Peaking in Vermont Part 2: AT Flip Flop Days 68-76

Day 68

I had a great zero in Manchester. I slept well for the first time in a long time. We had breakfast at the motel. I worked on my blog while watching TV. We had just done laundry in Bennington, but our hiking clothes were already pretty ripe, so we took turns jumping in the pool with our clothes on, hoping the chlorine would wash away some of the smell and grime. 

We had an excellent lunch at Thai Basil in town. Afterwards, I got espresso and a maple soft serve at the coffee shop across the street. It was divine. We resupplied at the Price Chopper in town. Then we came back to the motel to lounge around some more. I had dinner in the room. 

I may not like hiking in Vermont very much so far, but I really like the vibe of the towns. I can’t really describe it. Maybe it’s the maple flavored everything. Having the huge mountains in the backdrop is great too. 

Day 69

I woke up early, feeling mostly ready to get back on trail. At least I wasn’t rushed getting packed up like I had been in Bennington and often seem to be after town stays. The manager at the motel gave us a ride back to the trail head.

I felt good after working out some initial tightness in my right leg. We stopped at the first shelter to camel up on water, since there was an 8 mile stretch without any. Then we finished the climb up Bromley. The last bit was steep, and it was interesting hiking up a ski run. The view from the top of the tower was great. The view was partially blocked by the clouds below and around us. It felt nice and cool at the high elevation and up in the wind.

We kept up with a few Nobos today. We leap frogged with a girl named Early Bird and stayed just behind Bandit and Bluegrass, whom we had met yesterday in town. On the hike up to Styles Peak, we heard a loud, strange noise in the sky. It was louder than a commercial plane, and it kept coming back closer to us. I thought it was military jets. Subtitles thought it was a helicopter. Jingle joked that it was a UFO.

At the peak we met a hiker named Steps. He hadn’t seen what made the noise, but he lives near an Air Force base and recognized the sound as belonging to military jets. It must have been some sort of exercise or training flight, I guess.

At the Peru Peak Shelter, the end of the 8 mile waterless stretch, everyone we had met today converged for a break. It turned out we were all Southerners. Early Bird was from MS, same as Jingle and Subtitles. Bandit was from NC, Bluegrass was from KY, Steps was from LA (Lower Alabama), and I live in GA. 

We all pushed on, most of us destined for the Lost Pond Shelter in just under 5 miles. We climbed Baker Peak, which was a hard climb up a steep rock ledge, but it rewarded us with one of the best views yet. Shortly after Baker Peak, I hit the 700 mile mark of my hike! It felt great to hit another milestone and to be closing in on completing ⅓ of the trail.

However after this milestone I felt my energy fall off for the last 2 miles to camp. I went from leading our group to the back of the group and fell further and further behind. It was demoralizing to putter out after 13 miles. I constantly feel like a weak hiker, and just want to be better at this, but I don’t feel like I’m improving anymore. I want to do around 15 miles a day, but I can’t seem to make it sustainable.

My ankles really hurt tonight, especially my left one. After sitting down for dinner, I could barely walk. I almost fell twice going down to the water source. It still really hurts, and I’m worried I won’t sleep well because of it. I’m also worried about hiking tomorrow, although the Sobos say it will be an easy day. 

I met my first AT Sobo tonight. I also met another LT Sobo who was giving us the read of the trail ahead. 

Day 70

I slept fairly well despite waking up several times to rain. I got up during one of those times to close my tarp doors. I shared a tree with Steps and could feel when he made any big moves in his hammock. That didn’t bother me, but I was worried he could feel me move. He said he didn’t hear me at all. 

We hiked to Big Branch where I needed to get some water. Jingle and Subtitles are faster with water and hiked on ahead of me. They wanted to get to the next parking area on the forest service road, because we had heard the ice cream man (a trail angel who gives hikers ice cream sandwiches out the window of his RV) was parked there yesterday. I rolled up after them and got his last ice cream sandwich. 

