Location: Rutland, Vermont
Today marks two months since I began my trip. I am far behind schedule, but I am behind because I am having a great time. Hopefully I am not hurting my chances of finishing because I am moving so slowly. I probably need to push a little harder, but the trail and the towns offer so many neat and interesting things to visit. I just need to make sure that I don’t lose motivation.
This morning, Dave, the older man from Fayetteville, NC, came down the trail as I had just finished packing my backpack. I followed him into Killington where we both had packages at the post office. I got my package from mom with six days of food and the news that we now have two tickets to the Hurricanes games. I sorted through the box and packed all of the meals that I wanted. I let Dave take anything leftover.
Dave and I sat at a picnic table outside a nearby deli and we missed the bus to Rutland, VT. I hadn’t planned on visiting Rutland, but I had heard so much about the hostel run by the Twelve Tribes. The bus made its way around the route and we didn’t miss it when it stopped two hours later. Dave and I both had free bus passes, given to us by the owner of a local country store. We took the trip into Rutland and checked into the Twelve Tribes hostel.
I took a shower immediately upon arriving. I hadn’t showered since Glencliff, NH and I badly was in need of a bath. I also did my laundry at a local Laundromat, a chore badly overdue. I made phone calls from the Laundromat as my clothes went through the cycle. I decided to buy a watch. I am tired of never knowing what time it is on the trail. A watch will allow me the chance to push a little harder at the end of the day and maybe even get up earlier. The watch cost me five dollars, so we will see how long it will actually last. A button already fell off when I was setting the time.
After finishing all of my chores, I met up with Dave and we went for a drink at Two Sheas, a dive just around the corner from the hostel. We were joined later by Kanoa, a section hiker from Hawaii. He had cut his hike short because he wasn’t having fun anymore. He leaves to return home tomorrow morning.
Dave left the bar early because he wanted to get some ‘chow.’ He always called it chow and it bugged me each time he said the word. Kanoa and I stayed at the bar. We drank at Two Sheas for a while and then went to Saloon to play pool. There were only a handful of people at the bar when we arrived. Later a girls’ softball team showed up. I don’t remember much after that.
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