Weekly Overview
Day 92
August 2, 2019
- Route: Stratton Pond Shelter, VT (Mile 1642) to Peru Peak Shelter, VT (Mile 1663)
- Daily Mileage: 20.7 miles
The caretake from the Green Mountain Club never did show up last night to collect my money for the shelter. So I’m going to guess it was a free stay.
With a quick town stop on today’s agenda, I’d planned to get up early (around 6:45 am) and leave quietly before everyone else was up. But I didn’t achieve that goal. Sal Paradise was already at one of the picnic tables setting up his stove in his long johns as I started packing up my gear.
I remembered Fancy Feast told me that Sal was the recent GMC president. Yet, none of the other local trail maintainers alluded to his presence last night while they were giddily welcoming Fancy Feast back home. So I wondered if maybe she was mistaken about his identity.
COFFEE TIME
I joined Sal at the wooden picnic table with my breakfast assuming I’d quickly eat and be on my way. But then something unexpected happened. The two of us got talking.
Sal desperately wanted some coffee, but his new Jetboil wouldn’t light. I’ve heard some other hikers comment that they’d also had a similar problem with their Jetboil whenever they used a fuel canister made by a different manufacturer. I’m not sure if this was his issue too, but he had a full MSR fuel canister and it just didn’t seem to light up.
I offered to let him use my stove (a MSR PocketRocket 2) to boil up some water, and Sal seemed quite pleased with that solution. He even offered his fuel canister if I was willing to share my stove. Perfect. One of the reasons I was heading into town today was because I was running low on fuel.
With steaming hot coffee soon in hand, the two of us started talking. Sal asked me the typical “get to know you” questions – Where are you from? Tell me about your family. What do you do back home? And so on..
During our get to know you banter, he confirmed his identity. Fancy Feast wasn’t wrong. And I gathered he was really invested in the Long Trail and the hiking community in Vermont.
As our relaxed conversation progressed, I was feeling less guarded around him. I told him I was a recently retired Army JAG officer – and when I shared that information, his eyes lit up a bit. That’s when he whispered that he was a lawyer too.
So before you knew it, we were down the rabbit hole and sharing funny stories. Sal was a Burlington native, and a fourth-generation member of the Vermont bar. So he’s a true local, and certainly had some colorful stories about the state to prove it!
I had such a great time chatting with him and sipping coffee in the early morning, that an hour flew by without me even noticing. So much for my early start on the trail! But I certainly didn’t regret my time swapping stories with Sal.
As 8 am rolled around, and the other hikers in the shelter started to stir, I decided it was time to finally bid goodbye to Sal. I didn’t expect to have such an enjoyable breakfast companion when I woke up this morning, and I’m grateful his malfunctioning Jetboil since it gave us an excuse to get to know each other a bit. My only regret is I didn’t insist on us getting a photo together!
EASY MORNING
My morning miles seemed pretty easy after I departed the shelter. I’m not sure if that’s because the terrain was a little less challenging, or whether I was just in a particularly good mood thanks to my relaxing coffee time with Sal.
It’s only been two full days of hiking since I departed the RV with food, but I know I don’t have enough to make it all the way to Rutland, VT without at least some augmentation. That’s why I was planning a quick stop in the town of Manchester today.
The highway that goes into Manchester was a good 10 miles from last night’s shelter, which is why I’d wanted to get an early start this morning. My goal was to hitch into town, resupply, and still make a full 20-mile day.
Luckily, there weren’t any major climbs between me and that goal, but there were some nice rocky overlooks and ledges providing views of the town ahead of me. I even stopped at Prospect Rock for a short break and a got one of the Long Trail thru-hikers take my picture!
RESUPPLY
When I arrived at highway, I could see a gravel parking area for the Bromley Mountain trailhead on the opposite side, and quickly crossed the road to try to catch the westbound traffic heading into Manchester. A male hiker well into his 60s was already on that side of the road with his thumb out, so I asked if I could join him.
I didn’t want to ruin his vibe if he was hoping to attract a drivers who might have just enough room for a single person. But, then again, I also know *some* drivers are bit more eager to stop for female hitchhikers – so that could benefit him too.
He must have done the same mental calculus, and said he didn’t mind my joining him in the least. We stood there for a solid five minutes with our thumbs out as cars and trucks whizzed by at 55 mph. None of them were even slowing for us.
We continued to look up the road toward oncoming traffic when we suddenly heard some honking from behind us. A pickup truck was coming toward us from town, and it was turning into the gravel lot. Plus, it was full of hikers!
The driver bringing these hikers out to the trailhead was planning to turn right back around and go into town again! And he was waving us over! Before you could ask us twice, we were jogging over to the truck to toss our packs into the bed and hop in for the short 6-mile trip to town.
Manchester, VT, is a swanky little town, where all the buildings are made to look the same so they have the cohesive, upscale New England look. There were a bunch of outlet stores, and I could imagine tourists flocking here on the weekends.
Meanwhile, I only had three concerns: quickly resupplying at the grocery, swapping my nearly empty new fuel canister out for a new one, and feeding my face before heading back to the trail!
I made for the Price Chopper grocery store first. It would only take me another three days to get to Rutland, VT so I didn’t have to purchase much food. However, I definitely wanted more coffee. If this morning’s cool weather was any indicator, I was going to be drinking a lot more of it!
Then it was a trip to the Manchester House of Pizza to order a medium margherita pizza – half of which I was packing out in tin foil for tonight’s dinner! Followed by a quick walk down past the outlet stores to The Mountain Goat (the local hiking and skiing outfitter) for some more fuel for my stove.
Luna texted me as I was walking through town toward the Mountain Goat. He was hoping to get in to Manchester for a short resupply this afternoon too, but said he was still a solid 2-3 hours behind me. Hmmm. Should I wait for him or go ahead?
As I weighed this decision, I had to admit something to myself. Luna is really good at getting sucked into the town vortex. If I waited here in Manchester for him to catch up with me, I probably wouldn’t be hiking the rest of the day. And truthfully, I wanted to make some miles this afternoon.
YOGI – ING A RIDE
I texted my plan to get back on trail to Luna, and set off down Depot Street to try to find a ride back to the trailhead.
I was pondering where the best spot might be to grab a ride – given that so many of the folks in town looked like tourists who wouldn’t want a smelly hiker inter nice, clean BMW or Audi. But just then, I spotted two hikers walking across a parking lot behind a man in a polo shirt.
