Up at five before the mosquitoes bot real active. It had rained during the night, but it had completely cleared by the time I took my first step this morning. A simple walk down to the town of Norwich, crossing some bog bridges on the way. To my surprise, the next couple of miles was spent striding along the sidewalks towards Hanover. As I did so, I crossed the highway bridge over the Connecticut River, passing into yet another state, this time New Hampshire.I'd been her before on a cross country car trip in 1996 and fallen in love with the town then. I don't know why I feel such an affinity for it. Perhaps it's the university atmosphere combined with rustic New England small town living. Who knows? Maybe I was a Dartmouth student in a past life. Ha. As I wandered through the main streets, I saw people sitting outside in front of Cafes, sipping on their morning lattes. Still early, there wasn't quite the usual hustle and bustle on the roads. I passed through, all the way to the opposite edge of town, where I waited for the Food Coop to open. Once it did, I headed inside, noticing that, like other supermarkets in New England, it was a little pricey. However, it did have one of the nicest organic and bulk food sections I'd seen. Resupplied, I ate another box of Raisin Bran on a bench in the garden section.
What followed were the typical town chores: sending e-mails at the library, buying a couple of postcards at the bookshop, mailing them off at the post office and, in this instance visiting the outfitters. My NeoAir Thermarest had failed many miles back and after calling the company, I was hoping I could exchange it at the Mountain Goat. My hopes were diminished when the shop assistant said they only had one left in store. However, it must have been my lucky day because it was the size I was trying to swap out. Before signing some paperwork, I picked up a new bottle of DEET. When checking out, I was given a free Snickers bar for being an A.T. thru-hiker. Score! Feeling a bit peckish, I found a Subway sandwich shop and was given a discount on my foot-long sub and a free drink. Yes, I love Hanover! The Nugget is the town's small cinema across the way, so I stopped by to see what they might be showing on a Saturday afternoon. Just my luck that the early matinee featured the new X-Men film starting in fifteen minutes. What a nice way to spend a few afternoon hours, kicked back in a comfy chair, watching a mindless action film, taking my mind away from a focus on the trail. Mentally refreshing!
Out of the movie theater and into the bright light of late afternoon, the sidewalks were packed with people. Turns out it's the day of a Dartmouth Reunion, so a lot of alumni accompanied by family and friends are in town. I spoke with one middle-aged couple who were enjoying the festivities. In the past, he had spent some time on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire during his time off from being a student and was hoping to spend a few days hiking with his wife once the ceremony wrapped up. Curious about my trip they asked the usual questions: What was I eating, what were my favorite places so far, etc.
When the questions were answered, it was time to leave town. Little did I realize that it was less than a mile from the Food Coop to Velvet Rocks Shelter, though it just so happened this was a good thing because there were thunderstorms brewing. After settling into the 6-man shelter, the rain came down and beat upon the roof while I spent the time before dark to read and catch up on my journal. Today was a great nero!
Bog Bridge Shadow
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