INTO MANCHESTER
AT Day 097: Thursday July 13, 2023
Mile 1648.5 + 13 miles/21 km
Total Distance Hiked: 1657.5 miles / 2667 km
Stratton Pond Shelter – Manchester Centre
I was woken by a nudge on my toes through the sleeping bag. Must be time to get up. I felt like had just lay down to sleep. Hammer had already started to pack, keen to get into Manchester and pick up his sleeping mat. No more sleeping on the hard ground for him. It was still dark and I hated to disturb others, as I know those last precious minutes of morning sleep are the best. I tried to be as quiet as possible, not easy when everything I touched made a noise. We were packed and gone before anyone else stirred.
The air was warm and the birds were singing. It was a nice morning. Muddy miles followed with nothing of any interest except a few fungi.
I could feel blisters forming on my toes. I think just from my feet being wet and muddy for too long. Hammers shoes are a bit less porous so his feet are not so badly trashed.
We stopped at Prospect Rock overlook with muggy views of Manchester below. Just by chance I looked at the notice on our map and saw that we have officially been advised to leave the trail.
We took the Prospect Rock blue blaze trail and exited the AT. From here we walked the 4 miles into Manchester downtown where we had a room booked.
The problem is that we are stuck as road travel to the northeast is disrupted by flood damage to infrastructure. So our plan now is to return to Bennington to sit out tomorrows predicted storm. And from there, we’ll try and head southeast towards Boston and then north to hike in Maine. Returning to Vermont and New Hampshire when the flooding problems in these states are resolved.
Just as I was finishing this post a severe thunderstorm warning was issued on my phone. I looked outside and the sky over the mountains was black. Within minutes there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightening and the skies opened. We are so relieved to be in town.
Your plan is a good one. It’s relatively easy to get to Boston and if you rent a car in Bennington you’ll be there in under three hours. I believe there is bus service (or was) as well although I’ve never used it.
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The best place for car rental is Rutland to the north. We’ll try the bus. Bennington is just a bit further from the worst affected areas.
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So glad to hear about your choice to head to Maine. Kind of reminiscent of the CDT decision to skip the Colorado part and return when conditions improved. Safe travels and take care of your legs and knees. We will be in Victoria on Saturday. We are currently In Olympia enjoying the views of Mt. Rainier. With all the snow we had this winter it is probably good that you are not on the PCT this year. Lake Shasta was almost dry last year and now is back to being nearly full. Enjoy the rest of your journey. I am looking forward to doing some hiking this summer unlike last year.
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Good to hear that you and Dede are going to Victoria. We did enjoyed our time there last year. Such a beautiful spot. We’ve been wistfully reminiscing about the beauty of the western states.
We were thinking the same thing about flipping on the CDT and the current dilema. Here it’s compounded by no rental cars being available and roads and bridges are damaged which is making getting around a bit more difficult.
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Good decision – sad you have to change plans but one thing we can’t control is the weather (beautiful days here in Bondi – so far having a very dry/mild/sunny winter) stay safe 🙏
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It’s just awful Maree. The flood damage in Vermont is enormous. And there are two more storm fronts coming on Sunday and Tuesday.
I can imagine Bondi would be sparkling. I’ve seen the pics from Manly. I’m missing ocean swimming.
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I was just thinking the same thing about CDT – much better to flipflop and stay safe!
Hope it all works out – and from memory, you have some buffer time planned, don’t you?
Look after those feet and the knee, and stay safe!
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We have plenty of time. We were on target to finish in early to mid August.
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BUGGER, no need to say anymore
Sent from my iPhone
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Agreed 😞
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Not an ideal situation but when it comes to safety it has to be! Hoping you can still finish the trail eventually in the time you have!
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That’s what we concluded. We are not seeing the beauty of Vermont under these conditions. Hopefully we’ll have plenty of time to finish.
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