Great Barrington, MA to Hanover, NH (1520.6-1741.8)

Monday 8/7; Great Barrington, MA to Wilcox South Shelter (1520.6-1532.3)

Uneventful day, today. Our mileage was low moderate and we were finished early. We finally net Kanga, Sherpa, and Baby Roo for a few mins. They are a couple who have their one year old daughter out here. They're super sweet, and Pig-Pen is right, Roo is adorable! It was great meeting them, finally! Pig-Pen has been talking about them for weeks and weeks. It's been chilly with rain and clouds all day. We're all in long sleep clothes, sleep socks, and I'm in my sleeping bag liner for warmth. Tomorrow is a little longer day, but Upper Goose Pond Cabin is said to be worth it! We're excited to see for ourselves!

Tuesday 8/8; Wilcox South Shelter to Upper Goose Pond Cabin (1532.3-1548.1)

Another uneventful day. A good day, though. We made good time and arrived at Upper Goose with time enough to cook down at the "beach" (which is basically a floating dock). Alexis is here (she has a trail name--OG--which apparently has multiple translations), and Bluebird, STAX, Pterodactyl, and Sir Poops A Lot! There was a good laugh had by all when I stepped onto the dock and froze because it felt so unstable. My standard response is, "I don't yike it," While gritting my teeth. Apparently Erik had predicted I wouldn't like it and would, in his words, "Trip out."

The caretaker here apparently makes pancakes for the hikers in the morning. I've craved pancakes on multiple occasions out here and am super excited! Long day tomorrow. We're trying to build a buffer in order to make our goal to Maine!!

Wednesday 8/9; Upper Goose Pond Cabin to Kay Woods Shelter (1548.1-1565.7)

Well we started the day with pancakes. With so many hikers around currently, it was sort of an ordeal getting our turn. Honestly, I'm a little surprised that I can be very grateful and a little disappointed at the same time.

We made great time today, even with stopping at "The Cookie Lady's House." This sweet lady makes cookies and will give them to hikers when she's home and available. She was so stinkin' sweet and had beautiful flowers! We enjoyed our time and continued on, finishing the 18 miles we scheduled for today before 7PM. We promptly are and are now in bed. We've learned a whole new meaning of meaning of "falling into bed."

A short day tomorrow with town lunch and a resupply will be so nice!

Thursday 8/10; Kay Woods Shelter to Crystal Hill Campsite (1565.7-1572.9)

We haven't hiked this few miles in a really long time! Started the morning late and slow (intentionally), which was so nice! Ate some breakfast, had warm drinks, started walking. It was only 2.8 miles to town, though I managed to fall down a flight of trail stairs in those miles. We, of course, found our way to food first. We shared blueberry pancakes and we each got an omelette. It was so good!! I have decided that I LOVE blueberry pancakes! We then took showers at the community center. Nothing feels better than being clean! And we "loitered" all day drying someone things, eating some more, reading, and chatting, before hiking 3.8 to camp. I very unproductive, relaxing day!

We packed out dinner, and as we were finishing, a new face who goes by Purple Rain arrived and asked if she could set up a banquet and take photos. She was working on a task for a giant scavenger hunt in which she needed to "host a banquet on a major trail." We'll, it just so happens she's flip-flopping The AT. It was fun and a nice way to meet a new hiker.

Another pretty short day tomorrow as we included closer to Vermont and Pig-Pen's last day with us. We'll sure miss her when she goes home.

Friday 8/11; Crystal Mountain Campsite to Mark Nopel Shelter (1572.9-1582.6)

A short day and Dunkin Doughnuts = pretty happy hikers. Pig-Pen wasn't feeling well this morning, so we weren't sure how the day was going to go. We knew we'd hit the post office right along the trail, and while we were there, we decided DD was a must. We also happened to come upon a Dollar General for protein, and headed up the first half of Mt. Greylock. We're camped here and will push 16 tomorrow before Pig-Pen's last miles on Sunday. Erik is building a fire currently, at Pig-Pen's request. They are her last days with us, after all....

