July 6 - 21.4 / 1,601.3

Ahhh...I knew there was supposed to be a heat way, but this is by far the hottest day on the trail. I don't think I could have tried to retain enough water from sweat loss. The heat has caused me to start chaffing pretty bad. Even my hip belt has started to rub my hips raw.

The morning started out with a climb decent that took it out of me. It took us over 4 hours to hike 7 miles. The terrain wasn't too bad, but again a lot of the trail was overgrown. The 7 mile mark was the Mass/Vermont border. The Long Trail, which runs from the border to Canada, also shares the next 100 or so miles with the AT. Vermont has also acquired the name of Vermud. This was evident right at the border. A big mud pit was right in the middle of the trail. It is funny how the trail can change so quickly.

Samurai and I hiked about 5 more miles before stopping for lunch. We stopped at a brook which connected two beaver ponds. The view was pretty incredible. This is only the beginning of some pretty cool pond areas. Moose and Tetherball were already there taking a break. They left before we finished lunch. We enjoyed lunch, and I found time to soak my feet in the water.

The rest of the hike brought on more sweat and more chaffing. A few times I had to stop not knowing if I could hike anymore. Finally, we made it 17 miles to a shelter. There were three people already set up who were hiking the long trail. One of the girls was complaining about blisters. We gave her some advice.

I had tried to call the post office in Bennington, VT all day, but couldn't get service. I was able to get service at the shelter and found out my package from REI had arrived. Knowing there was a Chili's in the town, Samurai and I decided to hike four more miles for some dinner. The last half mile to the road was steep and rocky. We got to the road crossing, and I mentioned that it would be nice to get a quick hitch. I had just crossed the road when I heard a vehicle coming around the corner. I stuck out my thumb. The SUV put on its blinker and pulled over. It was awesome. We were picked up by Bill and Denise. They were great. They drove us across town to the Chili's. We exchanged information and they dropped us off. Samurai and I enjoyed a good meal before resupplying at a local grocery store. We walked down the road to a local motel. It is crazy how expensive motels are in this area. Luckily, this one is nice. I got a chance to call my parents and Michelle before taking a shower and heading to bed.