Mile 1,651.8
Elevation 735.0 feet
Hiked 10.6
This was a slow morning for me. The plan was to only go eight miles to the next shelter. I have a provision package at the Green Mountain House Hostel and reservations for Sunday night, and I didn’t want to spend the money for two days there.
Almost immediately upon starting, I fell in with Miss B and Fletcher, another hiker from the Stratton Pond Shelter. We hiked together and met Wild who joined us. The trail was relatively easy and we made good time. We decided to stop at Prospect Rock, which is a very scenic view from the mountain.
The trail continued to be easy to hike. I had left the previous shelter at 7:45 AM and we arrived at the Spruce Peak Shelter at noon, which is where I had intended to spend the night. This is a nice, fully enclosed shelter with a wood stove. The forecast was for rain and it was starting to shower just as we arrived. I had been kicking around the idea of going on to the hostel to stay the night and two factors decided it for me – the rain and one of the hikers, Fletcher, had a car. So as the rain continued, I called the hostel and told them I would be coming in today. We got back on the trail for the last three miles in the pouring rain. My cold from the last time I got caught in the rain was just about gone, and I was hoping this would not cause a relapse.
We arrived at Fletcher’s car about 2:00 PM and piled in wet gear, wet bodies and all and headed for Mulligan’s, which is a restaurant in Manchester. This would be the last time I would see Fletcher who was going home to Rutland, VT and Miss B who was finished with her section and going home to Asheville, NC.
When Wild and I arrived at Green Mountain House Hostel we went through the features and rules of the hostel with Jeff and then settled in. This is a really nice and clean hostel. I had a room with Wild so we chose bunks, unpacked and did some wash. The hostel was full but the house was big enough that things were not cramped. I will be doing another zero day here since I also had reservations for Sunday night.
