Vermont Long Trail 2024
Day #2 - 6/17/24
Daily Miles - 1.67 Long Trail Approach
Total Miles - 1.67 Long Trail Approach
Daily Elevation Gained - 705ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 45ft
Up at 3:30am today after an amazing Father’s Day with my incredible wife and daughter. Laughs, love, cake, and the Avett Brothers to finish it off. Amazing.
Long 3.5 hour flight to Chicago, a 3 hour layover and then a 2+ hour flight to Albany. David, my shuttle driver, will be meeting me at the airport and driving me the hour or so to the trailhead. The plan is to hike about 1.4 miles (which for sure qualifies for a mile, mile and a half status) to the Sherman Brook Campsite for the night. The trail, which is divided into 12 “Divisions” allows camping only at shelters (usually 3-sides structures that hikers can sleep in out of the elements) to designated campsites like Sherman Brook.
8:15pm and I’m sitting in my tent on a very warm night. The backpack came out on the carousel and I knew I was good.
David was prompt and had the fuel I’d requested. Hit the trail trying to remember a time 24 years ago that I crossed this very road and walked into the forest. The short walk to the Sherman Brook campsite was along a beautiful creek under the sounds of so many birds of the forest. There are others here tonight but everyone is sealed up in their tents. And I saw a couple fireflies! Time to look at the map for tomorrow to get an idea about water availability.
Day #2 - 6/18/24
Daily Miles - 22.8
Total Miles - 24.47
Daily Elevation Gained - 5404ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 4199ft
Warm night and great rest. Woke up at 4:45AM and packed up slowly. Hit the trail a bit before 5:30AM and was the first out of camp while a few others were packing.
Hit the Vermont State Line about a mile and a half into my walk. It’s official. I’m on the Long Trail.
Got going and was greeted by a big brown toad on the trail. It was a humid beginning to the day but still quite cool relative to things to come. I stopped about 7:30 for breakfast and coffee after getting water at a stream about a mile back.
The forest birds are amazing. We just don’t have this kind of music in the West. Their music is like a wave this morning. As the light hits different parts of the forest, the birds wake up to sing their beautiful songs.
At mile 7.4, I had a bad ankle twist that would take a couple hours to loosen up but hurt all day. I’d say it was a 6 to 7 out of 10 relatively speaking. Later, I met Frodo doing the AT as he was sitting on a ledge smoking a cigarette and taking a break. The East is the only place I see backpackers smoking cigarettes. Later, at another shelter rest, I met Wild Turkey, Rock Bottom, one more hiker I just can’t remember. And later in the day, Trail magic, a root beer, a Gatorade, and a small apple pie at the bottom of a grueling descent to Route 9 and then an equal elevation gained ascent on the other side. Not quite as steep on the north side but big. Hiked on and off with Wild Turkey on the ascent. Stopped for water a couple times and also just to catch my breath. The humidity was crushing. I was really struggling on the climb.
Tonight I’m camping at a stealth campsite 100 feet past Porcupine Lookout. Sleeping with my feet elevated, we shall see. Fireworks in the valley below caught my attention in the early evening.
Day #3 - 6/19/24
Daily Miles - 25.92
Total Miles - 50.39
Daily Elevation Gained - 5016ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 5377ft
Decent sleep last night. Feet feel pretty good. Ankle is a bit stiff but so much better. Woke at about 4:15AM and on the trail by 5AM. Body felt OK this morning, but the heat was challenging from the start. The first 7 miles of the day were extremely hard. I talked to numerous hikers on the trail at the shelters as I stopped. I saw a deer at one point and a bunny at another.
In the afternoon, I climbed Stratton Mountain. A very big pull. At the top of the mountain, the thunder that had been rumbling for hours gave way to rain. I put my pack cover on and continued down to my campsite near Stratton Pond. The site took quite a while to find, as finding flat ground proved quite challenging. The descent was brutal because the chafing had grown so painful. Every step hurt. The craziest part of today was that first thing this morning my iPhone locked for three hours. It gave me a message that the phone wasn’t available. All my maps are contained in my phone. Then, after three hours, my phone locked for another 12 hours. It was a very challenging day to say the least. Everything is wet or damp. I sure hope this humidity breaks soon.
Day #4- 6/20/24
Daily Miles - 25.92
Total Miles - 50.39
Daily Elevation Gained - 5016 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 5377 ft
Mosquitoes and flies, circling my head nonstop day and night. Chafing in places that I haven’t chafed since the AT, or I’ve never chafed before. Soaking wet clothes all day all night and putting them on the next morning. Chalk all this up to the humidity, something I can do nothing about. That something is dominating my hike.
After 11 miles today I called it quits. For at least the rest of the day. I’m worn out, dehydrated and chafed beyond belief. Got a room at the Pinnacles Inn just .5 from the AT road crossing. Too bad I didn’t know that and waited one full hour for a car to stop and give me a hitch. I got in, closed the door, and the driver didn’t even get up to 55 miles an hour before having to stop to drop me off. Oh well. I need a break.
