I ran a few errands in town and then the very nice motel owner gave me a ride back to the trail. I was hiking by 11:30. Since I’ve felt like I was running the past several days, today I just meandered, enjoying the cool weather. When I entered Vermont, I also entered the Green Mountain National Forest, and everything is my favorite color.
I stopped on top of Glastenbury Mountain to cook dinner in the lookout tower with The Voice and Indy, then we all made our way to the Kid Gore Shelter. The shelter is packed, and I got the last spot in the tiny tenting area. I’m very happy to have all of my cold weather gear as it’s pretty chilly right now and I expect tonight to be even colder. Someone started a fire so between the temperature and the smell of wood smoke, it feels like fall.
14.4 miles today.
Vermont is a unique place. It is pretty, rural, hilly, very green (although it will turn much more colorful in another month and a half), and has lots of rocky peaks. The views are gorgeous when you get up in elevation. And the air is just somehow, Je ne sais quoi…better… there 🙂
The people might be a bit quirkier, but it’s worth it for the nature, just as long as you don’t have a job that forces you to travel away from the place all the time 😉
I think you go over Mt Snow, which I’ve never been to, but it looks cool. And I’ve been to both the Londonderry and the Woodstock areas which are on the trail, and they were particularly pretty areas…although I only passed through once or twice since that area was waaaaay south of where I lived.
Enjoy your time there. Soak it in. Be present. This is an awesome thing you are doing 🙂