Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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August 21, Hanover, NH - mile 1726.2

What an absolutely marvelous day of hiking it's been! When we all woke up this morning at 5:30, the heavy downpours of the night had just finished & after a couple of hours, the fog cleared & the sun came out & it's been gorgeous ever since. Not only that, the terrain today was extraordinarily comfortable & I found myself nearly skipping along into Hanover. Well, that is, until the last two miles of road walk, which are murder on one's feet, when one wear Vibram soled boots. As much as I'm a fan of LEAVE NO TRACE, I couldn't stop myself from getting off the sidewalk & walking on the well-worn track in the grass beside it, evidence of a thousand other hikers before me doing the same.

So I made it into town at a very early hour, & my first stop was the Dartmouth campus, where they have posted which frat houses will let hikers stay overnight. There are two open right now. so I headed off for the first one, where I discovered I was already #13 & only 10 hikers are allowed per night. But tonight is the last night they are letting hikers stay here, so I checked with the lady in charge & it seems they're not too strict on the maximum of 10, & I'm clear to stay. We're all piled onto the floor here in the basement, me on a couple of couch cushions since all the mattresses were already claimed, but they'll be just as comfy.

I haven't stayed in many frat houses, but this isn't exactly my first choice in accommodations! However, it's free so that puts it within hiker budget, unlike every thing else in town, which runs $200 a night I took my chances on privacy earlier when I grabbed a quick shower upstairs in the co-ed bathroom. But luckily no one charged in while I was standing there drying off with my t-shirt.

After rinsing the dirt off, I raced back downtown to pick up my mail drops before the PO closed, & I was thrilled to find 4 boxes & 3 letters waiting for me. My winter gear, my food, a new filter from PUR & a care package from friends from church - fabulous! I opened everything while I hung out a the Ben & Jerry's, eating their complementary "White Blaze" ice cream concoction & had a great time reading all the news.

Now it's pushing 11:00 & the movie here at the frat house has just ended so I'm hoping I might have a chance of some sleep soon. I'm absolutely bushed.