7-14-12

AT miles hiked today: 5.8
Total AT miles hiked: 771. 5

We hiked past Prospect Rock this morning. There was a sign on a tree that said "Look Up!!!" So we looked up into the sky and took pictures of us looking up next to the sign. Then we noticed another sign, very high in the tree that said "Prospect Rock." We guessed that maybe the sign was hung when the tree was young and it grew. Or maybe people go there in the winter and the snow is high enough to make the sign more visible. While hiking today, Blaze stopped to try and see the Wood Thrush that was singing in a nearby tree. I was whistling back to it and it seemed to respond to me. We stared and suddenly I saw it. It had a beige chest with tan speckles and light brown wings. Blaze saw it too, just before it flew away. That was neat. They have very loud, flutelike calls and I hear them all the time but this is the first one I've seen.

Blaze told us a yesterday that she won't be hiking with us much longer. She prefers hiking in the cooler temperatures and it's just been too hot for her. She arranged for her husband, Mark, to meet us where the trail crosses the road to Manchester Center and we met him there this morning. He brought us apples and yummy iced tea and then he drove us around to lunch at Friendlys, both outfitters in town, the Hiker's Hostel, Walmart and Price Choppers on our way to their friend's house.

Mark and Blaze picked up cooked chickens, salads, dressings and angel food cake plus berries and whipped cream and we descended upon Cindy and Mark's house like a storm. They were amazingly gracious and welcomed us into their home with open arms. They gave us a room with many beds to choose from, laundry, showers and offered us food and coffee and their home again and a ride in two days for a slackpack over Mt. Killington. All we had to do was hike north to their road. It will take us two and a half days to get that close to their house again. It took an hour to drive there.

Tomorrow Mark and Blaze will drive us back to the trail where we left it, and Cindy and Mark let us leave some stuff in their house that we don't need in the next couple of days (like phone chargers and extra food) thereby lightening our packs. What a blessing for Blaze to have introduced us. Thank you Blaze and Mark. And thank you Cindy and Mark. We'll see you again in two and a half days! This is serious trail magic created by multiple trail angels. Thank you for helping us out like this and we'll miss you, Blaze.