Date: 2008-08-19
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Long Trail Inn
Miles today: 8.7

It poured all night last night. There were some other hikers who set up on the tent platforms above the lodge last night. I can only imagine that they did not get a very good nights sleep with all of the rain, wind, and thunder. I can't say that we slept very well either. At about 6:00 AM, I nudged Ann and whispered that it might be good if we got an early start so we could try to be at the Long Trail Inn by lunchtime. As quietly as we could, we packed up all of our stuff and stepped out of the Lodge at about 6:30, skipping breakfast for now. All of the thru-hikers were still asleep, or at least pretending to be. Rather than disturb the sleeping thru-hikers, we decided to have our breakfast when we got to the Churchill Scott Shelter, which is about 4-1/2 miles down the trail. The weather as we stepped out of the lodge was still very foggy and socked it. It seemed like it could start to rain again at any moment. By now, Ann and I have become quite accustomed to hiking in the rain and mud, so the weather this morning did nothing to dampen our spirits. Besides, we were going to the Long Trail Inn today, where we knew we'd have a soft bed, shower, clean clothes and good food. I'm also picking up my second mail drop there. As we headed down the trail, we were surprised that it wasn't too muddy. I guess because of the elevation and slope, the water seems to drain off the trail easier than on the lower, flatter sections of trail in southern Vermont. At about 8:30, we reached the Churchill Scott Shelter. There was a lady there with her 3 children who had stayed there last night. They were in the process of getting their stuff together before heading up to the Cooper Lodge for their next night. It always makes me feel good when I see young kids out hiking. I hiked with my Dad a lot when I was a kid and those days are some of my fondest memories. Continuing on, we reached Route 4 at about 10:30. Crossing Rt. 4, we re-entered the woods and soon came upon a section of the trail that was quite beautiful. I don't know the name of the plant, but there was an undergrowth that completely covered the ground beneath the trees. It was everywhere for as far as you could see. It was as if a professional landscaper had been at work in the middle of the woods. This continued on for about a 1/2 mile before it gradually gave way to a more normal mixture undergrowth. Reaching Maine Junction, we stopped for a few minutes for a sip of water and to savor the moment of being at the junction of the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail. By now, the sun was starting to peak out and a breeze was beginning to pick up. We could feel that the weather was changing and the air was getting noticeably cooler and drier. Within another mile, we reached the junction to the Sherburne Pass Trail. From here, it's 1/2 mile down to the Long Trail Inn. Many thru-hikes when they reach Rt 4 after coming off of Killington walk up the road to the Inn. It's shorter to do that, but they miss the nice little section of the trail that I just described. Coming down the Sherburne Pass Trail, we reached the Inn at just after noon. By now, it was downright cool and breezy and we could tell that there was a whole new weather pattern that was finally taking over - very fall-like. My thinking was that we were going to have gorgeous weather for the next few days. We checked into the Inn, picked up our mail drop, and went up to our room, where we immediately took a nice hot shower. Did that ever feel good! After that, we went back downstairs to the Irish Pub. All of the thru-hikers who had been in Cooper Lodge the night before and who were fast asleep when we left this morning were already at the bar having drinks when we arrived. Those cheaters! Coming off of Killington, they took the short cut at Jungle Junction down the Sherburne Pass Trail directly to the Inn. Thru-hikers my _ss! We had only been there a moment when in walks Bulldog. We just seem to be running into him everywhere. We invited him to join us for lunch, which he did, and we sat there for awhile sharing stories and watching the Olympics on the big screen TV. Those Long Trail Ales were about the best thing I have ever tasted. After lunch we did our laundry and sat looking at the collection of picture books in the common room while we waited. The rest of the afternoon, we spent up on our room, getting our mail drop packed into our food bags and taking a nice nap before it was time to go back downstairs for dinner. Boy I'll tell you...this is one tough life out here. For dinner, we both ordered the Shepherds Pie and 2 more Long Trail Ales. They tasted just as good as the ones we had at lunchtime. Bulldog joined us again for dinner and we all had a very nice time sharing conversation and the ambiance of the Pub. Finally, we were just too tired to stay awake any longer, so we called it quits for the night and went upstairs to bed. This was a great place for us to stop. Even though we only spent 1/2 day and 1 night here, it made us feel very rested and re-energized for the rest of our trip. The weather forecast looks fantastic for the next several days, so I'm very excited to continue on tomorrow. Tomorrows destination...Stony Brook Shelter.