Friday, July 6, 2012

Day 9

Last night was a beautiful night for sleeping. The temps fell into the 50's and the steady gurgle of the stream below the shelter lulled us into a rest-full sleep. This was a good thing, because we would need our rest for the coming day.

The coming day ended up being a very long day of hiking. The initial plan was to go 9.6 miles to the Little Rock Pond Shelter. The terrain was supposed to be quite a bit easier. After looking at the way the next couple of days laid out, we decided to bite off a bigger day today to set us up for a shorter one tomorrow. We figured this would help us to climb Killington the next day. The Greenwall Shelter was the next shelter on the map, at 14.5 miles.

A big part of this plan was contingent on making great time through the "easier" terrain. We did not get off to a great start. Less than a half-mile out of camp we encountered a stretch of boardwalks that were no longer functional. It looked like something had taken the supports that hold the planks together, leaving floating boards in dark, murky water of an unknown depth. Mary proceeded cautiously, hoping to balance on the floating boards well enough to reach the other side reasonably dry. This attempt would not prove successful. She reached a point where the board was teetering in either direction. Suddenly the board flipped, and Mary was tossed into the water. The good news was that the water turned out to be only 18 inches deep. The bad news was that she would need to hike in soaked boots and socks the rest of the day. Having witnessed her mishap, I elected to bushwhack a path around the flooded portion of trail. I was able to join Mary on the other side with only partly soggy shoes.

We continued on, eager to put big miles behind us. The trail climbed gradually at first, as we approached Baker Peak. The last half mile or so, however, provided our first chance for a hands on scramble over rocks. The big, jagged slabs of rock were tilted at a 45 degree angle, making for precarious foot and hand placement. Gradually, views to the West and South began to emerge. Upon reaching the top we stopped for a snack break. We were both already tired and we had only hiked 2.3 miles.

After our snack break the trail dropped rapidly but gently all the way to the Lost Pond Shelter. This allowed us to make up some lost time. We stopped for lunch and a bottle of filtered water from the stream below the shelter. While resting we met an AT hiker headed southbound. He was only the second southbounder we have seen.

After lunch the trail was easier for a while. It followed an impressive whitewater stream for a time, eventually crossing it on a wooden suspension bridge. Soon the trail joined forest road 10. We passed a parking area and a trail head where the trail went back up into the forest. The parking area was full of cars. As we followed the white blazes back into the forest, we passed elderly couples and families with dogs in tow. This reminded us that it was Friday. We can tell we've been at this a while when we forget what day of the week it is.

We finally arrived at the Little Rock Pond Shelter a little after 3. The pond was beautiful. The far shore was lined by several ridges of trees and rocks, creating the appearance that the pond itself was set into a deep bowl. The section hikers from last night were there, along with a family with a happy black dog swimming in the pond and a GMC caretaker. We chatted with the caretaker while drinking some water and eating a snack. He informed us that the Greenwall Shelter should have water and that it was recently rebuilt. Although we were tired, we decided to go for it.

The trail followed the lake to the far end before it started climbing. We were excited to be pushing on for big miles for a while so we made great time at first. In fact, we had made most of the 800 foot climb before we took our first break. After passing the highest point near White Rocks Mountain the trail began to descend again. We passed the strangest collection of rock cairns all made of the chalky white rock throughout this area. We wondered what the significance of these cairns was as we pushed on.

In a little while we passed a couple of backpackers going the other direction. They informed us that there was no water at the Greenwall Shelter. Our hearts both sank with this news. The next stream was .8 miles past the shelter, meaning one of us would have to hike 1.6 miles to fetch water to our camp. Not exactly what we wanted to do after a 14.5 mile day.

The forest became quite unusual through here. The trees were very tall jack pine that had lost most of their needles. A younger generation of baby pine trees was growing low to the ground, and the forest floor was entirely covered in needles. This had the effect of creating kind of a 2 color scene, one that was very different from the forest we had hiked in so far. Knowing that we were having a bit of a water crisis made this terrain seem even more alien.

In a little while we found a puddle of water on the trail. It wasn't much, but it was water. We stopped and filtered 6 liters of water, enough for tonight and tomorrow morning. I don't think I've ever been happier to see a mud puddle!

A little after 7 we finally reached the shelter. A family of 4 from Ohio was finishing up their dinner when we arrived. We are both exhausted but happy to be here. We've now hiked 79 miles on the Long Trail, with 193.7 to go. Tomorrow will be shorter day, and we should be able to get lunch at the Whistle Stop Cafe that the trail passes near. We are both excited for tomorrow!

Day 8

We were up at 6 am today so we could walk to the laundromat and be ready when it opened at 7. We threw our disgusting trail clothes in a washer and walked next door for some breakfast. After some egg and cheese sandwiches and a fruit smoothy we retrieved our laundry and walked back up to the inn.

We packed our packs, changed into our no longer funky trail clothes and called a local taxi for a ride out to the trail.

A little after 9:30 we were hiking again. It was a bit weird to return to the trailhead we had left two days earlier. When we were last here we were celebrating a successful first leg of the trip and looking forward to the comforts of town. Now we were settling in for another long haul through the woods. We were both curious to see how it would feel to return to the trail. So far, this had not been so different from our previous hiking trips. Today was when it deviated from the realm of the known. We didn't know how are bodies would respond to being back on the trail or how the psychology of hiking would play out.

After less than two hours of hiking we had our answer. The trail climbed over a thousand feet in the first three miles to the summit of Bromley Mountain. This was the type of climb that had left us winded and exhausted on the last leg of our trip. As we broke out into the meadows near the summit of the mountain we both were surprised at how easy the climb had been and how quickly it had gone by. Our packs were clearly lighter than before, but it seems our conditioning has improved considerably. We can only hope this continues as we hike north.

We relaxed at one of the Bromley Mountain ski lifts while we enjoyed our new and improved snacks. We picked up energy bars, cheese, salted nuts, dried fruit, tortillas and a container of crunchy peanut butter in town. I'm hoping the increased calories will help us handle the big miles ahead. It's nice to look forward to a tasty snack on a long hiking day!

The rest of the day past uneventfully. The trail dropped rapidly down to Mad Tom Notch where a hand pump provided cold drinking water. The trail then climbed through a dark forest over wet rocks, roots and boardwalks up to Styles Peak and then over Peru Peak. We both noticed that the trail was as quiet as we could ever remember. The birds and squirrels weren't putting on their usual song and dance. The skies had also turned a depressing shade of gray. After hiking in silence for far too long we took to singing songs and telling jokes to pass the time.

At about 4 pm we reached the Peru Peak Shelter. Section hikers from the last shelter were already set up in the shelter. After many hours of almost creepy silence we were excited to have some company in camp.

Dinner tonight was a dehydrated red beans and rice meal. We added some fresh garlic and a fresh chopped jalapeƱo pepper. This was our most successful dinner on the trail so far.

Now we are enjoying good company and a campfire at the shelter. It's good to be back on the trail.

We've hiked 64.5 miles on the Long Trail and have 208.2 to go.