We Are In Vermont! No, Really :-)

Last post we were going to walk though a zoo and cross the Hudson River. Unfortunately, the zoo was closed, but the Hudson River was not.

 

Nom-Nom

One of the big treats on the trail is when we pass by a gas station or any other place that sells food. Living on Ramen Noodles, Knorrs, M&Ms, Slim Jims, and Nutty Buddies gets old so any chance we have to get town food, we do.  We stopped at the Appalachian Market for just such an occasion. Here we meet Milton and his wife Nettie, two of the most entertaining people ever.  We laughed and talked over what was the biggest quesadilla we had ever seen.  One thing about food places close to the trail, they know that they will be dealing with hungry hikers and make their proportions hiker size. One day McDonalds is going to catch on to this and have an upsize from super to hiker size.

We say goodbye to Milton and Nettie and loaded up with plenty of calories we set off. We needed the fuel. A while back in New Jersey we had talked to a trail angel about our future plans. He told us to just concentrate on getting through New York.  Looking back at that conversation, we now understand why. New York has mountains and hills. As soon as your down one hill you start climbing up the next one. Add to this,  New York was dealing with a heat wave, coupled with a lack of water on the trail we sweltered on. Trail Angel Jason, you were right. New York tried to beat us, but nope.

Tree Huggers

As usual even the hottest driest days have beautiful moments. The Dover Oak outside of Pawling NY was one for the books.  This magnificent landmark is over 300 years old, and with a 20′ circumference, it is reportedly the largest tree on AT, it is also on the NYS “Big Tree” Registry as the largest White Oak.

Leaving New York the trail continues into Connecticut.

After a few more days we find ourselves dealing with an incredibly hot day.  There was trail magic consisting of cold cokes, water, and Gatorade at the corner of the AT and Conn 341. We sat and drank a coke and realized that the next few hours would involve a climb over Caleb’s Peak; a 1160-foot peak which on a cooler day would not have been much of an issue. However, the heat index was over a hundred.  We discussed our three options of waiting to the temperature went down to climb Caleb’s, go back a quarter mile and take a nap in a shelter, sit by the trail magic and take a nap, or go into Kent CT and sit in the library. Kent being a short hitch away, we opted for the third choice. Thumb out it only took a few minutes until we were sitting in an air-conditioned library in what has to be one of CT quaintest little towns, Kent.  We felt that cool breeze of airconditioned air and made a command decision that the peak could wait till the next day. We stayed at the Drum and Fife Inn and enjoyed air-conditioning, TV, and town food.  Hitching out the next day we were picked up by Hague and his dog Jackson. Yolo was in heaven. She was riding in a car with a dog. A dog which she got to walk with to boot.  Life is good.

1000 Miles in the Books

Kent also has another special place in our journey. We reach the 1000-mile mark.   Pressing on we reach the Connecticut Massachusetts border.

We cross Mt. Everett

 

and Mt. Washington

 

and finally, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts. Mt Greylock.

Descending Mt Greylock we arrive in Vermont where we are currently taking a zero, doing a resupply of food and just taking a day to physically rest.

Future Plans

After spending a day off, we are going to hike about 137 more miles to Hanover New Hampshire where we will be jumping to Mt. Katahdin.  We have this feeling that if left to our current rate of speed we will not reach Baxter State Park before it becomes, due to weather, almost impossible to summit Katahdin. Our thought is that if we jump up we can get this monkey off our back and be less concerned with a date. We want to enjoy The Hundred Mile Wilderness and the White Mountains of New Hampshire with no worries of a time constraint.

 

Poops and Popsicles

Poops

• Bugs
• Lack of Water
• Heat

Popsicles

The magnificent desolation of camping on the side of a mountain

Darn Tough Socks

Hair Cuts

Receiving our winter gear back.

Diet Coke

Wildlife

Ramen Noodles

Kent CT

Easy Hitches

Hiking Dancer’s Mother