Vermont And New Hampshire Trip, 7/14/2013

Today I drove from home to Manchester Center, Vermont. I have been accompanied by Jim McGruder who is a friend at church. He is in my bible Study class. Jim spent the night at my place so we could get an early start Saturday 7/13/2013 . A couple of months ago he joined a friend called Goose for about 2 weeks on the Appalachian Trail. All the people that hike the Appalachian Trail have trail names. Jim’s trail name is Slim and he is meeting up with a gentleman named All The Way. Jim needed a ride up here and I wanted to visit some presidential site up here so it worked out for both of us.

After about 14 hour drive we arrived at London Derry, Vt. Where we spent the night at the Swiss  Inn and restaurant.                  

 







Where We Spent The Night No Posting As They Did  Not Have Internet )

Sunday morning 7/14/2013 we got up early and took off to find the place on the Appalachian where we were suppose to pick up Goose and All The Way. We did not have  breakfast because they did not start serving until 8:30 and that was  when we were suppose to meet Goose. The meeting point was where the trail crossed highway 30 and 11. Sounds like a plan and simple enough we just back track the way we came yesterday and find some little road the name of which I cannot recall. Maybe I would just as well not want to remember. Plans have to be executed. The problem We could not find this road. After wandering around for a while we finally saw a lady turning into the intersection where we sat pouring over maps. She stopped and asked if we were lost. We asked how she could tell we were lost and she said those great big question marks on your faces. Jim got out and showed her where we need to go. She gave directions and said she was pretty sure she was right. About that time and old pickup truck pulled up with an elder gentleman with a long white beard and wanted to know if he could help. So, Jim went through the whole story again and he confirmed what the woman had told us and she suddenly said I knew I was right and then she dropped a bombshell on us by telling us the bridge was washed out during hurricane Irene a couple of years and she did not know how far up the road we needed to go past the wash out. . We gave our thanks and took off because we were just about out of time when we were to meet Goose. We drove on a paved road about a quarter of a mile then the road changed to dirt/gravel. About 8 to 10 miles on we came to where the bridge had been washed out. There was nothing there but a hugh pile of bolders.

Bridge Has Been Washed Out

Hard To Walk On Rock Pile

 





We had no cell phone service so we could not call Goose. Unknown to us Goose and All The Way were at the meeting point and since there were higher on the mountain they had cell service and they had called to let us know and “ where are you?”. We had no idea how far we were away from them so the only thing to be done was for Jim to start walking up the mountain. I walked 50 yards or so with him to get some good photographs of all the rocks and the beautiful stream which is known locally as Roaring Brook.

Jim Starts The Walk

 I can tell you that when all the rain from that hurricane started coming down this stream it would have been roaring. You can see from some of photographs that the bolders are the size of automobile. 

 

 After waiting about 2 hours I was getting worried about Jim. While waiting I met a young couple that had been camping up the road from the washed out bridge and they were bringing their camping gear to there truck parked where I was. I asked if the had seen Jim passed by them and they said no but their dog had smelled him. They had a hugh dog. They advised that the vast rock pile I was looking at only went about 200 yards up stream then you can get back on the dirt road. So I waited. Also at this point was an artist who was working on a very large landscape painting. He started carrying his material back to his truck and I talked to him a bit. His white truck is shown in the  picture above. He was from Boston and moved to Vermont some time ago. He talked about how beautiful the state of Vermont is and the Green Mountains in particular. He also commented what I have always noticed and that is that the local people who have been born and raised in an area know nothing about its beauty and history. He pointed out that the famous “ Green Mountain Boys “ fought in the Revolutionary War at Bennington and the locals claim this was the turning point of this war. But they disagree on where this battle was actually fought. Early in our conversation I was telling him how I happen to be in this area. He interrupted me to ask where I was from. I told him Ohio and he said you don’t sound like you are from Ohio. I explained I was born in Arkansas. He said that explains it when your spend you first few years in a place you never loose the accent. I had to chuckle about that because every time someone tells me that I recall when I was in Japanese Language school the instructors use to tell me I was speaking Japanese with a southern accent. Try it, it is hard to do and never understood.

Artist Easel. See The Car Size Bolders

More Rocks

I was feeling better to know that Jim was able to get back on a dirt road and off those rocks but I still had no idea about how many miles Jim was going to have to walk. You see my concern was that we are in the Green Mountain Nation Forrest and the place to meet Goose was on Stratton mountain elevation 3894 foot. This mean that Jim is walking up hill and the little black bugs are terrible. After waiting I guess close to 3 hours I looked up and here came all three of them trying to get over those rocks without falling.

Here They Come. Goose Leading Then Jim ( Slim )

Followed By All The Way

Just About Off The Rocks

 

We got them packed in the car and headed back to Manchester, VT . Where they needed to eat breakfast ( as did Jim and I ), do their laundry, charge their cell phones and buy a few supplies for the trail. We found the laundry and they started their wash. Interest, the man in charge of the laundry would not permit charging of cell phone batteries and in fact had a sigh up to tell customers that. We found a nearby McDonalds and had breakfast and McDonalds let them charge their phones. They bought their supplies repacked their back pack which weigh about 35 to 40 pounds. Now I needed to get ice for my eye drops, get some gas and put air in a tire because the “ low tire pressure “ light came on. At the first stayion the air hose nozzle was defective and it was letting our more air than putting in. I found another station and they had no air but told me there were only 2 stations in Manchester that had air and told me how to get there. Found it and got air and the light has not come on again. Fingers are crossed.

While we were driving Jim told me that when he was walking up to meet Goose a man in a pickup came by. Jim talked to him and he was told he still had several miles to go. He agreed to turn around and take Jim to meet Goose. The three of them asked him to take them back to the washed out bridge point. He relucncted agreed. They gave him $20.00 for the help. He did not want anything but they insisted. He also told them how to go a different way to get directly to the trail where they wanted to start again. To these “ thru hiker “ you don’t want to take any shortcuts. You want to be able to say you hiked the entire trail. This bit of help was a like saver.

By about 2 P. M. I had them back to the trail took a few pictures and sent them on their way.

All The Way On Left, Slim In the Center And Goose On The Left

In this picture you see them all packed up and ready to go the Trail sign is in the background. I think this is the way they will hike. Goose is the most fit and sets a fast pace. Jim is not in as good a shape. All The Way is in his upper 60s and in excellent shape.

 

I will close now and get this posted. After dropping them off I struck out on my own. Late yesterday after noon I found the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Site I wanted to visit the next day. I then started looking for a motel. I found two. One did not have a manager on site and you had to call an 800 number to see if they had rooms etc. The next place did not have a manager on site and gave a number to call. There was an older lady renting there on a weekly basis and she called a lady in the Bar who came and opened a room. hey claimed to have internet. She let me take my computer in the room and sure enough I could not connect. So moving on. I found a Best Western that was new. I checked in and I could not access the internet in my room but I could in the office/ breakfast area so here I am trying to get this out.

On The Side Of Stratton Mountain I found This

Monument To Daniel Webster

Plaque On The Monument

People In River Making Rock Statues

Lady Stacking Rocks

Stacked Rock. Very Impressive.

Stacked Rocks

Stacked Rocks

I Talked To This Young Man And He

Said He Stacks Rocks Every Day

Well

 

OK I will close for now eat breakfast and go see the Calvin Cooledge area and see what else happens to attrach my attention.  As I always say remember God Loves you and so do I.

 

My spell check has stopped working so please overlook any errors.

 

Grandpa Bill