Mile 1734 – Thistle Hill Shelter To Mile 1749 – Dartmouth
We had a lot planned for today so we were up and hiking a little earlier than normal. In the morning the trail took us in and out of fields for several hours. It was so refreshing to have some new scenery.
Fields
After lunch we soon entered the first of three towns. West Hartford was tiny and we still had a lot ahead of us, so we didn’t stop. After that, a short walk in the woods brought us to Norwich, VT. This town neighbors Hanover, NH. The trail follows roads through town for several miles and crosses a busy bridge into New Hampshire.
Once across, we found ourselves on the campus of Dartmouth, which was bustling with activity due to the start of the new academic year. This prompted a great conversation about college life as we watch families dropping off freshman near the green in the center of campus.
We quickly found a pizza place nearby for an early dinner.
Pizza place near Dartmouth
After that, Rocket insisted on some time in the library. Then it was on to the local co-op for groceries.
Stopped by the Hannover public library
Our plan was to walk 1.5 out of town to the next shelter, but we were a little behind schedule and it was getting dark, so instead we decided to camp in the woods behind the Dartmouth athletic fields. Apparently campus security looks the other way on this and it seems pretty popular as there are many others here as well.
Camped in the woods behind the baseball field
RocketWalk 
Slippery Otter got Rocket’s card and there was a lot of excitement about seeing bears and hiking over 200 miles! It also looks a little cooler where you are. Austin has been hot. Hoping to see you all in autumn.
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September 3, 2018 at 8:53 am
From Rocket: It has been a little cooler here and actually gets a little cold at night. The mountains are very windy.
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From Rocket: It has been a little cooler here and actually gets a little cold at night. The mountains are very windy.
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