Saturday 8/12; Mark Nopel Shelter to Seth Warner Shelter (1582.6-1599.1)
Today was a very long, emotional day. We said goodbye to my second trail sister. Pig-Pen left the trail a day earlier than expected. She thought yesterday she wasn't feeling well because of a different food she ate, but it turns out she was getting a migraine. She had been feeling awful and her friends was able to pick her up a day earlier than planned. I'm sad to see her go, but excited to see what comes next for her. Pig-Pen, thanks for the laughs friend! I miss you already and can't wait to visit you and get the grand tour of New Haven! Until then, keep going and remember that you've only extended your adventure!

We said goodbye on top of Mt. Greylock, which is the tallest peak in Massachusetts. We were sucked in with fog and had no views, but the was memorial at the top was absolutely gorgeous! We spent some time with Pig-Pen before heading out to conquer the rest of our 16+ mile day. This was a bit overwhelming given that it was already after 11AM. Definitely NOT our typical. We're usually nearly or half done with our miles somewhere between 11 and about 1. The walking was mostly nice, though there was a lot of climbing in the second half of the day. We didn't arrive to camp until 730 PM, and with thunder sounding above. So we grabbed a tent spot (the shelter is full), and got the tent up just as the rain started. And...We're sleeping in a water bed. The front of the tent is in a puddle and it really sucks. I am overwhelmed tonight and feeling very lonely. Hoping tomorrow goes smoothly and we are able to dry out.

Sunday 8/13; Seth Warner Shelter to 

Bennington, VT (1599.1-1610.6)
An uneventful 11 miles into town and we stayed put. We got pretty wet last night and made a last minute decision to see if we could find a reasonable motel room. We did (The Catamount Motel is amazing--clean room, kind service including am free shuttle to and from the trail, and they do your laundry for a small fee!!), And we don't regret it for a second. It was nice to have a little time together not worrying about that one chore. Anyhow, Bennington is a nice little town. Definitely on the list to revisit in the future! We saw a small protest in town, too, in response to Charlottesville. A small group of citizens speaking out against hate. Very neat to see!

Monday 8/14; Bennington, VT to Kid Gore Shelter (1610.6-1625)

What a great day! We're really into BB King and Bill Murray at the trail head. He does the best trail magic,v which today was grilled cabbage, zucchini, fish, and beer. SO GOOD!! Thanks, guys!! The first half of the walking was a little daunting with a lot of climbing. I'm not a strong climber and it can be a bit frustrating, even discouraging. But we made it to the second shelter, the air was crisp and the light perfect, we met Ollie the dog (a Poodle/Bernese Mountain Dog--amazing!), and saw many friends including OG and BRAVE!! I was so excited to see her. Remember when she named me all the back in Georgia?! So.. we pushed on to the next shelter. 4.2 fewer miles to do later, AND we made our intended can for the night. AND!! I got to hike with OG and pass time super quickly! Excited to have had a really good day. Missing Pig-Pen!

Today 8/15; Kid Gore Shelter to Stratton Pond Shelter (1625-1640)

What a great day! We started by 8 am in drizzly weather with a chance of rain. Took a couple of breaks and then started up and over Stratton Mountain. I was nervous about the climb, but was pleasantly surprised that it was not so bad. So we climbed, completed 15 miles, and were at camp by 5PM. There are a bunch of sectioners here, and all seem nice. I went swimming in the pond which was so nice! Sort of like a bath before bed. We had dinner, are hanging out with OG, and met Chris, the caretaker here. His trail name in 2015 was Varsity, and he knew the girls (Muddy Duck and team). He was SO excited when I mentioned them!! It's been a really, really good day!

Wednesday 8/16; Stratton Shelter to Bromley Mountain Summit (1640-1653.7)

As I write this post, I'm sitting on a rock, on top of Bromley Mountain in Vermont, wrapped in my puffy and me sleeping blanket, watching the sun set over the distant ridges. It's AMAZING! We talked about not pushing the extra 1 mile to come up here, and it would have been such a mistake to pass this up. One of my favorite memories was sunrise at Masada, and now I'll see the sun melt over the horizon on my own coast.

