Date: 2008-08-16
From: Griffith Lake Tenting Area

To: Little Rock Pond
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

This morning, we woke up to a sunny day! How about that? We're starting to notice now that even with all of the rain we've been getting, the trail isn't as muddy as it was south of Manchester. After fixing ourselves a breakfast of granola and bagels with peanut butter, we packed up and were on the trail by about 8:30. Our destination today is Little Rock Pond. In less than 2 miles from Griffith Lake, we climbed up to the top of Baker Peak, where we stopped for a break. We weren't tired at that point, but the view was just too nice to pass up, so we had to stop. The Middlebury College girls were also there taking in the view. After about 15 minutes, we continued on down off the peak and settled into our rhythm of woods walking. I always like walking in the woods. To me, it offers a special kind of meditative solace that I find very relaxing. After a few more miles, we descended down to Big Branch, which is a nice river not too far from Danby-Landgrove Road. Ann was getting a little tired at that point, so I took a few pounds of food out of her pack to help make it easier for her. We decided that this would be a good place to stop for lunch and fill up our water bottles. Crossing the Big Branch River was fun. There is a very nice suspension bridge that goes over it with a sign that specifies only one hiker at a time should cross. Passing the Big Branch Shelter shortly after that, we passed a couple of day hikers without packs coming the other way, so we knew we must getting close to Danby-Landgrove Rd. Coming up onto the road, we turned left and walked down the road for about 1/4 of a mile before the trail veered back into the woods on the right. It was only about 1:15 and we only had 2 miles to go to Little Rock Pond. When we arrived at the Pond around 2:00, we grabbed a tent platform, got set up for the night, and then it was time to explore. There's a really nice trail that skirts all the way around the shore of Little Rock Pond, so we decided we'd go for a walk - what better way to relax after a full day of walking! We took our time, stopping once so Ann could soak her feet in the cool, clear water. When we got to the other side of the pond, we climbed out onto the big rocky overlook that a lot of visitors jump off when they go swimming here. We didn't feel like swimming, but we could see several other people swimming. The water in this pond is so clear and clean. I hope it will never be disturbed and always remain this way. It's really a beautiful spot. Well wouldn't you know it...while we were on the rocky overlook, we started to hear rumbles of thunder again to the north. We decided it was time to move on and return to our tent before the rain came. For a change, the thunder and rain stayed to our north and passed on by after about 1/2 hour. The rest of the day was beautiful, and we just spent it relaxing. We love getting into camp by mid-afternoon. It gives us the chance to just relax and rejuvenate. Usually, we'll get our tent set up right away and then spend some time getting water for dinner and washing up. Then maybe we'll take a little nap or go for a short walk as we did today. I kind of feel sorry for some thru-hikers who are so caught up in their mileage goals that they don't get into camp until 9 or 10 at night and then just crash before doing it all again the next day. I'm sure they are proud of the big miles that they put in, but I'm guessing that once done, many of them wish they had gone a bit slower and spent more time smelling the roses. Well, it's early to bed tonight. We plan to hike up to the Clarendon Shelter tomorrow, about 13.5 miles from here, which will mean we're one day away from Killington. We're really starting to settle into a nice routine now and we're truly enjoying each day. Can't wait for tomorrow!