We then took a very nice, wide trail up along Little Black Branch to Little Rock Pond. Subtitles calls these really nice sections “tourist trails” because they are usually for day hikers going somewhere nice from a parking lot. Jingle and Subtitles again got ahead of me, and I found them taking a break at the pond. Jingle was going in for a swim. I was more interested in sitting down, so I went to the shelter at the pond, which had nice big benches with backs. Subtitles joined me and then so did Jingle. We had a good break there. 

They again rushed ahead of me. We were off the tourist trail and back to rocks and roots. 

I caught up to them at a rock garden where they had stopped for lunch. They had already finished eating, which meant I was falling further and further behind. They stayed for a little bit while I ate.

They then got ahead of me for good. I took a steep .2 side trail down to White Rocks for a view that had good reviews. It was ok, but starting to get overgrown with trees. In hindsight it probably wasn’t worth it. The next mile and a half to Bully Brook felt like it took forever. I stopped there for water and a short break. About halfway down the hill, Jingle texted to check in on me. I responded that I was chugging along and had less than 4 miles to our intended camp. 

That last 4 miles was rough. The climb up Bear Mountain was long but mostly not too steep. There was no view, and the trail was winding. It started raining a little bit before I got to the top, but not enough to cool me down or take the humidity out of the air. If anything, it just made it feel more humid. I stumbled into camp exhausted and soaked in sweat.

The heat really got to me today. My chafing returned with a vengeance. My appetite dried up. I was drenched in sweat all day. I was the slowest in our group all day. It really got to me. I thought about quitting, or at least waiting until it gets colder before continuing on. However, I at least need to get to Hanover to get the package my mom sent me.

Day 71

I woke up feeling not tired, but not the best. I was slow to pack up and eat breakfast. I had 5 new mosquito bites before I had accomplished anything. I told Jingle and Subtitles to have a good day, since I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with them. I popped in my headphones and listened to an audiobook.

The trail went up right away and was fairly steep. There was a view of a little airport in the valley. I met Jingle and Subtitles at the Clarendon Gorge, where they stopped for a short break to look around. It was incredibly beautiful there. I was surprised that I hadn’t been too far behind them. I had been feeling nauseated all morning, but I took some Tums and felt better.

After crossing the gorge and then a road, we had a steep, rocky climb up to the Clarendon Lookout. It was a nice view, but largely the same as the airport view. We had another big, steep climb after that. I took it too fast and got a stitch in my side for the first time in a long time. There were some more PUDs, but then we got to the road that would take us to the Stone’s Throw Farmstead where we planned to have lunch. We had just missed Steps, but a trail angel gave us sodas, ice cream sandwiches, and candy. He also dropped us off at the Farmstead and picked us up an hour later. We had lunch with an Australian section hiker I had met yesterday. 

After lunch we had a few miles to the Governor Clement Shelter where we would have to decide if we wanted to stay or push on up to Killington. There were some more PUDs, but we followed the river and had some nice pines to make the trail smell good. By the time I crossed the river to get to the shelter I knew I was going to be done for the day. Jingle and Subtitles asked what I wanted to do, and I let them know I wanted to stop. They were good with it, because they were tired too. It was nice to have an early, short day after two big days. We took a birdbath down at the river. A Sobo from Canada named Talon arrived at camp and asked if she could tent near me. She joined us for dinner and wanted the scoop on what to expect going south. We asked for the same report for going north.

Day 72

I slept well last night. It was damp and a little chilly. I was a little quicker getting packed up and eating breakfast.

The climb up Killington was long. I was sweating like crazy until about half way up when the elevation was high enough for cooler air. I took a break at that point, and Chickadee passed me. She’s a young woman we passed the other day who was going into Manchester after having a bad day. She was very chipper today, as she had been when we first met her. I passed her again as she had taken a break just past me. I met Jingle and Subtitles at the top, who hadn’t been there for very long. Chickadee caught us and Early Bird came down from the peak. Chickadee went up to take the gondola down and Early Bird took the trail south. I remarked that it is odd that so many women have bird-themed trail names, including the 3 we had seen today.

