Date: 2017-05-19
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Killington Motel
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night it rained until 2 or 3 in the morning. I know it was done by 3 because that's when I got up to pee and I noticed that the sky was clear the stars were very bright. I could see the Big Dipper almost directly overhead slightly to the west. So this morning I got up feeling really rested at about 5:15 when I heard the birds and Jag Happy starting to move around. Foxtrot was also up and the two of them were all set and ready to go about a half an hour before I was. I took my time and had some nut fortified oatmeal, a Pop Tart and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Then I got underway probably around 6:40. This morning's climb would be up Killington about 4 miles of relatively gradual ascent, up an additional 1900 feet from our base elevation of 1906 feet. The peak of Killington itself, should I choose to climb the additional .2 miles off the trail to see it, would be at a little over 4200 feet, making it Vermont's second highest peak next to Mount Mansfield.After about a mile and a half of this climb, I checked and found that I was now getting one or two bars of cellular service so I slowed my pace so that I could use one hand so my phone can upload yesterday's Trail Journal to get today's started.Shortly after 9 o'clock I made it to the Cooper Lodge near the top of Killington. The shelter was trashed and there was no log book. I guess this location is too easily accessible to the ski slope, so lots of folks come here just to party. I chased a squirrel out of the pile of trash inside the shelter and then moved on. I found an access trail to the top of Killington near the privy and followed it to the top of a chair lift where I took a couple of pictures and then continued up a well constructed wooden catwalk of stairs with railings until I got to the top of the main lift for the clinic ski area. (photos) Even found another catwalk, this one older and all constructed of iron, that lead further up into the woodline, so I followed it. It transitioned into a normal hiking trail along which I saw a number of markers indicating points on a nature walk, one announcing location of a wood squirrel and another highlighting some form of weathering. At that location, instead of continuing to follow the trail, I broke off and climbed through some bushes and over some rocks to get to the actual Summit of Killington more quickly. There I took some more pictures and when I had walked around to the actual open rocky top of the mountain, I paused and took a video in order to capture the sound of the wind (very powerful) blowing through the tower at the top of the mountain and the trees around it. I didn't stay there long, not because of the wind or the height, but rather because I didn't want to be cooked by the microwaves coming out of the massive antenna located about 20 feet away. So I climbed back down to the shelter, paused to update my Trail Journal and had a snack before moving on. Intended to take on more water at the upcoming water source.When I got up this morning, I noticed a small patch of skin on front of my left shoulder appeared to have a patterned rash. From the look of it I thought that this was an irritation caused by the webbing on the inside of the shoulder strap of my backpack. I recalled having had something similar on my shins in my first week of hiking on the trail and previously during preparatory training. When I had consulted my Doctor the allergist told me it was nonallergic urticaria. She said no one really knows exactly what triggers it, it could be body heat and pressure in combination with moisture from sweating softening the skin. With my shins I had learned that my skin seems more sensitive to my synthetic socks when my body temperature was elevated. I didn't think much of the rash on my shoulder at the moment and just dressed. However,after I left the Cooper Lodge shelter and continued northbound on the trail that rash on my left shoulder became increasingly irritating and distracting. I began to notice a similar irritation on my left shoulder. I tried re-positioning the shoulder straps of my backpack, but it didn't seem to help much. I also noticed a general sense of tightening and discomfort in my esophagus. Eventually, around 11 o'clock I stopped because I was becoming concerned that this situation might evolve into a more systemic allergic reaction which could be dangerous. I took off the synthetic Army 10 Miler shirt I had worn yesterday and this morning. It was damp, so I applied hydrocortisone to the irritated skin and put on my smartwool-based layer long sleeve shirt. I also took another Allegra antihistamine in addition to the one I had taken earlier in the morning. I put my backpack on again and tightened the waistband all the way up so I would carry most of the weight on my hips. I left the chest strap disconnected and wore the shoulder strap lower around the upper part of my biceps and I continued hiking slowly.I stopped at the Churchill Scott shelter which is about 400 feet off the trail. There I had a peanut butter and jelly tortilla for lunch and I applied some more hydrocortisone to the irritated spot on my left shoulder. I also pulled out a lightweight hiking towelette and the complimentary sewing kit I had picked up at I think the Holiday Inn in North Adams Massachusetts. With the sewing kit I was able to fasten the towelette on the inside of the left shoulder strap in a way that should help better distribute the weight of the pack more evenly than the mesh webbing of the shoulder strap itself. I also adjusted my ankle gaiters as I was feeling a similar irritation around the top of them where they rub against my legs. I drank some water and then I got underway again.I hiked the few miles down to where the trail crosses Route 4 and encountered a sign that explained that the Appalachian Trail has been rerouted. The old trail in Killington is now referred to as the Sherburne Trail. And the new Appalachian Trail is routed through public lands that will forever be protected and blah blah blah. The net effect is that the trail no longer passes The Inn at Long Trail. I could tell that two miles further up I could Branch off of the new Trail and take the Sherburne Trail a mile down hill back to The Inn at Long Trail, but I didn't feel like doing that. Instead, I hiked through past the point at which the Long Trail splits and goes Northwest and the Appalachian Trail goes Northeast and then passed the Sherburne Trail and eventually came to the Gifford Park campsite which is really nice and very close to Kent Pond (photos). About a half-mile later, the trail came to the Mountain Meadows Lodge which is situated in a really nice spot on the shore of Kent Pond. Unfortunately the lodge was fully booked up for a wedding party. So I had to keep going. I hiked out to Thundering Brook Road. On the way I called both the Killington Motel and The Inn at Long Trail. The Inn I discovered is closed until next Friday the 26th of May.I walked a mile from the trailhead at Thundering Brook Road up to Route 4 and then back toward the Killington Resort Access Road. Just past the access road I came to the Killington post office so I went in, purchased an envelope, and mailed the key to Room 11 back to Pete and Alan at the Catamount Motel along with a thank you note and my apologies for forgetting to give it back to them previously. I then walked next door to the Killington Motel and checked in.After getting a nice shower and changing, I walked back over to the office at the Killington Motel and the owner Robin give me a cup of coffee and I chatted with her for almost an hour about hiking and my assignments in the Army. Then I went next door to the Killington Deli to inquire about getting a ride to a nearby restaurant. Evidently there are plenty of restaurants only about 2 miles away. However, today there was no Uber service and I couldn't find a taxi even with the assistance of three employees of the deli. I didn't feel like walking 2 miles, so I went back to my room at the Killington Motel and ordered for delivery from Yoshi Sushi which was recommended to me by one of the ladies at the deli. I ordered egg rolls, steamed dumpling, a small wonton soup, and Szechuan chicken.I plan to eat that, get a good night's rest followed by breakfast at the Killington Motel, and then get back on the trail in the morning.