Mike Coleburn, Harry’s Son Bailing Hay
July 28, 1981 -Greenwall Shelter to Mount Holly Vt. Coleburn house. -
Four months today!!! Left shelter at 6:25 a.m. after having to sleep with a dirty dog that stunk. It was another hiker’s
dog. I hiked hard into Route 103 and left Pete and Frank and started to hitch hike into Mount Holly to see Harry
Colburn (Died Dec. ’82) and family. Got a ride too far but was able to get to a phone and call Harry. He came right
out and picked me up. As soon as I got to his house I called the shoe repair store in Manchester Center to see if my
boots were done. They really surprised me by telling me that the boots were much worse than anticipated. To fix
them they wanted $50.00 to sew them and they had already torn them apart! It upset me that I now had a pair of
boots that were no good for nothing. I called Redwing, the company who made the boots and explained that the
welts had come apart premature. I had a large run around but to make a long story short the company gave me a
new pair of boots free of charge. Harry ran me all over to get the new boots. Me was a real help. I spent the rest of
the afternoon watching Harry's son, Mike bail hay and walked around his Christmas tree farm. I went to bed early
after a very nice supper. Pot roast, Potatoes, cucumbers, and etc. Real good.
July 29, 1981 - Mt. Holly Vt. Harry’s house to Governor Clements Shelter-
Got up at 8:00 a.m. after a very good nights rest at Harry’s house. Watched the royal wedding on TV. I then got
groceries at the Mount Holly post office and sent some things home. The post office and grocery store are together
in the town like many towns In the northern small cities. I went back to Harry's house and snow sealed my boots. Left
Harry's house at 12:30 p.m. Hiked up mountain to the Governor Clements Shelter. Keith Veterman and Pete
Galegar are here to. It is still raining. I gave my new boots a baptism on their friendly walk through the rain and when
I forded a swollen creek I fell in!! The boots are breaking in a lot better than the first pair that I started in. My feet are
a lot tougher now and the rain helped soften them up.
July 30, 1981 -Gov. Clements Shelter to Mountain Meadows hostel-
Left shelter at 7:30 a.m. after visiting the Lt. Gov. Snodgrass memorial gazebo. (outhouse) Hiked up to Killington
Mountain and got a very nice view. Bought a Coke at the lodge and took many pictures. You could see Mount
Washington from up here. I then hiked into the Killington turn off and hitched into the Post office where I picked up
mail and sent some out. I hitched back to the trail and went back to Mountain Meadows where I will stay for the
night. Bath, bed, and breakfast are only $6.00. I got a few groceries at a nearby grocery store and ate my supper in
the bunkhouse. After supper I went out in a nearby lake and canoed all around it with Paul Berlind and a south
bounder named Jesse. Went to bed at 9:30 p.m.
July 31, 1981 -Mountain Meadows hostel to Gulf Shelter-
Had a great breakfast at Mt. Meadows. I had eggs, toast, potatoes, French toast, cereal, coffee, milk and juice. Boy,
I ate $6.00 worth on breakfast alone. I left late from here. (9:30) Started to hike and made it to Gulf Shelter. Marjo
hiked a little with me and we stopped several times to pick and eat plump raspberries. We got a fire going and the
weather changed and the wind did too as a cold front moved in. The smoke about killed us. We had to put the fire
out. A couple I met in the Smokys going the other way is here tonight also. Nine people here tonight. Some slept
outside the shelter.
August 1, 1981 -Gulf Meadows to Happy Hill Cabin-
I Legged it out of camp early. (6:40) a.m. Hiked lazily till noon because it was a very nice day and I felt like taking it
easy as usual. At noon I stopped for a full hour and looked up at the sky watched the world go by. I made it into the
small town of West Hartford Vermont where I pigged out- Giant hoagie, one pint of ice cream, one pint potatoes
salad, one quart of Pepsi! I had such a sugar buzz that I walked the next four miles in l½ hours to Happy Hill Cabin.
The four wheel drives were up here and they were playing music till late and they had near1y taken over the cabin.
Miserable environment. Five men from Jersey were here too. They worked for United Parcel Service. I went to bed
late because of all the noise. My last night In Vermont.
August 2, 1981 -Happy Hill Cabin to Foley House frat house-
Left Happy Hill Cabin at 6:30 a.m. and hiked a easy half day into Hanover New Hampshire!! Another state bites the
dust. I stayed at Foley House, a frat house. Did laundry at a nearby dorm and went to a movie with Marjo. Ate at two
restaurants for the day and cashed a postal money order at bank which my dad had sent me. Did all the other
necessaries. Went to bed late (11:00 p.m.) Slept outside under the big pine trees. I was raised a country boy and
while I was taking a shower at Foley House a pretty girl came into the shower and also took a shower. I was not used
to that and had to face the wall for obvious reasons!
August 3, 1981 - Foley Frat House to Trapper John Shelter-
Left Hanover at 9:30 a.m. after breakfast in local diner. Walked to Trapper John Shelter. It was
very neat seat. It had an old office chair with a hole in it. It had the normal office chair back and arm rests, I had Mac
and cheese and tuna for supper. John Neiman, John J., Neil, Dan N., Renae, and Connie are here. Jim and Tracey,
two north bounders who started in Hanover are here too.
