Two more to go!

Two more states that is.  Today I crossed into New Hampshire, leaving Vermont behind. Aside from a farewell thunderstorm this morning and a few miles of road walking to leave the state, Vermont has been one of my favorite states. The scenery has been gorgeous and there are so many places I made a note to come back and spend more time at.  Because we have had such gorgeously nice weather, the mud has been at a minimum and so have the rocks, which means the trail is actually a dirt path!

I have been running into many SOBOs (Southbounders) the past week, as they all approach 500 miles on the trail. They have finished the Whites, the section I am about to begin, and are winding down the 4,000 ft mountain climbs (for now). We NOBOs are beginning to head into the section with large climb after large climb. We've certainly done a lot of up and down the past few days. 1,100 ft in 0.7 miles (Quimby Mt) feels a bit like trying to rock climb while carrying a huge pack. And it will only increase in the White Mountains, but at least there will be views to anticipate (Quimby Mountain did not have a view at the top! We just turned around and went sharply down!).

After climbing over what felt like a million "shark teeth" yesterday (my name for sharp up/downs in short mileage), and racing through a thunderstorm this morning, I'm feeling a bit beat up. Thankfully a shower makes it all better (and so does being inside while another thunderstorm goes by!).

The light outside is fading and this hiker is fading rapidly. Hiker-midnight approaches and if I'm still awake I'll turn into a pumpkin. Time for bed!

~Little Bird

A note on trail hygeine

The saying goes "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Where the saying came from and it's veracity is up for debate, but there is no doubt in my mind that "Cleanliness is Heavenly!" After going two full weeks without taking a shower and over two week without doing laundry (my longest stretch so far), cleanliness was not part of my vocabulary.

The trail in Vermont started out very muddy after two days of rain. In fact in many places the trail was a stream.

Where does the trail go?

Oddly enough, my dire feelings of need for a shower did not translate to other hikers. I had comments on how nice my hair looked and how clean I was (I do rinse the mud off my legs at night before going to bed). One guy I ran into thought I was out for the day. When he learned I was headed to Maine he asked if I'd just had a shower. My answer was, "I haven't showered in 10 days!"

I think it's the dress. People are so confounded to see a hiker in a bright blue dress they don't notice the dirt. That or the dirt blends in with all my freckles! Or perhaps the smell. Smell is the main way to identify who's out for the day, the week, or months.  Julia and I were passed by one thru-hiker who smelled so bad we were both gagging! (I have since heard about the "4 state challenge" which involves not showering for four states! Yuck.) The only thing I can figure is that since I use a mineral deodorant stick, I don't smell as bad (I still think I stink!) and so other hiker's noses are fooled into thinking I am clean!

I don't think I can properly convey to you my utter delight and blissful satisfaction in taking a shower yesterday. It was pure heaven to wash away two weeks of extreme humidity, rain, sweat and mud (yes, my legs were still dirty even though I rinse them off).

One acquires a sort of reverse french manicure from the permanent layer of dirt under the fingernails. I picked up a bottle of nail polish to hide this dirt!

Clean legs, clean socks, clean hands!

 A side note:

My hiker hunger has definitely returned!

My huge french toast lunch in Manchester, VT.

I ate all but the last few bites!

The bear box

Massachusetts was very nice and provided bear boxes at most of the campsites and shelters.  It provides a safe place to store your food from the two menaces - mice and bears. As I mentioned before, while Julia was with me we had a bear encounter in the night. We were woken up by the noise of the bear banging on the bear box. In the morning we discovered this:

Julia looking worried that the bear box almost rolled down the hill!

Good thing it was chained to the tree!

Thankfully though, our food was safe inside!

All of it was still there!

It seems, however, that Vermont is not filled with bear boxes as MA was, so I have resumed hanging my food in the trees to keep it away from the bears, but really more importantly the mice!

Travel Buddies

I have been enjoying a lovely stretch of hiking sans showers, laundry, or internet.  My college roomie Julia joined me the past four days and we had a lovely and eventful four days. Between a bear banging on the bear box in the middle of the first night trying to get our food out (thankfully the box was chained to the tree or it might have rolled down the hill and burst open!) and the sudden monsoon that flooded Julia where she was sleeping underneath my hammock the second night, we are not lacking in stories to tell.  We spent a lovely night next to a marsh at a small stealth camping spot last night and then had a cool morning hike into town.

The lack of showers and laundry continues for me as I head up into the Green Mountains of Vermont, having made this brief stop in town. By the time I get a shower and laundry in three days it will feel so amazing! I have crossed the 1600 mile mark and entered Vermont.  I have 578 miles and three states to go; the trail is entering the mountains again, and the going is getting steeper.

Thanks to everyone who continues to support me! Pictures to come later...

~Little Bird

Parasols and Cocktail Parties

I decided to switch out some of my hiking gear for the remainder of the trip. Most notably was my rainjacket and hiking outfit. I switched to an umbrella instead of a rain jacket. I also switched to a hiking dress instead of pants/t-shirt combo.

My new hiking attire.

It works for me, and the umbrella provides shade as well as rain protection.  Indeed, my umbrella is my new best hiking partner, so much so that I have given her a name: Poulnabrone Bumbershoot. Where you may ask did I come up with such an unusual name? Well, as I was hiking along enjoying the shade from my umbrella, I thought about how convenient it was to have portable shade.

My shade goes wherever I go!

This got me thinking about portable tombs. What you may ask is a portable tomb? Well, in reality:  nothing. 

However when visiting Poulnabrone Dolmen in Ireland, which is a "portal tomb," some other tourists read the sign out loud as "portable tomb." Now is you are standing there reading the sign, this is what you see before you:

Not very portable, though it would provide lovely shade underneath.  Also, what exactly one would do with a portable tomb is rather unclear. This was what was running through my head as I hiked along enjoying the shade from my umbrella. And so her name became Poulnabrone, the portable shade. And she needed a last name, so bumbershoot was the logical surname of choice given her occupation (favorite usage of the word occurring in Aristocats).

Poulnabrone became elevated from a mere umbrella to a lofty parasol by a police sergeant from Long Island, out for the weekend on the trail, who exclaimed "You have a parasol!" when I went hiking by. He later commented to me that I arrived at the shelter (after a rather steep climb) looking ready for a cocktail party. I don't know about you, but I don't usually go to cocktail parties (at all) with my sweaty hair plastered to my head, wearing a dress with hot chocolate spilled down the front and caterpillar guts on the butt (I accidentally sat on one and it has proven difficult to wash out of the awkward location on my behind.).

Such have been some of my adventures so far. Two days ago I was met by my fabulous friends Prairie Dog and Dragonfly, whom I fittingly am spending the 4th of July with after spending it with them last year on the trail. Yesterday Prairie Dog took me into the city, as in NYC, which was fun and very different from the trail.

On the Staten Island ferry.

In Times Square.

Today is my first real zero day (yesterday doesn't count since we walked about 6 miles around town!) and I timed it just right so that I am in town rather than hiking in the rain!

Happy 4th to all!

~Little Bird