Day 37 (Breed House to stealth site near Goose Pond)

Bill and I went to breakfast at the Dartmouth Inn. I ordered blueberry pancakes. I love that they are served with real maple syrup up here. After breakfast, Bill dropped me off at the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) in Lebanon. They didn’t open until 9:30 so I had to wait a bit.

Errands in town always take longer than you think they will. I thought I would be back on the trail by 11:00 but it ended up being after noon. At EMS, I got a new water filter (Sawyer Squeeze). The one I had been using was the Sawyer Squeeze Mini. It was a couple ounces lighter but the flow rate was too slow. I’m already so happy I switched to the new one. I also got new shoes. The tread was separating from the sole on the Hokas I had been wearing for about 300 miles. The only trail running shoe they had was a Salomon Speedcross 3 so I bought a pair. I don’t like them. They aren’t grippy enough on the wet rocks. Hmmmmm.

I went by Subway to eat an early lunch to get a sandwich to carry in my pack to eat later. While there, I met Andrew. He offered to drive me back to Hanover to the trail. He was such a nice guy. Fun conversation about living life to the fullest. Once on the trail, I climbed Moose Mountain. Pretty views but no moose siting. I started to lose sunlight so I set up camp near Goose Pond. I didn’t hike as many miles as I wanted to today which will put me a little behind on picking up my next resupply.

Day 36 (Stealth site to The Breed House in Hanover, NH)

I took my time leaving my oasis on top of the mountain this morning. I ate the 2nd half of the Blueberry Sour Cherry Pie and drank a cup of coffee as the sun came up. I started hiking a little after 7:00.

The terrain was mostly rolling hills, not as steep as yesterday’s climbs. I crossed the State line into New Hampshire so I have now completed state number 7, Vermont!

My plan was to get into Hanover in time to catch a shuttle to the EMS for some supplies and maybe some new shoes. Then I was going to grab some dinner and hike a few more miles out of town. As I stood waiting on the blue shuttle, an older gentleman approached me and asked if I was a thru hiker. Then he asked if i would have dinner with him and his wife. It was time to slow down and smell the roses. My original plans were forgotten and I joined Bill and Judy Breed for dinner at Murphy’s.

We had a lovely time and they made sure I had plenty to eat. I’m now at their home cleaned up and clothes in the laundry. It is storming outside but I have a roof over my head and a soft bed to sleep in. So many good people in the world. 🙂

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