Two down, twelve to go

Day 45

We are so appreciative to have so much support from family.  Thank you, Barbara and Duncan, for being a part of this adventure.  We enjoyed our time together sharing pictures, videos, and stories from New Hampshire and Maine. We also enjoyed the comforts of an A/C room for the night.

We got on trail later than usual this morning because a quick rain shower was expected.  This gave us an opportunity for a big hearty breakfast at Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery.  Again, a big thank you to Hayley’s parents! We were full of much needed calories to get us through the 15 mile day.

We walked the couple of trail miles from the main road through downtown Hanover to the bridge showing the Vermont and New Hampshire State lines. Barbara and Duncan walked those miles with us and gave us a send off as we stepped into Vermont. We said goodbye and planned to meet again in a couple weeks.

We road walked the trail through Norwich Vermont and then stepped back into the tree clad woods. Luckily the trail was very easy and we enjoyed cruising over the rolling hills.  There were not many views which may become the norm as we enter the “green tunnel”. The sticky humidity took a lot out of us as we moved through the stagnant heat under the canopy of trees. For a few minutes we were relieved to do a little more trail road walking as it’s fun to see the houses and some views but then the heat of the pavement started to take it’s toll and we glady entered the woods again. We cannot wait for the heat to break.

After a hot, long day we all arrived at Thistle Hill Shelter, a place we have camped during a section hike before. At camp we made a nice fire (yay no fire rules in Vermont!) and Hayley had to test out the numerous new snacks we packed out and found in the hiker box at the DOC. We strategized our next few days on trail and enjoyed the cool breeze that started to blow through the trees.