done with New Hampshire.
The hiking to this shelter was cake walk. Gentle ups and downs, graded trail, and not too many rocks and roots. Compared to southern Maine, this is a sidewalk. We also passed several old rock walls, now tumbling down and covered in moss. It's an interesting thought that the woods we're walking in used to be farmland. On the way to Hanover, we actually passed by an foundation for a house built out of stone. That's our theory as to why the Trail is so nice here. When the farmers were building walls and houses, they took all of the rocks off the land where the Trail now sits.
We got to Happy Hill Shelter in great time, so we just chilled and relaxed with the large group of NOBOs here. Some couldn't understand why we're going south. I suppose it's all about going against the grain.
We ended the evening with a little packed-in wine for our state crossing celebration and swapped humorous stories with other hikers. One guy, Dread, has really long dreadlocks (aptly named), so he's a person that you don't forget. He also worked at an outfitter in Austin, TX and a couple of hikers on the Trail have recognized him from when they were buying gear. Well, it happened once or twice, and then the number of people that recognized him climbed to over 10! After we heard the story from Dread, we were talking to his hiking buddy, Yo-YO, who said it's all a joke :) Yo-YO runs into people and asks them to tell Dred that they recognize him :) For all I know, the joke's still going.. hehe.
- Happy-to-be-SOBO Bobo