Nancy at the hotel is wonderful. She’s run the place for 20 years as a winter lodge for Stratton Mountain. Her son suggested they host hikers in the summer. Here I am. An affordable room with laundry included. Wow!!
I’m now clean and rested waiting for a shuttle to town to try to get some lightweight shorts as well as some help for the chaffing. Town was great and so was Nancy. She took me all over and we got everything I needed. I brought dinner back and ate it on my back porch looking out at their pond. Feeling refreshed and ready to make it to my next drop 50 miles away. I shall reevaluate from there.
Day #5 6/21/24
Daily Miles - 29
Total Miles - 90.67
Daily Elevation Gained - 5827 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 5866 ft
Great night sleep in bed and clean too! Got a last shower and all packed up. I woke up to the humidity within my air-conditioned room making my Nuun tablet fizz. Crazy stuff.
Some trail runners, one FKT woman, a ton of moose poop. My morning was filled with seeing some trail runners, a woman who must’ve been going for some kind of FKT (Fastest Known Time) who ran by me with a full backpack on and lots and lots of moose poop. No moose though. Walked across beautiful ridges today at about 3000 feet in elevation. I find that the fragrance of the fir trees gets more intense the higher I climb. 3000 feet in elevation seems to be a sweet spot where the aroma is spectacular. I’m continuing to hear birds of all kinds that I’ve never heard in the West. At 15 miles for the day I stopped at Lost Pond Shelter. I got some water, made some lunch and some coffee and now I’m ready to head out again. 15 miles by 12 p.m. isn’t too shabby.
In many places, there are wooden boards over very wet or muddy areas. I find running (more of a shuffle) on these wooden platforms gives me better balance by keeping my forward momentum going.
I did my first sub 20 minute mile today. I’ve gotten close with a couple 20s in a collection to 21s, but hadn’t been able to break the 20 barrier yet.
I walked the shores of Long Lake this afternoon. Met a kid working for the Green Mountain Club who works five days on two days off through October doing trail maintenance at the lake. Living all on his own out here. Bad ass.
Hiked the afternoon with a father and two boys without trail names yet then also caught up to three high school/college friends that have been hiking parts of the AT since 2019. I hiked .2 miles off the trail to the Greenwall Shelter and had dinner with all of them. Then I said my goodbyes and hit the trail again. Mo-Miles would be proud.
Walked about 3 more miles after dinner. Could have walked further but started feeling some heat rash on my lower back like on the Colorado Trail so I figured I’d stop. With the miles today it’s 23 to my next food drop tomorrow and I’ll hit it for sure.
Day #6 6/22/24
Daily Miles - 30
Total Miles - 120.67
Daily Elevation Gained - 6470 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 6001 ft
Didn’t sleep really well as I was camped on ground that was slightly uneven. Took me a long time to get to sleep, and I woke up a lot of times. Got started about 5:15AM with very little water. Hit the Minerva Shelter at about 6 miles at 8:45AM for water and breakfast. Met a hiker there who was just getting started for the day. When he asked how far I’d come this morning, he called me “marathon man.” His trail name was “Pete Davidson” and he looked and sounded the part. He was a 17-year-old who had just graduated high school and was getting ready to go to college in the fall. I’d see him on and off for the rest of the day.
The drizzle started at about 10 AM a bit past 9 miles in for the day. Rumor on the trail was that it was supposed to rain yesterday and today. There was a bit of a drizzle last night while making dinner at the shelter, but nothing else. As I’m recording this, the drizzle is already letting up. Still haven’t pulled out any rain gear or my umbrella yet. I feel like I’m carrying things that I don’t need. But there’s really nowhere to get rid of those things unless I hitch into a town which I really don’t want to do. I’m still taking it day by day. The heat rash on my back is better today as I’m using Glide quite often. I remember on the Colorado trail the heat rash disappeared, or scabbed over, after a few days. The difference is that on the Colorado Trail my shirt dried out very quickly when I stopped. Here, nothing ever dries out. Right now I’m making the long slow ascent to the first 4000 foot peak on the trail, Mount Killington. I plan to get water just before and take a break at the top.
Met section hiker at the top of Killington Peak in the shelter. There was no view, only rain. Had a snack and chatted with the guy from Connecticut. It was barely misting when I started the descent so I used the umbrella for a while. Later, I was able to put the umbrella away and dry out just a little bit as the sun started peeking through. After a long descent, I reached the Long Trail Inn where I’d sent my first of two re-supplies. I spent a little over an hour sorting through and organizing it all while eating one of the best veggie burgers with chips and coleslaw I’ve ever had. Got back on the trail just before 6PM, as my goal was to do a few more miles. No matter what I do tonight, I will still be behind my schedule, but will be able to either catch up to it over the next 4 to 5 days or change my schedule a bit to not run the race in Stowe, Vermont on 6/29.
