Day 7

Today was a wonderful day of relaxing. In the words of through-hiker The Dude "the 4th isn't a zero, it's a holiday. I don't hike on the 4th". While I don't share The Dude's same zeal for the 4th of July, the people of Manchester, Vermont sure seem to. I was happy to partake in the festivities.

We slept in until 9 am this morning, enjoying the comforts of a bed and a pillow. After I enjoyed another really long shower, Mary and I walked downtown for breakfast at Up for Breakfast. Recommended by all of the locals, Up for Breakfast is a cute restaurant that specializes in unique breakfast entrees. It's a small place with only a hand full of tables, situated up stairs in a main street building. We enjoyed a really tasty version of vegetarian eggs Benedict, sourdough blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup, and lots of coffee.

After finishing our breakfast feast we walked back to the inn to get our dirty laundry. Some AT hikers who had arrived at the inn today told us that the laundromat was closed for the 4th of July. Sadly, this means we will need to get up early in the morning and wash our dirty clothes before hitting the trail.

We spent the afternoon relaxing at the Northshire Bookstore, enjoying the air conditioning. We wrote postcards and made phone calls home while I enjoyed my first frozen mocha in a week.

By mid-afternoon the temperature had reached the high 80's. The air was humid and heavy. It was painful just to walk around. We decided to walk the mile out of town to the community pool. It was free day at the pool! The pool was crowded, but the water was refreshing on such a hot day.

After some pizza for dinner we walked to the fairgrounds for the fireworks. There was live music going on and it appeared that everyone in the town was here. After 36 hours in town I felt like I was beginning to recognize faces. It was a surreal experience to celebrate the 4th of July in a strange town. Watching children run around with sprinklers and old folks jokeying for the best position to view the show I felt a bit like I had wandered into a Norman Rockwell painting. A little after 9 the skies began to grow dark and bright flashes of lightning cut through the sky. It was amusing to see how long people denied the obvious and held out hope for the fireworks show. Eventually the storm tore loose and everyone ran for cover. We watched the storm from the porch of the B and B. It looks like nature will provide the only fireworks show tonight!

Tomorrow we get back on the trail. Manchester Center was a neat town to check out, but we'll be happy to get moving again.

Day 6

So far we are really lucking out with the weather. Another rainstorm blew through the mountains during the night, the drops plunking loudly on the shelter while we slept. By sunrise, however, we were greeted by blue skies again.

Everyone in the shelter was up early so we were on the trail by 7:30 am. The morning was cool, the trail mostly level, and the lure of a town day strong causing us to make great time. We played leap-frog with a group of section hikers for most of the morning. This group was comprised of three gentleman in their 60's who are working to hike the entire Appalachian Trail over many years. They were an entertaining group to chat with. One man was a retired teacher who served in the army in Vietnam. He had spent time in the Midwest, including Detroit, so we were able to swap stories. It was comforting to talk to someone who knew something of our home state.

The trail eventually joined Rootville Road, a dirt road that runs into Manchester Center. We made really great time on this stretch of flat, level terrain. After about 3 hours of hiking we reached a side trail to Prospect Rock. We took our lunch from this scenic spot, perched on a slap of rock that jutted out several hundred feet above the valley below. Manchester Center was visible below, tantalizingly close. AT through hiker Hawkeye was enjoying his lunch here as well. His teenage son had joined him for a couple of days on the trail. They had spent the previous day fishing and relaxing at Stratton Pond. Hawkeye had spent much of his life in this part of Vermont and was able to provide us with some advanced scouting on Manchester Center.

After finishing the last of our food we retraced our steps to the trail and began the last 5 mile push to the road. In classic trail fashion, the hiking turned harder, switchbacking up and down several ridges. The sounds of town were clearly audible through the forest as we hiked. The horn on a train blew, a siren sounded at noon, and the rush of traffic zoomed by on the road below.

One of the most maddening experiences in all travel is the "almost there" phenomenon. That lasts .5 can go by painfully slowly, so much so that Mary has forbidden me to say. "almost there" while hiking. Eventually, the trail did finish snaking through the woods and emptied onto a busy highway.

Manchester Center was 5 miles to the West, meaning this would be our first experience hitching a ride into town. We decided our best strategy was to have Mary stand near the road with her thumb in the air while I hung back with the packs. It seemed like people would be more likely to give a ride to a women than a man, especially one in filthy clothes and 6 days of stubble! Our plan worked, as the fourth vehicle that went by pulled over. It was the perfect choice for our first hitch: a teenage girl on her way home from working as a lifeguard at the Bromley Ski Resort swimming pool. She seemed like a pretty safe bet. We climbed into her Suburban, with plenty of room for us and our packs. It was fun to marvel at how fast the miles zoomed by after traveling the last 60 under our own power. She gave us a brief tour of town before dropping us at Sutton's Place.