I picked up my pace and intercepted them just before they got to the man’s SUV and asked if he was heading back out to the trail.
He looked me up and down, and told me he wasn’t heading to the trail. He was taking them to a hostel. My old self probably would have walked away and found another ride, but I was in the mood to yogi a ride.
The verb “yogi” in thru-hiker parlance refers to Yogi the Bear, the cartoon character who is notorious for spontaneously acquiring food from unsuspecting tourists. Long distance hikers occasionally emulate Yogi’s smooth style to create their own spontaneous trail magic in places it doesn’t exist yet.
You see, when faced with the pathetic hiker in their face, some unsuspecting folks will suddenly break down and help you out. The hiker’s goal is not to directly ask for the favor though. The stranger (i.e., future trail angel) has to spontaneously offer it out of generosity or empathy. It must be of their own volition.
And it worked! My prospective trail angel in this case was Jeff, the owner of the Green Mountain House hostel. He needed to drop his paying guests (i.e. the other two hikers I’d seen) off at the hostel first, but then he promised he’d take me back out to the trailhead. Who knows, he might even find some more potential guests out there too!
On the ride from the hostel to the trailhead, Jeff asked me my trail name. When I gave it, he got all excited and asked me it I knew the Sisu in Virginia who works for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.
I told him, no, but that I’d met someone who worked for the other Sisu back in Shenandoah National Park (remember Pegleg – the PATC ridgerunner?). I wondered how many times I’d hear about this fellow hiker who shared my unique trail name out here.
Jeff said he knew the other Sisu (aka Jim Fetig) because he’d stayed at the hostel in May 2014. Then he asked me if he could take my photo to send it to Jim. I agreed. What’s the harm? I supposed the other Sisu/Jim should hear as much about me this hiking season as I’ve heard about him!
SKI SLOPES
I finally got back on the trail around 3 pm, and was rewarded with an almost immediate climb. Although this wasn’t the welcome embrace I’d wanted (given my full pack), I had something other than the difficult terrain to focus on.
Given the number of black bears in Southern Vermont, I probably needed to stay near a shelter where there would be a bear box to stow my full food bag. Yet my options were pretty limited this afternoon. I could hike a mere 2.1 miles to the Bromley Shelter. Or I could hike up and over Bromley Mountain and Styles Peak to the Peru Peak Shelter, which was 10 grueling miles ahead.
If I wanted to make it to Peru Peak, I’d be hiking late into the evening. So I needed to hustle if I wanted to make it there before dark.
The climb up Bromley Mountain was draining. And I should have known it would be. People don’t pay big bucks to ski down gentle slopes. They want the thrill of a big mountain.
As I reached the top of Bromley Mountain, I found a ski patrol hut with a nice shaded deck out front. A few other hikers were already up there relaxing in the shade and checking their phones for cell service.
The ski hut was unlocked too and had a pretty cool mural inside. Too bad there were no running water nearby! I might have considered it as a place to sleep tonight instead of pushing on to the AT shelter.
As I made my way down the backside of Bromley mountain, I encountered a dirt road named Mad Tom Notch Road where a guy doing trail magic for some of his hiking friends. His name was Roll-On and he was out here supporting some friends who’d done the same trail magic set-up for him last year on his hike.
Roll-On had a truly giant spread set up at the parking area. He was grilling hot dogs and had cases of soda and beer. Plus, there were camp chairs set up for hikers to sit in.
My belly was still full from town, but I couldn’t turn down a cold soda from his cooler after the difficult hike up and over Bromley. It would refuel me a bit for the next big climb up Styles Peak.
After thanking Roll-On, it was time to get a move on.
I didn’t end up making it to Peru Peak Shelter until 7:15 pm. And Fancy Feast and David were already there.
They were somewhat surprised to see me too. I’d left the Stratton Pond Shelter before they’d even gotten up this morning. So they were pretty sure I was at least one more shelter further down the trail. They’d had no idea they’d leap-frogged ahead of me this afternoon as I took my 3-hour detour into Manchester.
As we were discussing the cute little town of Manchester (which Fancy Feast visited plenty of times while living here), the GMC caretaker rolled up to collect his money for our stay in the shelter. Luckily, I’d remembered to keep my small bills instead of spending them all in town.
Then I pulled out my left over pizza and offered Fancy Feast and David a cold slice each. A large stream passed right in front of the Peru Peak Shelter and provided us with great ambiance along with the fireflies.
Does it get better than this? Pizza, friends, and the backcountry!
Day 93
August 3, 2019
- Route: Peru Peak Shelter, VT (Mile 1663) to Claredon Shelter (Mile 1686.3)
- Daily Mileage: 23.2 miles
I was up this morning at 6:30 am, and hiking out of camp long before David and Fancy Feast are awake. The morning was cool again, and filled with light rain for the next several hours.
Luckily, I was able to avoid some of Vermont’s muddiest sections thanks to the some hard work from the GMC’s trail maintainers and their timber work! I love it when this happens.
The trail showed evidence of much heavier rains further ahead though. This was especially true of the area near Lost Pond. But, there were also some cool mushrooms lining the deadfall along the trail. They almost looked like giant white rose petal leaves dotting the logs!
TRAIL MAGIC
Although the skies were mostly gray and overcast, I really enjoyed the first few hours on trail this morning. Then, as mid-morning rolled around and I came to USFS Road 10, I had another surprise.
Roll-On was back!! It seemed he wasn’t just doing trail magic yesterday. He was going to be out here for the entire weekend cheering on his friends – plus, any other hikers who had happened to come by. Sweet baby Jesus! That’s some dedication to trail magic!
He was back on the grill cooking up a storm when I arrived. This time, he had breakfast going, with bacon and eggs and he was serving them as sandwiches using yesterday’s leftover hamburger buns. The forest smelled simply delicious with Roll-On around!
I didn’t end up having a plate of food like most of my fellow hikers. But I did stop for a half hour to enjoy some coffee and just sit and hang out. I’m surprised at how many people were there.
I’d soon learn today was the GMC’s “Hike the Long Trail in a Day” event. Local hikers were heading outdoors to grab a few miles, hoping they could collectively cover the entire 272 miles on the LT as it spread throughout the state and raise money for the trail.
