Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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August 10, Seth Warner Shelter - mile 1580.5

I am in Vermont tonight ....doo dah doo dah! I've been looking forward to Vermont since New York, basically, so needless to say, I'm pretty excited to be here. I talked to a SOBO earlier today who claimed she could see a visible difference when she crossed the state line from Vermont to Massachusetts. so I paid really close attention when I got there,. but for right now, it still looks the same to me.

I had a really special treat today at lunch, actually it was a double treat. I went with Porkchop (& Frankee, though she waited outside) to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet, which is about half a mile off the trail in North Adams, MA. While we were waiting three other thru-hikers showed up. so we all shared a table once the buffet started. It was quite a food fest! I hadn't seen Tommy & Barry since Georgia, I think, & Stocker was also with them, though he's been ahead for weeks. They had all taken several days off to go to a music festival last weekend & had all died their hair, too! So they were sporting forest green, dark purple and neon yellow-orange locks.

Anyway, getting back to my point, the buffet was fantastic. I couldn't believe how much I ate. Two plates of salad, a full plate of breadsticks, three pieces of pizza & three of dessert pizza - my favorite. Just after we started munching, a huge thunderstorm hit & I am so happy to be watching it from the dry & comfortable table inside. What excellent timing!

Tonight at the shelter has been "ladies night" & it's been so much fun. I'm here with Porkchop, Charlotte & Packa-Sandra & all night we've been sharing stories of life on the trail. All of us had a time or two where we sat down on a rock & cried, & all of us have been depressed & lonely & in a lot of pain. It was really good to hear other people struggling the same way I have, because it seems like no one ever talks about that. I even remember reading a lot of journals before I started & I was amazed how excited & constantly upbeat they all were. Finally some one is willing to talk about the hard stuff, too. Life out here is never easy - only hard & harder.