Date: 2015-07-21
From: Rutland, VT

To: Stony Brook Shelter, VT
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

A tough night of sleep last night after an eye infection set in. I'm fairly confident it's due to not changing contacts for the past 2 months, so it should return to normal soon. Today, however, would be a pain since my eye was sensitive to light and, as a result, my eye watered and nose ran all day. Yoohoo and I didn't wake until just after 8:00am and would join Huey for breakfast soon after. I quickly downed 2 small bowls of Fruitloops and oatmeal, and 2 cups of OJ before returning to our room in order to escape the light.Yoohoo, Huey, Rabbit, Wilson, and I gradually packed our gear and would leave the hotel at 10:00am, randomly wandering down the street in search of a bus stop. We eventually found it and only had to wait a few minutes before a city bus would stop and take us to the bus station downtown. We waited there for an hour for the next bus that would take us back into the mountains. Wilson gave me 2 Coke's that I planned to save for later periods in the day. However, I wouldn't make it past the bus station before downing both. The bus arrives at 11:15am and we were soon heading in the direction of the trail, Mt. Killington towering a few miles away in the late morning sun. At 11:45am we were on the trail with our goal being only to get as far as we could before the forecasted rain arrived.Yoohoo took his usual lead afront the USS Bennington, but soon everyone was dropping out to pee. With me now in the lead and "Titanium" on replay, I was soon driving ahead and not looking back. I passed Maine Junction after a mile, a trail intersection with a simple wooden sign identifying where the AT and LT separated. From here the AT heads in a northeasterly direction towards New Hampshire and Maine while the LT continues north to the Canadian border. I quickly blazed past a few hikers before finally slowing upmafter ~3 miles where the group would eventually catch me. We continued another mile to the Mountain Meadows Lodge nestled along the shore of Kent Pond. We ended up lounging around in lawn chairs, a hammock, and the lush green grass in the shade of a few trees in sight of the pond and mountains on the opposite side. We ate lunch, relaxed, and dozed as the combination of a warm sun and cool breeze led us into a midday coma.As I was lying in the grass my head propped up on my pack, a group of younger adults came out of the nearby lodge to play volleyball. With them were 2 dogs - a black lab and a small carin terrior. As I peaked out from under my shades, I watched the young dog slowly part from its group and make its way in my general direction. Standing just taller than the surrounding grass, the dog walked up to my side and sat, appearing eager for some attention. For the next ~30 minutes, I'd pet and play with him as his owners played volleyball and he chewed on grass. As we slowly prepared to return to the trail, his owners began calling him back over; Fabio was his name. He slowly in their direction before stopping halfway and turning to look in my direction. Feeling like a scene from Airbud where the dog has to choose, I felt bummed from the brief company we shared. Fabio even began walking back in my direction, but the calls from his owners made him resist. My last view of him before dropping below a small hill was of him sitting and staring at me from his sundrenched spot in the grass. I like to think of him as a little messenger, reminding me to stop and enjoy the smaller things. In close to 4 months of trekking over rugged terrain, he reminded me of the simple, soft, virgin beauty all around, yet often missed. All you have to do is remember to look for it. He was a good dog and really made my day.Back on the trail we'd soon reach a short side trail leading to Thundering Falls, a waterfall cascading over ~50ft from top to bottom, though a little unimpressive as I'm sure it is after a nice rainfall. We'd soon approach the base of Quimby Mountain, standing ~1,300ft above us, which we'd climb over the next mile. Unable to breathe through my nose due to the stuffiness caused by my eye infection, my throat was soon dry and lungs burned as I shot ahead of the group. The group would catch me at the summit as I breaked for water, and we'd decide to shoot for the next shelter, ~3 miles away, before reassessing. As we covered the next couple miles, the sky would quickly darken and thunder would begin rumbling. We picked up the pace, slowly jogging down the mountain, but our luck would run out. The skies would quickly open up with little notice and we were soon being pelted by a heavy downpour. Yoohoo and I had just enough time to throw on our pack covers. I decided I was already too soaked for my rain jacket and would slowly jog the last ~20 minutes as heavy rain fell and the trail was transformed into a small river.I reached the Stony Brook Shelter to 6 hikers already inside, enjoying the oasis from the rain. I informed them at least 4 more would soon be joining and that space would become tight. As everyone eventually showed up, along with even more than expected, the shelter became too crowded and wet to enjoy as I sat with my back against a wall in my drenched clothes. The rain eventually let up just enough to allow some of us to set up our tents, relieving the sardine-like situation of the shelter. As I was finishing setting up my tent, a familiar voice entered the area and I knew who it was before seeing him - Moosehead. We exchanged hellos and a handshake before retreating into our tents to escape the rain. It's nice to finally see him again after ~2.5 weeks; he sounds like he's been doing well.It's currently nearing 8:00pm, making this an early journal, for there was little hiking and nothing to do at camp due to the rain. This entry won't be posted until some point tomorrow when I have signal. I therefore hope to wrap this up and quickly fall asleep in order to put the sloppy ending of this day behind me. My tent floor is already wet and I will be sleeping in my wet clothes in hopes that they dry overnight. The good news is that the next few days promise sunny skies and highs only in the mid-70's as we make our way towards Hanover, NH over the next couple days. I should be able to dry out my gear tomorrow and be fine; I can't say the same about my soaked boots, though, and will have to watch my feet in the process.Here's to 100 miles of the LT, floating in my tent, and a cute, furry friend named Fabio.