So between this weekend’s event, the regular Long Trail thru-hikers, and the bubble of NOBO AT thru-hikers – there were tons of people out here hiking in rural Vermont!
A REAL ROCK GARDEN
When I’d pass the area referred to as the “rock garden” back in Massachusetts a few days ago, I’ll admit, I was a bit disappointed. I don’t know what I’d expected. But it was more than just a bunch of mediocre looking rock slabs.
So, you can imagine my expectations were much lower this afternoon as I read I’d passing another rock garden about a mile and a half before the Greenwall Shelter.
However, this version of a rock garden was a pleasant surprise. It was filled with rock cairns – big and small. There were rocks precariously stacked atop large boulders and small rocks alike. And there were seemingly hundreds of them. Now this was a proper rock garden!
After a 15 minute rest break and a snack at the rock garden, I joined forces with David to hike and talk for the next hour. He’s really into geopolitics and it was a very stimulating conversation compared to a lot of my typical conversations out here.
As we tackled the long, steep climb up and over Bear Mountain together, he admitted to me that his feet were taking a real beating out here.
I could only imagine what they must look like. The idea of transitioning from his air-conditioned office life to Fancy Feast’s 20-mile days in the mountains of Vermont was truly ambitious on his part!
MOVING ON
As we arrived at the Minerva Hinchey Shelter, the three of us toyed with stopping there for the evening. It had been an 18-mile day, so it wasn’t like we were being slouches. Plus, taking it easy this afternoon was probably the smart thing to do – especially for David’s poor feet.
We considered the idea, but then were were quickly compelled to push ourselves down the trail beyond the shelter. That’s because the area was filled with close to 20 rowdy boys between the ages of 10-14.
I don’t know if it was as if a massive Boy Scout Troop or church group that had descended on the shelter and claimed it for the weekend. But none of us was eager to deal with that chaos. They could have it, thank you very much. We were looking for a bit more peace and quiet than what that shelter was going to provide!
Unfortunately, the next shelter was the Clarendon shelter – another 5 miles down the trail. And while I normally wouldn’t mind hiking another two hours, the terrain profile showed it would be a challenging end to the day.
Ahead of us lay the Clarendon Gorge. We’d have to a steep descent to a suspension bridge across the gorge then immediately climb back up from 1000 feet of elevation in less than a mile!
The final push of the day included a half mile of rock scrambling. It was sort of fun, but my feet were so sore and tender by this point of the day. I can only imagine how bad David’s feet must feet right now!
Day 94
August 4, 2019
- Route: Claredon Shelter (Mile 1686.3) to Rutland, VT (Mile 1703)
- Daily Mileage: 16.7 miles
Today was one of those super great days were everything seemed to just go right. And there was lots of trail magic to boot!! In fact, I received two instances of trail magic before 10 am!! And it just got better.
The first instance of magic was a cooler right from someone named Steamboat sitting beside the trail. Not only was it filled with ice cold sodas, but there was even a trash bag for our used cans. Man, oh man! A shot of cold, fizzy caffeine was exactly what I needed this morning.
Not a hour later, I came upon Trail Angel extraordinaire – Roll-On – yet again! This guy is a master of trail magic. He’s setting up his station for hours each day, and still somehow managing to keep ahead of me.
Each time I encounter Roll-On, he’s cooking up a storm and he’s got a different crowd of hikers sucked into the vortex that is his trail magic station. No complaints on my end though. I got a fried egg and cheese breakfast sandwich this time around and it was so delicious. Seriously, I’ve never seen such a dedicated trail angel in 1700 miles.
The best part about the spot Roll-On picked today though was that it was it’s location. It was less than a 1/4 mile past a small sign nailed to a tree that read: Katahdin 500 miles.
Hot damn. I am only 500 miles from the end!! If that milestone isn’t worth celebrating with a fried egg sandwich, well I don’t quite know what is!
DANGER! PORCUPINES AHEAD
After a few more quick miles of hiking, I stopped at the Governor Clement shelter to use the privy, but spent some extra time looking at the cool shelter. With its stone fireplace on one end, it reminded me a lot of the shelters back in the Smokies. Wow, that feels like such a long, long time ago.
Just beyond the shelter, I saw the saddest warning sign too. It seems the Klllington and Pico sections of the trail are a porcupines habitat.
And when hikers let their dogs off leash (as seems to be more and more common lately) and those dogs get curious. Yet, no matter how friendly the dog might be, most porcupines don’t want to be pals. Then a vet has to get involved to de-quill the dogs’ muzzle, face, head, neck, or other body part.
It’s really rather tragic if you think about it. So I’m glad the GMC posted the warning.
Because it’s not far from here that I encountered a guy with four dogs last year during a day hike near Sherburne Pass/Pico Ski Resort. All four of them were off leash, and I doubt he even considered the porcupine threat when he made that choice.
KILLINGTON
And then, I had nothing left but the long, arduous climb up to the summit of Killington Peak. Killington is Vermont’s second highest peak (right after Mt. Mansfield, which I hiked up last summer) and it’s also home to the largest ski resort in the entire Northeast. So I knew it wasn’t going to be easy
The AT doesn’t actually go to the summit though. It stays about 0.2 miles below it and heads to the Cooper Lodge – which is really just another shelter, but it has wooden tent platforms outside it so hikers don’t have to pitch their tents in the mud.
The climb from the Governor Clement shelter was only 4 miles, but it was challenging. I’d have to ascend from below 2,000’ up to 4,000’ over that distance.
A mountain that stands at 4,000′ doesn’t seem that high compared to the Rockies, where you are routinely over 10,000’, 12,000’, or even 14,000’. Yet all these climbs have surprised me at how difficult and steep and steep they are.
It’s almost as if the bottom, mellow part of those taller mountains is completely missing, and all that’s left is the steep jagged tops.
And while I didn’t actually need to get to the summit of Killington, I’d decided something while resting at Roll-On’s trail magic breakfast this morning. If I was going to hike all the way up the majority of the mountain, I wasn’t going to stop at Cooper Lodge. I was going to take the 0.2-mile blue blaze all the way to the summit.
I wanted the epic views that only come at the top of a massive peak. I didn’t want to have to squint for a lame glimpse of my surroundings from the side of the mountain covered with trees. Besides, what was an extra 0.2 miles??
