Final Long Trail Journal Entries

Long Trail Day 11, 8/21/07
I didn't journal last night cause there wasn't much to say. I'm up at 0530, showered and am packing up. I'll call Randy about 0700, breakfast at 0730 and probably be on the road by 0830. It's a 10 mile day today. Unless the terrain is "bad", it should be a pretty easy day.

So, OK, not an easy day. It took me 8 1/2 hours to do 10 miles. Not an auspicious start for the next few days. There are 15+ people here tonight. 11 from University of Vermont, a family of 4, 2 men and thier 2 sons fulfilling a Boy Scout camping requirement, the couple I've been hiking with all day and here is another single hiker just coming in. Several experienced hikers are telling me it's pretty rugged going north. I don't know if I can do the daily planned miles. It's worrying me.

Day 12, 8/22/07
I left the rail. I climbed two mountains this morning; Mt Carmel and Bloodroot Mtn. By 1130 I was at the Sunrise Shelter having had a nice trail, i.e., nearly level and fairly rock free. But I just couldn't face the 600 - 800 foot ascent up Mt. Horrid. So when I hit Rt 73 at about 1200, I turned left and started for Brandon Vt. After about 2 miles a nice young man, Jim, picked me up and gave me a ride into Brandon and left me at the Brandon Inn. Very nice place. My room is more like a suite. The huge bathroom has an old fashioned claw foot tub! After unpacking my pack, I drew a tub full of hot water, added bubble bath and had a wonderful soak. I got ahold of Randy about 1400 and reported my need for a pick up. He'll be here mid-morning tomorrow. My 2 remaining chores are to call the 2 hiker hostels where I have reservations, and cancel. The nearest one should have my resupply box. I'm going to arrange to drive up and pick it up after Randy fetches me in the morning.

Day 13, 8/23/07
Called all the remaining re-supply spots yesterday. My package had reached the Mountain View Inn. We'll drive up and get it. I read for awhile yesterday then about 1500 went for a walk around the village of Brandon. I had tea at a place called the Provencal. Smelled great in there and I checked out the dinner menu. I went down the street to a place called the Watershed and had a drink and checked out thier dinner menu. Then went across the street and checked out Sculley's. I decided on Sculley's for dinner cause they had pork chops. I walked to the Grand Union and bought a bottle of wine and went back to the hotel. They opened it for me and I read for awhile in my room. I made myself stay up till 9pm, finishing about a glass of wine in two hours. I still woke up at 0600. The hotel offers coffee in the morning and breakfast at 0800. Randy should be here about 0930 or 1000. This isn't the end to my trip I had hoped for but I think I had a good trip anyway.

Lesson Learned
The emotional component of the hike is critical. Physically, I felt pretty good but emotionally, the constant drain of hiking mountain after mountain was more than I wanted to handle.

Long Trail Journal

[Transcriber's comments: The UPS man brought me a box containing a fresh batch of Connie's hike notes yesterday afternoon, so here begins another attempt to faithfully put down in this blog the thoughts she dashed off whilst trudging north thru Vermont. Oh, the UPS box also held a lot of trail food she'd jettisoned, a new shirt, a pair of pants, a fuel canister, dead batteries, a drinking tube, receipts for gear/meals/lodging, and other assorted doo-dads.]


