Date: 2007-08-25
From: Campsite near Deerfield River

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

August 25, Stratton Mtn.Woke up today and got ready to hit the trail pretty quickly. It had stormed around 4:30 this morning but, thankfully, my tent was perfectly dry. I started walking at 7:45 a.m. knowing I had a pretty big climb ahead of me - Stratton Mountain.The walking went well and I was actually really enjoying it. The first mile was very gradual and gentle and after that it got a bit tougher but not too bad. Plus, I didn't have a full load of water so my pack was quite a bit lighter too. It was a really nice way to start the morning. And, I ran into Dirty Ernie on the way up as I filled up at a spring - he was around me in the south and has since flip-flopped. It was fun and exciting to see him and hear about his journey. As it turns out, he will be hiking to his doorstep in PA after he finishes the trail - how neat!3.7 miles later, I was on the top of Stratton Mtn. Jean, the caretaker, greeted me and told me the gondola to the village was running. The summit was very nice - there was a cabin for the caretakers and a firetower. There was also a sign describing the significance of the mountain as it was here that Benton MacKaye first dreamed up the AT. The weather was changing and fog was blowing in rapidly.Anyway, I sat at the base of the firetower and purified some water while I waited for Ronin and Melk. About twenty minutes later, they arrived. The other caretaker came over to chat with us and helped us decide to head to Stratton Village for lunch. So, after some discussion we headed down the trail for the gondola and 0.7 miles later we were boarding.This was tough on me mentally - the caretaker had mentioned storms rolling in later and as soon as I heard that, my will to hike all day totally diminished. I was very tempted to call it a day. But, we rode the gondola down, had lunch, and headed straight back up the mountain. I told myself to suck it up and keep hiking.I'm glad I did because the trail was very pretty coming off of Stratton Mtn. and we passed Stratton Pond which was also lovely.We took a break at Winhall River and I ate two Snickers bars. Gross, I know, but, wow, did it make me fly the next six miles! I hiked a little over six miles in two hours and ten minutes - awesome. I was also trying to go pretty fast since I could hear thunder aproaching.We met at the shelter and then proceeded down the trail the last 2.8 miles to town. As soon as we arrived, BlueBird, a former thru-hiker, popped out of her camper and offered us a ride. She was working in Manchester Center and living in her camper and was delighted to be able to help out. She drove us to Sutton's Place where we are staying for the night. Turns out this is not a motel - it's more of a house. We had dinner at the only place still serving, the Steakhouse Saloon and then came back to crash.- Don't recall the sounds.Post Trail Thoughts:I lost all motivation to hike the moment the caretaker told us about the storms forecasted that evening. That's all it took. I sat eating my lunch dreading the rest of the day, thinking of ways I could bail out on the plan. In the end, I decided to carry on. I'm glad I did. The scenery was wonderful for the rest of the day and I was hiking at warp speed (for me) so, at the end of the day, I felt a great sense of accomplishment.I was glad, however, that we made it to town when we did. The skies let loose that night and thunder and lightening prevailed.I usually really enjoyed hiking alone and this day was no exception. That morning, heading up Stratton Mtn. was a fun challenge for me. I was really enjoying it and it was very nice to run into a familiar face - Dirty Ernie.I also remember how excited BlueBird and her dog, Jasmine, were to help us. BlueBird, who was openly struggling to make a buck, wanted to help us in any way possible. I realized then - maybe not for the first time - how much the trail changes people.