Little did I know when I made that decision, it wasn’t a typical 0.2-mile side trail. It was a 0.2 mile rock and boulder scramble straight up from the AT to the summit. And not an easy feat with a full pack!
But I kept urging myself forward with the knowledge that atop Killington’s summit rests a ski lodge. And there is a snack bar/restaurant inside. I could have a hot prepared lunch and a cold beer with my views!
In the end, it was definitely worth the detour. I could rest and buy a meal at the restaurant. Heck, I even got myself a local beer!
Of course, most of the people up in the restaurant had taking the ski gondola to the summit. So I probably should have been a little self-conscious of how bad I smelled. But, honestly, I’m so past that. I smell like someone who actually climbed up Killington!
With food in my belly and warm sunshine on my face, I was feeling awfully satisfied. Today was turning into a spectacular day, overall. Trail magic in the morning. A hard hike with massive views at the top. A tasty lunch that someone else prepared. And tonight I’d be heading into town and hopefully see some friends.
I CAN TASTE IT
The rock scramble from Killington’s summit back down to the main trail was a lot slower to accomplish in reverse. I had to really watch where I put my feet so I didn’t slip or fall down one of the boulders, and it was slow, slow, slow.
Back on the AT though, I had a mostly downhill journey for the next 6.5 miles as I worked my way to Highway 4, the road that would take me into the town of Rutland, VT.
Only a few miles into this final leg of the day, I passed yet another major milestone! Mile 1700.
This morning I’d passed a sign counting down how many miles I had left until the AT’s northern terminus at Katahdin. And now I was passing a rock marker showing me the stunning distance I’ve walked since the AT’s southern terminus at Springer Mountain. It was surreal!
It’s starting to sink in that I’m really getting close to the end of my hike. It feels like I’m rounding the final curve of the racetrack. I can see the finish line. I can taste it. I’m almost there. Only one more month left!
Once I made it down to Highway 4, I was still had 10 miles from the town of Rutland, VT. So I kind of hoped there would be some other hikers hitching into town. But, it was just me.
I crossed to the far side of the road and put my thumb out when the first vehicle approached. And, honestly, I was shocked to see it immediately pull over.
Holy crap!! I got a hitch on the very first vehicle! I hadn’t even been hitching two full minutes!
I jogged up to the vehicle with a little skepticism (it was a panel van), and found a nice couple in their 60s waiting to give me a ride into town. They were on their way to Home Depot and the back of the van was virtually empty with plenty of room for me and my gear. Man, this really was the day of trail magic!
YELLOW DELI
The couple dropped me off at Walmart so I could resupply, but the Walmart was one of the most pathetic stores I’d seen on trail. It didn’t have much in terms of food items, so I gave up and walked over to the Price Chopper at the other end of the shopping center instead.
As I was debating on what to carry this next 50-mile stretch until Hanover, NH, Luna texted me. He was heading to town and asking where I was going to spend the night so we could link up. I hadn’t given it much thought, but there weren’t a lot of choices.
There were a couple of motel options on the edge of town or the Yellow Deli hiker hostel in the center of town. I was a bit wary of this particular hostel though. It’s a donation-based hosel run by the Twelve Tribe community – which some hikers would characterize as a cult.
Luna and I decided we’d eat dinner at the deli and see if the vibe was too squirrely for us. If we didn’t feel comfortable, we’d simply bail without any further obligation. During dinner, we met two other AT thru-hikers, Rev and Sunshine, who staying there and they assured us the vibe wasn’t creepy. So we decided to stay the night too.
Luna invited the two girls over to our table to eat with us, and we soon learned they were best friends and hiking the entire AT together. They were both Indiana natives and had been college roommates at Perdue University, and now they were on an adventure together before grad school.
The two gals were about as opposite in appearance as two people could be. Rev had dark, curly hair and a serious demeanor, while Sunshine was a bubbly blonde. But, they were both interesting conversationalists and a nice addition to our dinnertime scene.
Day 95
August 5, 2019
- Route: Rutland, VT (Mile 1703) to Winturri Shelter (Mile 1722)
- Daily Mileage: 19.9 miles
During dinner last night, I learned there was a public bus from downtown Rutland the nearby town of Killington, VT and it stopped at the trailhead where I’d gotten off trail yesterday. This meant I didn’t need to hitch back out. Yeah!
Unfortunately, the bus only ran every two hours during the summer. So, if I didn’t catch the 9:15 am bus, I’d have to stick around Rutland until 11:15 am.
Luna wasn’t in a big rush this morning to get moving. He still needed to head to the store to resupply and would hit the trail later. So I left the hostel solo.
I’d departed in plenty of time to catch the bus, and walked the 0.5-mile route over to where Google Maps said the Marble Valley Regional Transit Center was located.
Unfortunately, when I arrived, I discovered this that wasn’t where the bus departed! It was their administrative offices. The bus actually left from a station back in town right across from the hostel! Doh!
What a mistake. Luckily, one of the maintenance guys gave me a ride back to the bus station (trail magic!) and I got there just in time to board the 9:15 bus back out to the trail.
TRIGGER
Rev and Sunshine were already on the bus, along with a few other hikers. There was one guy who really stuck out though. He was a clearly a hiker, but he had a cast on his arm.
The hiker’s name was Trigger and he was a USMC vet about a decade older than me. We talked for the entire ride back out to the trail and I soon learned the story behind his cast.
He’d been hitching into town fairly early into his AT thru-hike and tossed his pack into the back of a pickup truck. When they arrived, he reached into the truck’s bed to retrieve his pack, but it was stuck on something. He tried to wrest it out with just a bit of extra force and ended up breaking his hand in the process!
At the ER, the doctor set the bones and cast everything, but that left him with a choice: (1) pause his hike until he healed; or (2) keep hiking with a cast. He clearly chose the latter option.
I had to admire his tenacity in making the decision. I had a cast on my left arm from above the elbow down to my fingertips back in 2003 after I broke my elbow and wrist. And it was a complete nuisance to do anything while my arm was casted. Anytime I broke a sweat, my arm would get super itchy. Plus, the smell was truly awful.
But, I guess the dream of being out on the AT was worth the pain for him.
MAINE JUNCTION
The first section of the AT today from US-4 was like walking though a memory. I’d hiked this same exact section of trail last summer (2018) while we visited Vermont and it hadn’t change much.