Day #7 6/23/24
Daily Miles - 21.55
Total Miles - 142.22
Daily Elevation Gained - 5249 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 4941 ft
Hiked about 5 1/2 miles out of the Long Trail Inn last night. Camping is a bit hard to find in this section so I stayed at the Ralston Shelter. I was the only one there and it was quite nice. It poured most of the night. It is still pouring this morning. I woke up to yet another new challenge. While I thought that it was the threads on my fuel canister in the first section, making it hard to connect my stove, it was actually the threads on my stove. This morning, after numerous tries, I was still unable to connect my stove to fuel. So, cold coffee this morning. Not sure what that means going forward, as I might have to cold soak my dinners. I’ve been contemplating being able to cold soak the dinners I have anyway. Shouldn’t be a complete loss but a bummer that I have to carry the weight that won’t work. I might see if I can get some service somewhere to have a new stove sent to Stowe for me.
Five miles in for the day and the rain has let up and now it’s the forest shower that takes place for hours after the rain with small droplets to big droplets coming down in bunches with the wind. There have been lots of blow downs on the trail, trees snapped in storms and with age which I have to crawl under or over. Six days of food is a heavy assignment in comparison to almost no food yesterday. At least I got to start in the afternoon so I know what this weight was gonna feel like for the next couple days.
Right now, at mile 117 in the Long Trail, I am venturing into territory I’ve never been to. In the year 2000 I hiked the Appalachian Trail which included the Long Trail from the Massachusetts border to Route 4 at the Inn at the Long Trail. Twenty years later, in 2020, I came back out to meet my good pal Snoopy and we hiked from Route 4 to right here before getting off the Long Trail at the David Logan Shelter. From here on, I’ve never been and I’ve never seen.
Stopped at Sunrise Shelter for lunch and two women with backpacks on were packing up. Turns out they were two “Moms” doing a section over a few days. They were very interesting to talk to and both trail runners. Both had been on the Catamount race course. I got to talk to them a little bit about what the course looks and feels like. Interesting. A bit later, another gentleman day hiker came with a dog. He said he was getting in a short day hike before the storm hit. When asked, he said the weather bureau was making a really big deal about a huge afternoon storm bringing high winds and tornado warnings. Should be an interesting afternoon.
In other news, another gear challenge was solved. My stove, which wouldn’t thread on my fuel, is now threaded. I used a bit of Bag Balm as grease and got it connected. I plan just to leave my stove together and connected until Stowe when I have to change the fuel. I’ve never done that before on a backpacking trip, but I don’t feel like I have any choice if I want to keep eating hot food.
Well, from lunch on, it’s been a day. I climbed up a ridge for some of the most beautiful views of the trip thus far and the wind was howling just as forecasted. The rain was supposed to start at three and the time was ticking away. 3PM came and went and I thought I got lucky. Then about 3:40PM an enormous clap of thunder exploded in the sky and the rain began. Rain harder than I’ve ever seen it rain before in my life. My pack was on and my umbrella was up. I stayed fairly dry. And it was actually a lot of fun. For a while. And then it wasn’t. The trail became a river and my feet got completely waterlogged. I could feel them shrivel up as I walked for the next two hours to the Sucker Brook Shelter.
Lumpy had passed me on the trail. He had camped last night with Pete Davidson at the shelter after the one that I was at. I hiked on and off with him on the ridge, but didn’t see Pete Davidson until it started pouring. He sprinted past me. We were still 1.6 miles from the shelter. I was the last of the three of us to get to the shelter and the shelter was already full with five people and two dogs. Pete Davidson had taken the last spot. I could hike on or I could camp. There was no way I was getting the 7 miles to the next shelter, not in this weather and not in this condition with six days of food on my back. I decided to camp. I put up my tent in a break in the rain and then minutes later it started pouring again. Most of what I have is now wet. My sleeping quilt is dry. My sleeping clothes are dry. My sleeping pad is dry on top. It sounds like it’s supposed to rain most of the day tomorrow as well. So no time to dry out yet. My goal is to get about 21 miles tomorrow and stay at Sunset Ledge which I’ve read is beautiful and has a camp spot. No more heat. The rain is here.
Day #8 6/24/24
Daily Miles - 17.56
Total Miles - 159.78
Daily Elevation Gained - 5300 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 4754 ft
Well, it didn’t rain much overnight and only a little bit in the early morning hours. But there was such a nice breeze that my tent was relatively dry by the time I got up and packed it up. I had coffee and breakfast at camp as I was packing up, so I could wake up a little more before walking. I put on my second pair of socks for the first time today. After seeing how ruined my feet were yesterday I wanted to at least start the first couple hours off with dry socks instead of soaking socks. My soaking socks are hanging off the back of my pack in the breeze right now. Most of the others from the shelter were awake and having breakfast as I walked past. Pete Davidson and Lumpy were still fast asleep. No way 17-year-olds are getting up this early. There’s a nice breeze as I walk into the morning, so I’m hoping that my backpack gets a chance to dry out a bit. It was completely saturated and dripping when I put it on. But my quilt, sleeping pad and sleeping clothes are all double dry bagged so I feel good about that.
