August 20th, 2018, Vermont
The local co-op grocery was right on my way and very nice. As I was sitting outside with my backpack, I had a few local people ask about my hike. I suppose they see hikers every day through summer and fall walking through town on their way north or south.
Hanover seems like a nice little town and pretty “hiker friendly,” as they say. Last night I had dinner at a pizza place that offers AT hikers a free slice of pizza. There is also a shop that gives a free scoop of ice cream but I didn’t look for it.
It was a few miles to get out of town. Then I crossed the bridge over the Connecticut River into Vermont. Norwich is the town just over the river.
There is a tiny mom & pop grocery listed in my guide so I stopped in. The lady at the register asked if I had checked with the deli counter about day old sandwiches, which they give for free to hikers. That sounded great to me. I asked and they had quite a lot left over. I took three bacon, egg, and cheese muffins for lunch.
The trail in Vermont was very pleasant so far. There are ups and downs but much of it seems gentle compared with recent weeks.
I passed by Happy Hill Shelter for water and lunch. It was a newer shelter made mostly of local stone.
Once on my way again I met a lady maintaining the trail and her dog. She said her group maintains four miles of trail between the shelter and the upcoming road. She had a basket backpack with tools and a small pole saw. I thanked her for taking care of the trail—it was beautiful and in very nice condition.
I passed every type of road imaginable, from a number of very old farm roads to an interstate highway.
I also started seeing some ferns that grows leaves in a circular group. These were new to me.
The trail also passed a few fields and meadows. There were a nice change from the woods.
And here are a few of the other interesting things I passed today.
