When we last left the Dynamic Duo...

... they were loitering in Rutland, VT, attempting to leave town one way or another. Well, of course, it turned out to be "another."

I think that we (at least I) had an overload of Vermont - on and off the trail - and just wanted to get the state over with. Luckily we recalled that Shawn has a friend, Jackie, living in Keene, NH who was eager to visit. The only complication? - Rutland is about a two hour drive from Keene. But of course, our hearts were set and minds made and we would not be stopped. So once again we decided to venture out into that world of fanciful vagary known as hitchhiking. In three easy wags of a thumb we made it about 50 miles down the road to Bellows Falls, where Jackie came to rescue us in a mere 30 minutes. We spent a great night of pizza and DNC coverage at her apt., and tiptoed off to dreamland on a wonderful air mattress.

The next day being Tuesday, Jackie had to get up and go to work like the responsible adult she is. We on the other hand are still complete bums with no deeds to do, no promises to keep. So we slept in, ate french fries for breakfast, popped in Johnny Mnemonic (the perfect morning movie), and awaited the arrival of my old buddy, old pal, Andy Reach, who drove all the way up from Boston. With Andy we ventured out to explore the quaintness of downtown Keene, and Andy related to us the romantic life of a piano tuner. Yet again, the day was mostly spent hanging out, eating, people-watching, and generally wasting time. When Jackie got off work, she took us all to an awesome little brewpub restaurant, and then we returned to her apartment to while away another night with friends.

But alas, our cavorting must come to an end sometime. On that next bright Wednesday morning we heard the call of the trail (that faint "hiker trash" whispered on the wind), so we strapped our few earthly possesions on our backs and headed to follow it. Turns out it was coming from Hanover, NH, about 65 miles north of Keene. Taking a less beaten path, we made it in about six hitches, including an awesome old Methodist minister who writes his own hymns, has a wife from Lithuania, knows how to get optimum gas mileage out of an F150, and once heard Robert Frost recite his poetry. In Hanover it didn't take long to find the old hiker crowd again, and we were quickly invited to spend the night at the property of "legendary" hiker and all around trail bum, Baltimore Jack.

And here we are. Back in a trail town, about to actually venture onto the trail itself after an epic hiatus. It was worth every second. But as I said - the trail calls and Big K looms and we must be off to finish what we started. These last 30-40 days may very well be the most spectacular. I can't wait to find out!




P.S. - I love hyperlinks!