Date: 2014-08-04
From: Cooper Lodge Shelter, Mile 1690.7

To: Winturri Shelter, Mile 1716.9
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: scattered clouds

There's a trail that leads from my tent site up to the top of Killington Mountain, but it was too late last night and this morning started in the fog. So I just hiked on down the AT.When I got to the intersection with the Sherburne Trail a couple of miles later, I was faced with a dilemma. The Sherburne Trail goes by the Pico Camp/Cabin and the Inn at Long Trail and rejoins the AT after it splits off from the Long Trial. I had heard from several folks about the Inn at Long Trail and wanted to see it, but it's about two miles shorter than taking the AT and I'd miss Maine Junction where the Long Trail continues north and the AT heads east. Since I was under a little pressure to get to Norwich by Tuesday, I didn't want to add the extra mile to take the AT around and hike down to the Inn from the other direction. I started down the Sherburne Trail a short distance at first, then turned around and continued on the AT. I had only gone a short distance when I decided that it was more important to add some variety to my hike, so I turned around again and went back and turned down the Sherburne Trail. (HYOH is a term often used by thru hikers and stands for Hike Your Own Hike.) I enjoyed seeing the old Pico Camp Cabin as I went by it. It was cool seeing the Inn at Long Trail, but since it was still very early in the morning, I didn't stop in. I thought I might get breakfast there, but it didn't look like anything was happening there. Nothing exciting, but no regrets on taking the "short cut!"Shortly after I rejoined the AT, Crusoe caught up with me and we hiked together to the Mountain Meadows Lodge, where I stopped and he hiked on. (Crusoe is the guy I met at the top of the mountain in middle VA with Lop Sang when they talked me into staying and watching the sunset before night hiking to the camp site. He was also carrying a watermelon to the camp site!) I thought I had read in my guide that the lodge served breakfast and lunch, and I had planned my food supply to eat there. I got there at 9:45 to find out they stopped serving breakfast at 9:30 and that they didn't serve lunch! I haven't got a lot of food left, but will have a couple of options tomorrow to get something to eat and resupply. While at the lodge, I met Uphill and Roots who had spent the night there. They are a young married couple who were both thru hiking until Roots injured her knee. Now she drives a car and supports Uphill as he continues to hike.I caught up with Crusoe at a road crossing where he was talking with a woman in a large van. It's Miss Janet! Miss Janet is famous among AT thru hikers for the hostel she used to operate in Erwin, TN. She closed it a few years ago and now follows the northbound bubble of hikers doing trail magic. I've met many hikers along the way this year who had benefitted from her kindness, but I hadn't met her yet. It was good to finally meet her! I also got a couple of sodas from her. :-) Miss Janet and CrusoeI hiked uphill with Crusoe for a while then stopped to take a break. He was in a hurry to catch up with Lop Sang who had left before him from the shelter where they stayed last night. As I was eating, checking email and making some calls, up the hill comes Lop Sang! Apparently Crusoe had passed her when she took a wrong turn earlier in the day. She continued on up the hill. A little while later I passed a Sobo who told me there was a moose just off the trail at the top of the next hill. Sure enough, there he was, about 25 feet away in a thicket of trees! Not a great photo op, but hopefully you can make out his head in the photo. Looking for Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Perhaps?I caught up with Lop Sang on one of the downhills and we hiked together for a while until we caught Crusoe taking a break at a road crossing. He had a fire going! Lop Sang cooked some black beans and shared them with me for my tortillas. Then Miss Janet drove up and I got another soda. I was a little concerned about not having enough food to make it to my next food sources tomorrow afternoon before getting to Norwich.I pressed on by myself. I stopped at the Lookout Cabin shelter to check out the view from a platform built on the top of the shelter above the tops of the trees. Pretty Awesome! I met Late Start and Snickers up there and we chatted a while. Late Start is a young man from NJ who works with teenagers who have psychiatric issues. Very noble mission. Great Views from the Top of Lookout CabinThey left and I chatted with Linda on the phone until two women section hikers climbed up. They were staying at the shelter that night. I needed to get going, so I didn't talk with them very much, but climbed on down and got hiking again. I got to the Winturri Shelter about 7:00. Sobo section hikers Goat and Jet Lag were there. They're doing Vermont on this trip. Spencer was also there, headed for the Long Trail. I ate most of the rest of my food, then set up my tent and went to bed. The trail conditions have been much nicer since the AT left the Long Trail and headed east to NH. I suspect it's due both to the nature of the mountains the Long Trail follows and its age. Someone told me the Long Trail was established in 1920, so it's had many years of erosion and hiker usage.