Giant Donut in the City: Long Tour, Day Five

Day five, Wednesday, August 20

Spruce Peak Shelter to Route 30 junction

Distance: 2.8 miles (57.7 miles total)

Wake up in the rain

As predicted, when we woke up it was raining. The third boy from the shelter left first and a few minutes later the rain increased its intensity. With the blow landing, I felt sorry for the guy.

Instead of braving the downpour, I checked on my son Ben. It turned out that I had waited too long to go to the emergency room. No, the appendix hadn’t burst, but it had made the operation much more complicated than anticipated. That’s why it had taken so long the day before. In fact, he was still in the hospital. It was even possible that open abdominal surgery would be necessary after laparoscopic removal of the appendix. They were monitoring him to see how he responded.

Walking in the rain

My plan was to go off trail in just under three miles and spend the night in Manchester Center. This was a deliberate strategy, designed to make this a very short day in the rain. I didn’t want to leave too late, though, as Pebbles, who had recently gone off trail in Bennington, was planning on spending a full day on the trail whether it rained or not.

So, when the torrent subsided to a steady drizzle, we headed out.

I was trying out my new rain poncho for the first time and it seemed to work well. It took a little adjustment to ensure it hung properly over me and my backpack, but that was it. As for the road, it wasn’t that bad. Even when wet, the rocks were not as slippery as I feared. However, I realized that I had to be careful, because some rocks can be very slippery even when others are not.

Hitchhiking in the rain

It seemed like before long we had reached Route 30. We said a quick goodbye, took a selfie at the sign, and I stuck out my thumb. Behold! The first vehicle that passed, a pickup truck, stopped and stopped. He had been hitchhiking for five seconds.

I jumped up and threw my things back as the rain subsided. With my backpack there, I hoped it wouldn’t resume! The guy was an older man who was very sympathetic to hitchhikers and had done some himself. He drove me into town and then waited for me at the post office, where I picked up the box I had sent myself.

Vermont’s Biggest Donut

Then he took me to his favorite diner, Willoughby’s Depot Eatery, which he said was famous for its donuts. OMG what amazing donuts they had! Although I prefer chocolate, I accepted his offer of one of his most absolutely gigantic donuts, before thanking him and saying goodbye. I decided to eat it at the little table outside the cafe, so I ran inside and had some coffee to go with it. I’m embarrassed to tell you, but I couldn’t finish it. I mean, I’m supposed to be hungry like a hiker, right? But it was really, really, huge. I compared it to eating Mount Rushmore!

Shopping and lunch feel like a luxury

The shopping area was close and I made the purchase first. Not remembering what was inside the package they sent me (even though I was the one who packed it!), I only bought baby wipes, lipstick, and a Fiddlehead beer. The wipes were a suggestion from Pebbles, after convincing me that the extra weight would be balanced by better hygiene.

Next stop was the TJMaxx next door to pick up a sun hat and some camping shoes. The hat was to replace the one that had fallen out of my backpack several days before and the camping shoes were a suggestion Pebbles had made to me. Unfortunately the store did not have any of these items, but in the short time I was there I managed to digest the huge donut. To my surprise, I was hungry again!

Crossing the mill pond in Manchester Center on the way to lunch

I headed to a fancy Italian restaurant on the main street, Mystico Cucina Italiana. I wondered how they could welcome me into this high-end place, but the host was kind and generous even though I was a nasty, smelly hiker. I really appreciated your welcome. She brought me a wonderful salad with local cheese that was so green, so fresh and simply delicious. Then I had cacio e pepe, which is a delicious Italian pasta dish, all washed down with Italian white wine. As if that were not enough, I added a scoop of hazelnut ice cream and an espresso at the end. I realize that many hikers can’t afford to treat themselves like this in the city, but…it was worth every penny!

Fresh salad? Pure happiness!

While I was there, an older woman sat at the next table with her much younger caregiver/partner. She seemed both lively (in thought and voice) and ancient (in appearance). His hands in particular seemed to tell the story of a long life lived fully. I couldn’t resist trying to take a surreptitious photo of one.

Can hands tell a story? Yes, I think so.

Next door at The Mountain Goat, a particularly hiker-friendly hiking shop, I again attempted to replace my lost sun hat. They had the perfect model, but only in a medium size, too small for my fat head, or in a huge size, designed for elephants who need hats! So I changed the subject and bought a small wool hat. This wouldn’t help as a sunscreen, but if the weather turned colder it would really help keep my ears warm. I also rummaged through their bin of free hiker stuff, though I ended up taking nothing.

I then continued uphill to the local shoe store to again look for the camping shoes suggested by Pebbles. I bought a pair of flip flops, as my only goal was to get the lightest ones possible in terms of weight. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about how the Y-strap might not work as well if I were wearing socks…

Son Ben fights with the hotel

It was time to cross the street to the Hampton Inn hotel. Ben had gotten me a generous “family friend” discount. Before his appendicitis, he had planned to come and surprise me at my first off-road stop. Now there were rumors that his absence would void the deal. Lying in his hospital bed, Ben sent the hotel a photo of himself, holding his confirmation sheet, surrounded by medical monitors. What a great son! Worrying about ME instead of your own illness!

That selfie worked. The person behind the desk, Elle, was understanding and helpful. I certainly appreciated the discount, as well as the room upgrade and free bottle of water he provided!

Lesson on how to do laundry in the city

Pebbles had also clued me into an important trick on the trail. Therefore, I knew I had to hand wash my trail socks THREE times before washing them. Given how deeply the mud seemed to sink into them, this was a great suggestion! I looked but unfortunately the hotel was not at the luxury level where you have a bathrobe in the room. As a result, I had to wash my clothes (basically every piece of clothing I was wearing) naked except for a towel wrapped around my waist. It wasn’t that bad, although I ran into a guy on the way back to my room and we joked about my toga.

The rest of the evening was great. It was great to take a shower. It felt great to eat a big steak next door. It felt great to eat another salad. I felt great washing my hair. It felt great to sleep between nice clean sheets… Zzzzzz…

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