After leaving the Claredon Gorge it was time to head up to the summit of Killington Mountain, which was much different than the last time I was there during a ski trip in the winter. Being whisked to the top in a gondola is much more relaxing than trucking up a ski slope with a 30lb pack. On the way I found another radio tower that I tried to climb, but ran into some resistance and called it off before reaching the top. I hit Cooper Shelter and then took the 0.2 side trail up to the lodge which is known as the steepest 0.2 anywhere on the AT. Up at the lodge I enjoyed a $20 bison burger and washed it down with some equally overpriced beers. Afterwards I took a wrong turn by the Cooper Shelter and wound up at another ski lift so I took a seat to relax and read for a bit while enjoying the sweeping views. I stealth camped a bit further on and passed the 1700 mile marker the next morning, which was August 12 in case anyone was wondering.
This small radio tower wasn't locked up so I went for a climb. I noticed it had a bunch of guy-wires to stabilize it but I was mostly focused on my hand and foot placement so I didn't notice a different wire, that was live, and I received a huge electrical shock when my leg bumped it. Getting shocked while 30ft up, hanging on a tower is no good, I gave up after that and climbed back down.
The Appalachian Trail links up to the Long Trail for the southern 105 miles of Vermont, so it was delightful to enjoy a Long Trail Ale while ON the Long Trail.
1700 miles complete!
I made it into Rutland, VT to get a food resupply, buy a sweet Space Jam T-shirt from TJMaxx, and grab an absolutely amazing sandwich for lunch at the Yellow Deli. They are also a hostel / weird religion cult-type deal that was having their weekly Friday night ritual (just singing and dancing) that night and a few friends were staying but I was determined to get back on trail. I had only hiked two miles on the day and already took a Nero-Day earlier in the week so I didn't feel like I had earned a break just yet. The following day I was bummed that my mileages didn't work out to catch a sunset or sunrise from the Lookout Cabin, and even more so when the view was completely whited-out when I passed it. At least I could eat my lunch inside which provided nice shelter from mosquitoes. A few miles later I passed On the Edge Farms which has a great little shop just off the trail so I stopped in for a snack and to grab some photos of their garden. And of course the sun was out now, probably sweeping the clouds away and providing a great view from the cabin.
Well it certainly looks like one!
The Lookout Cabin, at NOBO mile 1718.2 if you find yourself in the area.
Flowers at the On the Edge Farms.
As I was walking through some woods (yes, there are quite a lot on the AT) I passed a creepy tree and then started seeing tubing strung all around. At first I thought maybe there was a ropes course somewhere close and they were running water to it? That seemed unlikely and luckily another hiker schooled me about their real function; maple taps. Instead of hanging a bucket under a tapped Maple tree, people are now stringing these tubes up to drain the sap downhill into a main vat. He also informed me that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup.
Creepy face melting tree.
Maple taps. Let gravity drain the sap for you instead of carrying buckets of it through the woods.
The next day was a good day. The sun was out and blasted away the rain clouds from the prior evening and I saw a porcupine in the morning. I hit a solid stride and was super to finally reach the White River Bridge which I have heard about for hundreds of miles. It is perhaps the most jumpable bridge on the trail; white blazes mark the safe jumping spots, the water is a lovely clear blue, there are other swimming holes, a diving board, and rocks to relax on. Also, an amazing Trail Angel named Linda lives in the house on the other side and invites all hikers to stop in for snacks and sodas. She also lets hikers sleep in the furnished barn with an impressive VHS collection but I still had miles to crush to get to Hanover, NH. The trail has a long road walk through Norwich (where I was trail magic'ed a yummy IPA!) and onto the Route 10 bridge which crosses the Connecticut River and concludes the 12th State.
Porcupine running away.
Zoom lens got 'em.
Only 2 states left to go!