Moonlight In Vermont

I'm getting to the end of the trail in Massachusetts and entering Vermont. Once crossing into Vermont the Appalachian Trail follows the same paths as Vermont's Long Trail until it splits off shortly after Mount Killington. We'll be sharing the trail with Long Trail through hikers as well as Appalachian Trail through hikers. This part of the trail traverses the central spine of Vermont's Green Mountains.

6/27 Mount Greylock Summit to Seth Warner Shelter - 15.6 Miles

It's a chilly morning starting out. This is way better than the unbearable heat just a few days ago. Angelika brought me back to the Mount Greylock Summit which was not quite as socked in as yesterday. There's a war memorial tower, a model of the mountain, and some nice views from here.

There's even a view of Mount Monadnock in the distance from here. We're getting close to my old stomping grounds.

There's a long descent down Greylock into North Adams. It's rocky and steep so the going is slow. Once in North Adams there's a short walk through the town and some very generous trail magic on offer at the park. I take a break for a Coke, some peanut butter crackers, and a couple pop tarts. It hits the spot.

Leaving North Adams I pass the 1600 mile mark commemorated by another hiker.

Next there's a climb up Pine Cobble and then we cross the state line into Vermont and the beginning of the Long Trail in Vermont.

The rest of the trail has some ups and downs until reaching the shelter. It's a relatively short day today, but it was tough for me with the heavy pack and four days worth of food.

I get to the shelter rather late and spent the night with three other hikers starting out doing The Long Trail. It's a long day tomorrow, so I'll plan on getting up early for a quick start.

6/28 Seth Warner Shelter to Goddard Shelter - 19.2 miles

A long hiking day planned today. It didn't help that several folks got to the shelter after dark so things didn't quiet down until 10 or 11 o'clock. Nonetheless, I had my alarm set for 4:30, had my breakfast, got packed, and was on the trail before anyone else was even out of their sleeping bags.

The trail in Vermont is shaping up to be rocky, rooty, and muddy. It isn't often you get good footing for long enough to get a decent pace going. I'll have to allow for more time to cover the same miles.

On Harmon Hill there's a nice view of Bennington. The Bennington Battle Monument is quite prominent even from this distance.

The descent down into Bennington was steep and rocky. It's very humid today so the rocks are wet and super slippery. I slip on the way down and snap one of my new poles. It didn't manage to last even a month. There's a lot of wear and tear on the equipment during this trip and on me too I suppose.

On the other side of VT 9 there's a nice brook that the trail crosses over on a bridge. I stop here for lunch since it's about half the miles for today.

After Bennington, there's several climbs to negotiate before reaching the shelter. The last couple miles are a pretty steep climb which is always a challenge at the end of the day.

I'm the only one at the shelter, so I spread out and have dinner. Another hiker shows up a little later and decided to tent behind the shelter. I still have the place to myself.

6/29 Goddard Shelter to Stratton Pond Shelter - 19.3 miles

At 2:30 AM, someone came into the shelter with a headlight and was looking around then left. Who is arriving at the shelter that time of night? I'm perplexed. When I get up early the next morning there's a second tent set up next to the shelter, I expect by the late night arrival. Maybe it's as odd to him I get up as soon as it's light out.

It's supposed to be sunny today, but it stayed overcast and cool the rest of the day with a nice breeze. This is good hiking weather.  

Along the way I pass by this beaver pond complete with beaver lodge near the trail.

The hiking is mostly downhill until reaching the base of Stratton Mountain. On the trail I meet Ice Cream Man who hands me a package of Nutter Butter cookies on the way by. He does trail magic along the way and likes to hand out ice cream bars when he's at the trailhead. At the road crossing is another trail angel named John. He gives me a couple of cold Cokes and some Chips Ahoy cookies before I start my climb up Stratton. It's amazing how much a couple of Cokes will perk you right up.

The climb up Stratton is long, but not too steep. There's a fire tower at the top with excellent views in all directions.

The story goes that when Benton MacKaye saw the view from the summit of Stratton Mountain, he was inspired to propose creation of the Appalachian Trail. I wonder if he knew how popular it would become.

Stratton Pond Shelter is just a few miles further. There are some other hikers here but only one other person staying in the shelter with me. There's plenty of room to stretch out. This has turned out to be the easiest day so far on this section.

6/30 Stratton Pond Shelter to Manchester, VT - 10.8 miles

A short day today so we can meet Steve at the campground. He's rejoining the team and will hike with me tomorrow for the next week.

Nothing much notable on the trail today. Vermont continues to be the land of rocks, roots, and mud. I can't say I'm a fan.

7/1 Manchester, VT to Lost Pond Shelter - 14.7 miles

Angelika shuttles Steve and I to the trailhead with our backpacks loaded for four days on the trail. This is Steve's first day back, so he needs some time to get his trail legs in shape.

Right off the bat we start a 1,500 foot climb up Mount Bromley. The last half mile or so takes us up the ski slope to the summit. There's no real good view from here, so we keep going.

On the way, I notice Steve's pack is listing badly to the right. He thinks his water bladder has shifted and needs to make adjustments. He'll wait until lunch to fix it, so we move on.

From Mount Bromley we descend into Mad Tom Notch and then back up again to summit Styles Peak and Peru Peak. Our plan is to head down to Peru Peak Shelter for lunch, but it's getting late so we decide to pull up along the trail near a spring to eat and top off water. Steve repacks his pack to try and get it better centered.

