Swinging along the open road...

Just thought I would drop the blog a line about recent adventures at Dartmouth and beyond....

Jack told me that the food coop in Hanover was the among the nicest he had ever seen....and he spent a summer in a grocery store. He said the food appeared extraordinarily fresh and there was great variety from around the world. Things in the outdoor stores were extremely pricey however. A southbounder recommended that Jack and Chris wear three sets of gloves through the Whites given the rocky conditions. That hiker said that their hands would be raw from the rocks without protective gloves. Have not heard if Jack and Chris have bought any yet.

Shelters in New Hampshire are different from other parts of the AT. Hikers have to pay nightly rates to stay in large cabins called "huts.". The first few thruhikers can work for stay. Work consists of cleaning, etc. They are basically simple bunk houses. From photos I have seen they appear to be sturdy and extemely protective from the elements.

As they wind down their hike.....the end is slightly more than three weeks....Jack is making plans to head directly back to Canada. Makes sense since they will be so close.

On a sad note, (but hopefully this can be fixed) Jack accidentally deleted all the photos he has taken since the beginning of July (Harpers Ferry). We are researching ways to recover these photos. The internet claims to have available software to recover data from accidental deletions....apparently a common error among users.

Unbelievable, grace-filled, how they have managed this far and this long. Continued trust in Divine Providence that all will go as it should.