Sutton's Place is a B and B that caters to hikers. He offers a hiker discount, and the location is ideal. Set about one block up a lazy side street from downtown, it is within walking distance to all of the services we will need. The proprietor, Frank, gave us a run down of the best places to visit while in town. He also gave us a beautiful room with a window air conditioning unit and a private bathroom. Although, to be fair, just about any room would have looked good after 6 days in the woods.

We changed into our cleanest clothes, sorted through our packs and made a plan for while we were in town. We had decided during one of the long climbs that we needed to part with some weight if we were going to be able to keep hiking. We decided to mail home some items we didn't need: the hammock, an extra Nalgene water bottle and the Jet Boil, along with a few small items. We could do all of our cooking with the MSR stove we had brought and the lightweight pot. We walked part of the way to the post office before passing a great smelling small town doughnut joint. Mary graciously offered to walk the rest of the way to the post office while I satisfied my doughnut craving. Mrs. Murphy's Doughnuts had the kind of small town, greasy doughnuts you just can't find anymore. After indulging in a couple of fantastic doughnuts and a large iced tea, I walked down the street and met Mary at Ben and Jerry's for our second treat of the day. It's amazing how good ice cream can taste on a hot day after 6 days of trail food!

Our immediate needs satisfied, we visited the Price Chopper, the whole foods store and the Eastern Mountain Sports for groceries and supplies. After being hungry on the trail for five most of the week we loaded up on high energy foods: nuts, dried fruit, and energy bars. We also bought a clove of garlic to add to our dinners. We learned from through-hiker Spock that this is an easy way to make a dehydrated meal more appetizing, and it helps keep away the bugs. While we were outside the Price Chopper we ran into some section hikers we had met previously on the trail. They are planning to get to Katahdin this year. They are also hiking with a beautiful and adventurous dog named Captain. We watched Captain for them while they did their shopping.

After stashing our purchases in the room we went in search of dinner. We ended up eating at the Firefly. We had outside seating with a great view of the mountains we had been in earlier today. Chips with fresh salsa, guacamole, a veggie burger with Vermont Cheddar and a Switchback Ale really hit the spot. Watching the sun set behind the mountains we both had a great sense of accomplishment. We had walked here from Massachusetts! We've hiked 60 miles already, with 56 of it on the Long Trail. We have 217 miles to go. Tomorrow we are going to take a "zero" in town and see if we can find some fireworks for the holiday. We'll be back on the trail Thursday as we head for Killington and Sherburne Pass.

Day 5

Last night some pretty big storms rolled through in the middle of the night. My sleeping position in the Story Spring Shelter had my head at the edge of the platform, with only inches of awning above me. A bright white flash of lightning cut through the sky at one point, waking most of us in the shelter up. Heavy rains followed, but fortunately the winds were not too severe, and we stayed dry under the covering.

By the time morning came we were greeted by clear, blue skies. The evening's rainstorms would continue to drip from the trees for a few hours, but the skies would stay dry all day for us. Our hike took us through some fairly level terrain for the first couple of hours. We crossed a couple of roads and a picturesque stream along the way. We stopped for a long break at Kelly Stand Road to prepare for our long climb.

The trail up to Mount Stratton was our first really big climb of the hike. The trail climbed over 1700 feet in about 3 miles, topping out at an elevation of a little below 4000 feet. The trail climbed at a moderate, but relentless clip. Gradually the forest changed over to all pine, and the air became cooler as we climbed. More than a few breaks were necessary along the way. I think we both probably could have rung the sweat out of our clothes by the time we were halfway up the mountain.

At just the point when I was beginning to wonder if I could possibly keep putting one foot in front of the other we broke out into a clearing. The summit was ringed by dense pine trees blocking the view, but there was another fire tower open to hikers. This tower was 55 feet tall. As I climbed the little wooden steps the winds began to howl. It was a real white knuckle experience, but the view was worth it! We could see Stratton Pond, our destination for the night, and mountains ringed us in all directions. The sky was a thick blanket of puffy, grey and white clouds, drifting quickly over the summit. It threatened of rain that would never materialize.

After snapping a few pictures with the battery life I had left on my phone and eating our nutella wraps (still delicious on day 5) we started the long descent down the mountain. The trail dropped quickly, but not so rapidly as to kill our knees, like the descent to route 9 did.

