Day 110
8/9/12
Story Spring Shelter - Spruce Peak Shelter
18.3 miles

Another boring, long, but short day on the trail, although today I did get a view from a fire tower on top of Stratton Mountain, the mountain upon which Benton MacKaye conceived the idea for the Appalachian Trail.  That was pretty cool.  Then there was Stratton Pond.  It was very beautiful there, but it looked big enough to be called a lake.  There were also a lot of good springs to fill up at.  It's so nice to be seeing springs again.  The shelter that I'm at is really nice.  It has windows that open up, a wood stove, and a sliding door.  One of the nicest shelters I've seen in a while.  Only one more night until I get a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  Oh, how food can drive a hiker onward.  

Day 109
8/8/12
Congdon Shelter - Story Spring Shelter
23.3 miles

Today was kind of long, kind of boring, and quick all at the same time.  I left camp around 8:15AM and had a good pace going.  Before I knew it, I was at the shelter just before my planned stop for the night, and I was only 4 miles away.  It was only 1PM so I made a couple sandwiches and wasted some time sitting around.  I made it to my planned campsite for the night by 3:30PM and wasn't too impressed with the shelter or the view.  There weren't any spots to hang my hammock either, so I decided to go another 4.6 miles to the next shelter and that was done by 5:15PM.  The day felt long because the terrain was pretty boring, but it went fairly quickly, because the 23 miles didn't take too long to do.  I think my new haircut helps.  My head doesn't overheat like it used to do with all the hair I had.  The temperature has also been really good lately, especially at night.  I slept amazingly well last night and almost got chilly in the morning.  It was perfect.  Speaking of perfect, the shelter that I'm at tonight has an awesome spring.  It's so cold and the water tastes so good.  I'm getting ready for town again even though I just left.  The place I'm staying gives every hiker a pint of Ben & Jerry's when they get there.  I can't wait. 

Day 108
8/7/12
Williamstown, MA - Congdon Shelter
14 miles

It was really hard to leave The Birdcage today.  I even thought maybe I would just stay there and get the rest of the interviews I needed.  It wasn't really an option, I'm getting back into the mountains and the states that I've been excited to hike through, but The Birdcage would be an awesome place to end a hike.  Once I got started on the trail again I felt excited to keep going north.  It was a short day; only 14 miles and I was in camp before 3:30 PM.  The next town stop is Manchester, VT and it would be a fairly easy 3 day hike, but I have a package going to an outfitter there that won't arrive until Friday, so I get to take my time, which I definitely don't mind.  Tomorrow will be my longest day, 18 miles to a shelter that has a view.  I have a couple climbs but nothing too intense, so with a decent start time, I should be there before 5PM.




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