Date: 2009-08-18
From: VT 103 (Rutland, VT)

To: VT 4 (Rutland, VT)
Miles today: 17.4

Thank goodness for slackpacks!Bark and I were awake early this morning getting ready for our Southbound slackpack over Killington Peak. We were out the hostel doors by 7:00am in order to catch the local bus by 7:15 to VT 4 where the AT crosses. The bus driver was kind enough to stop right at the crossing to let us off as well as another hiker named Poco Loco. We played a little leap frog with Poco Loco as we ascended for almost 6 miles. It was a long climb, but not too steep and we watched the landscape continuously change from Maple trees and undergrowth to beautiful tall pines and soft beds of pine straw. Three hours after starting the climb we made it to the top and only stopped long enough to determine that we would not be going any higher up. To experience the summit you had to take a long trail straight up- not the AT. No thanks! The descent was drastically different from the ascent. The trail had suffered a lot of erosion and left masses of gnarled roots exposed and large rocks loose and wiggly in their once secure setting. We took it slow, but steady in an effort to make it down safe and quick. Since we slack packed we did not carry as much water as we usually do, but checked the guidebook before leaving to make sure there would be plenty of stream crossings. We met Nina, a northbound section hiker, and her very large german shepard named Rocky at one of those streams. Bark had a great time sitting with Rocky while we chatted with Nina and filtered some cool spring water. As much as we would have loved to sit longer, we had to press on because we were hoping to make it back in time to pick up a package from the post office. We continued our descent and it wasn't long before we crossed paths with J-Bird. After a quick chat and a few miles later it was time for lunch at the Governor Clement Shelter. We met the local ridgerunner and caught up with a Long Trail hiker and an Indiana Hiking Club we saw yesterday. It has been pretty fun to see so many familiar faces lately; the section hikers who are out have been hiking for a while and we have had the chance to get to know a little bit about them. After leaving the shelter, we caught up to Poco Loco and continued our trek. We had just under 7 miles left and we were determined to make it into town by 5. We crossed a few roads, saw some beautiful streams and creeks, and really enjoyed much of the forest today. At one point we came to a nice flat section where lo and behold, there was Trail Magic- a cooler full of cold sodas and a box of cheese crakcer packages. There was a hiker there when we arrived and when we asked his name he told us it was Cool Breeze. For some reason his name sounded very familiar, but at first I couldn't figure out why. When we responded with our introduction he said he had been looking for us. Turns out we met Cool Breeze almost 1,000 miles ago in Virginia when he gave us a ride from Elk Garden back into Damascus for Trail Days. He is back on the trail this year trying to officially finish his thru hike. You just never know who you will see out here! A couple hours later we arrived at VT 103- done with our hike by 3:30, plenty of time to get back to the P.O. before it closed...or so we thought. We tried our luck with hitching for a few minutes, but soon saw the city bus coming by. The driver pulled over and told us to hop on and we could head back to Rutland with them. It sounded like a great idea and we were very excited to be sitting in an air conditioned vehicle, but we did not realize we would be taking an hour and a half long bus ride around the driver's usual route. It was a slight set back in plans, and we did not make it back in time for the P.O. However, we did get a great scenic tour of Ludlow, VT and some very nice ski resorts. Once back in town we headed back to the hostel for a quick shower before getting some dinner. Bark and I were also able to make it to the library and resupply before calling it a night. Hatchet, Holdout, John from England, Otter and the two of us sat around in the common room taking about all the things to come. The elevation profiles are getting more intimidating the further North we go and the word "slackpack" is being thrown around a little more frequently. Nonetheless, Bark and I are excited and looking forward to the challenges and beautiful scenery.