Date: 2017-08-05
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Tucker-Johnson camping area on the Long Trail
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I was listening to Hamilton while climbing Killington. You know that choked-up feeling that can happen with crying? Totally happened during "Stay Alive" and "It's Quiet Uptown." I could feel my throat closing, making it more difficult to breathe, and I thought, "Oh my God, I'm gonna pass out, not because of an asthma attack or a heart attack, but a freaking Hamilton attack."No more hiking and crying to Hamilton! It's dangerous!But seriously, I HAVE to listen to it for the Whites in particular, since at least 4 characters have place names associated with them! I have to sing Lafayette's lines while summiting Lafayette. :-)I'm not an emotionally closed off person to begin with and long-distance hiking just brings all your emotions to the forefront. Hence the fact that Hamilton keeps making me cry even though I've seen the musical, I've listened to the soundtrack a million times, I know what's going to happen!With the exception of the two songs that will have you bawling like a weirdo on the mountaintop, Hamilton is an excellent soundtrack for hiking. It's really fast, it has a catchy beat, it takes a while to memorize all the lyrics, and the next time you fall on a bunch of rocks, you can just sing, "Hercules Mulligan! I need no introduction! When you knock me down I get the **** back up again!"Whike hiking up the summit, I ran into the two Germans, Ice Cream and Memories. Seeing them reminded me to take off my ear buds and listen. It was so quiet! It was amazing, you couldn't hear any birds. You couldn't hear any people. You couldn't hear any cars, you couldn't hear any water moving, no bugs, it was just very, very faint wind in the distance, and that's it. I actually made an audio recording of it, which seems funny, as the lack of sound was the main thing!So here's how today played out. I have a room booked at Mountain Meadows Lodge tomorrow in Killington - my first time indoors in a week! I wanted to roll in early in the day to do a nero, but I was hiking ahead of schedule. If I didn't stop, I'd hit it a day early. Everyone else was going into Rutland to stay at the Yellow Deli (which is run by a cult, I've been told? The Twelve Tribes). I suspected it would be crowded and noisy, and I didn't want to break my 7 day stretch, especially the night before having a room. So I went to a campsite just off the AT, on the Long Trail (the two trails split off here). I figured there wouldn't be many people, since everyone goes to Rutland. I didn't expect it would only be me. :-)Is this my only night on the AT this year sleeping alone? No wonder I feel a little jittery! And what a difference from my first year on the AT, when I had several nights alone in shelters.So I did the thing I always do when I get in early / need some distraction / want a break from mosquitoes. Built a fire! (side note: you might wonder if hot chocolate and chili mac pair well for dinner. The answer is yes.)Tangent about Ice Cream's name - he got it because his goal is to try as many Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors as possible while he's here, since they only have limited flavors in Germany. I asked what his favorite so far has been, and he said Phish Food. I asked if he knew what Phish was - he didn't. So I educated a German about the band Phish. My job here is done. :-) You're welcome, Cousin Brian.