June 5, 2010 started the seventh consecutive year of section hiking the Appalachian Trail for Turtle and Navigator. That’s right, LUCKY 7! At just after 9:00 a.m. they set off just outside of Manchester Center, VT. The skies were overcast and the mountain tops were covered by fog. The ground was wet from the rain the night before. Ahhhhhh . . . Mother Nature shows her stuff.
The guys reported that the first day was humid, so they got a good sweat drenching workout as they hiked their first 10.1 miles. Other than the normal aches and pains, standard for carrying over 30 pounds of backpack while climbing over rocks uphill, they were in good shape. The only thing they reported as disappointing was the overlook at Bromley Mountain (elevation 3,260 feet) was non-existent because the mountain was covered in fog. Peru Peak shelter was nice. They shared the shelter with several other hikers.
Side bar ~ after dropping the guys off I headed back to toward town to start my journey back to the airport. On my way I picked up two female hikers, sisters, who were heading to town to pick up a few things. These amazing young ladies started their through hike in Georgia on February 24th, hiking in snow and the other treacherous conditions. The sisters not only caught up to Turtle and Navigator later in the day, they passed them heading north and on their way. Wow!
The overnight rain slowed to a sprinkle by the time the guys headed out this morning. The weather changed a bit with gusty winds and temperatures dropping to the mid 50s today. Those winds were more than a little gusty since Ben nearly was blown off the rock he was standing on while talking to me on the phone.
Days out: 1
Miles completed: 10.1
1 comment:
Dear Dale and Ben,
Lucky 7! What a way to finish up! I'll keep you in my prayers for a lovely (incident free), memorable final hike! Wishing you all the best! Nancy Torek (Pgh.)
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