My plan today is to stop at a couple shelters to eat and rest and try, if I can, to make it to Sunrise Ledge with supposedly one or two decent campsites behind the ledge. The ledge is supposed to have an amazing view so if I’m lucky, have a clear afternoon and be able to enjoy that too. If I make it to Sunrise Ledge I’ll be 100% back on track in terms of my plan. Right now I’m about 4 miles behind that original plan. Some big days have got me almost caught back up.
Lastly, for now, I keep asking myself how the body can possibly repair itself so quickly. Last night I went to bed very, very sore with elevated feet that I wasn’t sure I could walk on this morning. Morning came and they were a little bit tender, but 10 minutes into walking they felt fine. Unbelievable! The body never ceases to amaze me.
Just officially saw my first big black bear come right at me on the trail about 30 yards from me before we saw each other. He bounded off through the woods. Big, black, furry.
Met a girl and her dog at a shelter at about 10AM. We talked for a bit and then she left. I passed her not long after. The rain started about an hour later. Cold wet rain. The trees caught most of it so I didn’t put on my rain jacket or use my umbrella for a while. That was a mistake. My upper body got more wet than I should have let it. The wind was blowing and I was getting colder. I decided it was time to put on my raincoat. It did indeed help me keep warmer, but the wet layer inside kept the chill close at hand. A bit later I slipped, twisted my right ankle and fell. It was a twist of about the same magnitude as day three on the other ankle. A Southbound section hiker heard me fall and asked me if I was OK and came over to chat for a while. I still had about 3 miles to get to the next shelter where I was going to have lunch. But on the way to the shelter, not being able to stay warm because I was going so slow, I decided that I would get to the shelter and change all my dry clothes to warm up and make a decision about whether I was going to stay or continue for the day. At the shelter, I changed dry clothes, made my food and started eating when the same girl and her dog (Syrup and Maple) showed back up. We talked for a while and she decided to hike to a place that I had mentioned I was shooting for today. At this point at 5PM I decided that I’m not going to hike anymore today, so I can let my body and my ankle rest. My hope is I’ll be stronger to catch back up a bit tomorrow. I’m being told that tomorrow the weather is supposed to get nicer as well. Right now I’m alone in the shelter, but it’s only 5PM so others could show up. It will be nice if it’s not too crowded, or even if I have it all to myself.
Now that I’m warm and fed, I’ve realized what a delicate position I was in earlier. I had grown too cold for my body to warm itself up. Stopping and putting on dry clothes was the only option. I’m glad I had the sense to do that as the situation could’ve become dangerous. It doesn’t take much out here in the backcountry to get into trouble. A little bit later, Max showed up in the same condition I’d been in when I got to the shelter. We talked for a bit, but it was clear he needed time to change and get situated. Once he got into warm clothes and some food in him, we began to talk a bit and enjoyed our evening together.
Day #9 6/25/24
Daily Miles - 21.71
Total Miles - 181.49
Daily Elevation Gained - 5787 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 6343 ft
Staying at the shelter last night, while not really what I wanted to do, turned out to be for the best. Max was a fun guy to hang out with, and my ankle feels significantly better today. In addition, most of my gear was dry by the time I woke up. The weather today is stupendous. No humidity, no rain, no wet leaves, very few bugs. It just couldn’t be much better. I got to the Sunrise Ledge and found Syrup and Maple just waking up for the day. Their campsite was spectacular as advertised. I wish I would’ve made it there, but my decision was the best one. I was able to get service from the Ledge and tried to order some new shoes to be delivered to me at Stowe. The delivery date was too late so instead I called Paula, gave her all the information and asked her to do whatever she could. If I show up to Stowe and have new shoes, great. If I show up to Stowe and there’s no shoes, I’ll make that work too. No idea how far I’m gonna go today as the trail will go over two major 4000 foot peaks. 4000 feet always sounds a little bit comical since Yosemite Valley is at 4000 feet. But there’s nothing comical about any of the climbs here. They are like nothing that exists in the West. Rocks and roots that would challenge surprised Westerners in ways they would have never imagined.
Just imagine walking through a forest that has either been rained on or is currently being raining on. Now picture the trail walked on is overgrown to head level with both pine, deciduous trees, and other foliage. Picture pushing through that wet foliage. Can you feel the wet leaves, branches and needles slapping you in the face, shoulders and torso?
But you’re not able to focus on those branches very much because you’re watching where your feet step. It might be a rock that you would have to decide whether you should step on it based on if it looks like it has traction, it might be a root in which you’d have to make the same decision or it might be mud that you’re liable to sink shin deep in.
Took an hour at the Starks Nest for dinner from two to 3PM. Starks Nest is not a GMC shelter, but the ski resort keeps it open in the summer months for hikers. What’s more is that there is a rain barrel which catches water from the roof. All shelters should have these! I was able to rehydrate and have an early dinner so that I could make more miles as the day progressed. I was the only one the entire hour when I heard that over 20 people slept there last night.
In the time I was there, I was able to get all my gear dried out.
I’m 100% caught up to my schedule now. Feeling good. I’m tenting outside of a shelter tonight on a tent platform. It’s very peaceful with the creek running next to me.
