Date: 2008-08-20
From: Long Trail Inn

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up at about 6:30 this morning, showered, and went downstairs for breakfast. Bulldog came in shortly after and joined us at the next table along with another young hiker who is doing the Long Trail. After breakfast, we said goodbye to Bulldog and wished him well in case we didn't run into him again. We went back up to our room, got everything packed up, checked out of the Inn, and were back on the trail by about 8:30. It was a nice clear, cool day today and unlike most other days on the trail, we started getting some views. We walked the 1/2 mile back up the Sherburne Pass Trail to the junction of the AT and then headed north. Just before we got to Griffith Woods State Park, we ran into the Long Trail hiker who had sat with Bulldog for breakfast. He sheepishly admitted to us that when he got to the AT/Sherburne Pass Trail junction, he mistakenly headed north on the AT instead of going back south to Maine Junction. He had walked over a mile in the wrong direction before he realized his mistake. We walked through Griffith Woods State Park and smelled the bacon cooking in a few campsites as we headed down the park road towards Rt 100. Crossing Rt 100, we came into a parking area and didn't see the trail sign, so we took a left thinking the trail must pick up in that direction. This was a mistake, but it was a nice mistake. We walked down the access road to Kent Pond, where we sat at a picnic table looking at our map trying to figure out where the trail picked up. A man in a pickup truck drove up after a few minutes so I asked him if he knew where the trail was, and he pointed us back in the right direction. We were supposed to have turned right when we got into the lot. Oh well, no harm done. Getting back on the trail, we skirted around Kent Pond, arriving at the dam on the other side of the pond. Passing by the dam, we came to an open field where the Mountain Meadows Inn is located. We didn't stop here, but later on during our hike, we spoke to some other hikers who stopped here and raved about it. In about another mile, we crossed a road and then descended down to Thundering Falls. Apparently there used to be a road walk on this section of the trail, but now the trail just crosses the road and goes back into the woods and down to Thundering Falls, before crossing the flood plain of the Ottauquechee River on a newly constructed boardwalk. Crossing River Rd on the other side of the boardwalk, we re-entered the woods and climbed pretty steeply for awhile on the way to Quimby Mt. We stopped for lunch under some power lines where there was a decent view looking back towards Killington. When we arrived at the shelter at about 1:30, Bulldog was there having lunch along with a couple of other thru-hikers. We sat with them in the shelter and traded stories for awhile before they all continued along the trail. Bulldog said he was going to try for the Winturi Shelter, which is about another 10 miles further. After they all left, Ann & I had the shelter to ourselves, so we walked back behind the shelter and found a nice flat spot for our tent. We knew we wouldn't be alone for long, so we wanted to stake out our campsite early. For the rest of the afternoon, we just relaxed in the tent, playing cards, reading, and napping. Little by little, thru-hikers started to arrive, and by 7:00pm, the shelter was full and all of the campsites were taken. For dinner, we cooked another yummy potfull of dehydrated spaghetti and sauce with dehydrated carrots. I've got to say, we've been eating quite well on the trail with all of the dehydrated food that we prepared ahead of time. After dark, the thru-hikers who were staying in the shelter got a campfire going and started singing songs to the accompaniment of one hikers ukulele, which he was carrying with him. Ann and I chose to relax in our tents and get some sleep. Today was a really nice day. The weather has definitely changed for the better and it appears it will remain perfect for the rest of our hike...only 3 more days.