Date: 2015-08-07
From: Mount Killington

To: Campsite North of Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well. Taking a vacation and coming back to the trail after 5 days? Kinda sucks. I only hiked 10 miles, but lots of things hurt!First though there was the last breakfast at the lodge (blueberry pancakes, bacon, sausage, home fries, strawberries, tea, grapefruit juice. And that wasn't even the best day for breakfast), goodbyes and the trip from Lake Placid back to Rutland. Fortunately my sister-in-law Wendy was going to Connecticut from Lake Placid, which takes you almost directly through Rutland, so she very kindly gave me a ride back right to the trail head. It couldn't be more convenient (for me, that is!). Thanks again Wendy! Aside from one weird thing where the rental car's GPS wanted us to take a ferry (what the hell?), things went smoothly and I was back on the trail right at noon.I had seen there was shelter ten miles in, so I figured I'd make that my destination for the day.First there was Gifford State Park which has toilets, ice cream and soda. But I had had two lattes on the drive down that I could feel sloshing around, so ice cream wasn't appealing, and I already carried a coke. Still, I did have lunch there and met Green Bay and Arrow, and a father-son duo whose names I don't know. Also a guy who I thought was named Taurus but was actually Tortoise.After the park, I hiked partway around Kent pond, which was quite pretty, and past a waterfall, also nice. And then it was time for Quimby Mountain. Pretty much as soon as I had started hiking, my Achilles' tendons on both legs were sore. I don't think they are particularly tight, I think they bump into the collar of my shoes and have gotten bruised or something. Going uphill actually feels best, Achilles-wise (cardiovascularly, not so much...), which is why I think tightness is not the issue. The climb took a while and ended on a ridge with ups and downs, and that is when my Achilles really started to bother me. After a while I decided that tightening my shoe laces might help, and it did. I'm also hoping new shoes will make a difference, as I should have a new pair waiting for me when I get to GlenCliff. We'll see.After Quimby, it wasn't too much further to the shelter, but when I got there it was pretty crowded. I looked for a tent spot and found a potentially nice one, except it had a giant pile of poop and toilet paper . No thanks. I went to get water, which was .1 north on the trail, and saw a tent in an area with more possible sites, so I decided to set up there. Tortoise later showed up here as well, and we chatted for a bit while I cooked dinner (Mac and cheese. Resort food it is not). It has cooled down quite significantly and I bet I'll be in my sleeping bag tonight, rather than just under it. I have my cold weather gear back already (Sasquatch brought it up for me) and I'm wearing one of my heavier shirts while hanging out in my tent. We'll see what I'll end up sleeping in.I haven't really looked at tomorrow yet, but I did notice the shelters are once again inconveniently spaced. And cell signal is sparse again as well, so don't worry if there is no update every day!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?