8/15/07

Got up at 0630; it was nice to sleep in, especially on a nice clean bed. Sorted my gear, bagged up the stuff to be shipped home & packed up my pack. I left the door to my room open & Frank called up Good Morning. I told him I was leaving & he got my receipt for the room. I mentioned I still needed a ride from breakfast/shipping to the trailhead & he said he wouldn't be able to do that. So much for calling ahead & checking if a ride would be available. So I paid up & went a block & a half to across the street from my supper spot, an upstairs restaurant called Up For Breakfast. Small but very friendly & a surprisingly diverse menu. I had a turkey omlette called Wild Thing 'cause it is supposed to be wild turkey. I don't know if it was, but it was tasty. By 0830 I was around the corner at the UPS office. The nice lady there got my stuff boxed and posted, then let me use the phone to call a cab. I had to go thru 3 cab companies but eventually I got Joe. He showed up a few minutes later in what appeared to be his own Cadillac "De Ville" I think. Probably in his 70's but I appreciated saving 2 hrs & 5 miles of walking before even getting to the trailhead. He left me at the packing area on Rootville Rd. Now, it was bad enough yesteday, downhill with a light pack. Steep & rocky uphill with 12LBS of food's no joke but I took my time. I stopped at Prospect Rock, opposite the trail entrance & took pics of Manchester Center from high up the mountain. Too bad it was hazy. So I trudged up the trail at 1000, pretty good time up that road. The way was OK going - uphill but not horrible. Just a little rocky. I stopped for lunch at Spruce Lean-to where four guys had already sat down. One young guy SOBO on the AT, one guy NOBO on the AT, and 2 older guys SOBO on the Long Trail (LT). One of the older guys said it was his 9th time. Both the older guys were smoking! I don't know how they do it. Anyway, I took off about noon. Stopped when I saw a big marble boulder & tried to take a picture but it was overcast so I'm not sure how it will come out. Turns out I was making pretty good time 'cause I'm nearly all the way up Bromley Mt at the Bromley Shelter by 1515. If the next shelter were closer I'd have walked on. But the rest of Bromley still needs to be hiked up & then another mountain before reaching Peru Shelter 8+ miles north. Too far for 4 hours. So I'm staying here as planned. My feet are doing well. The sports tape is doing its job. My new technique of avoiding walking on rocks & roots may also be helping 'cause my feet were hardly tired after 12 miles of hiking. Of course, I may also be getting used to the hiking but it seems too soon for that. I'm glad I decided to keep backpacking. I wavered the whole 1st 5 days till yesterday morning. I would have felt so much a weak loser if I had just quit. This way I get a true taste of a long distance hike. And, WOW, there are so many long distance hikers! Right now all the talk is about Long Trail Days Aug 17 - 19. I saw a notice on a hiker board that there will be shuttles from trailheads to bring hikers to the festivities.

8/16/07

Four mountains in 12 miles! Bromley, Styles, Peru, & Baker. I couldn't take pictures at Bromley 'cause the camera was too cold. Styles & Peru had no view, but Baker! Great views but hazy. The pics may be worthless. Baker the most interesting climb. Up great slabs of marble to the top. Then down to my planned stop at Lost Pond. However - that is a tent site and at 1740 it was thundering. Turns out the Big Branch shelter was only 2 more miles so I picked up the pace & got here about 1840. The river runs right in front of the lean-to. I got water for supper and took a bath & soaked my feet. I changed the band aids over my rubbed spots & dinner is soaking. It's almost too dark to write. I had my Backpacker Scalloped Potatoes for the 2nd time. A disappointment. Not saucy enough. Tonight is Southwest Chili. I'll crumble a few crackers into it. Gotta sign off. Too dark to write.

8/17/07

The family tenting at this site (dad, mom, son, & 2 dobermans named Madison & Abigail) have given themselves trail names. The boy is Tree Frog - very appropriate for the 9-year-old. Mom is Momma Bear & dad is Oak. They plan to hike to their home in Burlington, doing 10 miles a day. I wish them luck. I'm going to try for the Minerva Hinchey Shelter today. My extra 2 miles puts me in a position to push farther today. Also, per the guidebook, the terrain looks to be fairly easy. If it isn't, I'll just stop at Greenwall as planned.

I didn't stop at Greenwall, pushed up Bear Mtn & got to the Minerva Hinchey Shelter at 1700. I see from the shelter log that Unicycle Pirate came thru earlier so he's now way ahead. I saw only a few people on the trail today. A couple guys passed me going north. A couple more going south. I saw Torpedo just as I was starting up Bear Mtn, coming down. She got a ride to Rutland & is slack packing south for 20 miles. Everyone seems to be going to the Long Trail Festival. I took a pic or 2 of the shelter and tried to take a pic of the spring - tonight's water source. Batteries were dead so I swapped them out. They worked OK. I guess I'll buy more at the next stop & send the old ones back to Randy. So now it's after 6PM & no one here but me Looks like I have the shelter to myself.

