Date: 2007-07-27
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: few clouds

(Erin) We left the shelter at 8:00 with a bunch of hikers that we had been chasing for weeks. In the last few days people have been stopping in towns that we have been skipping so we have caught up to many people. Today the town coming up was Manchester Center, VT, so everyone but us was stopping in town. We did the 2.8 miles to the road and then kept going on the other side. The miles went quickly and we were rewarded with some trail magic at the road side. Coolers with sodas, fruit, and Snicker bars for us to snack on. We crossed the busy road into a parking lot where we saw Mountain Squid (a former hiker we met in Kent, CT driving hikers around town). We kept hiking to the Bromley Shelter and then one more mile to the top of Bromley Mountain (3260¢). We even walked right up a green ski trail, which I thought was very cool. The grass on the trail was over my head but it was easy to tell that it was a ski trail. We reached the top of the mountain and took a break in the warming hut that the ski patrol leave unlocked for hikers. Inside there was a phone where I couldn¢t help but call my parents to tell them where we were. Outside the windows we could see a big chair lift and other signs marking trails. Very cool. Will also called his mom to ask her if she could pick us up at 6:00 instead of 6:30 and to let her know that we were on schedule. The weather on top of the mountain was calm and semi clear, it was hazy in the distance but nothing we thought we needed to worry about. We hiked another few miles to Styles Mountain (3395¢) and the weather was still nice, breezy good hiking weather. We hiked down and back up again to Peru Peak and the weather started to change in a matter of seconds. A loud crack of thunder hit just before the peak which got us to stop and put our pack covers on. Within seconds the rain started to fall and then to pour. It only lasted 10 minutes or so and then the storm passed. We reached the shelter soaked and the weather changed again, becaming nice. The storm hadn¢t even hit the shelter so the area was still dry, we stopped for lunch and I tried to dry my soaked shoes and socks in the sun. Leaving the shelter we had 6 more miles to get to the next shelter for the night. We passed by a caretaker for the Griffin Pond area and just after passing the rain picked up and a HUGE crack of thunder hit right over our heads. It was enough to make my brain and ears rattle and scare the crap out of me. We ran back to the caretakers tent where we sat, trying to wait out the storm before hiking over the exposed summit of Baker Peak. After waiting for 30 minutes we decided to make a run for it and get over the mountain. On the way we were both praying as we ran through the muddy stream that had formed on the trail. We ran through the woods in the pouring rain as fast as we could and eventually the rain stopped and the thunder and lighting moved on so we were able to hike over the exposed summit with no problems. Once over the peak we had a little over 3 miles to get to the planned shelter for the night. We passed by one shelter that had been burned down in 2006 and then a shelter that was a mile off the trail. We went the last .2 miles to the next shelter where the people already there had a fire going. It was great to stand around the fire while we cooked dinner quickly before going to bed. The river next to the shelter was very swollen from all of the rain and we had set our tent up right next to it. It was hard to even hear each other with the river's sound drowning us out. Now we are in our tent all dry and looking forward to getting picked up tomorrow!! Life Lessons: 1. A little prayer can go a long way. 2. You can have more than one big storm in a single afternoon and they can sneak up without warning. 3. Going forward might not always be the smartest option. 4. Lightning can actually rattle your brain.