August 20, 2014, we enter a state neither of us had ever been to, but had heard great things. All of those great things were true. The Green Mountains were beautiful, and it was exciting to enter the uncharted territory of these northern states. Our entrance into Vermont also put us overlapping with the Vermont Long Trail: the original long distance hiking trail. We were honored to walk on the 100 miles of this trail that parallels the AT, leaving the remaining 173 miles for another trip.
Crossing over the state line, we also passed a few hikers who carried up a couple of beers in celebration of this border crossing. It seemed the general consensus of hikers was that the cross over into Vermont was exciting. Tougher terrain was in our future, but we were more than ready to tackle it, getting closer to our final 2 states.
We had a rainy few days and I was still recovering from sinus troubles, we were feeling worn out, but our first campsite in Vermont was one to remember. We spotted a place across the river we were walking next to, it was sunset and nearing complete darkness. We crossed the river from rock to rock to set up and start a fire. The rain let up for a lovely evening where we warmed up some Backpacker's Pantry Apple Delight dessert, thanks to Kimber, and fell asleep to rain again. Unwilling to exit the tent to face the rain, we slept in. Reviewing the guidebook gave us a light at the end of the tunnel. There was a town up ahead just 5 miles where Grey Wolf (Teton's dad), after hearing we were feeling low, offered us a stay at the Hampton for a night. A night of R&R in Bennington, VT was just what we needed to get charged up for Vermont. Reaching the road, eager to get to the hotel, we got picked up by a couple of Yale students who were volunteering for their schools freshman orientation program. They were so nice and really interested in our journey. By the time we arrived, showered, did laundry and some resupplying, we were ready to hit the BED and rest. While re-packing my bag, I realized I had left the guidebook in the Yale student's car. We didn't exchange numbers or even names for that matter. Thankfully, we received a call from the front desk, reporting that it was dropped off "for the hikers". I assume that the way we looked and smelled when we arrived that they knew who we were. The next morning, we packed out some Long Trail Ales and planned to hit the trail. This time, we got a ride from a young man in a VW vintage van who was a Birkenstock traveling dealer. The trail allows for such an interesting way to meet all sorts of different people.
I'll say it again... we loved Vermont. After all, it was where I had my first whoopie pie. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. There was one downfall of Vermont, thought, and that was the mud. We constantly had dirty feet and legs and were hopping around logs trying to avoid puddles and sludge. We soon arrived at our first mountain of Vermont. Stratton Mountain was the summit in which Benton MacKaye was inspired to propose the creation of the AT. We climbed the lookout tower and it was apparent why this was the place the idea was born.
Vermont was flooded with beautiful ponds where we scanned for Moose. Claredon Gorge was a great swimming hole that Teton took advantage of. Then we headed up the big mountain we'd looked forward to for a while. Finally getting some elevation, we climbed up Killington. At this point, we'd been hiking for a few days with a trail friend, Dandelion, and her trusty dog, Zodiac. The peak of Killington was .2 off trail but we decided to head up and try to find a place to camp. It was rainy and the .2 off trail was a steep and rocky uphill climb. We'd heard from south-bounders that it was the first time we experience this terrain like we would in the White Mountains. It was a rainy and cold day so we were took our time up the summit. It was too foggy to catch a view but we set up camp and hoped to be able to see it in the morning. It was a rainy night and we awoke to more fog. Dandelion packed up and headed on her way, but we decided to stay a little while to see if it might clear off. Our friend Johnny showed up and we explored this area, knowing the ski resort was nearby. We found it and were able to take a gondola ride for free down the mountain where we visited the gift shop and went back up. A restaurant at the top was a nice place for us to kick back and relax until we headed back on trail.
Hiking to our dropbox in Rutland, VT, we camped across the street from the Inn at the Long Trail where we enjoyed laundry service and some adult beverages. This was a really cool little place that we hope to be able to visit again someday. A quick run into town for some gear and food was necessary before we hit it again.
Although beautiful, Vermont was challenging and full of many steep up and downs. It was preparing us for what was to come in the last 2 states. We were looking forward to crossing into New Hampshire because the border was in a college town. Mostly, we were looking forward to eating real food.
Check back soon to hear all about our almost favorite state: New Hampshire!
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