8/18/07

Five guys arrived last night. Two about 8PM & three more about 10PM. So I didn't have the shelter to myself after all. This morning is cold & windy. Overcast, too. It rained a little last night. Think I'll put my pant legs on today.

A "bad" day. My bladder tube lost its "O" rings & when I snapped it into the bottle it leaked. I spent 45 minutes trying to get duct tape to work but no luck. I put the bladder in its sleeve & packed up. I finally got on the trail at 0830. There was an immediate ridge to climb & my calves are cramping. I go down the other side toward Clarendon Gorge & the trail is a big smooth set of rocks. Of course I slip & fall on my butt & pack with my right foot twisted under me. I yelled in pain & said bad words. I rested a few minutes & let the throbbing stop. I stood up & no pain so I lucked out. I was sure it was twisted. So now I go even more carefully till I get down the gorge. Very similar to Auger Falls. Then I cross a road and slant up what the guidebook so charmingly calls "...a rock-filled ravine." That 1/2 mile took me an hour of hard climbing. It was 1130 before I got to the Clarendon Shelter where I had lunch. It was obvious I was not going to get to Cooper Lodge today. So I plodded on - took a break at 1400. Got to the Gov. Clement Shelter about 1700. A guy (Ted) and his stepson Richard are already here. This is obviously a party spot. Shelter in bad shape - no table of any sort, part of the sleeping platform is gone. It does have a nice water source.

8/19/07

3 yokels dropped by at 0020 last night in a big pickup. Dropped a lot of trash in the fire ring, set it on fire and whooped it up for an hour. Raked the copper wire out of the fire - to recover for $ I guess. Peed all around the site and drank beer. They knew we were here, they just went about their business without a care. Left about 0130 with the fire still blazing. It's still burning this morning. Primarily an old rug. So much for me not burning plastic or junk. Looks like a fair day. I'm going for Churchill Scott Shelter about 9 miles north. My right leg seems to have a permanent cramp behind the knee & today is mostly uphill. Oh, well.

Sure enough - all uphill till noon when I got to near the top of Killington & had lunch at the Cooper Lodge Shelter. I tried to take a pic but the camera & batteries were too cold. I put the batteries in my pocket for 20 minutes - still nada. Oh, well. After Cooper it's all downhill & I reached the Chruchhill Shelter at 3PM. I decided to press on since it was only 2 miles to Rt 4 & The Inn at the Long Trail. I met a nice lady and her German Sheppard. They walked down with me & gave me a ride 1 mile uphill to the Inn. I was inside getting a room & as I came out she was coming in. If I wasn't able to get a room she was going to offer to have me stay at her place. How nice! Anyway - I have a room for 2 days. Tomorrow will be a zero day. I need to give my blisters & raw spots time to heal. I can bus into Rutland and UPS a box home, stop at Wal-Mart & the gear store. I've lost enough weight that my pants are drooping & causing some serious chafing. Owww!

8/20/07

I'm taking a zero day. It's totally unplanned but 3 good hiking days put me ahead of schedule. My left foot has a huge blister at the end of the baby toe. Blister on outside of heel & "boot rub" on the rest of the heel. A day out of boots should help nicely. I woke up at 0600 as usual. Got up & 'cause breakfast isn't till 0730, spent the time sorting my food. Had way too much last section. Also did a good hot water & soap wash of pot, cup & spoon. After breakfast I'll see about the bus schedule into town, not sure what town it is. I'll go to gear store 1st, then shipping. I had put asprin in my box. So I think only gauze pads are needed. A drug store or a Wal-Mart will do if they're available. I've also checked my map & contour lines against my hiking plan. It all still looks do-able. I have a 14-mile day in there, the day before I come out for resupply at Appalachian Gap. Hope it's not a lot of "...rock-filled ravine" -type climbing. I leave the AT behind at this point. There'll be a lot fewer hikers on the trail after this.

Lessons Learned this section:

1. Take care of your feet! Say it 3 times. My most emotionally down days were the days my feet hurt the most. Say it again 3 times!

2. Lighten the load. I was carrying too much. In a mountainous environment, it's a big energy drain.

3. Carry some repair materials. If I had some very lightweight spare parts for my water bottle I wouldn't have been so inconvenienced.

