Twig Adventures

Wed Oct 7th, 2020, 0605-1430Black Brook to Rt 9 / Bennington VT, SOBO LT mile 256.421.5 miles, then about 3 miles walking around town, 4500 gain, 5400 loss The barred owl sounded the alarm clock at 5 am. It’s 2 single hoots were the very loud and forceful kind. I knew many of their varied calls, but they seemed to have different dialects around the country. About a week before, I heard a really weird noise that finished with a few familiar notes. I bet many of the crazy noises that hikers report are attributable to such owls. We had some miles to make into town, preferably before it started to rain. A front was coming in. The day started off[…]

Tue Oct 6th, 2020, 0600-1700Peru Peak Shelter to Black Brook, SOBO LT mile 23528.5 miles, 6150 gain,  6500 loss This day proved that big miles were still possible, at least on the AT. We wanted to hike 26 miles so that we’d be able to reach a town for resupply the next. It was also supposed to rain the next day, so it was better to get more of the miles done on a nice day. We met our goal plus some! As always, the early bird gets the miles. I knew this game plan worked and another benefit was that I had the trail all to myself for a few hours. The day started with a climb to Styles[…]

Mon Oct 5th, 2020, 0615-1630Clarendon Shelter to Peru Peak Shelter, SOBO LT mile 206.523.8 miles, 6300 gain, 5000 loss There was a breeze overnight, causing leaves to rain down on my tent, which I mistook as real rain. I was tuned into waking up when it starts to rain, so that I could put my tent flaps down. Hence, I woke up quite a few times for nothing. I also had weird dreams about animals grabbing me in my sleep. I guess my senses were elevated because of local stories. A bear had been grabbing food at this shelter in the past, but Firewood reported that the bear had been shot at the beginning of the hunting season. So there[…]

Sun Oct 4th, 2020, 0850-1630RT 4 / Inn at Long Trail to Clarendon Shelter, SOBO LT mile 182.815.6 miles, 3450 gain,  4350 loss I was super excited to wake up for breakfast in the morning. It was a real breakfast: an omelet with potatoes, toast, juice and coffee. The hall was filled with LT and AT hikers. There were at least 10 of us, including Doug and Steve, a son and father duo we met a few days before. Their mom/wife picked them up from Middlebury gap during the rain so they could stay at the Inn. Incidentally, the Inn’s 2 dinning rooms incorporated large rocks in situ, which was pretty cool to see how the rooms were built around[…]

Sat Oct 3rd, 2020, 0550-1200David Logan Shelter to RT 4 / Inn at Long Trail, SOBO LT mile 16613 miles, 2900 gain,  3600 loss Rain drops on a metal roof made for a very pleasant sleep. But the dying fire also made for a smokey cabin. The early morning brought a thick fog and gear that reeked of smoke. Ah, The Great Outdoors. I could barely find the nearby privy in the dark, my headlamp beam was so distorted by the fog. Finding the side trail from the hut to the main trail was another adventure, then it was a game just trying to stay on the trail. We could’ve made it easy on ourselves by just sleeping in a[…]

Fri Oct 2nd, 2020, 0550-1500Boyce Shelter to David Logan Shelter, SOBO LT mile 15320.7 miles, 5600 gain,  5900 loss It rained lightly on and off during the night, but at least my tent was dry in the morning. I finished packing just as it started to sprinkle again. The forecast called for a 60% chance of showers between 10 am and 1 pm. This translated into a steady drizzle with occasional heavier rain from 6 am until bedtime. Hence the reason I didn’t have many pictures to add to this post. Everyone woke early and we were on the trail well before dawn. The drizzle and reflection off the wet ground disrupted my headlamp beam, making it hard to find[…]

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[…]