Welcome to Vermud

Day 54

It rained all night, thank goodness we were in the shelter.  The damp air didn’t allow for our clothes to dry at all overnight.  We did stay dry in our sleeping bags but the cold damp air made it much harder to get up this morning, however being excited for town did help.  Nothing will wake you up faster than putting on cold, wet clothes.

We appreciate the much needed rain and we’re thankful the worst of it was overnight. It’s going to make for a slippery, muddy day on trail.  Skip exclaimed this morning, “Welcome to Vermud”.  At least we’ll get another AT experience with only 2 days left in the state of Vermont which is known for having very muddy trails.

The clouds never lifted and the trail seemed spooky with fog.  We did enjoy the cooler temperatures and cruised through 10 miles in less than 4 hours.  At VT Route 9, where we planned to wait for Kurt, but were greeted with trail magic (including some hot coffee!) Always a great surprise.  Thank you, Dark Cloud.

Kurt arrived shortly after 11:30AM and brought us sandwiches, cold drinks, cookies and a fresh set of shoes for Eric.  Once settled in Bennington, we explored the Bennington Monument and Bennington College.  We made our way downtown and enjoyed walking around the cute streets, having a beer at a couple breweries, and also some live music.  Eric and his Dad played a couple games of cribbage, all of which Kurt was the victor! Eric is already planning a rematch next visit. All in all, it was a very successful town visit.