Day #10 6/26/24
Daily Miles - 15.73
Total Miles - 197.22
Daily Elevation Gained - 3907 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 6112 ft
Super rough night. Made the bad decision to tent camp instead of sleeping in the shelter. It wasn’t just that I tent camped, but it was that I was on a tent platform so I couldn’t tie down my tent with enough tension. Because of that, I had a lot of moisture inside the tent based on it being a bit too saggy. I worked hard to control it, but got little sleep. Woke to a beautiful morning. My plan is to have a “yard sale” or dry all my gear on top of one of the next two peaks. It’ll take a bit of extra time, and I’m not sure where I’ll end up today, but I’m pretty much on track.
The day turned into a slog. I was foggy all day because of not getting much sleep. I caught up with Griffin, who I hiked on and off with that day, at Montclair Glen Lodge Shelter for some talk and food. From there we had the HUGE climb up Camel’s Hump. It's Vermont's third highest peak and is the only major peak in the state without any development on the mountain. It was a scramble to get up. More like a class 2+ off trail route in the Sierras.
I got way ahead of Griffin and was alone for the climb. At the top, there was just a single woman day hiker. I spent time eating, enjoying the 350 degree view and drying out my tent. I was still feeling quite foggy.
On the way down, 4000 feet of down, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't getting enough daily calories. I needed more food. I also realized that Route 2, at the bottom of the climb, was a tad ahead of schedule and also close to my housing when off the trail for the 50k. I texted with Maggie (a fair amount of the trail has service and I leave my phone off) the owner of the Airbnb and the place was open! The scrambling started.
I took at least 3 to 5 good falls on the descent. One of which bent my hiking pole badly. It’s really got some character now.
I did the 3 mile road walk at the bottom of the climb and almost immediately got a hitch. My ride took me to the Village Market where I got some additional calories for the last 90 miles as well as some nutrition for the 12 hours off trail. Next, I went to eat at Reservoir, as suggested by Maggie and it was terrific. Maggie had sent me the name of a friend that owns a taxi and “knows where I live.” Joy, the taxi driver, picked me up and drove me out to Maggie’s place, way out deep on a dirt road. Maggie was out so I settled in, eating more, sorting my gear (leaving a few things in the room that I would send off when back in a couple days-pants and umbrella) and taking a glorious shower. Maggie will be dropping me back at the trail at 8 in the morning. I have two days of hiking before she picks me up once more. I’ll be back in this room for a couple nights around the race. The race I’m not quite sure if I’ll be partaking in.
Day #11 6/27/24
Daily Miles - 10.39
Total Miles - 207.61
Daily Elevation Gained - 4426 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 1860 ft
Great and needed night sleep. Feeling refreshed today for sure. The goal today is Puffer Shelter. Many have told me that I should hit it if I can. Puffer Shelter is a smallish lean-to with space for about 6 people, with supposed excellent sunrise views over Mount Elmore and the town of Morrisville. It’s about a 10 mile hike and I should be at the trailhead by about 8. That should make for an early arrival and more down time today as well.
It was a pretty easy 11 mile hike up to the Puffer Shelter. Gradual incline with some rocks up towards Bolton Mountain. I passed a couple with their dog and chatted for a bit. They are section hiking over a few days. Managed to arrive at Puffer at 1PM. Not long after, Griffin showed up. He had stayed the night at Buchanan Shelter the night before not getting in until about 9PM. Sounds like he was pretty ruined when he got there. I’m glad I took my option instead. We chatted for a while before the dog and couple showed up. I stayed at the shelter for about an hour and a half and it was beautiful. My plan was to stay at Puffer Shelter to see the sunrise, but after an hour and a half of sitting there and the wind whipping up into the shelter was a hint of a very cold night. Tonight is supposed to be the coldest night of my trail time. The temperature is predicted to be in the low 40s. With wind coming into a shelter, you’re talking about possibly feeling like it’s in the 30s. Remembering that I have a quilt that is rated at 50° along with a really good down jacket, I decided to continue the 3.4 miles to Taylor Lodge. There are lodges and shelters on this trail. The lodges are fully enclosed while the shelters are almost all open. Taylor Lodge is supposed to be pretty nice and sleeps about 20. Since it’s supposed to rain tonight, I’m shooting for a shelter, instead of tenting. My guess is that since there was only Griffin and the two section hikers at the shelter before Puffer, and they are not going to stay at Taylor Lodge, that I will be alone, or very nearly alone.
I got to Taylor Lodge at about 4PM. I walked the .2 down the side trail for water and came back. I saw four day hikers, two going down and two coming up on that trail. Back at the lodge I started to get settled in and two of the day hikers showed back up. It was a father and son who have been coming to this area for years. We chatted about the area, the hiking, the flora and the fauna. Very nice people.
At 5PM, I’m still all alone as I anticipated. I’m having some hot miso soup as it’s cold outside right now. Temperatures are supposed to be in the low 40s tonight. I might need to wear my puffy jacket inside my quilt to stay warm. We’ll see how it goes. My plan is to get up early and get to the top of Mansfield, and hang out for a good part of the middle of the day. Then, I’ll meet Maggie back down at the road and head to Stowe to get registered for the “race.” Let’s call it an event. Others might be racing, but if I partake, it will only be to finish in good working order.
