Here I am this week, in Vermont, currently in Manchester Center, 1,624 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia - and about 549 miles from Mt. Katahdin in Maine.  For those of you who have tuned in since the beginning, it doesn't seem like we are almost down to the wire, does it?

Rocketman, my friend in Plano, Texas, is tracking his brother Orbit, who is about four or five days ahead of me.  I started out almost from the beginning with Orbit and his girlfriend, Retro.  Rocketman left me a message on the Guestbook that Orbit had been camping out before attacking Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  The almost constant rain makes the mountains very slippery, and you have to be extremely careful.

I have been hiking with a piece of tree that Greenman found for me to use after I snapped my poles last week.  I asked my Mom to e-mail Treks (my poles are Treks) and they are willing to replace them for me, free of charge, but they want me to mail them back to them first. 

Anyway, I would like to tell you about the hiking for the last week or so in terms of elevation.  From Bennington, Vt. to Little Pond Lookout to the campsite at Glastenbury (where I froze to death) and on to Stratton Pond the elevation went like this - 1,360 feet to 3,000 feet to 3,740 feet back down to 2,200 feet, up to 3,900 feet and back down to 2,500 feet.  This is all within a 29 mile stretch.

It went down to 1,800 feet here in Manchester; and when I leave here, I will ascend up to 3,400 feet in about three miles.  I've been forgetting to tell you about the elevations so for those of you who are planning a thru-hike, I wanted you to know something about the challenges of the mountains. Don't let it worry you; I have never done this before.  I had never done any hiking before unless you count the mile Pooh Bear and I hiked from my house down to the lake on our ranch to try out my tent and stove about a month before we left.  You just take it easy and put one foot in front of the other.  If you get tired, you sit down and rest.  If you feel like you can't go very far, shelters are about every eight to ten miles. 

That's why I keep repeating - plan a lot of extra days into your trip.  Some days you can do it, and some days you can't.  There is plenty of beautiful scenery to admire, lots of great people on the trail, and many interesting stories to hear on days when you can't.  It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us, and you want it to be everything you dreamed of.  So relax, rest when you can and when you want to, have some fun and climb some mountains.

We saw plenty of moosetracks last week.  I've been told to get behind a tree and hide if you see a moose.  Their horns are so wide they can't get between the trees.   I haven't been told what to do once you hide behind the tree.  You can't stay there forever.

Another thing I forgot to mention is the view from the fire tower on Stratton Mountain.   It is almost as good as the view from Clingsman's Dome.  This is the mountain I had my picture taken on, standing on the rock ledge.  Also, right before I got to Bennington, I ran into Tom, a psychiatrist from Ft. Worth, Texas, whom I had met earlier, way back on the trail.  He was friends with a  girl hiker that had broken her leg and had to leave the trail.

Also, I was the last one to sign the log book at one of the shelters last week.   Tradition has it that when the book is full (and these are just notebooks - some small and some medium sized), the last one to sign in takes the book and mails it to the person who was the first to sign in and who put the book in the shelter to begin with.   You then put a notebook in its place, write your name and address in the front of the book, and hopefully the last person to sign in on your book is honest and will mail it to you.  I have already received one notebook.  It is kind of a commemoration of your hike, where all of your friends have signed in.  

Did I mention last week that Thorn has left the trail?  Well, Dirty Frank (the rock band singer) has left the trail as well. Only me, Feral, and Greenman, if I can only catch up to them.  And Baltimore Jack.  He should be in Hanover by now.  He lives there and was going to take a week off to work on the roof of his house so maybe he will be there waiting for me.  I hope everyone of you is lucky enough to run into Jack on the trail.  This highly educated man loves the trail and the wilderness, this being his eighth year to thru-hike, and I don't think he is likely to stop any time soon.   If you hike the Trail, whether it be next year or two years or five years from now, tell him hello from me, and that I admire and respect him enormously.

