Date: 2017-08-17
From: VT 140/Wallingford, VT (Burlington, VT)

To: Governor Clement Shelter Tent Site
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

8/17VT 140/Wallingford, VT (Burlington, VT) to Governor Clement Shelter Tent Site13.4 milesTotal miles:  1690.2I woke up this morning fifteen minutes before my 5:45 alarm, got dressed, and did my final packing. After thanking Julia and giving these two dear friends a chance to say goodbye, I left with Becky for the bus stop. There was no established fee for the twenty minute ride across Burlington to the airport, but the driver worked it out so Becky could ride with me in the bus and not have to take a taxi. As I knew it would, the time we were together flew by.  We had a wonderful time both on and off trail, and I'm so happy she was able to share a part of my journey with me. A huge thank you to Becky's friend, Julia, for putting us up in her apartment and sharing the time with us. I had an uneventful, restful ride back to Wallingford through the rolling Vermont countryside.  The weather was cool and sunny, perfect for getting back on the trail. The taxi arrived right on time to take me to the trailhead. Upon arrival, I knew I was going to be delayed a bit in my start. Trail magic!  Jeboots started a thru hike with a friend back in April, but was forced to give up the hike due to her friend's injuries. She decided to drive to Vermont from Florida to provide surprise trail magic to hikers she had befriended while on the trail. She was also sharing her kindness with the rest of us as well. I enjoyed a banana and an orange along with a can of Coke and a bag of cheese crackers.  She urged me to take extra with me, but my pack was already full with four days of food. I stayed and chatted for a few minutes but then got going, since I was getting such a late start. The AT often leaves a road via a steep hill, and this was no exception. I traveled maybe a tenth of a mile to a parking area for day and section hikers.  As I entered the parking lot I was met by Sammy the dog, along with Mary and Mike, who were providing, you guessed it, Trail Magic. Their son had thru hiked in 2012, and they were paying forward by providing fresh vegetables, wonderful homemade cookies, and drinks. I ate fresh broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes with ranch dressing, drank a cold bottled water, and several of the delicious cookies. Mike coached baseball for many years and was sporting an Expos cap. We discussed baseball for awhile, and I told them about seeing the Lake Monster game last night. Although my pack was already heavy, Mary had no trouble convincing me to take some extra cookies with me.  Some hiker back in Virginia told me that Trail Magic dried up as you went north, but that hasn't been my experience at all. Kind, giving people live everywhere. Thank you, Jeboots, Mike, and Mary for being the Trail Angels that you are (you, too, Sammy!).  Full of human (and canine) kindness and cookies, I returned to the trail. I initially hiked up Bear Mountain  (I'm guessing every state with mountains has one called Bear) which was rather steep, but the trail was good. After the descent, I walked through an area that reminded me of home. This must be the area that Milk Shake told me abour, since I could have been on the Ozark Trail in Missouri. I then crossed Clarendon Gorge via a suspension bridge that was dedicated to a hiker who had lost his life crossing near this spot years ago. There were two very steep ascents out of Clarendon Gorge,  one a rock scramble and the other a dirt trail. I find I prefer the rock scrambles because they are more interesting and you can step up from rock to rock. The steep dirt ascents require leaning forward on tiptoe and pushing forward with legs and poles. Either way, I made it to the top of each and continued on my way.  Both ascents offered slightly different views of the Rutland airport below.I passed a sign on a tree about a mile from Governor Clement Shelter, announcing that I was 500 miles from Katahdin. In some ways it feels like I just started and in others like I've been on the trail forever.  Perhaps because this entire experience is just so different from anything else I have ever done. Whatever it is, I know I'll just keep walking until I reach that final white blaze. I reached Governor Clement Shelter right at 7:00. I thought about pushing on a few more miles since I want to get to Hanover to meet up with Dustin in a few days. The next possible tenting area I could find in the guidebook was still four miles away, so I decided to camp and get an early start tomorrow.  I'm glad I did, as I was required to use my headlamp earlier than I expected to finish my outdoor chores. It was too dark to see just a bit after 8:00. I was in my sleeping bag by 9:00 and plan on getting up early.  Rain is in the forecast, and I hope to be on the trail before it begins, and I hope to cover some pretty good miles tomorrow. I usually sleep for a few hours before writing my journal (it is presently 2:46 am), but this evening I tried to take some notes and do my journal before my initial sleep.  Here are my notes (as best as I can decipher them): "Up early/bus/breakfast -- Got to station, oatmeal luggage isn't how she imitated. It's who owls at night. Thieves --"  I guess I'll continue getting those first few hours of sleep after all. I can't have someone stealing my "who owls" or my "oatmeal luggage," even if she isn't imitating it.