Day 30/31: 5 miles, a car…and buses

So, we didn’t get arrested, but my foot was still jacked. The tendons on the top of my foot were definitely bruised, but not as irritated as they were before we stopped. This enabled me to walk tentatively at a slow meander, which was not all that bad as we had a flat road and beautiful home/farms to admire. Our plan, as we had no cell service, was to get to the Rt. 12 parking lot at mile 1731.9, and get a ride to Norwich (22 miles away) and take a couple of days off to let this darn thing heal, or this hike will be over. We also had a package to pick up at the post office there, and we needed to find new shoes… somewhere. These 8mm drop Brooks Cascadia were NOT gonna work for me. As luck would have it, we discovered that the Abracadabra Coffee shop (on the blue route trail) was open. Score! They normally aren’t open on Tuesdays. With a fresh and hot cup of coffee, a pastry, and WiFi, we got to work looking for a sporting goods store. A ride could wait. We found Stateline Sporting Goods in New Hampshire, not far from Norwich Vermont. We had hoped to Yogi a ride from the patrons grabbing their coffee, but no one seemed aminable to putting two stinky (like the wet dog we were) hikers in their car. So, we called a shuttle service and waited. While waiting, we visited with several other thru-hikers  taking advantage of the food, WiFi, and the shop’s external power sockets. Within 2 hours (as we weren’t in a hurry), we arrived at the Dan & Wit’s Market in Norwich. After chocolate milk and a coke,  we called Bill, the area trail angel coordinator. He sent us a list of trail angels that might house us for two days, including the St Barnabas Episcopal Church. As it turns out, not one trail angel had available housing, so we walked over to the Episcopal Church in hopes that someone would be there to let us in, as no one was answering the phone. Lucky for us, Helen (a volunteer grounds keeper and parishioner) let us in and gave us the lay of the land. They allow hikers to stay in the parish hall basement, where they have bunkbeds (with sheets) and full use of their kitchen, and we could stay as long as we needed. Happy to have a place to stay, it was time to work on shoes.

So far, we have found the East Coast to be amazing with regard to its public transportation. So far, it’s been free, regular, and the bus drivers are super helpful. They take the time to ensure we get to where we need to go in the most efficient manner. We headed off to Stateline Sports in New Hampshire. Brown line to the Green Line with a short walk across the Connecticut River.

While Stateline didn’t have my size of Hoka Speedgoats, they did have a men’s size that would work. Let’s hope they do the trick! Paul was able to get a new pair of Hoka Speedgoats as well. It was now time to mail the Brooks home. Back on the bus and into Norwich, we amble. The history and the quaintness of the homes and buildings are amazing. Last time we saw buildings this old (or older) was in Spain, when we did the Camino de Santiago.

Once back in Norwich, we hit the post office and the Dan & Wit’s for dinner. Pizza, salad, and beer. We’ll worry about the rest tomorrow.

For the 31st, we take a much needed zero. My foot feels better, but it’s still not 100%. We spend the day catching up on the Olympics and planning out our food carry to Glencliff and the Welcome Hikers Hostel, where we’ll prepare for the much anticipated Whites. It doesn’t hurt that we avoid another thunder shower.