21-24 August "The Leper Colony"

Tues/Wed, 21-22 August, Day 42-43 AT v2.0, 0 miles, Super 8, White River Junction VT. By Crocadilly - the lost years (okay days but it felt like years).  Well not much to report from the torture  cell that is room 48 at the super 8 - think it should be renamed room 101!! ;) Actually It isnt a torture cell really - it is quite a nice room and I have to commend the wonderful people at this place and it is a good place to be - I haven't really seen or spoken to anybody other than observing the multitudes of staff (never seen so many cleaners at a motel) that waft past the window. From what I can see and hear from my deathbed they all seem super friendly and very industrious. (yes I have far to much time on my hands and I am now a certified curtain twitcher!!). I have put the do not disturb sign on the door more for the health and safety of others whom I don't want to contaminate rather than being disturbed myself! - think I should maybe biohazard tape a 100m radius too around our room... Thoughts my blog friends?!!! - I fear the smell of decaying life (mine!!!) may make them call the police!! It's all good and of course i am jesting... I am just bloody sick of being sick! This is the worst zero day ever - I am now into day one hundred and sixty five it feels like and am still unable to eat or really walk far without feeling like I summitted Everest and to make matters worse I have now passed on the pox to Tailbone. I hope she makes a quick recovery! I sure am not and I am not sure why this bug has felled me so badly - everyone else is better faster - fortunately Mango was well enough to go back to the trail after our second night so I am hanging out with papa wolf and tailbone. So not much really to report other than I am thoroughly annoyed at my body for not seeing this thing off (when I had a similar bug back in June I got rid of it in 48 hrs) and am angry that I am still in the Hanover area five days later without still really seeing any of the town or having a square meal!!!! I can also report that day time tv is rubbish and the channels are still showing the same reruns of the same shows two years after I first arrived! I have to admit I did love the fact that on our first  day in the room mango tailbone and i spent the whole afternoon watching diners drive ins and dives and other good fodder on the food network! Ah my steely stomach can still handle watching copious amounts of food whilst feeling like pants!!! We will be leaving the super 8 tomorrow regardless!!!

Thursday, 23 August, Day 44 AT v2.0, 8.5 miles (Papa Wolf), Chets Hostel, North Woodstock, NH. By Crocadilly - wow so that's what sunshine feels like on your skin!!!  I finally left the room and made it to the FREE continental breakfast. You know you have been sick along time when the lady at the front desk says its good to see you up and about and obviously you are feeling better! I didn't know this but at breakfast the past couple of mornings they have kind of nodded and winked at Scott and asked if we will be staying another day or not (in the nicest possible way!!) - they were all genuinely pleased to see me up and about which was lovely - I bet they are having some kind of gambling game going on as I speak as to who gets dibs NOT to clean out our germ infested room!! I did switch out all our bedsheets for them! ;) if  i was them i would throw in some bleach and just shut the door for several days!! So we have finally left the super 8 :) . A question my dad asked me a while back was how many calories we have to eat a day. The answer is a lot!  So we burn between 5000 to 6000 calories a day - that's a lot to keep on top of. I have lost 8lbs being sick which is immense and so couldn't even contemplate hiking today. It wasn't a technical climb up Moosilauke but a 4 mile straight up hill and 4 or so miles down a rather treacherous sounding path. Walking across to the deli across the road last night almost caused me to pass out in the queue so figured ingesting a few more calories would be better. I have some to make up. I was getting excited that my hiking trousers were getting tight around my thighs where muscles were forming and my stomach look well toned and my calf muscles were coming in - now my shorts just hang off me, I lost my colour so I have some work to do again ... Bummer!!!!  So papa wolf took the boys and hiked - I could have cried missing moosilauke but it would be silly and embarrassing being carted back down by the emergency services! So tailbone and I drove to a fabulous hiker hostel in Lincoln NH and caught up with Weezy and Old Smoke and Miss Janet and hung out!  It's rampages birthday today so we met him and the lovely mango for dinner at a lovely Greek restaurant where I packed in several more calories and we gave Rampage a quality birthday card made out of a paper napkin! We then went to a fabulous old bar which forms part of a gorgeous inn and restaurant with a dream cottage garden out the front. We went there with old smoke and tall oaf and I sank a large bowl of wine ( medicinal purposes only figured i would kill off any remaining bugs in my stomach - actually I feel super good now!!) and we moseyed back to the hiker hostel. Ooh bought some post cards finally to send back home too! The hiker hostel is awesome and is actually a former hikers home - he is an interesting character in himself - tales for another day. I am with papa wolf and the boys in the tent in his backyard - there are lots of other hikers here - some in the bunk room and some camping! So glad for a great day - I hope to be hiking tomorrow :)

The sign pointing to the top

Looking at the top of Mt Moosilauke and the first "above tree line" trail

The Sumit of Mt Moosilauke

Steep descent, but beautiful, as it followed this waterfall to the bottom

 

Friday, 24 August, Day 45 AT v2.0, I miles, Crawford Notch Stealth Camp, US 302 near Bartlett, NH. By Papa Wolf - Mt Moosilauke was excellent yesterday. Weird hiking by myself with just the boys, but it was great to be back out and there was no way Crocadilly or Tailbone should have hiked so I had a great day. I did finally have to break out the new pair of boots. I wore my originals as long as I cod but we had some serious structural damage so I was basically hiking In flip flops with laces. :) they treated me well and made it 1200 miles, so no complaints...they have been retired with full honors. My new boots were really great. I did not get a good chance to break them in so yesterday was it. They felt great but my feet were a bit tender this morning. The plan was to hit the trail but I was nursing my, enjoying the morning and the day got away from us. So we went with Mango to the next meeting point to await Rampage and the gang.