Killington

It was sunny when we woke up, but it turned to a drizzle this afternoon. It didn't pour though so it was a good day. We climbed 2,500 feet today to almost the top of Killington. We hate it that the trail takes us so close but not to the top. Also, we didn't see any moose today, but we did see a lot of moose droppings. 

Also, we've run into a few mid February starters including Tucker, Flo, Daypack, and Mountain Goat. It's cool to finally see some more thru-hikers.

Hopefully it'll warm up soon and the sun will come out for an entire day. We have less than 500 miles to go!

Sunshine is Incredible

I'm not really liking Vermont. We got a late start on the trail today at around 9:15. We were expecting to see sunshine based on the forecast but that didn't happen till the afternoon. This morning was cold, windy, and raining from the leaves. The trail was basically a stream and it was impossible to keep your feet dry. This morning was definitely one of the most miserable moments on the trail. 

That's the trail. 

After lunch though, things started to get a little better. Michael and I hiked with Ayce for the rest of the day. The sun came out for a little and you would never have guessed it was the same day. We came across a pond with a canoe next to it so we took it out for a little spin. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay out long because the canoe started to fill up with water, but it definitely brightened up our day. 

We ended up getting into the shelter a little late, but I'm just glad the sun came out. Also, Michael's gotten a little sick so please keep him in your prayers. I'm impressed he hiked 24 miles today.

Punishment and Reward

After our 100th day on the trail we decided to take it easy, so we only did 27.8 miles over southern Vermont's tallest mountain (Stratton) in the light rain. It was a long, tough day but totally worth it to stay in a shelter because it POURED last night. 

Today, we "neroed" into Manchester Center, VT. We did 10.7 miles through the rain and mud. Ayce and Michael got into town before Chino and I so they worked on getting a place to stay and did their laundry. Thanks to Chino's "town" sign, we got a hitch into town in less than 2 minutes. When we got in, we went to the outfitters then to Up For Breakfast for lunch. We both got the hiker hunger special. It was delicious!

It was nice to get some rest today, but we'll be back on the trail tomorrow, and I hear we'll have a break in the rain before a storm hits Thursday!

Day 100

Yesterday was our 100th day on the trail!

Here's some things we have and haven't done in the past 100 days:

- We've walked an average of 16.09 miles every day

- We've walked from Georgia to Vermont

- We've walked almost 700 miles more than the average American walks in a year

- We haven't shaved

- I haven't put on any deodorant (Michael put some under his left arm once)

- We've only had Chick-fil-A three times and Waffle House once!

We're stoked that we're in Vermont! We had sunshine today for possibly the last time for a while. Vermont's really muddy and the past few days of rain have caused it to be really slippery. Many parts of the trail have been flooded, but I've managed to keep the new kicks dry. We also did a couple 1000 foot climbs today so it wasn't an easy 23 like our past 20 mile days have been, but we're still doing it. 

600 miles to go

Overcast day but at lest it didn't rain. This was our last full day in MA and it has been great. 

Today we climbed Mt.Greylock which was a 2500 ft  climb, our biggest since southern Virginia. It just means that we are getting back into the mountains, which is exciting because it means the scenery will be more beautiful. There was a cool monument on the mountain since it was the highest point in Massachusetts. 

Now we are at Wilbur Clearing Shelter with Ayce, Chino, and The Brothers (2 brothers from Statesboro, GA). We caught Ayce today which was cool, we haven't sen him since right after Duncannon, PA. 

Last Few Miles Together

We stayed at Upper Goose Pond Cabin last night. We met a new thru-hiker for the first time in a while. He started early February but he has to get off for at least 3 weeks to get surgery on his foot. We also stayed with Tender Foot who is section hiking the trail for the third time, and she's 72! The caretaker at the cabin fixed us pancakes this morning for breakfast before we began our 20.6 mile day to Dalton, MA. 

Unfortunately it rained the whole day and is supposed to rain tomorrow, but I guess we were prepared. Michael left his rain jacket at Coffee Pot's house (currently being mailed up the trail), but lucky for him, the caretaker let him borrow his. It was cold enough and flat enough today that without rain gear, hypothermia could've been an issue. 

Well today was a sad day. My shoes carried me their last few miles and they had a rough day. They got soaking wet, they caused me to slip into the mud ankle deep, and they went an unexpected three miles farther. I didn't know UPS would be sending my shoes, so instead of walking 100 yards to the post office, I had to walk three miles to the UPS store. I jogged almost the whole way (man, that's something I haven't done in a while). Fortunately, a UPS driver gave me a ride back, but unfortunately, it wasn't in his UPS truck. Thank you shoes for carrying me over 1,560 miles through the snow, rain, mud, and Pennsylvania rocks. What a journey. 

We're spending the night out of the rain at the Shamrock Inn with Chino. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon will clear up some when we climb Mt. Greylock and catch up to Ayce. 

MA is Niiiice

This has been some beautiful hiking. We made it down today 15.5 miles and got picked up by Scrubs, who Chino hiked with in '05. He took us back to his place and we got the essentials, shower, laundry, food, and resupply. He is a great guy.

Also we passed by the site of Shays Rebellion which was pretty cool.