Our goal for today is to reach Lost Pond Shelter, but when we get to Peru Peak Shelter other hikers there tell us Lost Pond Shelter is closed for renovation. That's a surprise. Several other hikers are stopping here rather than heading to the next shelter even though it's still pretty early. A quick look at the trail guide tells me there's a spring a half mile past Lost Pond Shelter, so in the worst case we could find a place to pitch our hammocks near water. We decide to soldier on and see what's happening at Lost Pond.

After passing Peru Peak shelter we go by Griffith Lake which also has some nice campsites with more folks pulling up here rather than continuing. We're still going to stick with our plan.

Our next challenge is a 1,000 foot climb up Bear Mountain. The last few hundred yards is up steep ledge which is pretty exhausting to have to deal with at the end of the day. The view from the top is our reward. 

It's been a long day and Steve is running out of gas. We still have a couple of miles left to make it to the shelter, and we don't know what we'll find when we get there. I move out ahead to find us a suitable place to camp for the night and leave Steve to catch up.

When I get to the shelter the trail crew is there and they've just started work on the shelter, but they're done for the day and getting ready to make dinner. I ask if it's OK if we camp there with them, and they're fine with that, so problem solved. Steve arrives about a half hour later dead tired and sore. We get our hammocks set up, cook dinner, and head straight to bed.

7/2 Lost Pond Shelter to Minerva Hinchey Shelter - 14.9 miles

We got up early, made breakfast, and got packed up to head out to the next shelter. Steve is much quicker getting ready, so he has an hour head start on me. Our plan is for me to catch up with him before lunch.

There's a suspension bridge over Big Branch which gives a nice view of the river below. 

Shortly after, the trail crosses a forest service road and Ice Cream Man is waiting there in his camper handing out Klondike Bars to the passing hikers. I stop and chat with him for a while. He's a retired Army Ranger who had a hard time as a civilian until he got himself into hiking and straightened his life out. Now he spends most of his time supporting the Appalachian Trail community as a way of giving back. I would enjoy chatting with him longer, but I have to get back on the trail to catch up with Steve.

Just before reaching Little Rock Pond I meet some hikers coming south and they let me know Steve is waiting for me ahead. When I catch up to him he's in pain and tells me he's wrenched his back and needs to get off the trail to recover. What looked like his pack listing to one side was really Steve's back getting out of kilter. Luckily it's less than two miles back to the road where I met Ice Cream Man, so we get a hold of Angelika and call in an evacuation for Steve. We agree I'll keep going according to plan until the end of this section.

There's a nice shelter and campground on Little Rock Pond which would be a great destination for a short hike from the forest service road. The pond is very pretty and looks like a nice place to hang out for a weekend.

Along the way we met a section hiker who is slack packing the trail back and forth each day, essentially hiking the section twice. He says he'll do this for two weeks at a time. He covers a lot of ground and meets a lot of other hikers this way. It's a bit extreme for me, but he seems to really be into it.

I get to Minerva Hinchey Shelter which looks to be in pretty tough shape. There are no steps up to the shelter platform which is at least three feet off the ground. It's full of leaves and trash and there are holes in the floor. Luckily the camping nearby is actually pretty nice, so I set up my hammock near the water source and settle in for the night. I'm the only one camping here.

7/3 Minerva Hinchey Shelter to Cooper Lodge Shelter - 14.1 miles

I break camp early and get going at my usual time. There's a chance of thunderstorms today getting more likely in the later afternoon. If I can reach the shelter before the rain then I can stay dry.

Today I have a big climb up Mount Killington to contend with, so getting an early start allows me to pace myself a bit. Along the way there's a view of the Rutland Airport.

A suspension bridge takes me over Clarendon Gorge. The river below is pretty impressive.

Now the climbing starts. I can hear some thunder in the distance and the sky is getting very dark. I pull into the Clarendon Shelter just as the rain starts. I feel like I have time to spare today, so decide to see if I can wait out the rain. A few other hikers wander in as well. After an hour, the rain is still going but has slowed down so I'll deal with getting a little wet and hope to dry off after the storm passes.

The climbing is steady now, but not too steep. The rain stops and the sun is out now. I stop for lunch at the Governor Clement Shelter with a young woman who is through hiking the Long Trail.

After lunch I start climbing again. The trail is getting steeper, but still not too bad. I'm heading for the Cooper Lodge Shelter for the night, but a few miles before I reach there the next thunderstorm rolls in. This one dumps torrential rain for 20 to 30 minutes. The trail becomes a flooded muddy mess. I'm soaked through and my boots are totally saturated. There's nothing to do but keep slogging through and reach the shelter before it gets worse.

The shelter is just a quarter mile from the summit of Killington. When I get there I find it to be in not the greatest state of repair, but it's serviceable. The rain has stopped, but after the storm the temperature has dropped considerably. I heat up water for cocoa and a Mountain House meal to help warm me up. When my clothes go from totally wet to somewhat damp I change into some dry clothes and warm up some more. A few hikers stop by, but I'm the only one staying the night. Everyone else is high tailing it into town to dry off.

It's an early night for me getting into the sleeping bag to warm up further. I'm looking forward to a short day tomorrow.