Date: 2016-07-22
From: Summit of Mt. Killington 

To: Campsite at the Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 6.3

Jul 22, 2016 - After 5 long days in a row, the three of us agreed we deserved a reward day. As a result, our ambitious plans were to hike 6.3 miles to Route 4 and Brew Blaze all day. And that is exactly what we did. We descended the steep trail from the Killington peak and quickly finished our 6 miles. We caught a hitch from Matthias into the city of Rutland, VT. Since the Hop'n Moose Brewing Company didn't open until noon, Great P, Peach and myself walked into Clem's for a breakfast burrito and, quite unexpectedly, a couple beers. After breakfast, we stood outside the brewery and waited for it to open. Noon came and went, but no one came to unlock the door or flip the 'Closed' sign around. Puzzled, we waited nearly 15 minutes until a couple simply walked up, opened the door and walked inside. Needless to say, we felt pretty dumb. The brewery was pretty good and offered at least 10 different varieties of beer including cider for Great P. However, the bartender was horrible and was the reason we ended up leaving after only an hour. We walked down the street towards Route 4 in the hopes of getting a hitch to the Inn at Long Trail, but were sidetracked by the BK Lounge where I slaughtered their dollar menu by ordering 20 nuggets and a spicy chicken sandwich. A woman named Carol finally gave us a ride (hitching has been a little harder up here) and we were dropped off at the Inn at Long Trail, a famous hiker destination. The Inn was actually built in the early 1900s as a lodge for the Green Mountain Trail Club where they could rest after performing trail maintenance.So, the Inn was literally built for hikers. The AT used to run right through the Inn, but the government eventually moved the trail a half mile west to government owned lands. It's a shame seeing as the Inn was a valuable piece of history for both the AT and the LT. At the Inn, we met Lucky, Lolly and Cal who were nice enough to buy us our first round. They had actually gotten engaged at the top of Mt. Killington and celebrated the same night at the Inn at Long Trail. After a beer, Peach and I (Great P didn't feel like going) started trying to hitch 11 miles east to the Long Trail Brewery (I never realized the brewery was named after the actual Long Trail). It took us nearly an hour and 3 separate hitches to make it there, but, thankfully, it was worth it. The brewery was nestled at the bottom of a ridge line and next to a river - this made sitting out on the deck a very nice experience. Eventually, we started to make our way back to the Inn - Yogi'ing in the parking lot was unsuccessful so we were forced to hitch on Route 4. We were picked up by a professional fisherman who drove us all the way back. The bartender handed me a pub menu that playfully offered hiker foods such as Ramen, tortillas, instant coffee, etc. After realizing it was a joke, I ordered the nachos and a hot dog and continued sharing beers with Lucky, Lolly, Ben, Piper, Sara, and Old Toe. We all drank until about 10 while we listened to a live Irish band called Shakespeare in the Alley. The day was a resounding success and I had 2 more brewery stickers to show for it. I retired and walked back across the street to my tent.