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Day 42: This Is the Day The Journey Ends
After weeks of overcast and gloomy skies, the sun has arisen to greet us. We were going about our breakfast and packing chores in the gray early morning light when suddenly it is as if the room was on fire. The sun glints off the structural glass of the resort and lights up the perfectly-at-peak New England fall. It beckons us to come, to see the last of what Vermont has to share with us.
Day 41: “There is Only One Thing We Say to Death: ‘Not Today.'”
We have reached the last big climb together. Although Rock Rabbit is boots on the ground, The Historian and I are fully engaged in every step. By moving our recovery camp along to the next segments of the Long Trail milage, we can help reduce the load Rock Rabbit has to carry on his own. We are as much a team as we were at the beginning. We perservere.
Day 40: Nearing the End of a Thru Hike is a Complex Emotion
Canada is close. Only one more alpine peak separates us from the Monument at the Border. Our phones keep sending messages saying Welcome to Canada." We know the end is near but none of us speak of it. There is a sacared silence that descends on the last pull on a thru hike. It is a mix of weary exhaustion, desire to be done, and an unwillingness for it to be over. It is such a complex emotion that it is easy to push it aside and just focus on the trail right in front of you.
Day 39: The Devil May Not Have Your Back, But Your Fellow Hikers Do
Today is Devil's Gulch. Some liken it to Mahoosic Notch and others liken it to hell. Sunk deeply between two cliffs, glacial erraics fill up the ravine floor leaving a jumbeled and trecerus walking surface well above the ground. Perched on a sharply angled rock, one must step across yawning gaps with the earth 10 or more feet below to another angeled rock. A pack shift or a poorly placed step can send you tumbling into the often waterfilled cracks between the rocks. Escape, even if you survive the fall unscathed, is questionable as the rocks are smooth, wet, and moss covered.
Day 38: Hiking Ahead of a Storm and Tripping Over Bears
A massive storm system is brewing. The air feels thick as the lowering barametric pressure pulls warm, moist air out of the ground. The rocks are sweating and becoming more slick. The animals are unusually quiet but the vegetation is agitated by erratic wind gusts. Our sinuses pulsate from the lowering barametric pressure. The swaying of the vegetation in the wind makes us feel slightly sea sick here up on the mountain. The storm has been gathering for two days but now we can feel the brunt of it closing in. We wanted to reach the shelter before the rain reached us.
Day 37: This is The Long Trail and it Defies Expectations
It is a joy to be back on the trail today, all together. After being separated while The Historian's wrist was healing, we were relieved and pleased to be hiking again. Each of us did fine during the separation and healing time but it was not our plan and it was not the hike we wanted. Somewhere in our planning, we each build our own version of hiking paradise in our minds. Every one of us clearly understood the statistics, how many feet per mile and so on, but we all set that aside to build a heroic vision of our trio marching down the trail defying gravity and age. But this is the Long Trail and it defies expectations.
Day 36: On Trail Thru Hike Resupply and Town Chores
After all the drama of the past few days, we are drained of energy and were valuing a zero, even after having had one recently. It is shocking how much energy logistics take. Even with mailed resupply boxes, organizing and town chores for the next section are an effort. Sometimes just hiking is a relief. Thru hiking is a privilege few can afford in time, money, or relationships. We never grow complacent about the myriad of things people who love us are covering for us to be on this hike.
Day 35: The Long Trail is Long
After weeks of hard hiking, today was a relief. The elevation in feet per mile was only 411. Compare this to the "typical" 500-600 feet per mile for a Long Trail day or to a hard Long Trail day with elevation gain of over 700 feet per mile. Of course, compare that to the 70-90 feet per mile elevation gain of Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail and it makes your head spin. The Long Trail is relentless. The Long Trail is Grueling. The Long Trail is Long!
Day 34: Chasing the Sun and Wind to Bear Hollow
It was great we were able to scoop up Rock Rabbit last night after his unexpetedly long, grueling trip over Mansfield. We put him back on the trail this morning. Although we have done it now a few times, the send off for the next segment still tugs at my heartstrings. It is not that I am being left behind, although there is some of that. I can only liken it to sending the kids off to school when you know there is a hard challenge coming up.
Day 33: The Terrifying Majesty of the Mountains
The sun grinds on in its inexorable hike toward winter, reminding us daily we have less light and more dark. When we startrd in the summer, hiker midnight was 8 or 9 pm. Now, a month later, everyone is tucked in by 7 pm, or even earlier. Alarms chime at 6 am, but no one stirs. It is dark and cold. Twelve hour hiking days are risky, The Long Trail by headlamp is a recipie for disaster.
