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Journal
| About Downunda | Trail
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23rd July 2002 From:
Stratton Pond Shelter First thing was to do some shopping for food, drink a quart of chocolate milk, then meet up with 'I' (has a dog with him named Herbie), 'Bliss', and 'Tiger Lily' for lunch at the Mexican Restaurant. The margarita I had was great; the Mexican food just so, so, but it was a great hiker get-together just the same. The intent was to have lunch, hitch a ride, then hike to a shelter just three miles from the highway. However, a wild thunderstorm broke just as we left the restaurant, so we talked about trying to find somewhere to stay in town (there are no motels in the area). As it turned out, I ran into 'Cowboy' in the street and he said that a lady (Trailname - 'Tortoise') worked at the local EMS Outfitter Store and she had invited him and 'The Lone Ranger' to stay at her home. So we went to see her and introduced ourselves, mentioning our problem about not wanting to hike in the storm and she said, "No problem, I have sleeping room for 12 people, wait until 5:00 P.M. and I'll give you a lift to my house." How's that for generosity? By 5:00 P.M. the weather had cleared so 'I' and Herbie (the dog) decided to hit the trail again as he had a schedule to meet. What a beautiful town Manchester Center is, so lovely and clean, nice homes, and a shopping center that has a wide variety of shops and restaurants. I wandered back to the EMS Store and ended up buying (at 'Bliss's' insistence) a high tech LED headlamp - great stuff, three more ounces to carry but what a great gadget! So 'Tortoise' takes us home, 12 miles from town, and lets us have the run of the rather nice home, shower, laundry, Internet, kitchen, etc. Then she goes off to her other job as a nurse. Her husband, Rob, goes out to dinner and leaves us to it. How's that for trust? 'Tortoise' is a member of the local ATC Chapter and gets involved in all sorts of trail related activities. It's 8:30 P.M. now and three young Southbounders have just arrived so we have shown them the ropes and they are settling in. I forgot to mention - last night in the shelter was a nightmare. The rain didn't come and it was humid. The mosquitoes drove me mad. I'd just about get to sleep and they'd attack. This went on for about four hours! About 3:00 A.M. I heard a scream, "Get it off me!" One of the female section hikers said a mouse was on her. After waking us all up she apologized and we all settled down. Five minutes later, she screamed again. I turned my light on but we couldn't see any mouse. So again we tried to get to sleep again. This morning I think she was very embarrassed as she was very quiet. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep tonight. I'm all super-charged with food and rearing to go again tomorrow. That's all for now, goodnight all.
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