Hello, all.  We are currently in Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College.  We crossed the VT-NH border yesterday evening and are very excited to be in the state!  Thus far, we have traveled 1,737 miles and have 441 miles to go.  Last we updated, we were nearing the end of a wonderful vacation with Moonshine's mom and step-dad.  It is always very difficult to return to the trail after living the "good life" for a few days.  Upon returning to the trail, we did a rather short day to Killington Peak (4,235 feet), which is the 2nd tallest peak in the state.  We caught an amazing sunset with panoramic views of the Green mountains and beyond from the summit; perhaps one of the best sunsets we have seen on the trail to date.  Vermont continued to be muddy and a little rainy.  It rained almost every day as we traveled through the state, although fortunately most of the rain fell at night.  As we are getting further north hand into higher elevations, the weather has become noticably cooler and more unpredictable with sometimes sudden changes.  In preparation for the cooler weather, we will be getting back some of our "winter gear" that we started the trail with...unfortunately, this will increase the weight of our packs, but it is necessary.  The terrain in Vermont also became much more challenging in the past few days, as we have experienced a lot more elevation gain and loss, and the trail has very rarely been flat.  Our bodies are feeling much like they did when we started the trail, as we are no longer accustomed to these big ascents and descents.  I think that I got an ulcer from taking too much ibuprofen, so I have not been taking any for a couple of weeks...doesn't help matters!  Since we returned to the trail, there has been a lot of temptation that we have not been able to resist.  We have taken advantage of the opportunity to buy sodas, deli sandwiches, ice cream, etc, for the past few days as the trail has crossed by markets and farmstands. 
New Hampshire is one of the most challenging states on the trail, as well as one of the most scenic.  In just a few days, we will be entering the White Mountains, where much of the trail is above treeline.  We have gone on 2 backpacking trips in the Whites and are very excited to get back there.  The Appalachian Mountain Club offers huts along the trail in the White Mountains, and for about $90, one can have a bunk in a lodge and a homecooked family style dinner and breakfast.  The huts offer "work-for-stay" opportunities for thru-hikers, in which 1-2 hours of light work are done in exchange for a place to sleep and dinner and breakfast.  We are really looking forward to these opportunities, and are hoping to take advantage of them as many times as possible, though we hear that the work-for-stay opportunities are limited and at the discretion of the hutmaster.
Here in Hanover, we have enjoyed a very warm welcome into NH.  The trail actually goes right through the town and by the college campus.  The town is a little upscale and we definitely don't fit in, but some locals have made us feel at home.  We got a free slice of pizza at a local pizzeria, as well as a couple of beers a piece bought for us.  We are taking a "nearo" today (near zero mileage day) so that we can stick around, enjoy the town, and take care of all our usual chores.  Our next planned stop is in Lincoln, NH as we head into the Whites.  Hope all is well with all of you and we will update the next time that we have a chance!

Hello from Rutland, VT. We are getting ready to return to the trail tomorrow after a few days of vacation at my uncle and aunt's cottage. We got picked up on Friday afternoon by my mother and step father and headed to lake Winnipesaukee NH for a family reunion of sorts on Saturday. We have had three zero mileage days and plenty of good food. I think we should be good and rested for our last leg of the trip.
The day after our last update we crossed the MA/VT state line. The state line is also the southern terminus of the VT Long Trail which runs about 275 mi to the Canadian border. The AT runs with it for about 100 mi before making a fairly sharp right turn towards NH. We noticed a couple of things right after we crossed into VT. The temperature got cooler, and the trail got muddier. Our first day there we got poured on right before we got to the shelter, and we figured we would stop there. The rain ended up stopping after a short time and we heard that there wasn't suppose to be anymore from  several people so we pushed on a couple of more miles. We found a nice spot to set the tent up at the top of a mountain a couple of miles away so we set up camp and began to cook dinner. I soon noticed a wall of thunderheads coming toward us and we started to speed up our chores. Before we had even finished eating a severe storm was upon us. Lightning was striking literally every 2 seconds and there was very high wind and heavy rain. We felt very uncomfortable being on top of the mountain. After it passed we thought we were in the clear, but to our dismay two more waves of severe thunderstorms came through and we rode them out in terror. I don't think that either of us have been more scared on the trail than we were that night. It's not that likely that you will get struck, but when you put yourself in situations like that you are in much greater danger. We both agreed that we will pay more attention to the weather before we set up camp on a high peak .