Around 3 we reached the Stratton Pond shelter. The shelter itself was situated a ways up the hill from the pond. This shelter looked fairly new and had wooden bunks on two levels with room for 16.

After setting up our camp stuff and filtering water we eagerly ran down to Stratton Pond for a swim. Other hikers said the water was cold. They had obviously never been to Lake Superior! We picked our way over the rocks on the shore until the water was deep enough to dive in. The water was cool and refreshing. It felt great to wash off some of the dirt and sweat from hiking 43.8 miles. Being away from water this long was hard for a couple of Michigan kids.

We spent the rest of the night cooking dinner and chatting with the group in the shelter. A group of section hikers from Pennsylvania shared their chocolate with us. They are planning a trip to Isle Royale National Park, so we were able to share our knowledge with them.

Our hike is going well so far. We have 229.2 miles left and tomorrow is a town day. We are already excited for a hot shower and warm food!

Day 4

Last night was a great one at Goddard shelter. The shelter was full of hikers with good stories. A cool breeze blew throughout the night and a bright moon cast a soothing light over the mountains and trees. This was the best night of sleep I have had on the trail so far.

In the morning we woke up a little before 7 am and were hiking by 8 am. After a quick 15 minute climb we were at the Summit of Glastenbury Mountain. At 3748 feet this was our highest point on the trip so far. The summit was covered in trees blocking the view. Fortunately, there was a fire tower open to climbing. The view from the top was fantastic. The mountains extended in all directions, covered in a gorgeous blue haze. Looking at the landscape from this perspective really gave me a concept of how rugged the terrain around us is. Through hiker Spock was at the summit allowing us to get a picture with both of us in it.

The rest of the day's hike was fairly easy. The trail alternated between modest climbing and descending. We stopped for lunch at Kid Gore Shelter, which had a great view of a mountain lake in the distance.

We reached the Story Spring Shelter in time to filter water and set our stuff in the shelter before a brief rainstorm broke out. The crowd at the shelter has been really fun. Spock from last night is here again, along with some section hikers headed to New Hampshire. There is also a through hiker that is a perfect doppelgänger for Jeff Bridge's role in the Big Lebowski. Fittingly, his trail name is The Dude. The dude was able to build a decent fire tonight which helped with the bugs.

Tomorrow we will hike to the summit of Stratton Mountain, our first big climb of the trip. We have hiked 33.3 miles of the LT so far and have 239.4 to go. Making progress!

Day 3

Last night was a great night for sleeping. The day's heat faded quickly and a strong breeze made for a cool and refreshing night. We were both asleep before 9:30, something unheard of for us! We slept soundly until a bunny hopped into the side of our tent at full speed. We both sat up with a start as it hopped away more stunned than we were . Fortunately this was our only nighttime visitor.

We set the alarm for 6 am so we could get an early start on the trail. We listened to the trail stories of a section hiker from Alabama while enjoying our granola and coffee for breakfast. The sun was shining and a light breeze made the heat bearable as we began hiking a little before 8.

Today's hike was mostly easy. The trail climbed gradually over a couple of minor peaks before beginning the big push up Mt. Glastenbury. Several lookouts provided great views of the surrounding mountains for our breaks.

The climb up to the Goddard Shelter was hard, and coming at the end of the 8.5 mile stretch, was kind of a kick in the face. The trail climbed over big rock steps at a somewhat steep angle. Eventually we broke through the trees and reached the shelter.

Goddard Shelter is the nicest one we have been in so far. It was built in 2005 and has been very well maintained. In addition to a covered area for preparing food, it has a great view of the mountains in the distance. We decided to take advantage of the nice shelter and call it a day at 8.5 miles.

We've spent the afternoon relaxing in the shelter and chatting with an AT through hiker who used to work on Wall Street. So far, all of the people we've met out here have been really nice and really interesting.

Out hike is going slowly, but we should be in Manchester Center on Tuesday. 24.4 miles down and 248.3 to go!

Day 2

Shortly after writing yesterday's post I collapsed asleep and was largely unaware of the world for a few hours. We were awoken twice during the night. The first time occurred when something started banging around the shelter loudly. It was too dark to see what it was from the tent and I was too tired to go have a look. Whatever it was sounded like it was having a good time rifling through all of the hung packs. Eventually I was able to fall back asleep. Mary shook me awake at 5 am in a panic as it had started raining. We stumbled out of the tent and frantically put the rain fly on. By the time we were back in the tent it had already stopped raining. We managed another four hours of good sleep as we were both still exhausted from the long hike.

