Thank you....

This entry is dedicated to those along the way who have been our recent trail angels ...:)

Nurse Carol in Manchester Center who we met while leaving EMS. She asked if we needed a ride to the trailhead. We ended up tenting in her yard and spending the evening sitting around the fire sharing stories. She had foreign exchange students and we had to pretend to be old friends so they didn't freak out. We took her to breakfast in the morning at her favorite spot and then she dropped us at the trail. Another witty nurse in VT-.... she reminded us alot of Nurse Betty :)

Then there was Billy, who we met at a little outside pub. He and I were in the parking lot (Nick ran in to see if they allowed furry friends) talking about his car and he asked questions about my pack and we started talking about the trail. We went in (pets allowed!), had a few beers with him and some eggplant fries, yum. When we told him ee were headed to the hostel,  he insisted we pitch in his yard. He took us to his beautiful house on the lake,introduced us to his wife,Jean and Nick grilled some fish for us all. We sat  out by the fire and watched the sun fall into the water. The next morning he is dropped us off in Dalton and we were back on trail, heading south.

Then along trail we meet three gentleman,  a lawyer, a pastor and an ex-Army ranger. The pastor had hiked the A.T. 8 times! The other two gentleman had hiked just a few years ago together and just recently published Avalanche and Gorilla Jim which I will be reading shortly! We exchanged stories and I told them of how we were stalling in the woods, waiting for our drop box to arrive. The pastor was insistent we head into town and advised us of a pet friendly motel and then displayed a random act of trail magic and we took their"advice" and headed to town;).  

There was Steve in Bennington that despite Bailey barking like a crazy dog took us from the trailhead to town and even gave us a tour. We proceeded to bump into him at the gas station and he drove us to the post office and then dropped us off at the laundry.

We met Mike while trying to hitch to Kent, CT to get a drop box. He had two employees with him in the front pf the truck and Nick didn't think he would stop, but he did. We hopped in the back, he offered us a few beers and proceeded to drive well out if his way to get us to the post office and within 5 minutes of them closing! We thanked him with a 12 pack for him and his workers. We exchanged FB info and said goodbye to Mike from CT.

Whilst examining my foot and debating to gather water from a source we discovered to be downstream from a cattle farm(ick), we were approached by a woman who asked if we were thru-hiking and said her daughter (who was waving from the car) insisted she stop and take us back to their house. She said she was on her way to the market but we would be back in a couple of hours. Needless to say,  we were a bit puzzled. When she returned she explained that her husband, Bill,  had hiked the trail in 99 and since then bought a house right next to the trail and has been taking in hikers ever since. Amy offered a fews beers , a shower, laundry and for dinner she made us shrimp and walnuts over blue cheese alfredo pasta....whaaaaat?!? We told them our looong story over dinner and turned in for the night. In the morning,  despite her morning routine, she made us coffee and waffles. We said our goodbyes and headed up and over the mountain.

Most recently as we prepared to cross the Hudson we were greeted by a group if day hikers who offered us some water and then told us about Oktoberfest that was being held right on the A.T. at the base of Bear Mountain.  Nick walked through the trailside museum and zoo and I waited at the end of the tunnel (no dogs allowed). The afternoon was spent consuming lots of good beer, peopleand  watching and listening to polka music. The afternoon gave way to us sitting by the lake, becoming evermore lazy. While contemplating another beer, we were greeted by 2couples on the bench who had seen us that morning crossing the bridge.  We told them our story and they said they had just finished up some hiking themselves. They "shangaid"us and drove us to their home (40miles away). They stuffed us with sushi and ample amounts of libations, they offered a warm bed and a much needed shower. In the morning they made us breakfast, stopped at the grocery and then drove us all the way back to the trail. So to Joe &Heather, thank you for an unexpected evening and your hospitality.
Last but certainly not least....thank you Mom. Without this amazing woman this journey would not be at all possible.Not only is she our support staff and mails all our drops boxes,  extra requests for gear, food and meds we have in storage, she has been sitting our kitties through part 1 and 2 of this journey. We also have our boat,  canoe and my truck stored in her yard...whew. So, to the biggest angel of all, thank you again. I probably do not say it enough for all you do and put up with. We will be done soon! ;)

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Our great drive across the north....

