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Aug 16 , 1983 Tuesday (469.1 mtg) From Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal

A Little bit of road walking this morning to start the day off brought us down to Vermont highway 12, and the new relocation around Mr. Johnson's land. The relocation made the trail another six miles of road walking if we had chosen to go that route. Rumor had it that you could still go through, the blazes were still there and Mr. Johnson would allow it. Rich and I found the old trail after I oriented him to turn left instead of right. The old trail saved four miles over the new trail, and was not all roadwalking. Along the way I talked to a guy living in an old bus with electricity coming into the place on an extension cord. (Not sure where he had plugged into for the power) Talk about roughing it! Farther on we stopped at Cloudland Shelter, a shelter maintained by the Dartmouth Outing Club.

Today marked the beginning of the section of trail maintained by the DOC. The Dartmouth Outing Club, based at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, an Ivy League college for those who are "really smart" and have lots of money, at least that is what I thought. With all their money they were able to construct some of the nicest outhouses on the trail. The outhouse at Gulf Shelter showed the club at its finest. It sported six walls, was shaped like a turret, and was made of varnished hardwood and had a bulletin board on the inside to post messages. The upper section was screened in to allow ventilation and provide a view of the surrounding forest. The attention to detail was uncanny. I just wish that their attention to trail marking was as detailed. The markings came sometimes as frequent as every quarter mile. A lot can happen in that distance, and frequently it did. On those old woods roads like the one Rich and I got lost on yesterday, their markings were terrible.

The cool days experienced just a few days ago vanished and the warm weather had returned, but not quite as bad. It was warm enough that when we rolled into West Hartford, Vermont situated on the White River, we found some of the local youth swimming in the river. We immediately headed for the post office after crossing the bridge over the river, where I proceeded to package up everything that I felt was unnecessary for travel through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I had heard that they were so tough that your daily mileage would drop in half. This influenced my decision to drop as much weight as possible from my pack, which also included my Log book. At the time it was just extra weight. Off it went. Both Rich and I then hit the general store for ice cream and soda, then back to the river for a quick dip to help cool us off. The remainder of the afternoon was a three and a half mile gradual ascent up Griggs Mountain to Happy Hill Cabin, which was a real "house" with a porch, and the inside was equipped with a fireplace. Tonight we would spend our last full day in Vermont.

You might wonder how this story could go on since I had sent my journal home. Like I mentioned earlier, I used to be able to tell on a day to day basis the names of the places that I had stayed. I did make small notes in my data book, which I continued to carry, but the remainder of the journal entries were made after returning to Illinois. I believe that these entries are more informative and contained more information than those made on the trail. I did not feel much like writing while on the trail, but once I was not on the trail any longer, I felt that I had the time and had to do it before I forgot everything. While at home, the dimming light of approaching evening was no longer a factor in when I had to stop writing.

Gonzo! Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983

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