The Long Trail : Day 15 : Part 1 : 10/5/20 . Today was a day full of surprises. I assumed the hike would be much like the day before. Steep, rocky, slabby, slow. There were rough moments but overall the terrain was much faster and it was a very welcomed surprise. We busted up and over Bolton hoping to get in some decent miles before starting up Vermont’s high point, Mount Mansfield. . We took a quick break at a shelter that was perched on the edge of the mountainside with a gorgeous view of our next challenge. Mansfield looked so far in the distance it was hard to fathom we’d be standing on the top of Vermont that afternoon. . After a quick descent we were on our way up. I was pleasantly surprised that the climb wa easier than expected. Soon enough we were entering “the forehead”. Now, supposedly, from a distance, Mount Mansfield looks like the profile of a face lying down. Hence, we were now on “the forehead”. Many hikers find this area a bit harrowing or spooky at the very least. But, the rock was solid and I was in a great mood so I was really enjoying the challenge. There were good scrambles with big holds, ladders, and best of all, dry rock! . We finished the crux of the area and spent the next several miles gawking at the beauty of the mountains around us. The sun, the clouds, hills, leaves, and lakes, all came together to make one heck of a canvas! . The last stretch to the top we found the day hikers and started picking them off one by one until we were on the top of VT! We’d plan to stay at the lodge only a 1/2 mile off the summit but we’d made such good time we decided to press on. We bounded down the mountain as fast as possible to see how far we could get. We pulled up 2.5 miles short of the next shelter and found a sufficient (only by thru hiker standards) stealth spot a little of the trail. What a heck of a day it had been. I need to bottle up these days and moments to remind myself just how strong I am and how incredibly proud I should be of what I’m capable of!

The Long Trail : Day 16 : Part 1 : 10/6/20 . I spent the majority of the night trying to use my left hip to ground me. If I slept in a fetal position, on that side, I could counter balance the rightward lean and fight the pull of gravity trying to push me to the bottom of the tent. All that to say, it wasn’t an ideal spot and my sleep suffered tremendously. . I woke up to the alarm, absolutely dreading the day. I skipped morning coffee and opted for Holy Basil Ashwaganda tea instead. Sometimes I get a little extra new agey and think tea will heal all that ails me. I spent the next 2.5 miles with a scowl on my face while openly grunting and muttering ugly things to the trail. It deserved every bit of my angst, I promise. . The kind of workout I always want in the morning is the kind that requires me to climb straight up and over wet rocks and tree roots that are as slippery as ice. Not only do you get the pleasure of praying over every precarious step, you also get to hope your less than ideal upper body strength can hold both you AND your pack when your foot inevitably slips. After the acrobatics lesson we stopped at a lake and the faithful green mermaid blessed me with the magical brew that turns me from monster into cheerful hiker. Note to self: Never, I repeat NEVER, skip the coffee. . The next stretch of trail was mostly the same but the caffeine gave me new perspective. The trail was still dumb but it was fun and dumb instead of downright irritating. Our big goal for the day was to get in and out of Johnson, VT to resupply. We were banking on some easy miles on the long descent. Thankfully, we got just that. It got even better when we hit a stretch of logging road and were sure we’d died and gone to thru hiker heaven. It was flat, wide and smooth, the terrain of our dreams! It even dropped us off in town, right in front of the hardware store.

The Long Trail: Day 16 : Part 2 : 10/6/20 . After a fast and furious resupply and a couple of snacks from a local vegetable stand we were on our way back to trail. With about 4 miles of trail and 1.5 hours of daylight, we booked it to the next shelter. Dave hiked first because I knew he would keep a faster pace and it would push me to move faster. I felt like we were flying while breathing deeply and listening to the rhythmic crunch of leaves underfoot. . At one point, I caught myself thinking “I can’t do this”, “I can’t keep this up” and quickly shut down that train of thought. It certainly wasn’t going to do me any favors. Instead, I dug deep. I looked outside of myself and prayed for friends then spent some time encouraging myself. All in my head, of course, since I could barely breath as we climbed higher and higher. . It took me back to the AT in 2016 when I knew we had about a mile left for the day. One moment that was so profound I’ll never forget it and I’ve relived it many times since. We were on a tough climb at the end of the day outside of Kent, CT. I wanted to lay down and quit right in the middle of the woods. Instead, I reminded myself I’d hiked ONE mile hundreds of times and I could do it again. One mile was so small in comparison to all I’d done, so small yet so significant. So small but each mile added up to make the hundreds and now thousands of miles I’ve hiked over the years. . And on this day, yet again, I reminded myself I COULD do it, that one last mile, one more time. Like so many other days before, I did it, I got to the end of the day and finished something fairly menial. But all together, each day of one mile after the other creates bands of trail and unforgettable memories I’m unbelievably proud of. Isn’t it just this way in life off trail also? Our everyday ordinary moments all band together and create one beautiful story.

The Long Trail: Day 17 : Part 1 : 10/7/20 . It sprinkled through the night but we woke up to sunshine and a dry tent interior. After coffee and oatmeal we were ready to hike. The tentative plan was to hike to the next shelter and assess the weather. Avoiding being soaking wet by taking advantage of the fancy Long Trail shelters was high on our list of plans for the day. . The rain had just started when we arrived at Corliss Camp. We weren’t the only ones using the primitive cabin to seek refuge from the elements. We spent the next couple of hours talking with other thru hikers. It felt good to connect with actual human people, something we’d done very little of on this trail to this point. . The good conversation left me feeling rejuvenated and ready to keep hiking even if the weather turned sour. Sometimes it just takes a little hiker camaraderie to tip the scales of my perspective. Now, hiking in the rain sounded like fun instead of a miserable burden. . We laughed our way through the next 7 miles to the Spruce Ledge Camp battling giant puddles and bouts of intermittent downpour. We made it to the shelter a little before 5 pm and I even talked Dave into staying inside. He’s usually not one for communal sleeping arrangements but it was supposed to rain significantly through the night. . The other hikers were the perfect blend of eclectic, affectionately rude and sarcastic. We would fit in just fine. We enjoyed the evening eating, talking, laughing and trading teas like Pokémon cards. Swapping stories with people who value the same things we do was just what my heart needed. I went to bed listening to the wind howl and rain pitter patter on the roof over head. I was dry and warm and had never been happier to spend a night in a rustic cabin with Dave and three perfect strangers.