Day 17 & 18: (July 2 -3) Rutland

After all the cold nights, it felt warm sleeping in 70° F. I threw off all the blankets except for the sheet. Not complaining, though.

After breakfast, I went to a self-serve laundry mat, the first time in about 40 years. The attendant was very helpful and explained how to operate the coin-free machines. It cost $10 to wash and dry everything we had.

Once all the clothes was stored in the hotel, Dennis and I went to the Yellow Deli for lunch. There is an adjoining outfitters and I bought a pair of mittens there. Afterwards we went to EMS and I bought a warm sleeping shirt. Dennis replaced a pair of pants. We also bought a fuel canister and freeze-dried package of Katmandu Curry. Hope it’s a delicious as it sounds. We also bought cheap bathing suits for the hot tub. As you can imagine, sitting in the spa was heavenly.

On July 3, we worked on the computer, went to post office to post items home (about 4 lbs) and to send the package we had shipped to Rutland forward. As long as the package is unopened, there is not additional charge for mailing it ahead.

We are all set to get to the trail. I hope the good weather we’ve had the past two days continues and has dried out the paths. We could use a break.