Monday - I hiked the ten miles from Stratton Pond here to Manchester, getting to town about 1:30.  I have been hiking with Bodhi for the last 2 or 3 days.  Happy Feet and I went to eat Mexican food, and you know how good that tasted after days and days of noodles and mashed potatoes.  We are staying at Sutton's Place.  Feels good to have a hot shower and warm bed, even though it is about 70 degrees today. 

We went to a movie tonight - saw Whale Rider.  It was a very good movie about the native people of New Zealand.  Let me know, Pauline (my friend from New Zealand), if you have seen this movie and what you thought of it.

My Mom would really like Manchester Center.  There are outlet stores here like Polo, Versace, and Coldwater Creek.  My Mom gets the Coldwater Creek catalog, and every year for Christmas my sister Cameron picks out about thirty outfits she wants.

There are ski lodges and nice restaurants, a little bit pricey but this is a really nice town.

Tuesday - Graymatter and I crossed Bromley Mountain today, only 3 miles out of town.   There is a nice shelter on top of the mountain, next to the gondola.  This is a ski mountain.  The shelter is all enclosed and has tables, benches, a mirror, and a phone.  I really wanted to stay here for the night but I have to meet Digger tomorrow at the Danby Post Office at 2:00 p.m., and I am 15 miles away so I will just keep going.   Stayed at Lost Pond Shelter tonight (paid another fee - $5.00 - but without my winter sleeping bag, I need to be indoors). Remember the elevation I talked about earlier?   We felt good to be able to do 15 miles.

Wednesday -   I had to get to the Post Office by 2:00 because Digger Dave Dave is picking me up and we are going to that Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park that I have always wanted to see.

Thursday - Saw a great ballgame last night - Boston beat the Toronto Bluejays - and I enjoyed Digger's company.  Had my picture taken in front of the Green Monster (the big, green left field wall) with Gabe Kapler in the background.  When I get the film developed, I will put it up for all to see.  What a friend that Digger Dave Dave is.   He drove for three and one-half hours to pick me up, then back to Boston, and after the game drove the same three and one-half hours to bring me back to the trail.

It was 2:00 a.m. when we got to U.S. 10 at Danby.  I was glad to get in my tent, but I had a little trouble getting to sleep. knowing that Digger had to drive three more hours back home.  I slept until noon today when Graymatter came by and slapped the top of my tent and shouted "Lazy Bum".

I did get up and get on the road.  Footslogger (he is 54 years old and as good a hiker as any I've seen) and I got a ride into Wallingford.  He disappeared, and I went to eat at the restaurant there in town (Sal's).  I had great chicken parmesan.    While there, I met Pat and Gary Jaquith.  Hope I spelled that right.   Gary has done some hiking, and we exchanged stories and experiences.  I then went to the general store to buy supplies.  As I was headed back out of town, I ran into Pat and Gary again, and they offered to give me a ride back to the trail.   Thanks, Pat and Gary.  Hope to run into you again someday. 

When I got back to the trail, I hiked the three miles to Minerva Hinchey Shelter.   Got there about 8:00 p.m.  This shelter has a caretaker named Mrs. Gorp.   She thru-hiked in the 1970's and I met her at Trail Days and at Miss Janet's house in Erwin, Tn.  She did some hiking this year but got off in Pennsylvania.

Friday - Hiked today with Bearclaw, a student at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.  We went into Clarendon, Vt. at Highway 103 and to the Whistle Stop Restaurant for lunch.  Had cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake.  Then, it was back to the trail nine miles to Governor Clement Shelter.  This is the shelter Mom had marked for me NOT to stay in because it is close to the road and can be dangerous for hikers.  Some people in these towns do not like hikers but we slept well without incident.

Saturday - I hiked 20.6 miles today, mostly by myself.  I used to be the one who lagged behind and now I find that I hike pretty fast compared to most thru-hikers.   Stopped at Killington and had a French Vanilla Capuccino AND a hot chocolate at a gas station-deli, no less!!  I got to Stoney Brook Shelter, and Graymatter was there.   We were the only two at the Shelter.  Kind of a weird feeling. 

