Author: kaulua26

Thu Oct 1st, 2020, 0620-1730Stark’s Nest to Boyce Shelter, SOBO LT mile 132.523.2 miles, 6500 gain, 7200 loss It was hard to leave a warm hut when it was so cold outside in the morning. I always think I’ll be faster packing up inside a hut, since I don’t have to deal with my tent, but I’m usually much slower. This morning was no exception. It was nice watching the light slowly grow in the east. It would have been even more beautiful to watch a sunrise here, but we needed to press on. We caught the sunrise on the way up to Mt Ellen (4075′) instead. At this vantage point, I could again see all our previous mountains, as well[…]

Wed Sept 30th, 2020, 1500-1620Appalachian Gap to Stark’s Nest, SOBO LT mile 109.32.4 miles, 1500 gain,  280 loss A nero into town and a nero out basically added up to a zero. It was a real ‘pissah’ outside anyway (meaning lots of rain), so there was no rush to get back on trail. It rained hard all night and well into the morning. I cracked the windows to let the cool air in, while the white noise and soft bed made for a perfect sleep. In the morning, I did the usual chores while also lounging in bed.  Breakfast was yogurt parfait, sausage, and waffles with real maple syrup, of course, served by the Inn. It was all really good[…]

Tue Sept 29th, 2020, 0800-0915Birch Glen Lodge to Appalachian Gap / Waitsfield, SOBO LT mile 106.92.5 miles, then about 5 miles of walking in town, 1200 gain, 900 loss I slept really well overnight. The wind blew strong all night but there was no rain. We didn’t get too early of a start since it was a short walk to the road. I also hated to disturb my fellow lodge mates banging around before it was light. We hung out for a bit, then said goodbye to Broken Toe and company. I figured I’d see him again… he’s like an ephemeral spring along the trail. The morning was nice and dry. I even get a view north to Camel’s Hump,[…]

Mon Sept 28th, 2020, 0600-1530Gleason Brook to Birch Glen Lodge, SOBO LT mile 104.415 miles, 6600 gain, 5100 loss An early start was clutch this day. A huge climb of over 4,000 feet greeted me. I began in the dark and enjoyed the transition into the world of colors. I was shortly on a ridge, where the air was fresh and the day bright. The trail followed solid rock ridges for long stretches, offering clear views among the stunted conifers. It could be hard to find the trail at times… a study in looking for the white hash marks painted directly on the rocks. The colors of the surrounding deciduous forests were astounding. Camel’s Hump loomed prominently at 4,072′. At[…]

Sun Sept 27th, 2020, 0600-1800Taft Lodge to Gleason Brook, SOBO LT mile 89.423.5 miles, 6350 gain, 9300 loss (highest & lowest points on the trail, in the same day!) I sleep surprisingly well in the lodge, despite the comings and goings of my fellow occupants throughout the night. The ancient door latch gave everyone a fit, making a lot of unnecessary noise. We should have set an alarm for everyone to go pee at once. Several got up at 5 am, including myself, all hopeful to see a sunrise from the highest point in Vermont. I set off in the dark up the steep, rocky flanks of Mt. Mansfield. My headlamp beam was distorted by fog and I struggled to[…]

Sat Sept 26th, 2020, 0545-1730Waterman Brook to Taft Lodge, SOBO LT mile 6611.2 miles, plus about 2 miles walking around town, 5900 gain, 4500 loss I was ready to go early but didn’t feel as well as the day before. It’s called a ‘Hiking Hangover,’ most often experienced after a previous big day. Of course, the rugged terrain from day 2 was also back. Whoa Nelly! was the climb to Whiteface Mountain steep! I was scrambling over slimy rock faces while grabbing onto roots and limbs…a lot of that in the light of my headlamp. I got to the top for a nice view of the sunrise through the valley haze. It was very humid but there was probably also[…]

Fri Sept 25th, 2020, 0600-1630Spruce Ledge Camp to Waterman Brook, SOBO LT mile 54.724.0 miles, 7200 gain, 6500 loss I slept perfectly overnight, despite some nearby anonymous snoring (earplugs do wonders!). My shirt and skirt were still wet in the morning…recall my pond excursion the afternoon before? I optimistically hung them to dry overnight, but nothing dries at night on the east coast. I hated putting on wet clothes to start the day but at least it wasn’t cold. I woke feeling pretty great, like Tony the Tiger grrrrreat! Perhaps I’d finally found my hiker groove. I hit the trail very early, having to use my headlamp for the first 15 minutes. I already felt productive, despite an in-your-face steep[…]

Thu Sept 24th, 2020, 0700-1630 Hazen’s Notch Camp to Spruce Ledge Camp, SOBO LT mile 30.6 14.0 miles 4600 gain, 5100 loss I didn’t set my alarm and slept until 6 am. Usually I started packing by 5 or 5:30 am, but clearly I needed the rest. I was very sore when I started moving and almost 30 minutes delayed by the time I hit the trail. I already felt pretty demoralized but shouldn’t have been so hard on myself. This was the problem with having other thru-hikes under my belt: I set too high of expectations. My experiences allowed me to hit the ground running but I couldn’t expect to pick up exactly where I left off. The going[…]

Wed, Sept 23, 2020 , 0645-1800 Journey’s End Trailhead to Hazen’s Notch Camp, SOBO LT mile 17 18.6 miles 7100 gain, 6400 loss We had to be out the door and on our way to the Canadian border by 0530 am. This wasn’t just for our benefit, our hosts had very busy and productive lives and needed to attend a zoom work meeting at 0830 am. Luckily the 1.5 hr drive to the border went well and we were ready to start at the trailhead before 7 am. It was still a bit dark, this being my earliest first day start since 2017 on the Colorado Trail. I didn’t get a good night’s sleep the previous 2 nights and felt[…]

2020 was a bust for many thru-hiking plans, including my own for the Appalachian Trail. By late summer, I reasoned that if I couldn’t hike the whole AT, 100 miles of it was better than nothing. This is the part it shares with the Long Trail (LT). The LT is 273 miles, running the length of the Green Mountains from the Canadian border to Massachusetts. It was the first long distance, continuous footpath that was purposely designed. Built by the Green Mountain Club between 1910 – 1930, it later became the inspiration for the AT. In following, the AT incorporated 100 miles of the LT as it was routed through Vermont (much like how the CDT and CT ‘share’ sections[…]