Date: 2010-08-06
From: Rutland

To: The Lookout Cabin!!!
Miles today: 0.0

07 Friday August ¢ 17.5 to The LookoutI¢m leaving early today. Wanted to start back at the US4 crossing and not taking the Sherburne pass. It¢s not so much that I¢m against blue blazing but that I can¢t say I¢m not a yellow blazer (which is worse). I¢d like to stay a little pure in intention. Mostly because I don¢t want to do it this early with two states left. Partially, because I know I¢d do it again if I did it once.The leaves are cold and wet this morning and no matter how I try I can¢t avoid their icy touch on my legs and arms. This is the Catamount cross-country ski trail but it seems pretty boring and flat for that. Against this section reminds me of Pearisburg with it¢s black soil and hedged trails. I¢m tempted to see the view from Deer Leap trail. It leads to the giant rocky overlook behind the Long Trail Inn. We watched as people climbed its sheer faced cliff all day yesterday. I decided not to do it based on the views probably diminished by the towns surrounding it. It would have been nice to get a clear view of Killington however. Passed the junction of the Long Trail and laughed that Stretcher and Tree were discussing whether to complete the LT in its entirety. I think it¢s pretty cool that I¢ve walked so close to Canada now! A little more than 160 miles away!I passed a state park with a whole village of campers, trailers, families, retirees and dogs. All of that, but not a single bit of trail magic despite my desperate look as I passed through. I kept hoping one of those smoky grills contained a freshly cooked breakfast! Not even a cup of coffee was offered and I was robbed of my imaginary trail magic. Kent Pond is a great spot for camping. I always see somewhere I would have rather stayed than the night before. At least until tonight or as selective memory would suggest.There was a group of hikers on a guided hike around the sparkling waters of Kent Pond. 10 of them! One asked me if my therm-a-rest was a yoga mat. I told her it could be if you wanted! The guy with her pointed out that I was a thru-hiker. I stopped at the lodges yard for a while and gawked at the overlook of the pond. I decided to stay there and dry out my tent from the nights torrential dew fall. I placed it on the bottom of a green canoe and sat on the small little dock projecting into the water. There was a small T-shaped pier with a baby maple tree inviting me for a swim! I feel it¢s to cold and pass up a refreshingly soggy morning for the boredom of dryness. I ate breakfast there while the guided hike leader described what their customers were observing. Stretcher and Hollywood came through. Stretcher died the same and dried his tent. We watched the mallard ducks and canoes on the surface of the water. When the begging ducks brought reinforcements it was time to leave.There was a decent waterfall called Thundering Falls. Captured by stairs and handrails and platforms and signs its beauty was diminished. The trail made a stark change on the uphill. It reminded me of the relentlessness of Snowbird Mountain after leaving the Smokey¢s. Stretcher and I blew through it in no time. Out of breathe a lot. I hear a loud cracking noise followed by falling branches. Stretcher was standing still and looking off into the distant woods to see an enormous branch fall to the ground nearby. I hiked the rest of the hill with one eye above my head. We caught Hot Foot and Tree on what they believed to be the summit. I had a feeling that we were on a false summit.We took a four hour break in the middle of nowhere. Kumquat would later joke about the break sites lack of appeal as she passed by us. We like it. There¢s a perfectly sized rotten soft log where 4 people can easily rest. We watched the wind blowing through the ashen colored trees. The greenness of the area kept me thinking that this is the way the world should look. Green everywhere! No concrete. Soft ground except for the rocks and hardwoods around us. I feel like I¢m right where I want to be. Rushing to stay with my friends was worth all the sore feet! I get so sick of flushing toilets and streetlights, cars and signs. I loved being in the middle of not much happening. It made me feel comfortable again. We decided to push on to Stony Brook a couple of times but we just sat there. Froze! I got up and left because I was thirsty.The summit was definitely hidden by several false ones. I knew we weren¢t done yet when I sat down with the boys. Lots of flat land followed by leg warpingly straight up hiking. The cool wind is perfect for today¢s assent. Not sweating at all. Progress stopped after finding a nice watering hole. The guys came up later as I was sitting on another log. They¢re all using bleach to treat their water now. I¢ve almost given up treating mine. If Rest Stop and Orbit can drink from the places they drank from¢¦there¢s nothing to worry about. It¢s all about luck or the lack thereof. Stopped at Stony Brook shelter and talked with Rabid, Safari, and Hollywood. Hollywood awkwardly sang a song about chopping the head off little bunnies. His voice was quiet and timid like he was being forced to sing the song. High in pitch like a child but softly with all the weirdness you can imagine. Pretty creepy and I felt bad for him afterwards because Rabid laughs at him like he was a carnival freak. Very odd situation! No one got Hollywood¢s humor and I got the biggest kick out of the uncomfortable feeling in the air afterwards. Eek!We met some SOBO and got the low down on water sources between Chateauquay Rd and The Lookout cabin we intended to reach for the night. There isn¢t a water source within 2 miles of the place so we¢ve got to carry it in. The SOBO would be slightly wrong about the water sources after the road. They were definitely viable water spots, and there were sources higher up the climb. It¢s funny how the trickle of water taunts you when you have 7lbs of water on your back. The guys left me in the dust because I was taking my sweet time. It¢s early and I wasn¢t concerned about making it.The Lookout farm cabin was pretty freaking awesome! There¢s a wooden ladder leading to a platform up on the steep A-frame roof. The foot boards bend and creak under your feet as you climb up the ladder. You see separating joints and loose nails between your shaking feet as you look down. It feels dangerous but then I got to see the most beautiful thing I¢ve seen on the trail! ( I say that a lot). I see the WHITES! It¢s got to be them! 2-3 days away. NH and it¢s huge! I couldn¢t take my eyes off them for a while, except to look down through the loose porch hanging on the edge of the cabin by little more than a few screws. I stand really still. This dwarfs the hills and rolling ridgelines of Vermont. I couldn¢t stop staring for 30 minutes. I couldn¢t speak! I¢m almost to the crown jewels of the AT!We went back and forth on whether we had the guts to cowboy camp on the platform. I¢m not but Hot Foot seems convinced about doing it. We all ate dinner and laughed as Kumquat read the first chapter of ¢A Little Bit Pregnant¢. Stretcher, Hot Foot, Tree and I giggled like school boys as the teacher read excerpts from the Dollar Tree smut shelf. It sounded like the main character was preparing to blow something up with all the explosive preparation the book described. I suggested that the character might be blowing up and abortion clinic which would make the title¢¦¢A Little Bit...Funny¢We bedded down after watching the sunset. I stayed up on the roof for hours. If it rains we¢re getting soaked. The cabin is missing so many shingles! It¢ll leak like a flower churn. Tree and Hot Foot are freezing in their current sleeping bags. The temperature isn¢t adequate for the cold nights.¢It might collapse¢ I tell everyone before going to sleep.