Day #12 6/28/24
Daily Miles - 8.56
Total Miles - 216.17
Daily Elevation Gained - 3186 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 3848 ft
I got a decent night's sleep in Taylor Lodge. It got cold, into the low 40s. For part of the night I wore my down jacket inside my quilt. That seems to do the trick. Woke up, had some breakfast and coffee, and was out of the lodge by about six. The morning walk was a cold one as well and I had to wear multiple layers and my gloves too. About 8AM I got to the “Forehead” on the slopes of Mt. Mansfield. This is a highly technical area where I need to strap my poles to my pack to have all four appendages ready for action. Putting my poles on my pack at this point is challenging because one pole has bent so badly it won’t retract. That makes them stick up pretty high on my back, and sometimes they catch when I’m scrambling. There were two or three very exposed parts but it all went well.
I was hoping to make a quick stop at the visitor center, but when I arrived at it, partway up Mount Mansfield, it was closed. Spent some time up on Mount Mansfield in the sunshine. There was a cold wind, but I found a good place to hide and make another cup of coffee. Talked for a while with a day hiker who had a free day from work, his wife and his three kids. Some others came and went as I was up on top. It’s only about 3 miles down the road and I’ll get picked up by Maggie and taken back to the house to get cleaned up. I pick up my “race” packet between 5 and 7PM tonight.
Got to the trailhead ahead of Maggie which was nice as I had some time to relax and clean up. On the way down a toe started to hurt a bit. Checking at the trailhead, there was no blister and it didn’t look like the toenail was causing it either. Got to the house about 2PM and spent about an hour and a half cleaning out my gear and repacking food before getting my race gear/nutrition ready as well. My new shoes had arrived as well! Paula had done it!
At about 5PM my toe got a lot worse. I packed it with bag balm for the past couple hours but no relief. Ug. Maybe I’ll try to soak it later tonight. Off to get my race packet and dinner in a few. Got my bib and dinner. Finished organizing all race and hiking things. Soaked toe, but it didn't help unfortunately. Just gonna hope for the best.
Day #13 6/29/24
Daily Miles - 30.55
Total Miles - 246.72
Daily Elevation Gained - 6368 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 6099 ft
The Catamount 50k. Wow. What a rush.
Woke up at 11PM to a throbbing toe. Soaked it and worked the nail bed with my knife. It was painful. It bled. But I think it did the trick. Much less red this morning and by the end of the race, even less red.
The race started at 7AM under cloudy skies with no rain. There were about 150 runners in the 50k and about 400 runners in the 25k. The course was on the Trapp Family property and was stunning. The terrain varied from single track, to gravel fire road to mowed down grassy trail
There were two loops of 25k with 3 aid stations. I felt strong, minus an unhappy tummy which was resolved at mile 15. At mile 18 I slumped and minutes later the rain started. The rain would last the rest of the race but luckily my slump only lasted a mile, mile and a half or so. Coming into mile 27 I decided no one would pass me for the rest of the race and my goal was to pick off as many runners as possible. Over the next 4 miles I passed about 18 people. The 19th was a full sprint in the last 100 yards. I failed to catch him but finished with a time of 6 hours 45 minutes. I was very happy with that as I had no time goal and only a goal to finish.
It was pouring at the finish line and there was nowhere to get out of the rain. So, I walked over to the porta potties and grabbed the largest one. I changed into my dry clothes I left at the drop station and then headed out for my free beer. In seconds I was drenched and decided to hurry back to the shelter of the porta potty until Maggie showed up to get me.
Afterwards we went to a yummy deli for sandwiches. The owner mentioned the Long Trail and I told him I was taking a day off the hike to run the 50k. He loved that. Turned out he’d hiked the Long Trail with his wife and had spent a lifetime exploring it. We talked forever about what was coming up for me. The whole time we were talking he was packing up free baked goods for me. Super sweet gentleman.
Back at Maggie’s to eat, shower and nap. Spent the afternoon watching the Western States 100 live feed. It was soooo exciting. Maggie will be bringing me dinner and then I’ll be heading to sleep. Not leaving the house till about 8:15 AM so I get to sleep in!!
Day #14 6/30/24
Daily Miles - 30.55
Total Miles - 246.72
Daily Elevation Gained - 6368 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 6099 ft
Slept wonderfully till about 6:30AM. Maggie had coffee ready and we stopped by the gas station to get a breakfast sandwich. I hit the trail at about 8AM to partly cloudy skies. It was a moderate climb at Smugglers Notch to Sterling Pond. I stopped at the shelter there for a short snack and to look at the trail register. I was amazed that the rain hadn’t started. It was supposed to rain all morning. Cresting the top of Madonna Peak, I found a couple who were day hiking and having some lunch. It was nice chatting with them before moving on. My toe is a little sensitive this morning, and was “weeping“ a bit when I got dressed this morning. I think there’s a low-grade infection going on there. I had some heel rubbing on the other foot towards the top of Madonna Peak, so I pulled over and put some Lukeo tape on it, which seemed to do the trick. That stuff is magic.
