May 28
End: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles: 31.2
Total: 3518.6
Other folks at the shelter started packing up early, so I got up too. I had smartly packed up everything except my sleeping gear the night before, so it wasn’t long before I was gone.
I passed a section hiker on my way to Stratton Mountain, my first task for the day. Keeping a steady pace and not stressing over my timing, the climb went quickly and soon I reached the top where I met a caretaker living in a humble cabin.
I enjoyed talking to her and hearing of how Benton MacKaye had envisioned the Appalachian Trail while on top of that mountain. She also claimed that the mud in Vermont can get quite bad. I was determined to leave the state before it did, because it was already too muddy for my taste. She also informed me that caretakers were not in place elsewhere in the state, meaning all shelters and campsites would be free.
I happily moved on, descending to a nice pond where someone had left trail mix with a note attached announcing it as trail magic. Ecstatic, I sat down to eat it in order to avoid carrying the heavy bag. Afterwards I continued on.
A small walk on a dirt road led to more trail in the woods. I got past the road to Manchester Center, where other hikers planned to go, and pressed on. At a smaller road I stopped to write a few entries in my journal. Eventually Spiral and Swivel showed up, and were surprised that I had not hiked on.
We went on, myself a little ahead of the others. We climbed a couple of wooded peaks which were quite beautiful. I really liked the smell of the trees and the feel of the area. Someone had left behind an apple here and three more over there, so I picked them up.
The walk to the shelter seemed to take too long, but I found our destination eventually. The shelter was very nice, and I could see why it usually cost five dollars to stay. I ate four apples as well as my usual dinner, and felt satisfied. Sleeping was not difficult after another decently long day on the trail.
