Last night, two hikers woke me up while putting up their tent. The female's shrill laugh was especially annoying. Finally, they ceased their noise making. Joe, Achilles, and I woke up early and started hiking at 6:30am. The high point of the day was Stratton Mountain. The 1600-foot climb was surprisingly easy, a reflection of the trail's moderate grade. The view from the lookout tower at the summit revealed Bromley Mountain (my destination for the night) to the north embedded in a sea of forest (see photo). There descent to Stratton Pond was likewise easy. Past the pond, the trail was fairly flat with numerous mud pits. For the next 8 miles, I bet I skirted a mud pit every 100 yards. Tiresome hiking with no views through the thick forest. About 12.5 miles on the day, I stopped for lunch on a flat trail-side rock. I called Helen for a delightful chat. The next 5 miles had few mud pits, thankfully. At Hwys 11 and 30, I hitched into Manchester Center and quickly got a ride with Jack. I got alcohol for my stove at the EMS store and bought food at the Price Chopper. I ate my pint of ice cream at Subway while visiting with Joe and Achilles, who were staying at a local hostel for the night. I scored a quick ride with three guys leaving the Subway and soon was back on the trail. I walked two miles to the Bromley shelter and set up camp in the shelter. An easy hiking day, although my feet got blisters from being wet all day. Hopefully, two more days of sunny weather will dry my shoes. Today's miles - 20.5. Total miles -1652.7.
