Massachusetts to Vermont

Day 126 – MA Route 23 to US 20: mile 1533.5 to 1554.4

After a rough day on the 4th of July I decided to pay for a shuttle ride back to the trail so that I could slack pack.  I was a bit concerned considering how tired I was the previous day but the 21 mile slack pack hike went quite well. During the hike I crossed over I 90 on the bridge I have driven under countless times during my commutes between Rochester and Maine. It was exciting to actually walk across the bridge as I had imagined many times before.

I spent two nights at the Pilgrim Inn in Lee, MA and both nights I ate at the 51 Park restaurant and tavern. The laundry mat is conveniently located right behind the tavern so I got laundry done the second night while I ate dinner.

Day 127 – US 20 to Kay Wood Shelter: mile 1554.4 to mile 1570.4

There is a house just off the trail where the family is very active in helping hikers. Their home is considered a place to relax and recharge and they offer fresh baked cookies and homemade lemonade. Because of the cookies, the place is known as the cookie lady place.  I stopped by for a couple of cookies and to sample lemonade. It was an experience worth doing. 

Day 128 – Kay Wood Shelter to Father Tom Campground: mile 1570.4 to mile 1582.1

I found myself in a little bubble of people where a lot of smoking was going on and I don’t mean cigarettes. I wanted to break out of this bubble and today posed a perfect opportunity. I decided to make it a short day and only hike about 12 miles and hope everyone else goes further. In these short 12 miles I was going to walk through two towns in Massachusetts.

The first town was Dalton Massachusetts. I arrived in town around 8:30 and went to the local coffee shop and Café. I had a tall coffee and a breakfast burrito along with a big muffin. In the building next to the café was the deli. It opened at nine so I went in and got a large sub to take on the trail with me. It was over a foot long and the woman cut it in half to make it easier for me to put in my pack.

10 more miles brought me to the town of Cheshire. In this town there is a space for Appalachian trail thru hikers to camp. It is known as Father Tom’s campground. This is where I would spend the night. It was a very nice area and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.

Day 129 – Father Tom Campground to Sherman Brook Campground: mile 1582.1 to mile 1598.4

Today I hiked over Mount Greylock, Massachusetts highest mountain. At the top of the mountain is a lighthouse like structure that you can climb to get an even better view (see featured image) of the surroundings. Also at the top is a little restaurant where I had lunch.

I had been trying to plan my days such that I can be at Vermont 11/30 for Amy to pick me up around noon on the 12th. In order to accomplish this and stay near shelters I had a 12 mile day planned followed by a 19 mile day. While hiking with a young couple, they mentioned going to Bennington Vermont. When I looked on the app to figure out where it was I found out it was conveniently located such that it would split the difference and give me two 14 to 15 mile days.

Day 130 – Sherman Brook Campsite to VT Route 9: mile 1598.4 to mile 1615.1

The morning brought two milestones close together. First I crossed the 1600 mile mark and shortly after I entered Vermont. Based on the conversations I had with the young couple I decided I was going to stay in Bennington Vermont.

I had called to make reservations at the Catamount Motel. The motel has a great reputation, particularly with hikers. The owners will pick you up at the trail head and bring you back the next day free of charge. Due to the lack of cell signal at the parking lot they ask that you call from the top of the hill before climbing down. The distance from the hill to the parking lot is 1.7 miles. He said he would pick you up 70 minutes after you called. I thought that was an awful long time because even I usually do roughly 2 miles in an hour. He did say the terrain was tough and it actually took me almost 60 minutes to get there. Based on my call time I expected him at the parking lot at 3:15 and he showed up at exactly 3:15.

I had a great time while in Bennington. I ate at the tap house and had a great sandwich but wasn’t terribly impressed with the beer selection. Lucky for me there are two breweries in town, both within walking distance. I stopped at the first one and had a flight, two light beers and two dark beers. I then went to the Dollar General to pick up a few items and then stopped in to the other brewery on my way back to the motel. These two breweries certainly held up to Vermont’s reputation for having great craft beer.  Needless to say I got a good nights sleep in the comfy bed of the motel.

Day 131 – VT Route 9 to Kid Gore Shelter: mile 1615.1 to 1629.5

After a nice diner breakfast in Bennington I got my ride back to the trail. The climb out of route 9 was pretty steep to start. About half way up the trail went through an attraction known as split rock.  It certainly looks as though the rock split, but how did the two halves get so far apart?

At the summit of Glastenbury Mountain is an observation tower. I took several pictures at the top but I think the 360 degree video gives you the best representation of what it was like.

Day 132 – Kid Gore Shelter to Stratton Pond Shelter: mile 1629.5 to mile 1644.6

Today’s hike included another mountain with a fire tower on top. Stratton mountain is over 3900 feet, just shy of the magic 4K.

I came across some trail magic for the first time in a while.  When I stopped for a break a butterfly took an interest in my pack. It hung around long enough for me to get a nice picture of it.  Tomorrow I will see Amy for the first time in almost 2 months. I cannot wait.

Day 133 – Stratton Pond Shelter to VT 11/30: mile 1644.6 to mile 1655.2

A short hike today to meet up with Amy at Vermont 11/30. The 10.5 mile hike started along the shore of Stratton Pond. My hiking friend, Timex, hiked most of the distance with me and Amy and I gave him a ride into Manchester.  We had lunch at a nice Italian restaurant before giving Timex a ride to his hotel and heading up to Rutland.

We had a little bit more time to kill before checking into the hotel so we went to get ice cream. As we finished our cones, the sky was getting dark and we knew a storm was coming so we rushed to the hotel. As we were getting our stuff out the car and heading to the lobby, the sky opened up and it poured.  Timing is everything.

Day 134 – VT 11/30 to USFS 10: mile 1655.2 to mile 1672.9

Day 135 – USFS 10 to VT 103: mile 1672.9 to mile 1687.5

Day 136 – VT 103 to Cold River Road: mile 1687.5 to mile 1691.6

I spent 3 days slack packing and enjoying my time with Amy. Each day’s hike was progressively shorter, doing over 17 miles the first day and only 4 on the third day. After finishing early on the third day, we did my laundry and did a quick resupply. After shopping we grabbed lunch at Subway before heading to Randolph to see our son, Doug.

We visited a bit in Doug’s apartment before we headed out to get a tour of The Mountain School, where he works. After the tour we went to dinner at the Worthy Burger and then returned to Rutland.

It was nice to spend four nights in a real bed and spend time with Amy and it went by far too quickly. Now it’s time to get back to a full pack and spending nights alone in my tent.

Daily Data

Day	Miles	Total Asc	Total Desc	Steps
126	20.9	4560	4232	61247
127	16.0	2742	2316	44420
128	11.7	2030	2870	32609
129	16.3	4481	4078	49361
130	16.7	3795	3809	50037
131	14.4	3969	2518	40151
132	15.1	3166	3248	44749
133	10.6	1210	2043	33626
134	17.7	3507	3828	48049
135	14.6	2999	3658	40753
136	4.1	1417	892	18086