In my last post I mentioned we were on our way off trail to rent a car. 2 weeks later we returned said car. Find a comfy chair and a map and follow along with our great trip across the north that took us 2500 miles and 5 states. Had I thought of it, I would have used the Spot to check in at all of our locations, drawing a nice little map, criss-crossing our lovely path, but I didn't:/.


 Our trip began in White River Junction, VT, from there we travelled to Newport, RI to visit with our friend Jeff, Natalie and their spunky daughter, Jocelyn. We left RI and headed to the wedding of our friends Chris and Ally in Big Indian, NY. With some time to spare we drove to Camden,ME where surprised my daughter once again. ( I LOVE dropping in and surprising my family!) While in Camden, Nick decides he really wants to visit his parents ( who live in the Keys ) who are vacationing in Thousand Islands Park,NY. We add another week to the rental and head west :) Since we are already in the vicinity ( not really, but at least the same state...?), we decide to drive down to Niagara Falls, NY. From the falls we head east to White River Junction and returned the car. Whew...


Okay, with the overview of the trip taken care of, now I can talk about the FUN we had catching up with our loved ones.

First up...Jeff, Natalie & Jocelyn... First off, what an amazing family! We always have such a great time with them and their hospitality is quite gracious.  Nick went to high school with the two of them and I never tire of the stories the three share.  We met them at the water where Jeff was racing their International 14, which is a frightening vessel, with an enormous amount of sail that flies across the water in no wind and that two men can lift. We spent the next couple of days exploring Newport with them, sailing aboard the Schooner Aquidneck and lots of time consuming homebrews and grilling in the backyard.  Our visit came to an end and we headed west for the wedding.

Back to the story....After our ridiculous corn consumption, I told Nick I wanted to surprise Simone again. This began our drive to Camden, ME. Yippeee!!! We arrived just before dark and I tried to sneak along the dock to surprise her, I believe Bailey gave us away. We spent the next few days with her sailing aboard her home and place of employment the Schooner Appledore. I never grow tired of Camden and of course never grow tired of catching up with my girlie, trying to limit our time apart. During this visit I finally got to see her aloft, I am so proud of her. She is growing up and our relationship evolves and with each conversation....;).We always cook a meal for the crew when we stay to show our appreciation for their hospitality while aboard, it was a chilly night and a huge pot of chili it was. Our many thanks to the crew, once again. We bid farewell to my girlie and to Camden, it would be our last visit with her this season before they head south the Key West for the winter.  :(




With my family time in, it was time for Nick's. His folks live in the Keys, but were vacationing in Thousand Islands Park, NY at the family "cottage". We arrived in the afternoon, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing and it was perfect weather for  a stroll with his parents and to become acquainted with the island.  We returned and met with the rest of the family and Bailey tried to behave herself with the other dogs. Nick had not been to the island since he was 12 and I had never been.  What a beautiful place!  We sat and had dinner and shared stories, the sun began to fall into the water, and it was time to sleep. The next day Nick and I and Bailey packed a lunch and took out the St.Lawrence Skiff.  It was my first experience in a skiff and took some getting used to, I am not very coordinated and you are backwards the entire time.  Fortunately, there is not much to hit out there and Nick is an amazing rower. I finally got the hang of it, I think.  We headed for a shore line, ate lunch, swam ( brrrrr). Nick and Bailey rowed around for a bit, I watched and took pictures. We headed back for the "cottage" and I spent the afternoon lazily on the dock while Nick worked on mending some line and nautical things of the sort :).  That night Nick's parents treated the family to dinner, and I reunited with one of my true loves, prime rib...rare. mmmmmm. Homemade fresh blueberry pancakes in the morning were a welcome surprise, too and prepared us for our trip to Niagara Falls.  Our deepest thanks to the McNaughton family for allowing us share the time with them in their beautiful home. We snapped a few pictures of the family and said our goodbyes and headed south.

It was my first time at the falls.  I felt bad because Nick wanted to do the "whole tour", you know the boat and all, but we had Bailey with us and although she is allowed in the park, she is not allowed on any of the tours. At times she does limit our activities, which in a way is not always bad, she did save us some $. :)  We had packed a lunch and sat in the grass above the falls, people watched ( which is always fun) and took in the scenery. 

We returned to the trail and a change of terrain and weather in Vermont.  The leaves have a tinge of color on them and some are already beginning to cover the trail. The cooler weather is much welcome and makes hiking quite a bit more pleasant.
My time is up at the library...so much more to add ...:/  Including xome more AMAZING people we have met :)!