Date: 2016-06-13
From: Green Mountain House, Manchester, VT

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

I slept incredibly well last night, and was grateful that Magoo and NOWA had not managed to wake me up during their packing. They were leaving an hour before me, at 7 rather than 8. I went downstairs, where I found the remains of breakfast. I was not sure if the leftover pancakes and eggs were for me or Flash, so I cooked up my own pancakes. Mine looked tastier anyways. I enjoyed them with syrup and some cut up apples and bananas that I believe NOWA got yesterday. I packed up all my laundry and my food, and then it was time to go. Jeff and I drove up through the cloudy morning, and as we approached the trailhead, it began to rain. There was no rain predicted and none on the radar: I am betting some strange weather system was just hanging around Bromley mountain and dumping rain. Anyways. I set off at just about 8:20 into the cold and wet. I was not happy, thinking about how I could just be waiting it out at the hostel or something. I stopped into Bromley shelter and sat there for about 45 minutes waiting for it to let up and for me to cheer up. Both did, to a certain extent. The rain became lighter and I texted Ali for a bit, which put me in a better mood. The night before I left for Georgia, Ali gave me a letter that said "For a day when you really need it." I came closer to opening it than I have so far yet this trip today. But even just remembering I have that letter makes me feel quite a bit better. I know that she is still thinking of me and loving me even though we're apart right now. I was in a slightly better mood up and over Bromley. No views to be had today. The rain had pretty much stopped by the time I summited Styles Peak. I passed Hair Bear earlier than I thought I would and he explained why; he got turned around at the top of Bromley and followed a ski trail down for a half mile. Yeesh. We both pulled into the Peru Peak shelter and ate lunch there together. I moved on to Baker Peak, where the clouds had finally parted, and the cliffs there made for one of my favorite views I've had all trip! I could see up and down the Valley of Vermont for miles and miles, and I felt as though I was truly in the mountains for the first time since Virginia. It was then a long and muddy descent to Big Branch Shelter, where I stayed last year. I took a decent break there and chose not to push on past Little Rock Pond, in just over three miles. The first mile out of Big Branch is one of the worst-maintained I've seen, full of slick rock jumbles, mud, roots, and with a full-on river running down it at one point. It improved drastically past a forest access road up to Little Rock Pond. I listened to Arcade Fire's album "Reflektor" just about all the way through before rolling into the shelter. I was surprised to find the shelter already with a number of people, among them NOWA, Roller (whom I met at Rausch Gap) and a group of five girls just out of high school who are sectioning most of the Long Trail together. Along with them were three girls just out of college and a father with his daughter who cannot be older than 12. It was a lot to come into. But fortunately, many people are tenting, so I've got lots of room next to NOWA down on a lower bunk. Hair Bear never showed up. I hope he's alright. He might've gone on to Greenwall. The girls packed too much food, and Roller and I gladly and greedily took tortillas and chocolate and carrots off of their hands over the course of the evening. One girl had brought a ukelele, and many of them have nice voices, and we sang for a bit. My favorite was when she played Oliver James by Fleet Foxes, one of my favorite bands. Without cell reception, I caught up on my journaling, which had fallen woefully behind. Tomorrow I plan to make it 12 miles to lunch at Qu's Whistlestop, and then a few more to Governor Clement Shelter. It's quite a cold night, but the weather is supposed to change in our favor tomorrow.