We decided to make the side trail climb to the peak of Killington. We knew there probably wasn’t going to be a view, but we did it anyway. There was indeed no view, but the wind and cool air felt great. I did well on the rocks, and it was a good confidence boost for the upcoming White Mountains in New Hampshire.

We began the long descent. There was not much to see, so we took lunch at a random spot on trail. Chickadee caught up to us and joined us for lunch. She was going into Rutland today. Jingle was struggling today, so I got ahead of her and Subtitles. They were planning to go to Gifford Woods State Park. I wanted to stay inside to get out of the heat and humidity, so I made a reservation at the Greenbrier Inn in Killington. While hiking, I received a text from Subtitles that they were at the post office already. They had hitched from the first road crossing. I was counting on them coming in tomorrow morning so that I could sleep in and not fall behind, but now they are all resupplied and back on trail at the State Park. I’ll have to get up early or hike hard to catch up.

This hotel was nice, and most importantly, it had air conditioning. I went across the street to resupply at the convenience store before it closed. I showered, ate dinner, and did some laundry in the sink. I hope everything dries tonight.

I’m looking forward to getting to New Hampshire later this week. We are done with the Long Tail section and only have 43 miles to go. My package with new shoes should get there before I do. I’m also happy to be over ⅓ done with the trail now.

Day 73

It was nice to sleep inside. I didn’t want to get out of bed, but eventually got up to go to breakfast. I packed up, and it seemed to take a while. I left the hotel around 10 and walked back to the trail. 

The first mile was easy and flat along a lake. I stopped for water shortly after and ran into Steps. He has stayed at the Inn at Long Trail. After a quick PUD I took a short side trail to Thundering Falls. It was a gorgeous, big waterfall.

After the falls and a short walk to a road, I began to climb. I passed Steps going up; he goes slower on climbs to keep his heart rate low because of a heart condition. I didn’t know the climb was going to be as long as it was. I was breathing hard and sweating profusely. When I got to the top, my legs didn’t know how to walk on flat ground, let alone go downhill. I pulled off to a campsite near that summit to eat lunch. Steps joined me. 

The rest of the day was more grueling PUDs. There was no flat trail after the falls. There were rocks and roots to make most of the downs harder too. I continued to leap frog with Steps.

I finally caught up to Jingle and Subtitles where they had stopped for the day by a creek after the road. I found a mediocre hammock spot and claimed it before Steps could. He found a spot nearby that worked for him, but probably would not have worked for me as a bigger person. We all hurried to get set up before the storm, which hit a little after 6. I still get spooked by storms after my ordeal in Connecticut. Thankfully the storm passed in less than an hour. Jingle wants to stay in a tree house, so we made reservations to stay at Wise Pines Hostel tomorrow night. If we hike hard tomorrow morning, we could catch the 2pm shuttle.

Day 74

We woke up early; I set an alarm for 5. I slept pretty well. The terrain was hard but not nearly as bad as yesterday. The view at the Lookout was amazing! No other views though. We made it to our destination around noon, 2 hours before our pickup time.

We dropped our packs at the trailhead where we were going to be picked up and went to the On The Edge Farm where we cobbled together food for lunch. After a long break with Steps, we went back to the trailhead where we got trail magic from a guy who had finished hiking the Long Trail the day before.

Our shuttle driver picked us up and stopped us by the grocery store on the way to Wise Pines. We each picked up a pizza for dinner and some snacks. We got checked in, dropped our packs in the shed, got laundry together, showered, did laundry, hung out, and ate dinner. I met GG, Tight Pants, and their dog who are flip flopping too and hiking at about our pace. We had seen their names just ahead of us in the log books for some time. Some non-hikers showed up too.

I’m looking forward to cooler, less humid weather over the next few days. I’m also looking forward to New Hampshire, but starting to buy into the fear mongering of the Whites.

Day 75

After waking up at 6:30, I got ready for the day by packing my bag before breakfast. I got to the lodge early to have some coffee, and Jingle and Subtitles were already there. The family style breakfast was great (breakfast enchiladas, hash, and raspberries). I sat at the non-hiker table next to a cute girl who was staying in the bunk room. She was in town to attend a work seminar. A strange but nice young couple rounded out our table. Since they were all non-hikers, I got to eat more of the food at our table. 

