Day 2 of Long Trail 2008

So on 6/19/08 I woke up in the Sucker Brook shelter with the birds singing at 0500. I tried to go back to sleep but I was making tea by 0530. At 0600, 3 trail runners, all guys, came charging up the Sucker Brook trail thru the shelter site to run up the Long Trail. By the time they came back, I had finished breakfast and was getting ready to get water. I was on my way by 0740. The trail is brutal - lots of uphill, trail not burshed back, few if any blazes. The trail and the overhanging bushes were all wet. (Note: from Brandon Gap north, the signage at the trail heads note that this is wilderness area and little blazing or brushing back is done. They are not kidding.) I started the day in my sandals but the trail was so wet and muddy, I put my boots on at noon. I missed the trail turn at the Snow Bowl ski area and spent at least 40 miniumts trying to find it. Just before giving up and trudgeing down the ski slope to the ski buildings and catching Middlebury Gap there, I decided to try going back into the trail I had left and seeing if I could catch the Long Trail. Sure enough, not far into the trail, I found where the Long Trail took a hard right and in my efforts to watch my feet, missed the turn. I ate lunch at Middlebury Gap where I put my boots on. I'm glad I did, because from this point, the trail only got more muddy and wet. There was lots of hiking up streambeds, over mossy wet bedrock, over and around roots and downed treees. I got to the Boyce shelter at 1500 (3pm). Since the Skyline Lodge is only 2.1 more miles, and it was still early, I decided to go for Skyline Lodge. I'm glad I have that 2 miles behind me. I got to the lodge about 1715pm, totally wet, shivering, ready to call it a day. Camp chores (fetching water, getting my dry sleeping clothes on, hanging up wet things to dry, etc.) took me to 1845pm. While I was boiling water for my dinner, 2 women and 2 girls (thier daughters) cam in. They're staying in the loft of the lodge. (This is an enclosed cabin at the top of a ridge overlooking a pond. It has sleeping platforms on the ground floor and a loft for a total sleeping area for 10+ people.) They seemed to be on a girl's night out and stayed mostly to themselves. Tomorrow I'm on to Glen cooley Shelter. The guide book makes it seem like more of the same on the trail. I'm glad it's only 7+ miles. The picture is down one of the ski slopes at Snow Bowl. Total mileage for the day: 9.8 miles, for the trip: 15.3 miles.