Saturday, August 22 7:10 pm 14.1 trail mi 14.5 total mi
AT 1679.3 White Rocks Recreation Area → AT 1693.4 Governor Clement Shelter
Weather: Rainy overnight, cool overcast day
Trail Conditions: Vermud is real. Took another good fall and smacked my left arm on a rock right on my surgery scar. The Long Trail has been the most consistently crowded section of trail so far between AT SOBOs, NOBOs I’m catching, LT hikers, section hikers, and day hikers
My Condition: Sore, but loving Vermont. Hit a sign stating 500 miles to Katahdin, and definitely teared up
One of the prettiest sections of trail yet – cascading waterfalls and pools at Bully Brook, emerging from the woods to see Killington Peak in the distance, climbing trail with dropoffs on both sides wreathed by green moss and ferns overlooking babbling brooks. Getting ready for Hummingbird’s roast tonight. I’m naming a big old grocery list of ice cream flavors and items I could eat faster than her, and then listing off a bunch of vegetables (followed by ewws, grosses, or other descriptors) she could eat better than me. Puddles and 5-Oh were both confused when I asked them what their favorite ice cream flavor was, but it'll all become clear later! Watched a snake crawl its way out of the shelter wall. Big climb tomorrow, and then headed into town. Crossed paths twice today with Shark Boy and Lava Girl, who must have mistaken me for someone else as she was SHOCKED I had on socks and shoes.
Post Trail Analysis
The 500 miles to Katahdin sign definitely snuck up on all of us. None of us saw it coming, and emotionally, seeing it packed a pretty hefty punch. 500 miles – such a long way early on in the journey, now just felt like a drop in the bucket!
Hummingbird’s roast...
French vanilla
Regular vanilla
Vanilla bean
Chocolate
Strawberry
Butter pecan
Pecan praline
Raspberry chip
Rocky road
Chocolate mint
Mint chocolate chip
Cookies and crème
Cookie dough
Moose tracks
Coffee
Orange sherbert
Americone dream
Tonight dough
Cinnabuns
Coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz
Boots on the mooooooooon
Pizza bites
Pizza bagels
Regular pizza slices
New York pizza slices
Pumpkin smilies
Cosmic brownies
Star crunches
Hohos
Fruit snacks
Fruit by the foot
Fruit roll ups
Blocks of cheese
Cheese sticks
Shredded cheese
Cheese quesadillas
Microwave nachos
Instant rice covered in franks red hot and ranch
Instant rice covered in butter
Instant rice by itself
Mac and cheese
Maple syrup
These are the foods and flavors I claim supreme victory over Hummingbird in. Here’s the list of things she can best me in:
zucchini – eww
broccoli – yuck
green beans – gross
cucumber – vomit
spinach – disgusting
kale – nauseating
arugula – I’d rather have diarrhea
iceberg lettuce – rabbit food
romaine lettuce – more rabbit food
brussel sprouts – still rabbit food
carrots – yawn
sweet potatoes – more like failure french fries
beets – I’d rather eat my sock
radishes – gag me with a spoon
Cherry Garcia – lucky break
Half gallon of neopolitan – also a lucky break
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