So, before I go any futher, I’ve gotta get this one out there…How many of you remember the anti-Howard Dean ad from the 2004 primaries slamming Vermont and it’s liberal, latte-drinking yuppies? it’s got to be one of my favorite political ads ever, and it comes to mind almost once a day since I’ve been here in Vermont. For those of you unfamiliar with it, here it is….

So secondly, I’ll say that my mood has picked up significantly since my last post. Getting through Connecticut and Massachusetts played a large part, as well as the fact that I’ve met up with some folks I knew from back in Virginia and have had a hiking posse for the past week and a half.

One of the more recent highlights of the trip was a stay in Dalton, MA at the residence of a local guy named Tom Levardi. He’s kind of an amazing guy, because he basically runs a free hostel out of his home, allowing any and every hiker that appears at his door to stay. I hadn’t planned on staying in Dalton more than a day, but his hospitality stretched that out into three days. On the second day, we were planning on hiking out when he offered to drive us to a trailhead 10 miles north on the trail so we could hike back to his house and stay another night. we took him up on this offer on day 2 as well as day 3, finally getting out on day 4. The man gave us beds, showers, ice cream, cooked dinner for us, drove us 70-some miles and was just generally a nice guy. Definitely the finest display of hospitality this side of the Mason-Dixon, or quite possibly on the entire trail.

We’ve finally gotten back into real mountains after them leaving us in central Virginia. Vermont hasn’t been that tough, but it’s priming our legs for the challenging White Mountains of New Hampshire. If all goes well, we’ll be there sometime next week. Weather there is notoriously unpredictable, so in addition to doing several 2000 foot climbs a day, we might be dealing with snow, sleet, or 60 mph winds. Last week, it snowed in most of the Whites. Yes, snow in August….North of the Equator. Should be good stuff.
Check out this warning.
Thankfully, my folks were kind enough to get together my winter gear and send it on up to NH for me so I can be toasty on those stormy nights. I’ll give you the full update after I go through. I’m fully planning on it kicking my ass, but the scenery will more than make up for it.

Oh, and all the embeds in this post are because this is the first time in ages I’ve been able to write a post on a real computer. My dad’s cousin Cheryl and her husband Bill live in Vermont, and were kind enough to drive an hour to come pick me and my hiking buddies up from Killington, VT. They’ve been awesome to stay with and cooked us a ridiculous spread tonight that was topped off by homemade blueberry pie and B&J’s ice cream. I can still barely move.

I’m in the home stretch of this sucker, with under 500 miles left. Week by week, that number only gets smaller. I just have to keep reminding me that I only need to average 13 miles a day to meet my target of summiting October 2. I’m getting very excited about it. The mood is definitely different on the trail, as well. People are actually talking about the end now, where that was almost never the case before. The buzz that will surely be surrounding the hikers in the week prior to Katahdin will be very cool, i think.

Until Next time…