We woke up surrounded by clouds the next day, but fortunately they broke by late morning and we had a very pleasant second day in the state. It was a little bit slower going trying to pick the best path through all of the mud holes, but the forest was beautiful. The Green Mountain Club was celebrating their 100th anniversary with a month long relay of day hikes to complete the long trail. The people were nice, but it made for very crowded trail. We ended up seeing the groups for the next few days. So far we have gotten rained on every day but one. It hasn't been that bad coming from such horrible heat and bugs though. We have been hoping to see a moose on the trail, but so far we haven't really seen any wildlife. It's pretty disappointing because we perceived New England as the "wonderful wild north". I'm sure we will have plenty of sightings by the end of our hike.
We only have 3-4 days left in the state and then we will be heading to the Whites. Unfortunately we will need to pick up our winter sleeping bags and our jackets to prepare for potentially much colder temperatures. This will add bulk and weight back to our packs, but I think it will be worth our safety and comfort. My stepfather looked at the weather report for Mt. Washington in NH this morning and it was 37 degrees with a wind chill of 21. It was a good reminder that we are heading to much higher elevations and harsher conditions. The views will be well worth it though. It is sort of what we have been waiting for the entire trip. Hanover, NH will be our first town stop in the state and we may be able to update there. If not we will do our best to post as soon as possible. Robin got the most recent pictures onto facebook if you haven't already seen them. If you don't have an account all you have to do is create a blank one and you can view them on her page.  Until next time take care and we are thinking of you all.

exciting note: We got to visit the Long Trail brewery today! Oh yeah and we saw 3 bald eagles

SIDEWAYS IS GONNA BE AN AUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, yes...my wonderful brother and sister-in-law, Freddy and Melissa, are expecting a little one!!  She is about 12-13 weeks along and doing very well.  Love you Mel and thinking of you every day!!!  Can't wait, due date is January 23...will keep ya posted!

WOW, sorry that we haven't updated in awhile.  Internet access is becoming more sparse, and we believe it will continue to be less accessible.  Everything is well with us.  We are currently in Pittsfield, MA, having a wonderful zero day with Moonshine's mom and step-dad, Gail and Dave.  We have been welcomed into Dave's business partner's house on a beautiful lake!  Thus far, we have walked 1,582 miles...hard to believe!! It is our last day in MA. We will be crossing the border into Vermont tomorrow and stepping up the difficulty of terrain as well. The last time we updated we were in New York.  Nobody ever talks about the state being difficult, but we found it to be so. They don't have high peaks elevation wise, but the trail maintaners love to take the trail up nearly vertical rock scrambles every chance they get. The scenery was excellent though, and we got to see the NYC skyline from  multiple lookouts. When we first spotted it we were in disbelief because that was our best visual indicator of how far we had actually walked. It was very strange to say the least. We were able to spend the 4th of July at a former thru hikers house that was hosting a party for this years hikers. They supplied food, beverages, and beds for anyone who came. We had a great time and thank you Bill and Amy if you are reading this.