About a mile into my morning, I crossed Maine Junction, where the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail diverged. Hikers on the LT would continue due north for another 170 miles toward the Canadian border, while AT thru-hikers angle east toward New Hampshire (and eventually Maine).
As I turned east, I knew I only had another 50 miles of hiking until I made the New Hampshire border. After that, I’d be heading into the infamous White Mountains. But I also had no doubt there were still lots of climbs ahead before I’d depart Vermont.
WaTERFALLS & SPRINGS
A few more miles later, I passed Kent Lake and then the boardwalk near Thundering Falls, which is supposed to be one of the highest waterfalls in Vermont.
The falls were pretty average (in my opinion), but maybe it was just because it was a drier year and they weren’t as robust as people had made them out to be. I’d seen much better falls on the southern end of the AT.
After lunch there were are several steep climbs, and I felt the need to put my earbuds in an listen to some podcasts to get me through them.
Today was honestly rather anti-climactic after such an awesome day on trail yesterday. There was no trail magic. And no scenic overlooks or ski resorts. It was just the standard AT with my heavy pack and lots of PUDs (pointless ups and downs).
One of the side effect of the Long Trail splitting off was the number of hikers I was encountering was dwindling. I saw a handful of SOBOs, but it was mostly just me and my fellow NOBOs hiking at our own pace where we’d occasionally overlap with each other at shelter or water sources.
I had my eye on the Winturri Shelter as my final destination this evening. That would give me pretty close to a 20-mile day, but I was also a bit worried about whether there would be sufficient water there.
The description in Guthook said there was a seasonal stream nearby, but this year had been so dang dry that I worried it might not be flowing. Consequently, I ended up getting two full liters at a stream before the Lakota Pond lookout and carrying it the final five miles of the day – just to be safe.
It turns out I didn’t need to carry the extra weight though. The spring was flowing just fine, and there were four other hikers already there. There was a couple I’d never crossed paths with before named Mouser and Leaker setting up. Plus I spotted good old Rev and Sunshine, who I’d met last night at dinner and taken the bus out to the trailhead with this morning.
As I set up my tent in the shade of some trees, I wondered whether Luna would catch up. I know how he is when he gets to town. He wants to linger. In fact, I only give him a 50-50 chance of making the 11:15 bus back to the trailhead. Only time will tell if we actually end up hiking together this stretch.
DAY 96
August 6, 2019
- Route: Winturri Shelter (Mile 1722) to Happy Hill Shelter (Mile 1744)
- Daily Mileage: 21.1 miles
Last night was a weird one at the Winturri shelter. Mouser and Leaker slept inside the shelter, while the rest of us opted for our tents.
Since Rev and Sunshine are hiking the AT together, they are sharing a two-person tent. And they set their tent up right in front of the shelter. I opted to camp a little further away, but was still only about 100 meters off. Yet, I kept waking up repeatedly all night because of some bizarre noises coming from the shelter’s direction.
The disturbance started with Sunshine’s coughing, which was a deep chest cold type of cough that continued even after she was asleep. And then it continued with someone’s weird sleeping noises. Honestly, it sounded a lot like a small animal yipping at random intervals.
I got up once to check it out and discovered the yipping was coming from Sunshine too! I’m not sure how in the world Rev was able to sleep right though it, given that she was only inches away from Sunshine. Perhaps she had earplugs.
BACK PORCH
I was up early and back on the trail by 7:25 am this morning. And although I started hiking before everyone else, I spent much of the morning leap-frogging with the four other hikers that had been at the shelter. Both Sunshine and Rev are super fast hikers, so they’d pass me on the trail, and then I’d catch them during their breaks. Rinse and repeat.
The scenery was changing as we moved east too.
I was now deep in the section of the AT where maple trees were being tapped for their sap. Clear tubing ran between the trees creating a spiderweb network to carry the sap down to a common collection point.
Perhaps this is where my Vermont maple syrup comes from.
I also crossed path with another larger group of hikers too near one of the many stream crossings. There were four of them hiking together, and when we got to Pomfret Road, all us turned right to make our way down to a place called “The Back Porch.”
The Back Porch wasn’t a hostel or restaurant. It was a house owned by two former AT thru-hikers located about 0.1-miles down from where the AT crossed the road.
The couple became trail angels after their own thru-hike a few years back, and has since opened up their small screened back porch (aka the Back Porch) as a respite for fellow hikers to sit for a spell.
Plus, they had a fridge out on the porch filled with cold drinks, candy bars, and homemade ice-cream sandwiches, which they sold to hikers on an honor system.
Seriously, they just kept a cash box on the top of the fridge and trusted hikers to do the right thing! What a novelty in today’s world. It’s a statement to the honor amongst hikers!
I’d heard about how awesome the ice cream sandwiches there too. A giant scoop of vanilla ice cream smooshed between two homemade chocolate chunk cookies. Mmmmm. Just the idea of tasting something sweet on this humid, sticky day was a no-brainer. I was 100% planning to stop.
As we sat on the back porch and scarfed down our goodies, the group introduced themselves to me. They were actually one big trail family consisting of two guys and two gals.
The most outgoing hiker of the group was an elementary teacher named Stephanie. That was her actual name, as she’d steadfastly refused to adopt every trail name her trail family had come up with over the past 1,700 miles. And then there was a married couple – Moxie and Deep V. Plus a fourth hiker – whose name I’ve completely blanked on. So now I’ve started referring to them (at least notionally) as “Stephanie & crew.”
MORE COMPANY
After my break at the Back Porch, it was time to get back to the business of hiking.
Beyond Pomfret Road, the trail to a sharp turn upward again. I didn’t have to hike anything as high as Killington Peak, but there were several big climbs ahead this afternoon.
I crested one of the bigger hills around 3:30 pm and was surprised to see a number of crabapple trees with tons of green apples weighing down the branches near the summit. If I’d been in need of a snack, I would have reached up and grabbed a few. But, I was still feeling nicely sated from my ice cream sandwich.
And then I smelled some cigarette smoke and heard laughter just ahead. I assumed it was just a few day hikers or local kids smoking in the woods. But as I pushed past the trees I could see three hikers taking a break.
I immediately recognized one those guys. It was Toaster. And resting on his pack nearby I could see good old Daffoldil! Man, I haven’t seen these guys since Connecticut. I thought they had to be at least a full day ahead of me. Yet, here they were, resting in the shade of the apple trees.
