manchester, vt

10.7 miles, 1640.6 total.
salt lake city couple was up at, drum roll please, 5:30! so I was up by 6:00 and on the trail by 7:00. rained again all night and was drizzling when I left. by the way, the gnats were absolutely terrible last night they were biting me through my clothes and leaving holes in my skin! seriously!
I was on the trail for about an hour when I looked up and saw a HUGE moose walking right toward me! it saw me at the same time and took off running into the woods. it's so funny, because we had been talking about moose last night at the shelter. we had all been seeing strange "droppings" and hoof prints on the trail and were arguing about what was responsible for them. two of us were right. moose.
the trail was a nice gradual descent to the road crossing to Manchester. I wasn't sure if I wanted to come into town, so I sat by the side of the road taking inventory of gear and food. I was just sitting there when a woman pulled over in her minivan and asked if I wanted a ride. easy hitch - sure!
did laundry, bought groceries, and exchanged my bent hiking pole for a new one at EMS (eastern mountain sports). then I looked at my shoes; caked in mud and stinky with one sole peeling off halfway. enough. they lasted me over 600 miles including rocky PA and almost daily rain since NJ, so I bought a new pair to get me through the last 500 miles.
decided to stay the night and probably an extra day when I looked at my feet. good thing I still can't figure out posting pics to this site from my phone. they're swollen and have red blotches and streaks all over them. going to soak and treat them...somehow. staying in a room at Sutton's Place (suttonsplacevermont.com). frank sutton, former NYC resident rents out rooms/beds in his georgeous old Manchester home to hikers and tourists for very little money. very cool. oh yes, and it's still raining. forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow and intermittent showers the next 5 days going north. FUN!

later,
L


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