August 7, 2004

Brrrrr!  I hiked into Vermont today and celebrated with Jolly Time, a thru-hiker from Iowa.  I kissed the state line, we took pictures, signed the trail journal and sat for awhile to contemplate the hike.  The weather is fall-like with tempertures dipping into the 40's overnight.  I hiked in long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and a raincoat.  At one point today, I ran into Bear sitting on a log in his rain jacket looking very cold.  Neither of us expected to be cold this early in our hike.  Thru-hikers are all scrambling to get their winter gear shipped as soon as possible.

The trail was muddy which slows the hike because my feet get stuck in the mud with each step.  At one point, I bushwhacked to avoid a beaver pond which I would have had to wade through.  I hiked today with three, 30ish section hikers named, WaterBoy, Short Term, and Mid-Life.  I learned through one of them that the extra large tracks that I spotted on the trail yesterday were, in fact, moose tracks.  Yikes!  I joked about the massive moose when I ate moose tracks ice cream for the half-gallon challenge.  Other hikers teased me that the monstrous moose would be on the lookout for me.  Apparently, a moose has wandered south.  Yikes! Today's hike totaled 18.4 miles.  My total miles hiked to date is 1,595.