Toaster was taking a smoke break along the female hiker I’d never met named Calamity. I wondered how the two of them could possibly smoke and keep such a fast hiking pace on these hills. It was hard enough for me with my fully functioning lungs. But they also had youth on their side.
When their break was over, the four of us joined forces and continued down toward the small town of West Hartford, VT before stopping for a spell on the front porch of two local trail angels. Randy and Linda’s house was directly across the bridge that crossed the White River. And they’d posted a giant AT symbol on their detached garage to mark their home as a hiker-friendly place to stop.
As we sat on their porch resting from the hot sun, I got to know Calamity a bit better. She’d linked up with Toaster and Daffodil not long after I’d last seen them, and the trio had been hiking together for the past few weeks.
Calamity hiked the Pacific Crest Trail last year, so this was her second back-to-back trail. I silently pondered whether she’d met Hygina and Box while out here on the AT. After all, what are the chances all three of them hiked the PCT and AT in consecutive years and still hadn’t crossed paths? The trail community isn’t that large.
WHERE ARE YOUR POLES?
After our short break at Randy and Linda’s place, it was time to make the final 4-mile push toward tonight’s shelter. As Daffodil and I hiked together and crossed under Interstate 89, I turned to ask him if he’d left his trekking poles behind. He didn’t have anything in his hands, and I worried that we’d need to turn back.
Daffodil shook his head no. He hadn’t left them behind. He simply didn’t hike with trekking poles. He hadn’t hiked with them back home in Wales, and decided against getting a pair of poles here in the U.S. too.
What the… ?!? No trekking poles? First off, how did his knees survive out here on the AT without trekking poles?
But more importantly, why had he chosen to carry a trekking pole tent (he used the Zpacks Duplex tent) if he didn’t actually have trekking poles? Wasn’t one of the biggest selling points for those ultralight tents that very idea it cut down on your base weight by using an existing piece of gear (your poles) to support it?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not criticizing his choice. I could totally see how the absence of trekking poles might help while scrambling up rocks. Your hands would be completely free to help you upward.
But, there’s simply no way I’d consider going down some of these steep grades without poles. Especially when the trail is slick and muddy. I’d undoubtedly slip and fall at every chance!
NO LUNA
Daffodil and I continued hiking together until we got to a stream crossing about 1.5 miles before the shelter. Not only did this signal the last big climb of the day, but the stream was an essential stop for all of us.
The Happy Hill shelter that we planned to sleep at didn’t have a reliable water source near it. So I ended up carrying 3 liters of water (aka 6.6 extra pounds) up that final miserable ascent.
At the top, I briefly turned on my phone so see if I had signal. Sure enough, I had a text from Luna, which he’d last night as he was getting back on the trail. He’d finished his resupply in Rutland before lunch yesterday, then returned to the hostel and “accidentally” fallen asleep for three hours. So he didn’t get back to the trail until 5:30 pm yesterday. Yikes!
Daffodil, Toaster, and Calamity set their tents up outside the shelter and I was debating whether to do the same thing. The shelter was completely empty when I arrived and I debated if that was the better option. I normally prefer my tent. But, if I slept in there, I’d be be able to get up in the morning and break camp super quick.
It was only 5 more miles to Hanover, NH, and my plan for the morning was to get up early and hit the town in time for breakfast. Why waste the extra time packing up when I could be use that time to stuff my face with town food?
I figured I’d be all alone inside the shelter. But, then Stephanie & crew arrived just before dusk and set up inside too. So I’ll need to be quiet when I get up early tomorrow morning!
Day 97
August 7, 2019
- Route: Happy Hill Shelter (Mile 1744) to Etna Road/Hanover, NH (Mile 1755.4)
- Daily Mileage: 11.7 miles
Last night was super bizarre and a bit scary. I was awoken in the middle of the night by a super bright flashlight shining in my eyes and sweeping across the shelter. It wasn’t the headlamp of an inconsiderate hiker. This was the type of high-power flashlights that search and rescue teams use.
After waking everyone in the shelter up, the person on the other end of the flashlight announced he was a police office with the Hanover Police Department. He wanted to know if we’d see a young, tattooed woman dressed in all black and wearing Goth-like make-up.
He explained that they’d received a call claiming that woman was suicidal and they’d found her car parked at the trailhead down the road. They didn’t know where the woman was now, or even if the call was credible. But they were searching the nearby shelters to see if they could locate her.
The only women inside the shelter were Stephanie, Moxie, and me. And none of us fit the description of the Goth girl. So the police officer said he was moving on.
The disruption woke me out of a deep sleep, and I had no clue what time it was when this all went down. It could have been 10 pm or 2 am. I was bleary-eyed and wondered what the heck we were supposed to do with that information now.
The man was gone before I could even grasp whether this was a legit search from the police or a college prank from local Dartmouth students. So I rolled over and drifted off again.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
When I woke around 6:10 am, everyone in Stephanie’s crew was still fast asleep. I packed my gear as quietly and quickly as possible and then set off toward Hanover.
The middle of the night interruption still weighed on me as I hiked all alone in the forest. Had the police found the woman? Was she ok now? Was she really suicidal? Or was it a prank? What if I rounded a bend in the trail and came across a body laying there?
The entire distance from the shelter until I reached the trailhead on Elm Street, I worried I might come across something. But it never happened. And there weren’t any abandoned cars parked at the trailhead either.
I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed as I walked the long stretch of residential road. I was back in the frontcountry, and leaned into the relief and comfort that inevitably brought.
The towns of Norwich, VT, and Hanover, NH, are really twin towns separated by the Connecticut River. About 3,400 people live on the west side of the river in Norwich, while the bulk of the population (11,000+ people) and Dartmouth College are located in Hanover.
It wasn’t even 8 am when I reached the bridge that separates the two cities (and the state of Vermont from New Hampshire). Yet I wasn’t completely alone.
Toaster and Daffodil caught up to me right as I got to the Norwich side of the bridge. So the three of us crossed into our next-to-last state together.
HIKER-FRIENDLY HANOVER
I was really hoping I would be able to get in and out of Hanover in just a few hours, just like I had when I resupplied back in Manchester. But it didn’t work out that way. The pull of the town vortex was just too powerful. And Hanover is just too hiker-friendly!
