We sat at Ms. Murphy’s eating an egg sandwich and listening to the locals chatter. Two old codgers kept everyone entertained. After breakfast we hitched a ride to the trail head with Miles, a painter and building restorer.
My new shoes are comfortable. I appreciated all the time Vincent at EMS in Manchester Center, VT spent to get me a good fit. My other shoes did not provide much support and I sprained my right ankle. I had to wrap my ankle with an Ace bandage to continue. That and the new shoes seem to help, but I am mindful of how I place my foot. Being constantly vigilant slows my pace. But, what’s the rush? I will get there when I do, and without harm, hopefully.
We stopped at Bromley Shelter for lunch and met “Proud Foot” and “McGyver.” The trail is up and down to Mad Tom Notch at 2,446 ft.
After climbing Peru Peak, I no longer have climbing Machu Picchu in Peru on my bucket list. My lungs were gasping for air at 3000 ft. elevation; I can’t imagine climbing to almost 8000 ft.
Without Dennis, I don’t think I could make this hike. He is my personal Sherpa. He carries the tent and stove. What I appreciate the most is his getting and filtering the icy cold mountain water. I have Renaud’s Syndrome, a disorder that affects blood vessels in my fingers, turning them white and painful with the cold.
Additionally, it is cold for almost July. When I stop walking, I start shivering. Even changing into dry camp clothes does not stop my quivering. Tada! Dennis to the rescue. As tired as he might be, he boils the water for our supper and cleans up the dishes, as I sit warming myself in my sleeping bag in the tent
Everyone discouraged me from bringing my sleeping bag liner and gloves, saying that I would be hiking in July. If only I had known that the evening temperatures would fall into the 40’s—way too cold for this Floridian—I would have sacrificed something else to carry the warmer objects.
We set up our tent on a platform at Peru Peak Shelter. Though others tented there that evening, they did not share the platform.