Today was good. Easy, short, enjoyable. I think I have finally found my groove out here, and it's amazing!

Thursday 8/17; Bromley Mountain Summit to Little Rock Pond shelter (1653.7-1670.5)

We're sitting at the pond after eating dinner here. It's been another beautiful day. I think I'm in love with Vermont. We hit a summit today with breathtaking views of hills all around. We're camped with Colwyn who's hiking the Long Trail, and Dana and Jill, also LT hikers. We're all hanging out before heading back up to the shelter. Apparently it's going to rain tomorrow. Which is a pretty big bummer, but I guess we can't have beautiful weather every day.

Friday 8/18; Little Rock Pond shelter to Clarendon Shelter (1670.5-1684.1)

As always, rain sucks. And oh my gosh do Bean's socks STINK! When they get wet, they simply wreak!! Today really was ok, though I genuinely don't like hiking in the rain. We may have not tomorrow, but we'll be in town on Sunday and will have showers and do laundry. So I guess it's manageable.

The infection on my toe is healed, I think. But now I've got the exact same thing on the same toe on the other foot. Darn feet just don't want to cooperate. We've got just over 500 miles to the finish--Joints just need to hold out a little longer.

We're camped tonight with a group of Harvard students on a pre-orientation trip. Everything they have got soaked last night in the rain. It's a little sad, honestly. I hope they're all having fun despite the weather.

Saturday 8/19; Clarendon Shelter to Rutland, VT (1684.1-1700.8)

Big climbs don't ever get easier. Today is no exception. We did decide to push into town today instead of nearo-ing tomorrow. The down wasn't so bad, even if the up took 45 minutes longer than typical pace. But, we hit 1700 miles today which means we've got under 500 to hike. Do you have any idea what that feels like? We can't even figure a way to put it into words yet (and I'm writing this two days later!)!

But! We made it down with about 25 minutes before the local bus arrived to take us into town. What a fantastic service! Were sleeping tonight at the Hostel at The Yellow Deli. Some call the community a cult, but we hear really good things, so we're going to check it out for ourselves. We'll let you know...

Sunday 8/20; Zero in Rutland, VT
The Yellow Deli: A Beautiful community of caring, generous people who live communally and work well together. I'm certainly intrigued. We didn't hear much about the believe system which seems to be some form of Christianity. They call themselves part of the twelve tribes, Wikipedia mentions Messianic under affiliations, and they all have Hebrew names, so we presume some form of Messianic-like Christian something or other. Two Step apparently had a conversation with Aysh about the religion and learned that members believe that a good soul, a person who faithfully tries to be good, is more important (or at least as important as) than the technicalities, which I understand do include Jesus in some way. Anyhow, the never if the community welcomed us with open arms and genuine care for our needs. The hostel is donation based, and they ask for guests (ie hikers) to help by folding clean laundry, stripping beds when we leave, cleaning/tidying common space, helping to prepare meals, etc. The community has a farm nearby (more on that below) and runs a deli, presumably for income, with fresh, homemade food. We arrived on Saturday evening, showered, and were invited to join for dinner. We were served a fresh, vegetarian meal that was like a taco salad of sorts and was so good! We learned that the power company was going to cut power for a while the following day for maintenance, and that the deli's Sunday prep would largely be completed on Saturday evening. As the meal finished, all members set to work with their assigned tasks. It really was something to see. A group of us hikers helped to cut bananas and strawberries which would be used in smoothies. We enjoyed talking and singing and generally goofing off while spending some time helping our new friends prepare for the following day. We ate lunch at the deli (with a 15% discount because we're hikers) and it was AMAZING! The homemade bread is so good! I'm very interested in spending a day on the farm at some point and seeing what that's like. All in all, the community was very welcoming and we're beyond grateful for our time there!

