Date: 2018-12-04
From: County Road 

To: Mass Rt. 2
Miles today: 7.2

Yep, I did it! I decided to go back and finish up Vermont! With help from Dave Ackerson I was able to split this last 14 miles into two days.  Papa Big Swig put it into 4 wheel drive as we went past that same cute little cottage we saw a few days ago. We made it a bit further this time, and were gifted to see a BIG owl on our way up there. I had no choice. If I¢m going to do this I will have to walk 1.4 miles up this snowy road to the trail. So armed with my new snowshoes I put one foot in front of the other.  Papa Big Swig and I had spent the morning packing things up for a move back to the last hotel we were at. So I didn¢t get out of the SUV until 10:30 this morning. I stepped my first snowshoe on trail at 11:18am.  In the beginning the snow was about 18 inches deep. Come on snowshoes do your job! There was definitely a learning curve to ¢hiking¢ in snowshoes. For example, crossing a bog on a single 2X4 is tricky...and snowshoes are extra heavy when covered with bog!  Once I figured out the 2X4¢s, I spent my first couple of hours truly enjoying the snow!  I helped several bent over little trees break free from the frozen ground. I do enjoy watching them stand back up tall. In typical Blue Raccoon fashion I wished each one well as I walked away and said ¢you¢re welcome¢. It really didn¢t take long for me to grow a healthy appreciation for my snowshoes! I can¢t believe how much fun they are! The temperature was below freezing so there was a little crust on top of the snow. I just had a blast! Many thanks to Hat Lady for recommending them! I saw a lot of deer tracks again today. For at least 2 miles a deer was on the A.T. I followed the same tracks around every twist and turn. I¢ve seen this plenty of times. It makes sense that the trail would be easiest to travel on when the snow is so deep, but how do they know it¢s there? Nature is amazing. I came across several unusual rock formations today. Basically they were very large square-ish boulders about the size of a pick-up truck resting on several small bowling ball sized boulders. I¢m not sure how many I saw, but they were unique. When I found a butt sized boulder I stopped for lunch. I started thinking of Papa Big Swig. I am so blessed. Here I am on the sit-upon he rush ordered for me when I lost my last one. I¢m eating the protein snack pack he picked up for me, and wearing the snowshoes he made sure I had. The list is endless. I had 0.3 miles UP from my lunch rock to the Vermont/Massachusetts border. I laughed because I still have an 11 miles gap to fill in of Vermont! Just as I was about to reach the border I received a text from Papa Big Swig. He congratulated me for reaching 2000 miles! Wow I¢ve hiked 2000 miles! Suddenly I felt emotional. I¢m not sure why I cried, but I did. It was all downhill from the border. As I went lower the snow thinned out to just a light dusting. With 1.4 miles left I took off my snowshoes. I hiked beside a flowing creek about a mile of that. At 4:38pm I had to turn my headlamp on. It seems to get dark earlier and earlier. My headlamp took me the rest of way out. Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?