My first stop was for breakfast at a cafe and bakery downtown called Lou’s. They make their own donuts and offer a free donut to all AT thru-hikers who come by.
Although I was 100% about the free donut, I wanted a real meal to go with it too. So I donned my rain jacket (to conceal how badly I smelled) and asked for a table in the corner. Then I ordered a full breakfast and drank cup after cup of steaming hot coffee.
Afterward, I went to the Dartmouth College recreation center on the far edge of town, which was offering hikers use of their showers and laundry machine for $5. You can’t beat that price. Clean clothes and a clean body? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, my leisurely breakfast at Lou’s meant there was a long wait at the rec center. I got my shower within an hour of arriving, but the center only had one laundry machine and it was already in use.
As I waited for my turn, I struck up a conversation with two SOBO hikers in the laundry line ahead of me. They were sisters from Minnesota in their 20s who’d decided to hike the AT southbound together this summer. So, while I was now 1,750 miles into my journey, they were only 450 miles into theirs.
I kind of expected them to still be fresh and excited about the experience. Something similar to how fresh and bright-eyed Squirrel and I were when we got to Damascus, VA. Yet, their demeanor was the exact opposite. They seemed shell-shocked and weary.
When I asked about their hike through Maine and the Whites, all they could must was grunts about how difficult it was.
I know a lot of thru-hikers don’t like beginning in Maine and going SOBO because you immediately have to start with the 100-Mile Wilderness and don’t really have a bail out point if you gear isn’t working or you hate it.
Compare that experience with NOBO hikers who can stop, resupply, or change out gear as early as Neel’s Gap, a mere 31 miles into our hike. We had it way easier!
I tried to prod a little bit more to see if they had any advice to share about what what ahead for me. But they could only morosely shake heads, “no.” Then I asked how long it took them to get through the 100-mile Wilderness. They looked completely defeated when they admitted it took them 10 days!
Yikes! That’s a lot of food to carry. I complain whenever I have to carry 4-5 days of food. I can’t imagine how heavy 10 days of food must be, especially when you’re still trying to find your rhythm at the beginning of your hike!
I tried to boost their spirits by assuring them the hardest part of the hike was almost certainly behind them. I didn’t really know whether this was accurate. But, they had a lot of nice stretches to look forward to in Vermont and Massachusetts. And, if nothing else, at least they’d have shorter resupplies.
After two hours of sitting there next to “the sullen sisters,” I was still waiting my turn for the washing machine. I got a little peeved when I discovered the sisters were washing their clothes separately. Seriously. Couldn’t they share a washer and speed things up? It’s not like either of them had a full load of clothes. And they’re sisters for crying out loud, not strangers.
Instead of sitting there and watching the machine, I decided to wander next door to the Hanover Food Co-op (in my semi-clean sleep clothes) to work on my resupply.
As soon as I walked into the Co-op, I was in heaven. This place was a foodie’s dream. They had so many awesome things inside: bulk foods, gourmet foods, and vegetarian choices galore. It was a true delight. And by the time I got back it was my turn for the washer. Yeah!
It was now lunchtime, so I walked down to the Jewel of India. If I was going to have to hang out in Hanover waiting for clean laundry, I might as well enjoy the town food, right?
All told, I didn’t get done with my town chores or hit the trail again sometime after 2pm. It wasn’t the quick stop I’d hoped for, for sure. But Hanover didn’t disappoint.
TIME TO GO
I didn’t feel the standard mix of emotions that tend to come over me as I departed town. I still had the the overwhelming appreciation for the town luxuries – like tasty food, a hot shower, fresh laundry, and more food. But the excitement of getting back to the trail seemed to be missing for me. I just wasn’t feeling it this afternoon.
The AT re-entered the woods in an almost cartoonish way. There were signs for the Dartmouth Outing Club (or DOC) posted everywhere. But this section wasn’t so much the backcountry as it was a introduction to the outdoors for the curious ivy league kids. There were even rope ladders to help them up the climbs.
As I walked deeper into the forest, I took a moment to open Guthook. I was now on the “Hanover to Grafton Notch” segment. Woohoo. I was starting the next to last map section in AT series!
As I scanned the elevation profile to see what was in store ahead, I felt a fat raindrop hit me on the top of my head. It was followed by another, and then several more. I’d assumed the gray skies above me all way were just the way New Hampshire looked in the summer. Nope. There was definitely a storm coming my way.
SLOWING IT DOWN
The rain held off for nearly an hour, but then the drops returned with a vengeance. There was lightening in the sky and thunder rumbling.
I took cover under some trees about five miles from town while grabbing some water from Monahan Brook. But then, just as I bent down to dip my CNOC bladder into the brook, my phone slipped out of my shorts pocket and went tumbling toward the water!
Nooooo!
I snatched my phone out of the stream as quickly as possible and was instantly glad I’d had made the decision to protect it in a waterproof case for this thru-hike. All the rain on trail (and dumb accidents like this one) only served to impress upon me how perilous the AT is for your phone.
I turned the phone on, just to confirm it was still working. Then toggled it out of airplane mode just to make sure. That’s when I got the unexpected surprise of cell service, and a text message from Keith came dinging in on the home screen.
He was texting to let me know he’d had an issue with the RV and now he had to get a part replaced. After calling around the Northeast he found a place that could do the work, but that meant he’d need to stay in Augusta, ME an extra week. So we probably wouldn’t be leaving Maine before Labor Day no matter how quickly I got to Katahdin.
I took that news as a sign from the heavens. I didn’t need to push big miles today. I had cell service. I was near a major road crossing. I could just catch a ride back to Hanover for the night.
Why push myself to endure this miserable weather when I don’t feel like hiking? I’m not leaving Maine before Labor Day. I have all the time in the world!
HANOVER PART II
The only downside to returning to Hanover was I didn’t know where to stay the night. Despite having a very walkable city center, there aren’t a bunch reasonably-priced hotels unless you head out to the outskirts of town.
That’s when I remembered Trigger – the USMC-vet with the cast on his arm. On our bus ride back to the trail, he told me there was a list of trail angels in Hanover who opened their houses to thru-hikers. He even send me a text with a photo of the trail angel list attached. All I had to do now was call.
