Date: 2004-08-20
From: New shelter 

To: Killington, VT -- The Inn at Long Trail 
Miles today: 11.4

This is thru-hiker tradition: a stay at The Inn. It's a great inn and I'm glad we've landed here. This is the first ski lodge in Vermont, built in 1939. It has an Irish pub atmosphere and feels very dry!We chose the new shelter .2 mile off the trail last night as the shelter on the AT is right alongside a gravel road. That shelter has acquired a reputation as a local hangout, a favorite sport being tossing beer bottles out towards the sleeping hikers inside and then speeding off in vehicles or ATVs. Didn't sound very welcoming to us. Now this newer shelter exists, built by a family on their private property for use as an alternative. We are extremely grateful -- thank you.Joining us in camp were Matt from Canada, a Long Trail SOBO, and a father and two sons. Ursa was in the shelter; Blue and I tented. I excused myself from socializing so I ccould journal. Falling behind by even a day makes it very difficult to recall the day's hike and my mood and mindset at day's end. It's probably obvious which days I fell behind: the entries are shorter and void of emotional content, becoming a dull report of events and views.I would like to report on my new gear, however -- marvelous! The shoes are a good fit both to my feet and the trail. I cannot sludge through mud holes as I did with boots but when wet, these dry much faster. They are lightweight, seem to have sufficient traction and the wider width in the toebox has served to minimize the tingling under my toes and balls of my feet. An added benefit is I can throw them in the washing machine!My GoLite bag is lighter -- noticeably lighter -- and I'm one delighted Swan. It certainly feels different, but it rides well. With some tweaking of the fit and experimenting with the packing it should get progressively better. My only concern is reports of GoLite bags ripping at the seams. But I've also heard that many of these 30-pound limit bags were packed with 35 pounds. I must be very attentive to that small detail when I receive my winter gear.The past couple weeks I have attempted to slow my hiking pace. I've forced myself to lag behind instead of zoom ahead of my hiking partners. That, I believed, would help prevent ankle and leg pain. It did -- somewhat. But it is a compromise. I still end up hiking right on their heels and thus my eyes are glued to the trail. Indeed, one day I felt woozy from looking downward all day long. I also miss seeing the entire forest and lose that glorious spaciousness opening ahead of me.Consequently, the past few days I've allowed my energy to take over and once again I'm out in front. I do try to slow my pace, I take time to photograph anything that draws my attention, I pause in an effort to spot the birds serenading me, and I get lost in my own little world. Ursa and Blue are never too far behind and I always wait at a major intersection, shelter etc. Any nasty rocky challenge also is a cause for waiting to ensure a safe descent/ascent/crossing by all.Rain fell again last night. It was tempting to stay in the tent for a while longer but Blue set her alarm for 6:00, knowing I like to be on the trail early when going into town. That gives us more down time for resting after chores. Indeed, she was up and packing by 6:15. So I had to arise too. My watch read 7:15 and we snuck out of camp leaving everyone else cozy and warm.Killington Peak was our first destination. Here, in 1763, the state was christened "Verd-mont", French for Green Mountain. The summit offers a panoramic view of five states and the southern provinces of Canada, or so my handbook says. You couldn't prove it by me. We got another glorious close-up view of clouds! Blue and I left Ursa at the Cooper Shelter as we climbed the very rocky blue-blazed trail .2 mile to the summit. Shrouded in fog, open to the winds, the peak made me feel I was in another world. We maneuvered our way through a small patch of woods to where the ski lift gondola was operating. Several mountain bikers disembarked to begin their adventurous ride down the mountain. We found the Killington snack bar/restaurant, purchased three irresistible chocolate-macadamia nut brownies and returned to Cooper to find Ursa shivering. It was time to descend to a lower elevation, a town, and maybe even some sunshine! Some would call us silly to make a steep blue-blazed climb to a foggy cloudy vista but it was great fun and I'm glad we did. Oh -- and the brownies were delectable!We yogi'd a ride from Al and Alice, checked in, cleaned up, flagged a bus for a ride into town for our maildrop, and have just returned to our rooms after a nice meal in the pub.Tomorrow morning requires a second trip to town to mail our bounce box and resupply the food bags before we can hit the trail for a short 10-mile day.It's good to be dry.