Four months today!!! Left shelter at 6:25 a.m. after having to sleep with a dirty dog that stunk. It was another hiker’s
dog. I hiked hard into Route 103 and left Pete and Frank and started to hitch hike into Mount Holly to see Harry
Colburn (Died Dec. ’82) and family. Got a ride too far but was able to get to a phone and call Harry. He came right
out and picked me up. As soon as I got to his house I called the shoe repair store in Manchester Center to see if my
boots were done. They really surprised me by telling me that the boots were much worse than anticipated. To fix
them they wanted $50.00 to sew them and they had already torn them apart! It upset me that I now had a pair of
boots that were no good for nothing. I called Redwing, the company who made the boots and explained that the
welts had come apart premature. I had a large run around but to make a long story short the company gave me a
new pair of boots free of charge. Harry ran me all over to get the new boots. Me was a real help. I spent the rest of
the afternoon watching Harry's son, Mike bail hay and walked around his Christmas tree farm. I went to bed early
after a very nice supper. Pot roast, Potatoes, cucumbers, and etc. Real good.
July 29, 1981 - Mt. Holly Vt. Harry’s house to Governor Clements Shelter-
Got up at 8:00 a.m. after a very good nights rest at Harry’s house. Watched the royal wedding on TV. I then got
groceries at the Mount Holly post office and sent some things home. The post office and grocery store are together
in the town like many towns In the northern small cities. I went back to Harry's house and snow sealed my boots. Left
Harry's house at 12:30 p.m. Hiked up mountain to the Governor Clements Shelter. Keith Veterman and Pete
Galegar are here to. It is still raining. I gave my new boots a baptism on their friendly walk through the rain and when
I forded a swollen creek I fell in!! The boots are breaking in a lot better than the first pair that I started in. My feet are
a lot tougher now and the rain helped soften them up.
July 30, 1981 -Gov. Clements Shelter to Mountain Meadows hostel-
Left shelter at 7:30 a.m. after visiting the Lt. Gov. Snodgrass memorial gazebo. (outhouse) Hiked up to Killington
Mountain and got a very nice view. Bought a Coke at the lodge and took many pictures. You could see Mount
Washington from up here. I then hiked into the Killington turn off and hitched into the Post office where I picked up
mail and sent some out. I hitched back to the trail and went back to Mountain Meadows where I will stay for the
night. Bath, bed, and breakfast are only $6.00. I got a few groceries at a nearby grocery store and ate my supper in
the bunkhouse. After supper I went out in a nearby lake and canoed all around it with Paul Berlind and a south
bounder named Jesse. Went to bed at 9:30 p.m.
July 31, 1981 -Mountain Meadows hostel to Gulf Shelter-
Had a great breakfast at Mt. Meadows. I had eggs, toast, potatoes, French toast, cereal, coffee, milk and juice. Boy,
I ate $6.00 worth on breakfast alone. I left late from here. (9:30) Started to hike and made it to Gulf Shelter. Marjo
hiked a little with me and we stopped several times to pick and eat plump raspberries. We got a fire going and the
weather changed and the wind did too as a cold front moved in. The smoke about killed us. We had to put the fire
out. A couple I met in the Smokys going the other way is here tonight also. Nine people here tonight. Some slept
outside the shelter.
August 1, 1981 -Gulf Meadows to Happy Hill Cabin-
I Legged it out of camp early. (6:40) a.m. Hiked lazily till noon because it was a very nice day and I felt like taking it
easy as usual. At noon I stopped for a full hour and looked up at the sky watched the world go by. I made it into the
small town of West Hartford Vermont where I pigged out- Giant hoagie, one pint of ice cream, one pint potatoes
salad, one quart of Pepsi! I had such a sugar buzz that I walked the next four miles in l½ hours to Happy Hill Cabin.
The four wheel drives were up here and they were playing music till late and they had near1y taken over the cabin.
Miserable environment. Five men from Jersey were here too. They worked for United Parcel Service. I went to bed
late because of all the noise. My last night In Vermont.
August 2, 1981 -Happy Hill Cabin to Foley House frat house-
Left Happy Hill Cabin at 6:30 a.m. and hiked a easy half day into Hanover New Hampshire!! Another state bites the
dust. I stayed at Foley House, a frat house. Did laundry at a nearby dorm and went to a movie with Marjo. Ate at two
restaurants for the day and cashed a postal money order at bank which my dad had sent me. Did all the other
necessaries. Went to bed late (11:00 p.m.) Slept outside under the big pine trees. I was raised a country boy and
while I was taking a shower at Foley House a pretty girl came into the shower and also took a shower. I was not used
to that and had to face the wall for obvious reasons!
August 3, 1981 - Foley Frat House to Trapper John Shelter-
Left Hanover at 9:30 a.m. after breakfast in local diner. Walked to Trapper John Shelter. It was
very neat seat. It had an old office chair with a hole in it. It had the normal office chair back and arm rests, I had Mac
and cheese and tuna for supper. John Neiman, John J., Neil, Dan N., Renae, and Connie are here. Jim and Tracey,
two north bounders who started in Hanover are here too.
Harry Coleburn Barn
33