After NY we crossed the border into CT. The only thing we knew about the state trail wise was that the re-supply was ungodly expensive. We found the prices to be consistent with the rest of the prices in the north, but the state had some more challenges for us. On July 5th when we crossed the border the temperature hit 101. I don't think the humidity could have been any less than 100 percent either. We were sweating so bad that my (moonshine) hands actually pruned up like I had been in a bath tub. Night time didn't bring any relief since the temperature stayed in the mid 80's and the mosquitoes were out in larger numbers than ever. That night I layed awake for about two hours with nothing but my shorts on sweating for about two hours. Not being able to go to sleep because of the heat has been one of the hardest things mentally I have encountered on the trail. The next day we hiked into Kent, CT to try to get some AC and watch the world cup game at the bar. We ended up hanging out at the bar for about four hours and went to do our re-supply afterwards. Robin was having a very difficult day due to her numerous bites and the heat and sweating and chafing that resulted from it and had a full trail meltdown. There was really no consolation that I could offer since my morale and nerves were shot as well. Getting back on the trail that evening was very difficult. We decided to do a night hike that night to make up for some mileage lost during the day. It was seven miles to the shelter , but we didn't realize the terrain had some nearly vertical descents causing another mental breakdown for Robin. After hiking until 11:30PM we figured we must have passed the shelter and even if we hadn't we were getting eaten by mosquitoes so bad that we pitched the tent on the side of the trail. We didn't bother with dinner that night and hoped for better temperatures and terrain the next day. When we got up the next day we found out that we had at least gone past the shelter we were shooting for because the sign was on the ground making it very hard to see at night. It didn't get any cooler though and we had another very low mileage day. Our morale was up though and we had a much better day. On our final day in CT we had the most tolerable weather and managed to actually get some decent miles done. We also had one of out best views in the state from the Lion's Head and enjoyed a local brew that we carried up from Great Barrington brewery.
The next day we crossed the MA state line. Unfortunately the minute we left camp it began to pour. Unlike other summer thunderstorms it continued for the first four hours of our hike making the already difficult terrain very slick. It beat the heat but I took a hard fall after slipping on a rock and slammed my knee into a boulder. It was extremely painful, but was nothing serious and we continued to hike. I think I bruised the bone pretty good though because it is still hurting over 100 mi later. It also made us realize how quickly our trip could be cut short if we were not careful.  We made it into MA and were excited to be in a state where we had some family. The weather had cleared up but unfortunately the rocks were still wet and I took an even bigger fall that morning. Going down some rocks both of my feet slipped out from under me driving my elbow into a rock and causing me to roll down the face. I popped up quickly but my arm was in extreme pain and swole imediately on the impacted area. I had some more bruises and scrapes on my legs but fortunately escaped once again with nothing seriously wrong. We hiked the rest of the way to Great Barrington MA where our next resupply was. Once again there was another World Cup game to watch (the final!) and we found a local restaurant/bar that was showing it. We had some good burgers and beers and even had a round bought for us. In the bar, we had 2 different offers for a free place to stay that night and we took one of them up on it. We took one of the offers, and ended up going to a great guy Jon's house with his buddy Brian.  They took us back for a cookout and gave us a bed. Their generosity to total strangers blew our minds as it does every time we recieve these random acts of kindness.  Our faith in humanity has totally been renewed on the trail and we have been totally shocked that so many people are willing to open their homes to us and make us feel so comfortable.  Jon had us back to the trail at about 8 and we were back on our way. We had another cool stop at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin which is run by the Appalachian Mountain Club. There is a caretaker there who cooks pancakes and coffee for the hikers in the morning. The place was full that night with over 20 people. We got to see some good friends that we hadn't run into since Shenandoah so it was nice to catch up with each other. The next day was full of lots of rain so we decided to hike all the way to Dalton MA. There is two hostels in local residents homes there and we made it in around seven that night.   We stayed at "the Birdcage", run by Rob Bird, a wonderful and very generous man!  A lot of our friends were there and we had a good time playing and singing music until late hours of the night. We decided to take Rob Bird up on a slack pack (hiking with only items that you need for the day, such as food and water...makes it much easier due to much less pack weight).  We hiked south 23.3 miles beginning at the base of Mt Greylock, the highest peak in MA, and ending up back in Dalton to stay at the "Birdcage" again.  Mt Greylock was the most difficult ascent we have had in a very long time, with an elevation of about 3,500 feet it was also the highest peak we have climbed since Shenandoah National Park in VA.  At the top of the mountain stands a tall observation tower serving as a memorial to the state's veterans.  It was a really tough day but we did the miles in record time for us.  This morning we were picked up and have had a very relaxing day by the lake.  Life is good and we are soaking up every minute of it.  As always, we are thinking of you all and hope that everything is well.  Take care!