It was a tiring descent off of Whiteface (the climb wasn’t nearly as taxing as I’d anticipated). I passed a Boy Scout Troop planning to stay at the same shelter that I’d planned. Really wanted to camp but tonight there is a chance of rain so I decided to shoot for Bear Hollow Shelter instead. When I arrived, Hiker Dad was sitting at the picnic table. We chatted about our plans and lives a bit and then set up in the shelter. I got settled, got water and am now relaxing. Hiker Dad is quietly snoring. The Boy Scouts were moving very slowly and should be here in a while. I was a bit concerned but Hiker Dad stayed with them last night and said they were quiet and respectful. Tomorrow is the longest day I’ve got left at 16 miles. The toe hurts a bit and my legs are pretty heavy today. Wonder why... :)
Day #15 7/1/24
Daily Miles - 16.00
Total Miles - 273.4
Daily Elevation Gained - 4098 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 4016 ft
Had a good night at Bear Hollow Shelter. Hiker Dad and I talked for quite a long time and at some point Max showed up. Max‘s new trail name is Groove. I guess Syrup gave him that trail name as he is trying to find his groove in life at the moment. Was great catching up with him and hearing a bit about those I had hiked with last week. Groove hiked on to the road at Johnson . Hiker Dad and I hung out for a couple more hours before the Boy Scouts started trickling in. They had had quite a long day. As they got set up and had dinner, I had just finished my dinner and was getting ready for bed. It rained a little bit on and off during the night, but was dry in the morning. My 3.9 mile hike to the road was mostly on a logging road. It made for good time. I actually had my fastest mile of the trip at 18:58. My plan is to get to the road, walk for 10 minutes to Johnson hardware and find some first aid products for my toe. This morning I got to walk through a forest of tapped Maple trees. The tubbing ran for about a mile and was everywhere!
Mile three was at 17:28. Moving!
I made the 10 minute walk to Johnson Hardware where a very kind woman gave me Band-Aids since they didn’t sell any individually and pointed me to the hiker box. I saw alcohol wipes, and I grabbed those as well as purchasing a tube of Neosporin. Back on the trail in no time, it was a good stop. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the hydrogen peroxide that I’d hoped for.
Well, I had almost 16 miles today to the Corless Shelter. Most of the mini bubble I’m in is hiking to the next shelter about seven more miles ahead of me. I figure it’s a good decision to give my body a rest and stay here. I may end up here all alone. I got here at 1PM in the afternoon which is pretty early to end today. But I think it’s the right choice. I’ve hung all my clothes on the line outside to dry and air out. I made a cup of coffee and had some snacks. I unpacked and set up my sleep system. Now that my chores are done I’ve got time to do nothing but relax. I may even take a nap.
5:30PM I’m fed and rested. A hiker just pulled up here, set his things on the picnic table and went to use the privy. Not sure if he’s gonna stay at this point but it’s sure nice being here alone at this point.
Day #16 7/2/24
Daily Miles - 17.75
Total Miles - 291.15
Daily Elevation Gained - 6076 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 4839 ft
Four more people showed up last night. It went from feeling quiet to feeling crowded. None were real talkers. Oh well.
Slept well last night. One of the gentlemen staying in the shelter sounded like he was packing up three or four times during the night. Not sure what he was doing, but I fell back asleep each time. At about 4:45AM I got up and took all my gear outside to the picnic table, so I could pack up without disturbing others. Had a cup of coffee and some breakfast before tackling the first mountain of the day, Butternut Mountain at 2715 feet. The climb was moderate. Should be interesting to see how the rest of the day goes. My toe is about the same as yesterday, no better, no worse.
I saw a beautiful deer on the descent from Butternut Mountain with the fluffiest white tail I've ever seen. I also got to walk through Devil’s Gulch today. Some compare it to the Mahoosuc Notch on the Appalachian Trail (the hardest mile of that trail). The Gulch was more beautiful than hard. It was peaceful, green and wild. I spent about 30 minutes exploring. Met the first person from the West Coast today. Heather, who lives in Portland, Oregon, got her masters at Lewis and Clark College. We talked for quite a while about how hard the Long Trail is, and how people from the West have no clue. Also, all the respect we have for people from the East thinking this is a normal day’s hike. Made a nice stop on the top of Mount Belvedere for lunch. Tentatively climbed the fire tower to the top, took a few pictures, and made my way back down. It’s the only fire tower I’ve climbed thus far on the long trail, one because of the inclement weather, and two, because fire towers scare the crap out of me. Got a chance to look at the weather at the top as well and it looks like clear skies through Canada.
I humped 6 pounds of water up Haystack Mountain with plans to camp at the top. I’d read that there was at least one camp spot. When I got to the Summit sign, it was .2 more to the actual top. Right at the trail junction sign there was one camp spot. I decided to walk the point to see if there was anything else. Not only was there no other campsite, but there wasn’t much of a view either as the trees have grown up quite a bit in front of what used to be a view.
