Day 270 and 271 Brattleboro to Bennington VT. – 42 Miles

6/8/2015

Brattleboro had a big parade called the strolling of the heifers. It was the reason there were no vacancies in town. As I ran through the streets I tried my best to spot bovine creatures wandering through the streets. They never materialized. I ran into lots of hippie types though. In the town I saw little pieces of yesterday being consumed by nature. Old nonfunctional cars peeked out the earth, struggling to stay in the light.

The hills continued for miles. Luckily for me, my legs had been accustomed to climbing from all the previous days. As the end of my run neared, all the climbing had come to a peak. The payoff was big. After the hump, I let gravity do its thing. The downhill grade gave the legs the boost they needed. They carried me into the little town of Wilmington. We had no luck in securing a place for a hot bath and a soft bed but Crystal had made a couple new friends. The two high school girls talked to us about life in a small town and the kinds of things they did for fun. The pranks they pulled had me and Crystal rolling. The two of us watched the girls leave a note on the windshield of a car and it read, sorry about the damage to your car. People would come out circle their car inspecting every inch for damage. Of course we didn’t encourage this but it did make us laugh.

That night I craved ice cream and practically ate an entire package of Klondike bars. I probably filled my need for ice cream for the rest of the year. I don’t know why my body craved the cold creamy treat but I figured I must have needed the fat and calcium.

The green hills of Vermont were tranquil and silent. I could hear my thoughts in high definition. As I ran, I made a checklist of priorities. Many schools were letting out so our events would begin to taper down. With that being the case, I needed to turn my attention to getting the next books in order, and, of course, raising funds. It was funny how the time passed while I was in deep thought. I didn’t even take many photos while on my way from one parking lot to the next.