VT Long Trail Days 10-12
Day 10
Again, up at 0600 followed by the typical routine of packing while eating. I was back on trail by 0700. The other guy left a little before I did. The nor’easter was supposed to hit mainly this day and the next, yet it wasn’t raining yet. The wind, however, was still howling. As I walked through the forest, I was definitely a little afraid of trees possibly falling. They were blowing over a significant amount and when I held my trekking poles by the strap, the wind would push them to almost a 45 degree angle. It was chilly and damp and windy.
I hiked quickly hoping the wind would calm a little and solidifying the idea of going into town the next day. I got a few photos of interesting fungus and berries while hiking, but mostly it was a head down and grind morning.
The views were not expansive in this weather.
The morning consisted of lots of small climbs and descents. The wind eventually died down to a less intense level that didn’t feel quite as dangerous. The ground remained slippery and I slid on rocks and roots and mud a handful of times.
At the Cooley Glen shelter, I had a hot lunch of ramen. The rain had been off and on drizzling from late morning on. It was chilly when sitting still. A SoBo joined me for a little and we talked about trails before she continued on. After lunch, I had one more climb up Mt Grant before dropping down to a road.
Despite the weather, I saw a fair amount of day hikers as I got close to the road. Across the road began my next big climb. A little under 2000’ to the top of Mt Abraham. It was about 1600 and I didn’t see any more day hikers once I began the climb. It’d be a bit late for them to be out still. The climb was easier than I expected based on the elevation profile. It was long and I stopped half way up to fill up on water for the evening. The second half became more of what I was expecting the taller peaks to be. I was walking up rocks and slides.
It was slippery and I was glad to be going up this and not down.
The summit was windy and damp with no view but I grabbed a photo before continuing on. Three more peaks before camp.
The climbs between the peaks once I was up high wasn’t bad and went by quickly. I passed Lincoln Peak.
Then over Nancy Hanks.
Finally I had one more small climb to Castle Rock where I’d stay the night in the ski warming hut. It was a good night to be in an enclosed shelter. The guy from the night before was already there and we talked about thru hikes while having dinner. A guy headed south rolled in around 1900 and stayed the night as well. I had service so I booked a room at the Waitsfield Inn and committed to town the next day.
Day 11
I was up and out the door by 0615. Since I didn’t have far to go to town, I ate snacks on the hike out. I had one mountain left to climb before getting to Appalachian Gap and the road.
The morning was windy, chilly, and wet. Not raining again, but still drizzly and misty.
I reached the summit of Mt Ellen at 0710 and began my descent.
I had a long way to drop in the slippery, rocky terrain. Some of it required hands as well to get down the drops. It got steeper near the Theron Dean shelter and there were a few small sections with metal bars added to the rocks and a wooden ladder.
I made it down them all without incident, throwing my trekking poles ahead.
Not long after, I was on the final stretch to the road.
I reached the road at 0955 and got ready to hitchhike. I’ve somehow made it along all the trails with only hitchhiking alone once. This would be the second time. The first couple cars passed me by, but the 4th or 5th pulled over. After less than 10 minutes I was in a car with two older ladies on their way to Maine. They’d be passing through the intersection I was heading to.
They let me out near the inn and I walked in.
It was still early and no one was around so I headed out to find a cafe. The one across the street was closed for staffing, so I headed to Waitsfield proper to try the other one. The walk was a little under a mile and had a sidewalk the whole way.
I stopped by the historic covered bridge while trying to find the coffee shop entrance.
I eventually found it and got a hot mocha and a chocolate churro donut. Both were delicious.
Two hikers walked in and we got to talking. They had just finished the CDT and were headed SoBo on the LT. They too were staying at the inn so we made vague plans to meet for dinner. When I say vague I mean we all agreed dinner would be good but didn’t exchange any other info. They did give me helpful info about the inn and how my key may just be out on the counter to grab.
We walked to the gear store together and I headed back after poking around in the shop for a while. I didn’t really need anything. Back at the inn, my key wasn’t on the counter, but a person came out and gave me mine saying to come back in an hour or two. They still needed to clean up. I left my pack in a corner in one of the lounge areas and headed to get lunch.
I went to the Mad Taco and had smoked jerk chicken tacos and a root beer. They were really good.
The grocery store was next door, so I hopped in to look around. I didn’t actually need to buy any resupply items. Maybe a breakfast. As I was staring at the maple syrup options, the two hikers, Snowbird and CB, came in. We spent a while talking in the aisles. I bought more things than I needed and headed to check out my room.
The room was cute and would be perfect for my zero day. The inn had a two night minimum so I guess I’d just have to relax.
Now that I was in, it was time to take care of my town chores. First up was laundry. I emptied my pack and found all the things to wash. I threw it into my pack liner and walked the 0.5 mile to the laundromat. The washers were more expensive than most. Usually wash, soap, and dry is $5. The wash was $4.50. Luckily there was extra soap out and the dryer was in 5 min intervals so I only needed $0.50 to dry everything.
After laundry, I thought there had to be a better way back to the inn. I had walked a large U shape to get there and wondered if I could close the loop instead. I looked at the map and sure enough, the river trail went right by. It was shorter and safer than walking along the highway. The path was pleasant, smoothed dirt and easy going.
I was back to my room where I finally got a shower. I sat in bed on my phone for a while when I heard people talking in the hall. I popped my head out and it was the other hikers looking for me. A fourth had joined, Plastic, and we all went to dinner together. It was a really nice time followed by watching a cheesy, but funny movie in the lounge before retiring to bed.
Day 12
I woke up way too early for a day off. I laid in bed on my phone for a while and went down to breakfast at 0715. I had yogurt and tea followed by cereal and a banana.
I headed back to my room to work on these posts. I laid in bed writing until almost 10 when I headed out to the close coffee shop. I cut through the park to the shopping center.
The coffee shop was pretty busy. There was a long line, but I waited and got a hot mocha with maple syrup and a cookie. I drank my coffee and sat in a comfy chair for a while before heading back to see if I could catch the other hikers before they left. They were at a breakfast table with their packs. I joined them for a little bit and we exchanged contacts before they headed out to hitch to trail.
I spent a few more hours laying around before heading out to explore again. Unfortunately it was the day of the week when small town shops are typically closed. So it was mostly just walking outside for a little bit. At least the fall foliage is gorgeous.
I walked across the covered bridge and read the info sign about it. There was a more detailed one I didn’t take a photo of.
Then I headed back to the inn stopping at the grocery store on the way. Never shop when hungry. I ended up buying more than I needed, which was nothing. I needed nothing. I was planning on getting pizza in a little bit. Instead, I had crackers, hummus, and chocolate milk.
I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening lounging in bed, reading, watching Hayduke part 1, and eating many of the snacks I bought.
Stay tuned for future posts as I get further along on the trail! Posts typically release Mondays and/or Wednesdays 1200est.
