Make it count: Day #124

Tuesday, July 14th - Day #124 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 17.4
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1741.3/2,193 (79.40%)

Winturri Shelter (1723.9) to West Hartford, VT (1741.3) - stay at Hanover Adventures Hostal

Total ascent - 3,959’
Total descent - 5,751’

Total States Completed - 11/14

**Rain - Heavy storms overnight. Rain through early afternoon - then clearing skies

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Sorry my posts have been delayed the past couple days - very sketchy cell coverage in this area of Vermont. I expected to have a signal atop the peaks today - but no luck. I finally got a signal at the very end of the day - but I had a lot going at that point.

How many people have ever stayed in a Hostal? It’s a unique experience for sure. I’ve stayed in many - and they’re all different. I ask this because I’m currently staying at the Hanover Adventures Hostal - just outside of Hanover, NH in the city of Norwich, VT. There’s about 12-15 thru-hikers here — it’s a pretty crazy experience. (I’ll get back to the Hostal later)

Today was a grueling 17.4 mile, nearly 4,000’ vertical day. This was coming off a poor night’s sleep — after a huge thunderstorm hit in the middle of the night. It’s certainly unsettling to see lightning flashes and hear ear-popping, thunder crackles over your tent. The storm hit about 2:30am and lasted a couple hours. I normally am up and out of the tent by 5:15am - I pushed that back about an hour this morning. I got on trail around 6:30am.

I walked solo today - through the rain and wet trails. The course was demanding - with several short, steep climbs. I pushed pretty hard early to get 10-1/2 miles in by noon - the afternoon cleared up and I just tried to hang on to the finish.

The finish line today was West Hartford, VT. There is a big blue barn at the home of a couple trail angels as you cross over the final bridge into town. The couple allow AT hikers to stay in the barn for free. Sam left later than me this morning - and her plan was to stay in the barn. I passed Rock Clipper, Dexter, and Pearl - they all were planning to stay in the barn.

I got into town first - about 4pm. It would be a couple hours before Sam arrived. I had been walking in the rain the better part of the day - and I preferred to take a shuttle over to Hanover and stay the night. A shower, good food, and a bed were all huge factors in that decision. I opted for a Hostal to save a buck. Who knew this was one of the most popular Hostals on the AT. It’s new - only opened a couple weeks ago - and word has spread about it on trail. Everybody coming through Hanover is staying here.

There were a bunch of hikers I had’t seen in several weeks at the Hostal. The biggest reason I’m happy I chose to stay here - I got to talk with Sherpa Mike. We had a really good discussion. I hated the way Curoso and I had left him while his ankle was hurt. The reason he was here - he jumped 40 miles ahead on the trail because he will be visiting with a sick friend in Lincoln, NH on Friday. He’ll go back and finish up the 40 mile segment at a later time (he still has over 1,000 miles to complete on his thru-hike). It was nice to see him. He’s hooked on with another group - I’m sure I’ll be seeing him up the trail in the next month.

The only bummer about this Hostal is the poor wi-fi connection and poor cell signal. We’re just a few miles out of Hanover - but it’s enough distance to not have reliable coverage. Hostals are a give and take proposition. You stay here for the social connection - but you miss out on the space to spread out your gear, cell coverage, and the privacy. On my next stay in Lincoln, NH - I’ll be opting for a hotel.

Tomorrow I have a 7:30am shuttle back to West Hartford, VT. I’ll be walking back to Hanover to finish out the state of Vermont. I’m meeting Sam at the blue barn in the morning. Rock Clipper, Dexter, and Pearl are joining us tomorrow as well. Hopefully the hike will go quickly - and I’ll have the afternoon for laundry and rest.

Tomorrow I finish up my 12th state - Vermont. I’ll have a little ‘Mountain Song’ to welcome us to New Hampshire. It’s getting real now.

Goodnight from a packed-house Hostal in rural Vermont!