Day 11

Last night was a great night in the forest. The air was cool and crisp and the moonlight cast beautiful shadows through the pine trees that surrounded Clarendon Shelter.

We were up and eating breakfast before 7 am. We knew we had a big day in front of us. The hike up to Cooper Lodge was 9.9 miles and climbed over 2,900 feet. As soon as we were on the trail it climbed several hundred feet to Beacon Hill, which appeared to be named for the small tower with a blinking light on it. I assumed this was due to the nearby airport.

The trail gradually relinquished the elevation we had gained. We passed through some fields, using wooden stairs to climb over barbed wire fences. Eventually we came to a road. A sign explained that Hurricane Irene had washed out some bridges, meaning we would need to walk several miles on country roads. Although it added .4 to our day's hike, the road walk was pleasant. It was Sunday afternoon and it looked like people were out enjoying it. The sun was shining brightly and the breezes kept us reasonably cool. As we climbed up Cold River Road we began to gain a view of the mountains in the distance.

The road walk finally ended at a trail entrance into the woods. Just below here was a large bridge and a portion of road that had both been washed away in the Hurricane last year.

The trail climbed quickly up to the Governor Clement Shelter. We stopped for lunch and geared up for the big climb up Killington. We had spent the past day dreading this big climb, and it actually wasn't that bad. We both found it to be an easier climb than Stratton. The trail snaked its way up a series of ridges. In many spots there was barely enough room for our feet to fit on the ledge, but the trail climbed gradually in most places.

Around 3 pm we arrived at the Cooper Lodge. We set up our tent quickly and emptied our packs of everything heavy that we wouldn't need right away. The gondola from the summit was scheduled to run until 5, meaning we might be able to take a ride down and back.

The climb to the summit was only 2 tenths of a mile, but it was really tough. In most places we had to use both hands to climb over the jagged rock ledges. About halfway up we began to get a view, and it was spectacular. The mountains extended in all directions, bathed in a blue haze.

We hurried across the summit to the ski lift and confirmed with the employee that it ran until 5. We didn't want to get stranded at the base of the mountain. The gondola was also free to hikers!

The ride down provided beautiful views of the mountains. We definitely might come here to ski sometime. At the bottom we visited the snack bar. The kitchen was closed but the bartender was able to sell us some fruit kabobs, potato chips, and candy bars. I also had a piña colada, which was really refreshing after a long day on the trail.

We rode the gondola back up and laid out on the rocks for a while enjoying the view. Today was a hard day, but we had some pretty great rewards for it. Our bodies are both tired. The accumulated bumps and bruises of hiking 100 miles have taken their toll on both our bodies and psyches. We are really looking forward to getting to the Inn at the Long Trail and getting some relaxation in tomorrow night!

Day 10

We ended up setting the tent up in the shelter last night to escape the mosquitos that showed up at twilight. We were both exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

In the morning some light showers passed through while we were enjoying our oatmeal and coffee. We put the pack covers on and trudged off down the trail. The rain showers were short lived, but a lasting humidity hung in the air all day.

The first hour saw us descend through some giant pine trees and across a couple of roads. We rock-hopped Bully Brooke, which was a pretty, fast moving stream. After our second road crossing the trail began to climb towards Bear Mountain. It was probably for the best that we hadn't put much thought into this climb ahead of time. It was a rough one. The trail switched backed up about a thousand feet, climbing relentlessly. By the time reached the summit we were both soaked in sweat. As one through-hiker who passed us put it, "I'm not sure if I'm sweating or if the humidity is just condensing on my skin".

We stopped for a snack break at the summit. This seemed to boost our energy level for a while. The downhill went quickly, and we were at the Minerva Hinchey Shelter at noon. We stopped to take a lengthy break before the rugged descent down Clarendon Gorge and to the road. We were both looking forward to the lunch stop at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Sitting in the shelter I noticed a sign on the wall advertising the cafe. The sign said that it closed at 2:30. We were going to have a hard time making it by then. Panicked, we threw our packs back on and began hiking as quickly as we could.

The trail, of course, did not want to cooperate with our urgency. It climbed steeply for a while before finally starting to descend. This decent was really tough. Instead of using switchbacks, it just dropped straight over each ledge. The trail surface was mostly comprised of rocks: large, smooth, wet, and incredibly slippery rocks. At one point I slipped on one of these rocks and did my best Scooby Doo impression, slipping and sliding in a variety of directions. By some small miracle I caught hold of a tree and avoided careening down the hill out of control.

Eventually, the painful descent ended at a hanging bridge across the gorge. The gorge itself was impressive. The water was a torrent of rapids, falling over large rocks. The canyon walls were towering rocks, carved into strange smooth shapes by the passing of water over countless years.

After stopping to appreciate the gorge we hurried out onto the road and began the half mile walk to the Whistle Stop Cafe. We got their at 1:45. They were still open!

I ordered a root bear, eggs, potatoes and toast with a side order of French toast and ate ALL of it. I even helped Mary finish her basket of French fries. It's amazing how much of an appetite hiking can give you. We made a couple of phone calls home and chatted with some through-hikers in the cafe before heading back out.

The trail up to Clarendon Shelter was only 1 mile. We planned to go slowly, as we were both stuffed from our lunch feast. The trail made sure that we would. It climbed rapidly, almost straight up over a series of boulders piled up. There was quite a bit of using our hands and feet to climb.

We arrived at the shelter around 4. This one is a nice shelter. There are even some potted flowers someone has maintained here, and the nearby stream is audible in the shelter. I feel a bit like I'm camping in someone's backyard! We had time to wash off in the stream and are now relaxing before the big climb up Killington tomorrow.

Today was a shorter day, but a tough one. I think we're both starting to question whether or not we can finish the full hike or if stopping sooner would be better. We'll see how the big climb tomorrow goes and go from there!