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Woke up to some coldish rain. I thankfully was in a cabin, but some of the windows in the cabin, particularly the one I slept next to were not sealed correctly.  Normally I am one to take my time leaving in the morning when it is raining and I did, but not as late as I would have normally.  Last night I made the goal to get to Hanover, NH by the end of the day so I got on moving.

Stopped at this store, “On The Edge Farm” off the road a bit. 20170818_111341
The homemade cookies were amazing! I highly recommend people to stop here!  I did not stay long though for reasons no fault of the store.  I just had to hike. I could not stop hiking if I tried today.  I had to keep moving.  So much so, I packed out the cookie dough ice cream I also bought here.  I wish I allowed myself more time enjoy this place.

There is something about raining days I enjoy, besides the fact I do not need to retrieve, carry, and drink water as much.  Everything is more vivid and still. On a rainy day back home, I am not to much the type that wants to curl up on a couch, book in hand, sipping some tea (although that does sounds nice).  I want to get out and explore!  See the world in a different light, quite literally.  Yes, raining days are a pain when you have to go to work and sit in traffic, but when you are free they are peaceful.
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First fording experience! 20170818_124658
There was a huge bucket of trail magic on the other side! Thank you!

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It had been raining non stop all day, so I didn’t even bother taking off my hiking shoes for the crossing to put on my sandals.  Boots were a little heavier, but already wet.  With the non-stop mentality I had all day, it was better this way.  Plus, if I make it to Hanover tonight, I do not need to worry about the cold for later.

I am very happy my camera picked up the fog I had been trying to capture.  Way better in person, but check out these photos anyway:

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There was a woman I didn’t catch the name of across this bridge…20170818_160031
…that did some trail magic from her porch. She had quite a lot of food and log book, eager to talk so I took the time to chat. Apparently, the river at one point had flooded her house. She brought this up because when I said where I was from she mentioned that the organization that helped rebuild her house was an organization from Maryland that I do not remember the name of at the moment. I don’t really remember what else we talked about, but here are her roosters:20170818_162357

Entering Hanover, or rather the town on the south side of the river I ran into Oakley going south bound.  He was doing a flip flop thru-hike from somewhere near McAfee Knob.  He had felt he was not going to make the October 15 cut off date for Katahdin.  I may have mentioned him earlier, but we met each other in the Smokies and then again at Trail Days.  He has a very unique quirky personality and very much enjoyed talking to him.

20170818_192653Managed to pull a 30 mile day in 8.5 hours.  I am very proud of myself.  Plus, I get more time to talk to David and Suzi!  They were both surprised I managed that kind of mileage.  It certainly has been a while since I have achieved that kind of mileage, though it was an easy 30 since that entire stretch contained just rolling hills.  I don’t even think there were rocks on the trail.  Perfect day for some rain.

David picked me up in his old truck, took a photo of me for my Mom, and took me back to his home, which was significantly closer to the trail than my Mom had described.

Side Notes:
– Listened to the Steve Jobs book pretty much non-stop all day, not because I particularly enjoy it, but to get through it.
– I am leaving out a major detail of this day for my privacy, but would also like to remember for myself what that detail is by typing this sentence.
– Fell in the shower that night. I didn’t injure anything too important. 😉
– Hanover, NH had a very rich vibe to it. Found out later, it was home to Dartmouth College, one of the Ivy League schools.

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