Upon finally starting our day we were relieved to find that our packs were still intact. Someone had chewed a hole in the food bag and absconded with our salted almonds during the night, however. This was a real blow as the almonds were our favorite treat.

We were moving slowly this morning and didn't step onto the trail until after 10 am. The first couple of miles were spent listening to our muscles and joints complain about the continuing abuse. Eventually we settled into hiking and the miles began to tick north. The forest was remarkably consistent. After a while it felt like we were hiking on a woodland treadmill. We reached the summit of Harmon Hill around noon and took a long snack break. The trees concealed the view from us but at least there was a pleasant breeze to keep us cool and the bugs at bay.

The hiking got much harder after our break. The trail dropped 900 feet in a little over a mile. Worse, it used a seemingly endless switchback of rock steps to descend. Our pace slowed to a crawl. By the time we reached Vermont 9 (the highway) our legs were shaking from the tiring descent. We took lunch at the road and spent some time talking ourselves out of going into nearby Bennington.

After lunch the trail climbed close to a thousand feet to the Melville Nauheim shelter. We began to encounter groups of weekend backpackers headed up the trail, their packs and clothes cleaner than ours. It came as a surprise to both of us that it was Friday. The work week is just beginning for us.

We decided to stay at the shelter for the night. We only managed 5.8 miles today. On the plus side we were able to relax in the hammock for a while. The skies are clear blue and there is a strong breeze blowing through the birch forest we are camped in. We'll probably get into Manchester Center a day later than planned but it was worth it to get some quality relaxing time. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep and the long climb up to Goddard shelter tomorrow. In the meantime we'll get a chance to listen to the stories of the AT hikers staying here tonight. It's nice to be in the woods.

Day 1

Today was one of the longest and hardest days of hiking I can recall. As I lay here in my tent writing I can feel my leg muscles aching from the day's hike. It may be quite the challenge to get them to work again in the morning!
The day started off with a quick, light breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts before we returned the rental car. The young man working at Enterprise rental car gave us a ride back into Williamstown and the trail head. The car he drove us in had an unfortunate odor issue that made us eager to get on the trail. I could only assume that the car's previous driver had used it to transport garbage or large quantities of road kill.

We strapped on our packs and stepped off from the Pine Cobble Trailhead a few minutes after 9 am. The trail climbed gradually at first through a beech and maple forest alongside a subdivision of high end homes. I can imagine how glorious it would be to live in a house with a trail to Vermont in your backyard! After about an hour of steady climbing we reached the summit of Pine Cobble. At 1890 feet it wasn't much compared to what we have in front of us but it did provide a great view of Williamstown from above.

In another half hour of climbing we reached the intersection with the Appalachian trail. The trail crossed over large rocks bleached white by the sun. Some of the rocks were adorned with blueberry bushes, a tasty discovery.

A little before noon we reached the Vermont state line. We had hiked more than five miles and ascended over a thousand feet and we were now at mile 0. Yes, all of the hiking before the state boundary counts on my knees, feet and ankles, but none of it counts towards the 273 on the Long Trail.

After adjusting to this sobering reality, we trudged on. Around 2 pm we arrived at the Glen Ellis shelter. We were exhausted so we decided to take a long break for lunch before deciding if we should go any further. As tired as we were, I really wanted to knock out more of the trail while we had beautiful weather and fresh legs. A two hour break with lunch was enough for both of us to feel recharged. We decided to go for it and bit off another 7 miles of trail.

The trail climbed to a couple of summits with limited views along the way. We passed by some serene looking wet lands and the most elaborate beaver pond I have ever seen. The forest seemed constantly alive with bird song and squirrels busily chasing each other or chastising us. The long hike dragged on and the woods began to grow dark. Just when we thought we might be night hiking we reached the Congdon Shelter. We had hiked for the better part of 12 hours and traveled 14 miles.

Congdon shelter was a dump made less appealing by the fading twilight. In the few minutes it took Mary to set up the sleeping bag she watched enough mice scurry about to decide better of sleeping in the shelter. We decided to pitch our tent near the shelter for tonight. I filtered water from a pretty little Brooke and Mary prepared our dehydrated cheese enchiladas in the dark. Dinner tasted amazing after such a full day on the trail.

As I lay here in the tent finishing this I just heard a barred owl call out. The forest feels calm and welcoming and I am eager for sleep. 263 miles of hiking remains on front of us. Goodnight everyone.