Twig Adventures

Friday August 27th, 2021, 0615-1730Father Tom Campsite to October Mountain Shelter,  SOBO AT mm 632.720.5 miles4196 gain, 3258 loss I slept fitfully all night because it was so dang hot and humid. Even though I’d taken a final dunking in the late afternoon, I still felt sticky and gross. I never used my quilt all night. I woke to dense fog in the valley, leaving everything pretty damp. I started another day already wet with sweat. Come September, I really hoped this heat wave would subside. Picky was up so early that he left camp well before me. I knew I’d catch him again so I didn’t rush while packing. I wanted to take some departing pictures of the area.[…]

Thursday August 26th, 2021, 0600-1730Pete’s spring to Father Tom Campsite, SOBO AT mm 61216.1 miles4058 gain, 4416 loss My first objective for today was to have a big breakfast in town, a mere 2 miles away. Next was to go up Mt Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts and my second time climbing it. We had added it to mark the finish of our Long Trail last year…a big finale. Today it was just another mountain to get over but I was really looking forward to it, especially the cafe on top. Picky and I both got an early start, walking before it was fully light out. It’s nice to have found someone that also walks early. In town by 0630[…]

Wednesday August 25th, 2021, 0630-1830Glastenbury Mountain to Pete’s Spring, SOBO AT mm 59627.2 miles5220 gain, 7638 loss For once, I noticed the moon overnight. It’d gone through a full cycle since I started but on this trail, I hardly ever saw it. It cast shadows through the trees when I went to pee. Out west, it can wake me up, it’s often so bright. I’ve used it to walk in the dark without a headlamp on many occasions. But that wouldn’t be an option in these dense forests and with all the mud. Tiny slugs were on everything in the morning…my stove, tent, water bottles and of course, my shoes. Yuck. I really dislike them but hey, they’re part of[…]

Tuesday August 24th, 2021, 0815-1815Prospect Rock Trail to Glastenbury Mountain, SOBO AT mm 568.821.7 miles5230 gain, 2700 loss I went to bed way too late and then woke up at 4 am, not able to get back to sleep. It was so quiet in the room, with only 2 others. What a waste of a great bed. I was anxious to get back to the trail I guess…not that it missed me. I ate a pretty huge breakfast of cereal, 3 eggs, an English muffin, blueberries, a banana, and what was left of my ice cream. How’s that for a spread? The hostel provides all these items for guests to pretty much eat whenever they please. It’s such an awesome place.[…]

Monday August 23rd, 2021, 0630-0730Bromley Mountain Ski Hut to Rt 11, then Manchester Center, SOBO AT mm 539.13 miles30′ gain, 1437′ loss The hurricane didn’t blow the hut away overnight. In fact, I’m sure it’d seen much, much worse. I put earplugs in, drowning out the sound of the wind. I went outside to pee around 1 am, finding just some drizzle and light wind. I’d overheard the other hikers comment about how cold it was but the weather page said it was still in the 60’s. I left the hut early in the morning wearing only my dress and was quite comfortable. My gratitude to the Bromley Ski Hut for being such a place of refuge. I hope I[…]

Sunday August 22nd, 2021, 0630-1615Bully Brook to Bromley Mountain Ski Hut, SOBO AT mm 536.122.3 miles5804 gain, 3937 loss So it was to be the second tropical system in less than a week. I was tempted to blame Vermont but it’s not a state’s fault that climate change is causing such extreme weather. Things would be deteriorating throughout the day and I had 22 miles to go to get to the ski hut atop Bromley mountain. I’d filed this place away in my mind last year as a spot I’d like to spend the night. Never did I think I’d be doing it in a hurricane. Henri was set to hit Connecticut and Massachusetts in the afternoon, then come my way[…]

Saturday August 21st, 2021, 0930-2000RT 4 to Bully Brook, SOBO AT mm 513.724.8 miles6522 gain, 7041 loss I slept incredibly well considering a full room, including a few wheezers (women don’t snore, they wheeze). I didn’t even need earplugs. I felt so at peace all night but did have some interesting dreams…something in the tea or just really exhausted. I was up early per usual, getting work done. I went to breakfast at 07:30 am, which consisted of more matte tea and coffee, homemade granola, yogurt and fruit. This is what I have for breakfast every morning at home so I really enjoyed it. I caught the first bus back to the trail and started hammering. Another tropical system was on[…]

Friday August 20th, 2021, 0620-1800Stony Brook Shelter to Rt 4 & Rutland, SOBO AT mm 48910 miles2946 gain, 2795 loss It hammered rain all night, so I had pretty interrupted sleep. I had to mop my floor and tent walls for condensation every few hours. But my clothes and sleeping bag stayed dry so I guess it was a success. I may need to send away for my new Pleximid tent. At least it’s not cold, so it doesn’t really matter how wet stuff gets. I just hate putting on wet stinky clothes and I really hate packing a wet tent. The rain did let up around 4 am, so I walked the remainder of miles into town under semi-dry conditions.[…]

Thursday August 19th, 2021, 0620-1800Blue Barn, West Hartford to Stony Brook Shelter, SOBO AT mm 47927 miles8622 gain, 7257 loss Some days are just about doing miles while listening to podcasts and music. Today was such. The remnants of tropical storm Fred ensured all day rain. Luckily it didn’t really start until just after I’d packed my tent. I had coffee courtesy of Linda, enjoying my breakfast under the protection of her porch. When I set off, there was only a slight drizzle to contend with, so it wasn’t too hard to leave. I envied the NOBOs, who had a mere 10 miles to go to reach Hanover and more dry spaces. I had 37 miles before the next town, Rutland,[…]

Wednesday August 18th, 2021, 0600-1730Moose Mountain Shelter to Blue Barn, West Hartford, SOBO AT mm 45220.7 miles3657 gain, 5378 loss I’m back! In so many ways. First, my fast hiking pace returned and secondly, I’m back in Vermont. I visited about a year ago when I hiked the Long Trail and I just loved everything about the state. I was so happy to return today. First I needed to hike 11 miles into Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College. The trail goes right through the center of town, the first of such that I’ve come to. It was fast trail, with minimum up and downs. I made it to the outskirts of town by 9 am, 10 miles down. The mosquitoes[…]