Long Trail (Vermont) Journal

As transcribed by Connie's husband, who received her trail notes via UPS delivery man this morning at 1155hrs.

8/10/07 Long Trail Day 1

Randy & I left home at 0730. I forgot to weigh my pack but it seems to still be in the 35 lb range. It's rainy today - hope not an inauspicious start to the trip. Traffic is really slow & I mess up the directions in Troy so by the time we get to Greylock Community Club parking - Jim, my former co-worker, has left. He was there to see me off since he can't hike with me. So Randy & I drive the block to the stairway over the river & he takes my pic & sees me off. It's still raining so I've got rainjacket & pants on. I take it slow & easy leaving R about 1030. I pass a man & woman about 1/2 hr on the trail southbound. At 1140 I stop for lunch. It's a good thing 'cause just after lunch is a big, steep, boulder-strewn rock face to climb. After several false starts, I make it to the top of an unnamed mtn. No view, it's too overgrown. Just beyond, however, is Eph's Lookout where a nice view & cool breeze can be had. Not long after, I meet a young man going south & then I'm at the Mass-Vt line. I sign the register & a nice older man, who is section hiking the AT Southbound (SOBO), took my pic with my camera. Going on my way at 1350, I meet a young man & woman. They stopped to cook lunch, going northbound. Turns out we meet up again. Anyway, I trudge on & over some ridges & past a couple muddy spots I get to my shelter. The young man had passed me earlier & just before the shelter he was waiting for his friend. By the time I got back to the shelter from checking out the privy & water supply, they had arrived. They decided to set up their tent so I had the shelter to myself. I unpack & I realize I'd forgotten both my book and my fleece. Again with the fleece! Good thing my head's attached. It's a little cool tonight but I can do as I did on the NPT. Just wrap shoulders in my bag liner & sit in my sleeping bag. I'll rectify both issues in Manchester Center. The sun started peeking out about 1730, about the time I started to eat. My dehydrated meal (Pumpkin Spaghetti) rehydrated well. Yum! Since I've nothing to read, I'll sit up as long as I can but it will be an early night. About 1830 Craig & his Dad, Steve, arrived. Nice people. Steve is sleeping in a hammock...Craig in the lean-to. Craig lives in Texas & his dad runs a country store in Montana. They used to live here in Bennington & are having a hiking holiday.

8/11/07 Day 2

A hiker came in about 2130 last night. We had all crashed so he had to camp in the dark. He left at 0800. I met so many people today I can't remember. I made it to Congdon Shelter in good time & had lunch at 1240. I spent an hour there with shoes & sox off to let feet dry. I left for the last 5 miles at 1340. It went OK till Harmon Hill. Straight down. The 1.6 miles took me 2 hours. I was shaking with fatigue at the bottom where I rested 15 minutes. I swear if someone in the parking lot had asked if I wanted a ride to Bennington I would have taken it. The last 1.6 miles was like the Harmon Hill except uphill. I questioned my sanity. I definitley was not having fun. If the next 2 days are like this, I'll have to stop. I was 2 hours over my trip time estimate. Not a crisis but on a 14-15 mile day - not good. Anyway, I made the Melville N??? shelter about 1830. Four people already there with 2 camping. Just after I came in & claimed a bunk - 3 more came in & took the top bunks. Full house. Since there was an ATV rally last night near the last shelter all night, I'll sleep pretty good tonight.

[Transcriber's comments: This is a lot of damn typin', podna. And if you think it's easy to read her chicken scratchin', you got another think comin'. That woman is gonna pay, big time, if she ever makes it back home.]

8/12/07 Day 3

Slept pretty good last night. Got up at 6AM & had tea & cereal. I was the last one to leave camp at 0800. Saw 2 moose droppings this afternoon. Otherwise, only a couple of mountain climbs. Still by the time I got to Kid Gore Shelter my feet were very rock weary. The trail is nothing but rocks and roots. When I got to the campsite I wanted it was closed. The neighboring site - Kid Gore, was full of a wilderness teen group. The 2 guys I have been hiking with came right behind me. So the group set up their tents and we got half the shelter bunks. That was nice of them. Tomorrow is a 15 mile day over what looks like difficult & steep terrain. Craig (from the 1st night) wants to do 20 so he can get to his designated exit point on Wednesday (Danbury, VT). John (from last night) is going to the site with me. Tomorrow is my make-or-break decision on continuing this trip.