Camp is all set up, I’ve had dinner and then some relaxing. Time to look at tomorrow’s map and data to see what it has in store for me. Tomorrow’s gonna be a really hard day but the day after I’m at the Canadian border.
Day #17 7/3/24
Daily Miles - 16.30
Total Miles - 307.45
Daily Elevation Gained - 5915 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 6798 ft
Really good night’s sleep on top of Haystack Mountain. Woke up a little before 4 o’clock to stretch out and slowly get my day started. Made coffee from just inside my tent and had my last oatmeal cookie that I was given at the bakery. Having oatmeal cookies for breakfast reminds me of the ones Dusty made 24 years ago when I was on the Appalachian Trail. Today will start with a huge down off of Haystack Mountain to a road, and then I will climb again to summit five different peaks before the day is over.
Pretty uneventful day with the exception of beauty everywhere. A lot of ups and downs today. Jay Peak was a big climb, summiting at a gondola and some tourists. It was followed by a huge drop to the shelter that I am resting at now. I plan to go to one more shelter, so I’m even closer to the Canadian border tomorrow.
At 7:30PM a couple showed up at the shelter on their first day of their Long Trail journey. They got a pretty late start and arrived just as I was laying down to go to sleep. They were quiet and tired with backpacks that were pretty big. They were from Vermont and it’s their 2nd time hiking it.
Day #18 7/4/24
Daily Miles - 6.93
Total Miles - 314.38
Daily Elevation Gained - 1302 ft
Daily Elevation Lost - 2461 ft
Decent night of sleep as one of the two I shared the shelter with had a low snore going on most of the night. Woke up without an alarm at about 4AM. Over the next hour, I enjoyed listening to the birds wake up as the sky grew lighter and lighter. Got started an hour before I thought I would, at 6AM instead of 7. The wind was howling. The foliage was a bit wet and it was much muddier than the day before. It didn’t rain much overnight, but it doesn’t take much new rain to re-energize the mud. Vermud!!
I just summited Carlton Mountain, and with it entered the last mile of my Long Trail hike. All of my long-distance adventures end in quite the same way. A bit bittersweet. As I’ve said before, of the tens of thousands of miles I've hiked in the West, and putting the Appalachian Trail on top of that, this trail, mile for mile has been by far the most challenging. At just 50 miles in I thought that the humidity and heat had done me in and I’d have to get off the trail for good
Paula talked me off a cliff just like she did 24 years ago twice while on the AT. I was ready to quit but Paula was calm and helped me look at the big picture to solve my problems. And then Nancy, at the Pinnacles Inn with all of her kindness breathed new life into me. I went from feeling like somewhat of a fraud for being out here, to feeling strong and confident once again. 50 miles later I had done a 30 mile day, picked up a six day resupply and felt like a new man. The storms threw their best at me. Rain, hail, flooding, and tornado warnings pounded me for four consecutive days. But I made it through. Chafing, two twisted ankles, a still infected toe. I was able to treat the discomfort of all of those things just like the pang of being hungry. I worked hard not to label the feelings I was having, and in turn was able to take my focus away from those challenges and put it back into the beauty of the day today. The bird song starts in the morning and follows me through the forest every day. The lush green woods never wavering in their green hues left me inspired on a daily basis. The mud, almost knee-deep in some places, reminded me of the importance of every footfall. The wind, and the beautiful music it made as it raced through the forest of leaves and pine needles, was better than any Spotify playlist I could’ve picked. The opportunity to be here, to do this, never goes unappreciated. I have a career in education that affords me the time and the space to be adventurous, each and every year. More importantly, I have a family who 100% supports my adventurous spirit. I’m grateful for all I have. I’m grateful that my 55-year-old body can walk, jog, and run over 300 miles in one of the harshest environments I’ve ever attempted. Last year at this time when I finished the Colorado Trail, I already had my sites on the Vermont Long Trail. But now within a half a mile of finishing this adventure, I really don’t know what’s next. And that’s OK.
8PM. Laying in my tent at Elizabeth and Adam’s house. They provide shuttles and accommodations for hikers and are terrific people. Adam runs a cottage gear company called Deliberate Life Designs (DLD) and makes amazing sandals, which I had to buy as it was kismet. Adam jogged by me not once, but twice a couple days ago and we chatted each time. But I was unaware that he was the Adam that would be hosting and shuttling me at the time. I’d made my arrangements with Elizabeth months ago. There truly was no choice, I had to get those sandals.
Earlier in the day I had breakfast at Bernie’s in Montgomery Center. I sat next to a fellow at the counter and we really hit it off. He is new to Vermont and has an amazing life story. We moved from the cafe to the street to enjoy the small town parade and from there to the city park to enjoy the people and the band. All in all we spent about 5 hours together and I can honestly say I feel like I’ve made a friend for life. Another amazing adventure comes to an end on a very high note. I couldn’t be happier about how it all turned out.
