Wednesday, August 21, 2019
As I mentioned in the previous post, I shared the washer and dryer at the Inn at the Long Trail with a nice young couple and had a good chat with them at dinner. Making new friends paid off this morning.
I put on my backpack in the lobby as I was saying goodbye to the young man, who happened to be down there grabbing some coffee. I heard something drop as I slung my pack over my shoulder but only saw my headphones on the floor. I grabbed them and got on my way. I crossed VT-4 to get back on the trail and was reading the information sign at the trailhead when the young guy ran across the street to catch me. Apparently my little pen knife was what I heard fall to the floor. He found it after I left and ran to catch me. I don't use the little knife a lot but it does come in handy. I was so thankful for his kindness. What comes around, goes around!
I definitely get a little lethargic after a town stop and this day was no exception. Killington was the first task before me. I was able to get up it pretty easily. It's a big mountain but the climb was gradual and there were some magical views. Given the overcast skies, I didn't take the side trail to the Killiington summit. I needed to push some big miles, and with no view to be had, it wasn't worth losing the time. I passed the homemade marker indicating I had only 100 miles to the Massachusetts border, so that was cool. Unfortunately, the day would get worse from there. Much worse.
My planning thus far had served me well. I thought a lot about which towns to stop in and where to send my resupply boxes. The first thee town stops went off without a hitch but I messed up with the fourth and final one.
Unlike the previous three stops, I mailed my resupply box to the post office in Manchester Center instead of the place I was staying. You can send yourself a box addressed to yourself marked "General Delivery." They'll hold it for you for a couple of weeks. Normally, this is a seamless process and would have been fine, but my timing screwed up my plan. It was Wednesday, so if I hiked my normal four to five days between stops, I'd end up in Manchester Center on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. Either way, the post office wouldn't be open and I'd have to wait until Monday to get my food. This was not an option. I needed to do it in three days so I get back to my wife sooner rather than later.
What I should have done was send my resupply box directly to the Green Mountain House Hike Hostel where I planned on staying, but for some reason I didn't. Big mistake. As a result, I had to hike about 20 miles today to get to the shelter that would set me up for a three-day hike. That's a lot of miles up and down mountains, especially for someone as old and broken as me! If that wasn't enough, thunderstorms were in the forecast and this time, the weatherman was right. 😞
While it rained most of the morning, the downpour kicked in around 11:30 a.m. when I was about a mile and a half from the Governor Clement Shelter. The rain was so heavy the trail turned into a stream about a half a foot deep. I had a rain jacket on but I might as well have been naked like my trail buddy from the day before. I got drenched. And I got cold.
I had no choice but suffer and continue hiking. I finally arrived at the shelter at 12:30 p.m., shivering and miserable. To my delight, Zach and Francesca were there. I didn't think I'd see them again given how much faster they were than me. It was good to see them.
I changed into dry clothes so I wouldn't die of hypothermia and had some lunch. The rain finally subsided while I was eating so Zach and Francesca carried on. I left soon thereafter.
The trail was still a mess but there was nothing I could do about that. As I passed a northbound hiker, I remarked what a slippery, sloppy day it was. He replied that at least it stopped raining. That was the kiss of death. Five minutes later a steady rain soon commenced. It didn't let up for the rest of the afternoon.
As I got to my destination - the Minerva Hichey Shelter - the rain finally stopped. It was around 6:15 p.m.
The terrain getting there wasn’t too bad until the end when I had to descend a crazy, boulder-strewn notch. With all the rain, it was sketchy to say the least. The uphill climb coming out of the gap was brutal too. (Did I mention I hate gaps?)
I found a spot for my tent, quickly changed out of my soaking wet clothes, made dinner, and went straight for the warmth of my sleeping quilt. What a day.
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