Otherwise, our day today was exactly what we like on a zero day...A whole lot of nothin'! We read, dried/UVed gear, washed clothes, and caught up with friends, and unfortunately said goodbye to New friends TRex, Jet, and Colwyn. Good luck on the Long Trail, friends. We'll be in touch! We made a short visit to the bookstore across the street which was pretty neat. They had a whole table with political reads, a wall dedicated to race, a young adult book written by Jazz (a prominent transgender teen)...I loved the controversy there! And the t-shirts with screen prints of classic books' cover art, of course! It was a perfect zero day!

Monday 8/21; Rutland, VT to Stony Brook Shelter (1700.8-1710.8)

As usual, getting started after spending time in town was later than usual. As a result we cut 15 mile day down to ten which means we have to make up the 5 at some point in the week. Oh well, tis life, I guess. It was a decent day. A pretty gnarly climb, but we'd better get used to them. So we stopped early-ish, made dinner, and now the blog is caught up and it's time to read for a minute and then sleep. We'll told in Hanover in a couple days (meant to do that in Rutland--oops!).

Tuesday 8/22; Stony Brook Shelter Pomfret Road stealth site (1710.8-1728.9)

A challenge, today was. I had hoped that FINALLY seeing U-Turn and The Colonel this morning would mean a fantastically great day! But...(sorry gentlemen) PMS had other plans. I was slow and sluggish despite the joyful reunion. It was so great catching up a little, though, and I can't wait to do so after the trail when we'll both have service and be able to have a full blown conversation!

We found our way to "The Lookout" and climbed up to have a view. I thought maybe it would help cheer me up, but instead, I got lost after missing a junction (I'm a bit over the poorly marked trail, Green Mountain Club--fix it, please!). I sort of freaked out for a minute and then took the phone out and used the trusty Guthook's to find my way back. But not before tears of panic set in.

We went through the day, breaked for lunch, walked a while more, wandered to a farm store where our array of treats we're all drinks, and included Sprite, chocolate milk, maple soda, and Gatorade. Cravings are real, people. And I've realized there's nothing that chocolate milk won't fix.

We agreed to push a little further (2 more miles) over the next "hump" and stealth there at the stream. Well, we climbed the hump of a mountain and Bean asked if we could go over this hump to the next stealth spot 2 more miles. I added as long as he promised not to be mad that we would get to camp at 730 or later. He agreed and we started walking. Well, he started walking; I trudged. Then, as if on cue, it began to sprinkle. I sent Bean ahead because he's faster than I am and I knew he could get to camp and get the tent up [hopefully] before the rain started. We apparently didn't communicate well because I crossed the next road expecting to see him and the tent, and I couldn't find him. I got super upset thinking I'd somehow missed him and turned around. I finally pulled the guidebook out and realized he was ahead, so I turned BACK AROUND to go find camp. I was sobbing by the time I got to him.

He did already have the tent up, though, and the sky was just starting to let loose, so that was a plus. It's now thundering and pouring, we're dry, but I have to pee before I go to sleep.

All that said, I'm pretty proud of the fact that we did 18 miles without even realizing it today. I somehow though we had only done 14. But knowing we pushed out 18 makes the very long day a little more worth it. Here's to a better tomorrow...

Wednesday 8/23; Pomfret Road stealth site to Happy Hill Shelter (1728.9-1741.8)

Have I ever mentioned how amazing the sunshine is after a rain? Today's sun was so gorgeous! The morning sky was fall clear with glittering light shining through the leaves as they whispered in the wind. It was certainly a better day than yesterday, but then we only walked 13 miles today. It's pretty incredible what a difference a few miles makes. We took our time and had a long break mid day near a river for lunch. The hiking wasn't easy but wasn't too bad, either. Getting us warmed up for the remainder of the trek. We will make it way into New Hampshire tomorrow. Another state down, now only two to go.

We were reminiscing with Bluebird tonight about the experience thus far and all the amazing people we've met and the changes in ourselves we've had the privilege of fostering. I'm just blown away by all of this. I'm sure a part will come which will touch on some of it, but for now, let me just say "Thank you" to all of you who have made this journey such an amazing one. I really am blown away.