The shuttle dropped us off back at the trail a little after 9. We of course had a big hill to climb to start the day. It was still humid and warmer in the morning, but the weather got more mild and dry in the afternoon. It ended up being the most pleasant day of hiking since New Jersey, weather-wise.

The forest was beautiful nearly all day and we had a few good views at the tops of some of the climbs. We took a break to admire the first one from a bench where the sun and strong breeze helped evaporate our morning sweat. This turned out to be my favorite day in Vermont, but the constant up and down of the hills wore me down. My feet were seething in pain, but I knew new shoes were a little over a day away. I was exhausted from the long march through Vermont. 

We finally got to West Hartford, but Captain Stash and Scooter, trail angels who let hikers camp in their yard, weren’t home. We hesitantly hung around, soaked our feet in the stream, and ate dinner. There was still no one home, but GG, Tight Pants, and Gunner the dog showed up. Jingle and Subtitles set up their tent, and so did the others, so I set up my hammock between two apple trees by the stream. As it was getting dark and I was settling into my hammock, a car pulled into the driveway. I was relieved that Captain Stash and Scooter were very welcoming and good with us being here while they were gone. 

We will be in Hanover, New Hampshire, tomorrow. Jingle was still working on finding us a place to stay after I failed to find a hotel or hostel. Worst case scenario, we can camp just outside of the ball fields at Dartmouth. 

Day 76

I woke up to an apple hitting my tarp. Thankfully, only one train came through in the night, because it was loud as hell. I packed up and ate my oatmeal. We visited with Captain Stash for a little bit before setting off. 

We had a bit of a road walk going out of West Hartford, and then we were back into the familiar rollercoaster. Thankfully we didn’t have as much gain and loss to do today. There were no last views of Vermont. We knocked out the trail portion of the day pretty quickly. 

The trail dumped us out on a steep road down to Norwich, VT. We visited the general store there so that Jingle and Subtitles could buy fuel for their stove. I just got a soda. We then walked through town and over the bridge to New Hampshire! It was exciting to get to the state I was so much looking forward to seeing.

We ate lunch at Molly’s, home of the $3 margaritas. I had an excellent burger and fries and of course some margaritas. After lunch I went to the post office to pick up my new shoes and other goodies and necessities that Mom sent me. After that we sat in some Adirondack chairs outside city hall for several hours, too tired to move. While sitting there I texted Stingray on a whim to see where he was. Turns out he had gotten to Hanover today too! I let him know our plan for camp. Having failed to find a place to stay, we planned to camp in the woods just past the Dartmouth ball fields.

We started to head to camp around 5. Stingray called and said they were heading toward the ball fields too. We ran into him and Hindsight on the way there. It was great to catch up with them. 

After setting up, Jingle, Subtitles, and I still needed to resupply, so we went to the food co-op before they closed at 7. It was a confusing store and not the easiest resupply. We got cold food for dinner and came back to camp. On the way back, we ran into the guys (Stingray, Hindsight, HuckleBuck, and Slow Chef) who were going into town in search of beer. I had a massive headache and needed to eat my dinner and pack away my resupply. I struggled through all of those chores. 

I am disappointed that I did not explore the town more today. I feel like I wasted the afternoon, despite the food coma after lunch. It’s frustrating being too tired and rushed to enjoy the places we pass through. I would want to zero, but I think I’ll need the rest more before the Whites and I know Subtitles won’t spring for two zeros so close together. Regardless, I’m excited to be in New Hampshire and ready for the challenge and beauty of the state. Or so I thought…

Lack-of-Shower Thoughts

I felt like I turned a corner in this stretch. Although the first 3 days out of Manchester after the zero wore me down, I overall felt better and was more accepting of my pace. I started to enjoy hiking again. The last 50 or so miles felt like they were easy, despite the elevation. Finding ways to exercise my brain, primarily by listening to my audiobook, seemed to make a big difference.