7/7 New Shoes!!

21.7 hiked today, 1646.3 miles N, 527.7 miles left
Peru Peak Shelter

Today I got one of my earliest start ever, 6:15 AM. I woke up at about 5 AM to sound of mosquitos buzzing around my head and although I had a head net they were still finding me. I had left my DEET in my food bag so I had to get up to get it. After all that fuss I decided I would just stay up.
I hiked by Stratton Pond on the way north and I again experianced the simple calm that this pond can bestow. Last time I was here I was bewitched and took a lot of photos and this time was no different. I experianced my first regret in that I think this would have been a spectacular place to take a trail zero but I had people to meet and places to be. One last thing that I noticed for the first time last night was there were small fish swimming in the spring that I was getting water from. Most fish hide at the first sign of a human looking down on them for some reason these fish did not and thus I was allowed some time to study and photograph them.
The trail for the rest of the morning was fairly easy with gental descents and rolling terran. I passed by the Spruce Peak Shelter and checked in the register. I remember this shelter well as it has a door and a wood stove for use in the winter.
At VT 11/30 I tried to get a ride into Manchester Center, a town notworthy as a great place to supply, but I found the hitch very hard. Finally I did get into town. I got to he post office about 10 minutes before they closed, I forgot it was Saturday, and picked up a replacement headlamp for mine that is on the fritz. I went to the outfitter in town where I had shipped my replacement shoes only to find they were not there. This ment I was going to have to search town for another pair of shoes as I really should not walk another step in the ones I had. Then made my phone calls and when I mentioned this issue to Dana she said had tracked the package earlier and saw they were signed for and delivered. After I got off the phone and took care of my food shoping I went back to the outfitter and looked for the shoes again. Using their computer I looked up the tracking and found who had signed for it and they found the box. The new shoes fit pretty good and I am sure will work. Later I had some issues with a numb foot and toe tightness but I am sure things will break in over the next few days.
Manchester Center is great place to peope watch as it is where numerous ritzy outlets are located. I enjoyed watching the people who were trying so hard while I was lounging around in unwashed clothes, unshaven for four months, and not shower since Dalton.
Finaly I made it back to the trail by about 5PM. I wanted to make it to Peru Peak Shelter so I had very little time to lose. However I did have to stop at the cutest display of trail magic yet. Northshore Day School in Manchester had put out two coolers, one of cold pop and oranges and the other with snacks and soynut butter and jelly sandwitches. One of the classes there had made them and they had left pictures of the pre-kindergardeners looking up at the camera while spreading the toppings. They were abosolutly adorable! There was also a camera and notebook. It requested I write a little about myselves which I did while I savored the pop. Then it was time for a my sprint to bed.

The first peak I went over was Bromely which also is home to a ski resort. The resort has a tower on the top which takes one above tree line where the view is awesome. I enjoyed it for a couple minutes and like when I hiked the Long Trail the winds were awesome too cooling me down very quickly after the hot climb. The trail down Bromely is a steep narrow slot that twists and turns in a very dense woods of small pines. I descended into Mad Tom notch followed climbing over Styles and Peru Peaks and finally the last descent by headlamp to the shelter.
The new shoes are much more comfy on uneven ground thanks to their fresh padding but I am finding the quality of th rubber in the soles extremely disapointing. They grip like crazy in mud but they are slicker than oil on anythign wet like logs, planks on bog bridges, and wet rocks. I slipped hundreds of times on surfaces like these and now on bog bridges I have to shuffle across because my feet slip so often. My old Montrails soles used to work great on these surfaces. I hope the rubber breaks in and starts gripping soon as I have dozens of miles of bog bridges in Maine!
I arrived at the shelter just aout twilight and got my delux dinner of Anne's Mac and Cheese cooking. I added cyane pepper I had gotten in town and that was a very nice addition!
This is one of the shelters in Vermmont where one has to pay to stay. Last night I paid at Stratton Pond and they were supposed to give me a recipt that would allow me to stay here free but they failed to so so. However since I got here so late the caretaker had already made his rounds and had retired to his tent so I escaped being checked for tonight. That is one advantage to rolling in late.