Inn At Long Trail 1707.3 (zero miles, 681.9 total miles)
I slept surprisingly excellent next to busy route 4, even with bright lights from the inn shining on my tent. I packed up around 7, and Tater, Shaun, and I headed for breakfast when it started at 7:30.
I got french toast and bacon and when I was done with that, finished Tater’s toast and home fries. Moped and Lady Pants said goodbye after breakfast, off to hike to Canada on the LT. After coffee, we got side tracked in the game room for a little bit.
We said bye to Shaun, who was going to work in the mountains for the day. It had been really cool to meet and hang out with him. I’d gotten to learn a lot about being a ridge runner, and thought I’d maybe like to look into it down the line.
Tater and I picked up Halfway and Shrek, who were at the road crossing just down Rte 4 from us. Shrek drove the 2 hours plus to Amherst, NH. We stopped at a Vermont country store on the way, and she got a can of Moxie, which I was able to try. It was definitely interesting, and we agreed it tasted more like root beer or ginger beer than anything.
We got to Amherst at exactly noon, and almost everyone was up on the back deck. We exchanged greetings and hugs, and were given the tour by Platinum. Her parents have a lovely house and were so nice to host us for a few days.
There was a bed or air mattress for everyone, and plenty of space. Piñata and her boyfriend, Charlie, arrived a little while after us. Riveter’s husband, Josh, and Platinum’s dad, Dan, were the last two to show up.
After making a sandwich for lunch, I showered and started my laundry. While a group went to the grocery store, I stayed with a few others and hung out on lawn chairs, under sunny, blue skies.
A few games of knock out ensued in the driveway, which Plat won every single time. We went to a brewery, Station 101 nearby, before coming back to the house for some Zizza Pizza Dan and Nance treated us to. It was quite delicious.
After the pizza, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with so much socializing, having not spent any time by myself all day. So I went up to the third floor and did some meditating, in the cool, breezy space.
It was very restoring, and when Riveter found me to get ice cream at Haywood’s, I was happy to go with. After ice cream, we just hung out for a little while more, before most of us turned in around 9:30 or 10.
I was sleeping on the third floor, near Halfway and Jedi. I talked to them for a bit as I drifted off. It had been a really good day, and I was excited for another two days of rest and good company.