I called the first name on the list to see if they had room for the night. A woman named Betsy answered and told me was currently playing tennis, but if I called her husband, he’d come get me. That seemed like a lot of effort on their part (and I wanted to grab dinner to-go in town first), so I just asked for their address and said I’d be there in an hour.
With take-out curry in hand, I called an Uber to take me to Betsy and Bill’s home – which was back in Norwich, VT on the other side of the river. In fact, I’d walked right past their home this morning on the way to town!! It was right near the blue Adirondack chairs!
I spotted Luna walking into town and directed the driver to quickly pull over. Luba still needed to get into to grab some dinner, but I told him I was staying with some trail angels. I’d see if they had room and text him the address if he wanted to join me there.
When I arrived Betsy and Bill’s, there were already four hikers there! Rev and Sunshine were handing their clothes over to Bill to get washed. And I met two new SOBO hikers named Cranberry and Dr. Sauce who were much less dour than the two sisters I’d met this afternoon.
Bill agreed they had room for one more, so I texted Luna the address, and the six of us had a fun little hiker slumber party on blow up mattresses down in Bill and Betsy’s finished basement.
Day 98
August 8, 2019
- Route: Hanover, NH (Mile 1755.4) to Trapper John Shelter (Mile 1766.5)
- Daily Mileage: 10.8 miles
Betsy and Bill were absolutely wonderful hosts and true trail angels in every sense of the word. Betsy even made us all breakfast this morning and the seven of us (five hikers plus our hosts) ate this big feast out on their covered porch.
During the meal, Betsy shared exactly how it is that she and Bill became trail angels. Sure, they lived right by the trail. That was certainly part of it.
But then their son decided to hike the AT. Like many hikers, he had some problems with blisters at the beginning of the trail, but he kept pushing through the pain. By the time he got to the Smokies though, he was hobbling.
One of the section hikers in an AT shelter in the Smokies was a nurse, and she asked to see his feet to see if she could help. When he took off his shoes, it was apparent that something was very, very wrong. The skin was seriously infected and necrotic. The section hiker insisted on calling some friends and taking him to the local hospital ASAP.
Once at the hospital, their son found out how back the infection really was. It was within a millimeter or two of causing major, irreversible damage and the hospital performed surgery right away.
Afterward, Betsy and Bill asked their son when he was planning to return how. That’s when he said he was going to stay in North Carolina until he could get back on the trail. The family of one of his fellow hikers was open their home to him for the next several weeks while he recuperated!!
This generosity just blew them away. Total strangers would just open their home up for a hiker they didn’t even know? Their son was just going to hang out there and play board games with these people’s kids? And that was ok?!?
That was their really introduction to trail community. Soon thereafter, Betsy spearheaded an effort to pay all that goodwill forward. She created a network of local families willing to open their homes to hikers for a night.
That list that Trigger texted me back in Rutland was Betsy’s list of trail angels for Norwich, VT and Hanover, NH!
A LAZY MORNING
Bill drove Sunshine, Rev, Luna, and me back into town after breakfast and it was time to decide what to do next. It was still raining and there was a really heavy storm headed our way around mid-morning.
Consequently, Luna and I decided to make Starbucks in Hanover our home for the next few hours. We hung out and caught up on emails. I wrote in my journal. Luna took a brief trip to the post office. And then I went to get a haircut.
When I showed up at the barber, I recognized two faces already sitting in the barber’s chairs. It was Toaster and Daffodil. They stayed in town overnight too.
Toaster was just finishing up with the barber, and his shaggy beard and long hair were completely gone! He was totally clean cut now and looked about 15 years old! I imagine this is exactly what he looked like when he enlisted in the Navy!
After my haircut, it was time to focus on actually getting out of town. The storm had mostly passed, but it was approaching lunchtime. Ok. One last meal for the road. I’d read that Ramunto’s Pizzeria was giving a free slice of pizza to AT thru-hikers who stopped in!
Just like Lou’s Bakery (and their free donuts), or the Dartmouth Rec Center (with their showers and laundry), or Betsy and Bill’s generosity – this little town was almost too good to believe. Who would have thought??
BACK ON THE TRAIL
I didn’t really want to repeat the same five miles out of town that I’d already hiked yesterday afternoon. So I caught a ride out to the First Baptist Church in Etna, NH. From there it was just a 1/4 mile back where I got off the AT before I was once again connecting my steps from Georgia to Maine.
I knew my late start to the day wasn’t going to amount to big miles. So I set my sights on the Trapper John shelter, which was just shy of 11 miles down the trail. Then I buckled down for the big climb up Moose Mountain.
Toaster, Daffodil, and Calamity hiked out of town right after I saw them at the barber, and they were just behind me as I arrived at the Etna Road trailhead. The three of them had a lot more pep in their step than me and were moving fast. So I let them pass so I could hike at a more relaxed pace.
The afternoon’s climbs were steep and tiring, and the humid air didn’t make it any easier. My freshly-washed clothes were already drenched with sweat and stinky again.
As the trail crossed a dirt fire road, I briefly paused to let a car go pass. Instead of continuing up the road though, the driver stopped right in front of me and asked me if I was hiking the trail. I nodded, and then he proceeded to try to tell me about every, single water source within the next 20 miles and how dangerous all the local bears were around there.
I suspect he thought he was being helpful, but I just wanted to keep hiking, for Pete’s sake. In the end, I was glad it was a short day though because New Hampshire’s hills and mountains are no joke. But the views were pretty nice!
Toaster, Daffodil, and Calamity were already at the shelter and had their tents up when I arrived. So, at least I knew I’d have company tonight.
Week 14 Summary
- Lowest mileage day: 10.8 miles (as I waited out the storm in Hanover, NH)
- Highest mileage day: 23.2 miles
- Number of days with rain: 3
- Number of nights in a hostel: 1 (Rutland, VT)
- Nights spend in a trail angel’s home: 1 (thanks Betsy & Bill!)
- Number of nights sleeping on trail: 5
- Cost of to stay in each Green Mountain Club shelter in Vermont: $5/night
- Cost if the GMC caretaker is a no-show: $0
- Bears spotted in Vermont: 0
- Nights I was awoken with a cop’s flashlight shining in my eyes: 1
- Consecutive days of trail magic from my new pal Roll-On: 3 (!!)
- Most hiker friendly town on the AT thus far: Hanover, NH
- States left to complete before the end of my thru-hike: Just 2 left!
- Total miles hiked this week: 123.6