Sunday’s (7/12) I planned to hike about 11 miles today to a pick up point that a hostel offered to pick you up if you’re staying for the night. My other option was to hike a total of 17 miles to the next shelter. That distance is out of my range for now. I was hoping to be able put in 16 to 17 miles by now, but the ankle is still not well enough for that.
The hike had it share of hiking through some smooth trails and some very rocky areas. There also was plenty of mud that you could not avoid walking through, sometimes up past your ankles. There were no views to see today. I stopped at a shelter for a quick break and met four other hikers. There was Viking up from Ga., a young lady hiking the Long Trail and a father and daughter doing a section hike. I left the shelter and headed down to my pickup spot. Darren pick me up and took me to the Wicked Waystation Hostel. You know in New England the word wicked is used to describe something that is good. The hostel had everything a hiker needed. Toward the end of the day’s hike my ankle was feeling pretty bad. I went to sleep thinking that I may do a short hike on Monday or just rest all day at the hostel.
Monday (7/13) when I woke up my foot felt much better. There is a short 2 mile section of the AT that Thais, the owner of the hostel volunteered to drop me off and pick me up so I could check out the condition of my ankle. It was an easy section and my ankle felt pretty good. With that done I had the rest of the day to rest and ice my ankle. I had a very relaxing day at the hostel. I practically had the whole hostel to myself. Thais was a gracious host and made sure I had everything i needed for my stay. I will be heading back to the trail early in the morning.
Tuesday (7/14) was a beautiful day for hiking. Temperatures were in the low 70s and the wind was blowing most the day. The day started with a hike up Stratton mountain. It is the highest mountain in Southern Vermont. At the top there is a fire tower that provides a 360 degree view. The wind was blowing around 40 mph making it a short stay at the top. I was able to take several pictures of the beautiful area.
The rest of the day’s hike went quick, with lots of smooth surfaces to a walk on. After about a 12 mile day I arrived at the shelter. I found a nice spot to set up my tent and crawled in and called it a day.
Wednesday’s (7/15) plan was to hike 6 miles to a pickup point and then I would be dropped off at the Green Mountain Hostel. The wonderful folks that run the hostel runs hikers to resupply. The hike went through a beautiful part of the forest. I stopped at Prospect Rock to enjoy a great view, also a perfect place to spend some time in God’s Word. I arrived at the pick up point for my ride to the hostel. The hostel was a very nice place. Jeff the owner was a perfect host. I got cleaned up in went into town and ate a delicious pizza and stop at the grocery store to resupply. Tomorrow morning I will be back on the trail by 7:30. Until next time Happy Trails.
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