Date: 2007-07-23
From: Congdon Shelter, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: moderate rain

It got cold last night! The weatherman on my radio said that there was an unusual nor'easter bringing in chilly temperatures into the region. I've got a fifteen degree sleeping bag that I had zipped 3/4ths of the way up and wore a fleece hat just to stay warm.I was just a bit behind Rodney Dangertrail as we left the shelter area. He lives near Orlando, Florida and spoke for a while about the Trail in Maine and about how Mainers pride themselves on how difficult the Trail is there. Rodney says that they should make the Trail more family friendly to encourage hiking and tourism. He's a slow hiker, but sets his sights on traveling a minimum of twenty miles each day. I moved on ahead of him after a while since it is easier to keep my normal pace and to keep from shivering. If I go too fast, it wears me out, if I go too slow, I feel inefficient.After hiking almost four miles, I encountered a steep, rocky, descent to Vermont, Route 9. It took a while of careful maneuvering before I reached the road. I crossed over Route 9 and headed back up the mountain with the intention of making it another ten miles or so to Goddard Shelter on Glastenbury Mountain. It was going to be a difficult day.By the time I was about a half-mile north of the road crossing, I just got this overwhelming feeling that made me feel like I just couldn't or shouldn't go on. I could not figure out if this was a voice inside my head that was truly alerting me about a premonition of something bad that was going to happen or if this was just an internal voice of discouragement telling me to quit and give up that I should ignore. After standing still for a few minutes, a couple of hundred feet above the road and a ways beyond the trail crossing with it, chilled from the perspiration and the cool morning air, I was at a point where I had to make a decision. I could continue up and to my destination for the day or I could make an unscheduled stop in Bennington. I was just feeling like I could not physically go on. I was tired, and honestly, tired of the Trail. With this state of mind, I basically lost my incentive and desire to continue today. I believed if I continued hiking when my heart, mind, and body wasn't into it that it could jeopardize my safety since all of those factors combined took a toll on my strength. I decided to go back down to the road leading into Bennington, Vermont, hitch a ride into town, get cleaned up, get the mud off my clothes, get a good meal and stay in town overnight while I sorted out what to do next. I was fortunate enough to get a ride into town in less than one minute from the second vehicle that came up the road, headed towards Bennington. The driver's name was Robert. He had done some extensive backpacking in the U.S. and in other countries, but had never completed the Appalachian Trail. He did, however, assist with helping a friend complete the Appalachian Trail a few years ago. He also mentioned that he and his wife were moving to Asheville, North Carolina, as soon as their house sells. He dropped me off at the Autumn Inn and I thanked him for the ride.Before the morning was over, I got some things done as I hoped, found a place for lunch, then took a nap. I started to wonder if I was fighting a cold that may have been contributing to my fatigue.I hope that tomorrow is a better day as I try my best to hang in there.