One reason I chose to hike the AT southbound is my love of hiking in September and October. Cooler, crisp air brings my outdoor spirit to a nice place. On this thru-hike I will be hiking every day during my favorite months. September 1 would be celebratory, but not so much this time with the remnants of hurricane Ida sweeping across Connecticut and dumping at least three inches of rain! I had a plan to avoid spending a night in an AT shelter during the downpour. Eddie, who is the grandson of the elderly woman whose house I stayed in the previous night, drove me to Great Barrington. I hoteled there while buckets of rain fell all evening and night.
I rose from the tent in cool, dry morning air and looked forward to entering yet another state. The climb to Mt. Everett (2,602′) was pleasant. The best views were not from the summit of Everett but rather the open ledges near Mt. Race. The valley to the east had farms. pastures, bogs, ponds and lakes. As far as my eyes could see it was springtime green in bright sun.
Oh, the energy to write daily posts for this blog is not always present. I am happy to report that no trail drama, injuries or gear failures have set me back. In fact, I feel great physically and mentally. At this point in the hike, having hiked over 600 miles and completed over 25% of the AT, I feel like a thru-hiker now. And I can make some judgements.
The AT does not feel like a wilderness trail experience. There are so many encounters with civilization now. Ever since I descended from Mt. Mousilauke in New Hampshire on August 6, when I saw the first pastures and lawns along the trail, the scenes are nothing like the challenging and more remote mountains I struggled with and conquered. This observation is not a complaint. Rather, it is a recognition the thru-hike is in a phase that includes ice cream, nice food co-ops, roads, farms, livestock and miles and miles of the famous Green Tunnel…I mean tree canopy!
Soon after hiking 8.5 miles from my lovely stealth campsite on the trail the owner of the Catamount Motel arrived to drive me to Bennington. The heaviest rain was not forecast for hours later. The category one hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm before it reached landfall on Rhode Island. On Monday, August 23 the morning was mostly rain free but resumed in full force in the afternoon. Without knowing how heavy the wind and flooding along the trail would be I chose safety first.
Early in the day a text message came in. It was my brother Brian expressing his concern about Hurricane Henri. I replied, “I am watching the weather forecast carefully, will go to a town on either Sunday afternoon or later depending on forecast. Don’t worry.” I started a deep dive in media stories and weather forecasts.
Jeff, who owns the Green Mountain House hostel in Manchester Center drove me to the trailhead about eight miles from town as a few raindrops hit the windshield. The weather was to improve, though, and I was optimistic my return to the AT after a zero day would be physically and mentally positive. The map of the trail, especially the part that represented a day’s worth of progress, foretold a great day on the trail. Even better, though, I looked forward to hiking into Massachusetts in just over three days.
The AT in Vermont has been green, green beautiful, a joy to hike and experience. And it is going fast. With the trail being more mellow than New Hampshire, and me feeling stronger by not having to negotiate big boulders and scary, steep ascents, my focus is shifting to increasing the miles I hike daily. In fact, for me to reach the southern terminus of the AT by early December I will have to hike between 16 and 20 miles daily. You can see my daily miles here. During the past five days the heightened emphasis on hiking farther I discovered I need to also focus on the forest, the views, taking photographs and observing Vermont in general. Thus, I took a nice photo of a chipmunk! The second deer I saw since arriving in Vermont sped away before I could reach for my camera. Curiously, I met a northbound AT Hiker who looks remarkably like Reese Witherspoon, the lead actress in the movie Wild. Naturally, I introduced myself as Greg in Wild! Actually, she was not very impressed. Back in 1995 I enjoyed meeting Cheryl Strayed much more than the Reese lookalike!
August 13 was another hot day in Vermont with 85 degrees in the shady forest. To cope I paced myself to prevent overheating, stopping frequently to rest, drink water and refuel. I set a modest goal of 13.1 miles to a creekside campsite and did not push myself as I did yesterday so I could pleasurably eat ice cream. Today I was grateful for feeling good mentally and physically. Nothing hurts, no blisters, chafing, no bleeding wounds (unlike the injuries sustained in Maine and New Hampshire). I am eating more calories to help offset the low energy I experienced in recent days. The AT is very hilly but not sketchy. I am certain the pint of ice cream yesterday induced good feelings and energy today. The weather forecast calls for cooler temperatures but a chance of rain. I will take it!
After hiking a few miles I looked at Guthook and another AT guide to set a goal for the day. I learned there is a place on VT Road 14, On The Edge Farm, that sells pies, ice cream, cold beverages and other treats AT hikers enjoy or need. Getting to the farm before it closed at 5pm would be a challenge. It meant hiking in 85 to 90 degree heat with over 4,000-plus feet of ascent and another 4,000-plus feet of descent. Only on easy terrain in Maine did I previously hike 15 miles, and in cooler weather. I was determined to eat pie or ice cream later in the day! So, I pushed myself pretty hard.
In Hanover and the entire region heat advisories were in the weather forecast. Despite feeling very worn down from the numerous errands in town I directed what energy I had towards walking down Main Street Hanover to the exact busy, Dartmouth Ivy League street corner where I ended my hike the previous day. Turning left I proceeded the roughly half mile to the bridge over the Connecticut River and the engraved letters on the ornamental monument “VT.| N.H.” In a moment of accomplishment I looked at those letters, raised my right fist and felt the confidence I earned in New Hampshire running through my hike-strong body. “New Hampshire AT,” I thought, “you gave me the best and worst I expected, and I walked to this place a better AT thru-hiker. Vermont, here I come!”
Hiking from New Hampshire into Vermont felt like victory!
I celebrated 20 minutes later at a small grocery & variety store by drinking chocolate milk produced by a Vermont dairy. Later, on trail tread in the woods, a young buck greeted me from a comfort distance. The deer was the first large animal I have encountered since I started this adventure 50 days ago. Moreover, I consider the presence of wildlife a sign of good luck. I love the Vermont AT already.
This deer is this first large four-legged animal I have seen in the first 50 days of hiking the AT.
Ever better, walking today was pure pleasure despite the 90 degrees of muggy heat!
Colors in the Vermont forest.I made a true Stealth Camp away from the trail and out of sight from other hikers.