I meant to tell you that I bought a emergency "space" blanket for $15.00 back at Manchester Center and a fleece blanket for $20.00.  Bodhi has one of the emergency "space" blankets and loaned it to me one cold morning.  It works terrific.   These two blankets are all I have to keep me and my sleeping bag liner warm, plus my big plastic trash bag.

Sunday- Graymatter and I hiked 16.7 miles today to what we thought was "Red Bed & Breakfast" located in between two shelters.  When we got there, there was a big "Out-of-Business" sign on the door.  We got there at 7:30 p.m. and it was getting dark.  We had to go 2.5 more miles to get to Cloud Land Shelter, in the dark.   My headlamp is great.  It really gives a lot of light.  It is a Petzl MY05.  If you want a good reliable headlamp, get one of these.  For those of you who are "novices", you wear a headlamp around your head so you can see when it gets dark and still be able to use both your hands - like cooking in a dark tent or reading a book in your tent at night or even in the shelter, or if you have to hike after dark, you can still use both your poles and see at the same time.  And you can see to use the bathroom in the woods.

Also, back in Manchester Center, I called Mom to send me the following:  my winter gloves and glove liners, my winter sleeping bag and the stuff sack it goes in, two ski caps (one for Bodhi), another tent stake (I am missing one), my thick sox that are too thick to wear with shoes but great for sleeping in, another pair of winter hiking sox, my fleece shirt that zips up from the chest to my chin, my thermals (long johns), and my other pair of hiking shoes that I sent home some time ago.  Greenman's shoes have just about given out.  I performed surgery on them back in Vernon, N.J. with superglue and "Shoe-Goo".  Now they are ripping apart.  I am going to give my pair that Mom sends me to him to finish the trip with.

It's funny how you start sharing anything you have towards the end of the trip.   Bodhi's shoes had worn out back in Port Clinton, and Bag of Tricks gave Bodhi his shoes.

It has been in the '60's and 70's during the day, but down in the 40's at night.   Another 17 miles and we will be in Hanover, New Hampshire.  The first thing I am going to do is get me some new poles and a new pair of shoes.  I can't go into the White Mountains without these two items.  The second thing is to find Greenman and Feral and Baltimore Jack.  Then my world will be okay again.

Another funny story - one day last week when I was hiking with Graymatter, we decided to hike into town (I can't remember which one without my journal) so we go to the highway and I held my pant leg up like a pin-up girl and Graymatter played like he was picking a guitar - and believe it or not, a couple stopped and picked us up and gave us a ride into town.  The general store was closed, so we left our packs at their house and they let me drive their car to the next town to get supplies!  I must have an honest face, because this is the second or third time on the trail that this has happened.
 
I want to say hello to my friends Benny and Carolyn in San Antonio, Texas, whom I met while I was going to college there for a while.

Also to Sunkist who is on the trail and whom I run into occasionally.  Also to my high school buddy Mandy Rollins, now in Alabama - we've been friends for about 17 - 18 years.

Hello to my good buddy Terry in Shropshire, England and no, I will not do a yo-yo.  I am ready to finish and get back home to my family.

To my friend, Rick, who has the coolest e-mail name - Campnfan.  Hey, Buddy - looking forward to the end.

To my down under friend, Pauline - I am going to hook you up with my mother who says she is going to hike the trail since I have lost so much weight and she thinks it would be an easy way to also lose weight without having to go on a diet. 

Rocketman - I'll be looking for Orbit and Retro - we are going to have a party after we finish - we call it the "Gathering".  Let me know if they want info on it.   It will be October 10, 11, and 12 in Hanover, N.H.

Magic Hat - You have lots to look forward to.  The two main groups on the trail are the hikers in their twenties and the hikers in their fifties and sixties, and yes, even some in their seventies.

DIRTY FRANK - WE MISS YOU, TOO, BUDDY. 

Next time you hear from me I will be in New Hampshire, home of Mt. Moosilauke and the White Mountains.  A real challenge, that's for sure.  Everybody stay safe this week.