Date: 2015-07-07
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Inn at the Long Trail
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

For the past few days, my daily mission (per Shrugs' insistance) has been to peel off wandering slugs from our tent and gear. The invertebrate assault continues. It started off with the millepedes,e though they were easily dealt with. They had smooth bodies and would recoil from my touch and fold themselves into a compact ball to roll away. Then, there were the caterpillars. Some were hairy, some were squishy, some jumped out of trees - so, so many caterpillars, but they are all gone now. Now, we must face the slow-moving, slimy brigade of slugs. While they are interesting to look at, I am always discouraged by the trail of mucus they leave behind.Anyway, we woke up relatively early today. I was happy as today we had arranged to meet my Mom and Brother at the top of Mount Killington. They planned on driving 4 hours from Montr©al to Vermont and hiking the Trail southbound until we met. The shelter we stayed at was 10 miles from Mt Killington's summit. We hiked at a good pace, notwithstanding the steep and quite rugged terrain. Many fallen trees blocked our path and, at times, we had to grasp with our hands exposed tree roots to heave ourselves up. I was extremely nervous that the northside face of the mountain was as difficult as the southside as that would be highly unpleasant for my Mom and Bro to hike through. We arrived at the summit before schedule. There is an enclosed shelter at the top but, because of the summit's popularity with day hikers, it is trashed and frankly quite disgusting. There is a very steep 0.2 mile side trail leading up to a view so Shrugs and I dumped our packs to go see. We were almost at the top when, exhausted and out of breath, we both agreed to forget about the view and hike back down. The sky had become gray within the last hour and strong winds were blowing the trees, annoucing incoming rain. We knew we wouldn't see anything at the top, so why add any extra effort? Shrugs is particularly funny about this. While most people would agree that a thru-hike teaches one to actively pursue adventure, beauty and unique or even unsettling experiences, Shrugs seems immune to these lessons of the Trail. There is an awe-inspiring sight 0.1 mile off-trail? Not interested. Hell, I think Shrugs is even relunctant to turn his head to see something, as that would require too much effort.(I kid Shrugs a bit, I still like him a lot!)Having both agreed that the view of the rain clouds was uninteresting, we hiked down and, after 20 minutes or so, found my Mom and Bro! The first thing they said was that they could smell us a few minutes before seeing us. Mom and Bro had hiked up the Sherburne Pass side trail which eventually met the AT before Mt Killington's summit. It had begun to rain, so I was very glad that they not only had a nice hike up along a reasonable terrain, but they had a nice, clear view before the rain clouds settled overhead. We hiked down the AT for around 3 hours before arriving at the road. We drove to Rutland and, after dropping off a Long Trail hiker at a nearby hostel, went to resupply and eat supper. We drove back to the Inn at the Long Trail, an extremely hiker-friendly inn were Shrugs and I got a great, yet very cheap room (that my Mom super graciously paid for - thank you!). My Mom had brought our winter gear, so we switched out our summer stuff as we need warmer sleeping bags and clothes for hiking in the Whites (it has been really cool in the last few weeks anyway, so I am glad to have our winter equipement).Mom and Bro left shortly after to go back home. It did feel almost absurd to have to stay put when home was only a few hours' drive away, when home is really all that Shrugs and I long for now. It was very nice to see my family, but also strange. While we do communicate via text/e-mail, we still had not spoken to each other for 4 months. I felt like I had a million things to tell them, but they were only there for a few hours, and I didn't know what to say or, more precisely, how to describe coherently this life that I am living. One of the greatest difficulties is relating this adventure to non-hikers. It is physically the most exhausting experience I have endured and emotionally, it is a nuanced and complex issue. I can write in this journal full paragraphs about the sound of the wind shaking the leaves, the pure silence at night, the cold rain running down your neck, the hard rocks under your feet, the demanding climbs, the views that extend miles and miles ahead of you, the rich colors of a sunset, the extreme tiredness, lassitude, pain and joy you sometimes feel. But I cannot relate how it is to live these things every single day, how they accumulate and overwhelm you. How it is the best thing you can possibly do while disliking so much of it. I have lived in a parallel world for 4 months. My family and the rest of the world have continued on with their lives while I am stuck in a strange, secluded and timeless bubble. To many of them, the novelty of my thru-hike has worn off, it is a fait accompli, it was limited in time and space. However, to me, it is always a struggle, still an uncertainty, a self-imposed penitence, a terrible yet beautiful mistake.I was glad that my Mom and Bro could see a bit of the Trail today. They even had an hour or so of rain! They did really well (a 13 mile round-trip is quite a lot!) and I think it was an overall pleasant day. I found that this day flew by.I was also very thankful that Shrugs is here with me for this. Not only does his presence curb and limit any homesickness I might feel, but it is so important to have someone who understands what you think without your having to say a word.Oh, and the picture I posted? It is something that is so much more exciting than anything I could have witnessed from the top of Mt Killington.- Axon