Date: 2017-08-14
From: VT 11 and 30/Manchester Center 

To: Lost Pond Shelter Tent Site 
Miles today: 14.8

8/14VT 11 and 30/Manchester Center to Lost Pond Shelter Tent Site 14.8 miles Total miles: 1665.5Gravity, Becky, and I shared Jen's home last night with Van Man and his son, Darren. Like me, Van Man dreamed of hiking the AT for years.  He has a friend who was going to do it with him.  After a practice trek, reality set in with his friend,  who decided that this whole thru hiking business wasn't for him ("And you're doing this . . . on purpose?"). Up stepped Darren, who apparently inherited the AT bug from his dad, and the two of them are hiking the trail in a unique fashion. Van Man hikes every day, but they work out their itinerary so that he also drives a support vehicle as they walk their way northward. I've camped with them several times now, and the relationship between father and son is heartwarming.  We had a great visit last night before we all called hiker midnight and headed for bed. It was easy to sleep well in a clean bed next to an open window, and I slept in until 6:30. As promised, there was coffee ready to start and a delicious coffee cake waiting in the kitchen.  We all packed up in a focused but leisurely fashion. Van Man offered to drive us back to the trailhead. After thanking Jen again, we all piled into his van. The first stop was McDonald's, where I fueled my hiking engine with two Egg McMuffins. Van Man then dropped us off on the way to their destination. At the trailhead, we met Skywalker and Spills, who were also returning from town.  The ebb and flow of hikers I encounter continues, as I meet new hikers and lose touch with others, only to hopefully see them later down the trail. Becky and Spills chatted as we prepared to start today's hike. Our first order of business was to climb Bromley Mountain, the first of four peaks we would cross today. The trail was very reasonable and, while often steep, was not terribly rocky and there was very little mud.  The final part of the ascent was walking up a ski slope. A large ski lift is on the summit of Bromley Mountain. Fred Pabst, the grandson of the founder of PBR beer, had the first lift constructed in 1959. A few years later, a wooden tower was built,  which offered a 360 degree view of four states. On a clear day, one could see the Whites in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, the tower was condemned and removed in 2012. Efforts are underway to fund a new tower. The views from the top were still pretty spectacular. Becky and I then hiked down eight hundred feet of elevation to Mad Tom Notch, only to immediately climb nine hundred and fifty feet up to the summit of Skyles Peak.  We ate lunch at the outlook at the top and were joined by Spills, Skywalker, Gravity, and Scunch. Becky (or, Torch, as hikers are now calling her)  and Spills have rapidly formed a trail friendship and swapped contact information.  I took my brief power nap while sunning myself on a large rock. I was pleasantly surprised to be woke up, quite rudely I might add, by none other than my old friend, Extra Mile. Leapfrog, who I saw a few miles later, attended a bridal shower a few days previously, and she and Extra Mile were slackpacking southbound again today. As always, it was great to see them.  Refreshed from lunch, a nap, and a reunion with a friend, I continued onward along the saddle between Skyles Peak and Peru Peak, our third mountain of the day. Becky stayed behind awhile to continue her conversation with Spills but caught up with me near the top of Peru Peak. This part of the woods consisted of very winding trail amongst spruce trees and lots of ferns.  There was a feeling of mystery and age, and the smell of the spruce was strong in the air. I heard the call of some birds that I don't remember hearing before. It was a unique, fascinating place.  After a steep decline from Peru Peak, which was viewless, Becky and I hiked through woods that made us homesick for Missouri. We could have been on the Ozark Trail back home. The miles and time passed by quickly until we reached the ascent to Baker Peak, our last summit of the day. Here, Becky got to experience some true AT rock scrambling, as the "trail" consisted of white blazes painted on sharp, ridged, and steeply elevated rock faces. After her initial surprise, she got the hang of it and had soon scrambled her way to the top, where we were rewarded with another view of the mountains in the distance and the valley below.  The sun was getting low in the sky, which made photography diffucult. The view of the sunset from Baker Peak must be spectacular, but we still had a few miles to go, which we wanted to do before dark. We arrived at Lost Pond Shelter a bit after 7:00 and set up camp. We visited with two southbound section hikers and with Scunch. Spills and Skywalker stopped earlier at Griffith Lake to go swimming and camped there.  It was dark by the time we finished dinner (no more misadventures with the stove), hung our food, and went to bed. We will be getting an early start in the morning.  We have a bit over eleven miles to cover tomorrow to get to the road to Wallingford, where we will catch the afternoon bus to Burlington to visit Julia. I'll zero there the next day, before returning on the bus to Wallingford to resume my hike. Dustin, a good friend, who, while a Boy Scout in our troop back home, hiked extensively with our High Adventure group and taught me to fly fish, will be flying out from Denver to hike with me for a few days as I near New Hampshire. As much as I love this trek and making so many new friends,  it is truly special to also be able to share it with family and friends from home.