8/13/07 Day 4

Rain last night about 0430. Craig, trying out his dad's hammock, came into the shelter. The kids & Craig were up at 0530. I got up at 0545 because I wanted an early start. I skipped tea & got ready & was on the trail by 0730. John, trail name Budman, and I flip-flopped back & forth leading each other. Turned out we met up again at 1230 at a nice stream where we had lunch. Not knowing how hot or arduous the climb up Stratton Mtn would be, we refilled our water bladders. I'm glad 'cause once at Stratton Pond Shelter the water source is a slow spring, 1/2 mile round trip from the shelter. I had a liter and a half left so I'll get water in the morning. The climb up Stratton was not as bad as we had anticipated. We climbed the fire tower and took some pics. 3.2 miles and 2 hrs later, we are at the shelter. Again, feet very rock weary & my left heel skin is wearing off. The AT hikers here say duct tape instead of band-aids. I've noticed over the last 4 days lots of marble & quartz rocks & boulders in the trail. Many times it looks like ice, left over from winter. It started raining as we were packing up at lunch & so all my clothing is wet. I'm getting really used to putting on cold, wet clothes.

8/14/07 Day 5

The day started well but cold. I got up about 0645 knowing I was going into town. Tried to take a pic of the shelter - a grand one - but the camera wouldn't work. I chatted with the other hikers and ate brekkies and by the time the others had left I was packing & was gone by 0900. I made the 5 miles to Rootville Rd by noon. From there to Rt 11/30 is about 2.5 miles. No trail angels to offer a ride. Had to ask which way to Manchester Center 'cause there aren't any signs. No angels to give me a ride to town. I stopped at Susie's Cafe at the edge of town at 1PM & had a burger - no fries. Walked the 5+ more blocks to arrive at lodging at about 1420. No one home. Workmen in the back said they'd be right back. By 1515 I asked workmen who seemed to be friends if the owners were coming back. Guy let's me in and shows me my room, which is OK but no phone, no door lock & shared bath. I shower & dress in town clothes & head to center again. Get fleece, get phone call to Randy & get some lunch & heel 1st Aid supplies. Walk back to Suttons. Finally meet woman - I forget her name. Ask for washer & dryer. She directs me to laundromat in area I just came from. Back I trudge. 7PM I get back & meet Frank. Ask if there's breakfast - Nope. Ask for ride to Post Office & trailhead - Nope. Nicely directs me to eateries where I might catch a ride to trailhead in the morning. No good - I need to send a box! Not helpful. 1930 now and I still have to walk to supper. Not much of a rest day for my feet. Well, a modicum of good news and a new plan. I checked out Frank's suggestion for breakfast, a cafe called Up For Breakfast. They open early. The shiping center just around the corner opens at 0830. So, go to cafe about 0800 see if I can hook a ride that will wait for me to UPS a package. Then head for trailhead. If no free ride developes, get shipping store to call a cab. Finished checking out the Main Street shop possibilities for the morning, saw a little restaurant offering Lamb Tangine. Chucked my steak house plan (3 more blocks) & ate at the Harvest Grille. The Lamb Tangine was perfect. A taste trip back to Pakistan. Back to the room by 9PM. 2 glasses of Chardonnay have put me out.

Lessons Learned this section:

1. No downhill goes unpunished - meaning, the downhill is balanced by an equally challenging uphill next.
2. Sport tape in med kit for rubbed-raw places like toes & heels.
3. Take the climbing as slow at the bottom of the grade as you would be going at the top. It's not a race, don't arrive at the top looking like a heart attack about to happen.

Test-O-Blog

Thursday, August 16

gotta transcribe the spouse's Long Trail notes into this blog and I've not blogged before, so now I'm running a few random tester words to see iffin I can indeed put 'em in and then view a proper result.