I was finally out of Communist Corridor (NJ - MA) and was again "allowed" to camp wherever I wanted as well as have fires so I did just that on my first night in Vermont. The next morning I arrived at the Congdon Shelter where I planned to take lunch but there was a flyer saying there is trail magic four miles ahead at Route 9 so I booked it there in just over an hour. That night I pushed for the Glastenbury Mountain summit which had a fire tower that a SOBO said you could sleep in but it was way too windy for that. Even down below in the tree cover it was a bit intense.
No mountains and no bicycles allowed past this sign
The next day I climbed over Stratton Mountain which is where Benton MacKaye once sat and thought up the idea of the Appalachian Trail. I took a time lapse of the sun setting over Stratton Pond and then night hiked for five miles to camp at Prospect Rock, which overlooks Manchester Center where I was going tomorrow to take a Nero-Day and pick up my new hammock. I stopped to climb up Spruce Peak which reminded me of the Aggro Crag from Nickelodeon only this one had snakes for obstacles!
After relaxing, doing laundry, and enjoying the Green Mountain Hostel's free breakfast I was back on the trail climbing up Mount Bromley which is a ski resort. I hung out on the chair lifts and ski cabin, read some, took a nap, and chilled with some other hikers at the summit. The views are becoming more and more amazing as we got back into real mountain terrain.
The next day had a great overlook at White Rock Cliffs where my hat was blown off and luckily my friend taking my picture captured it. I made it to a shelter and thought I could make it a few miles to the next one before a thunderstorm hit but I was wrong. About 15 minutes after leaving I got poured on. I then got to Clarendon Gorge and as I was crossing the suspension bridge I saw some crazy rock formations so I climbed down for a closer look. I wanted to go swimming but I was already damp and a bit grouchy from getting rained on so after taking some photos I moved on.
White Rock Cliffs, where the wind nearly took my hat.
Rocks worn smooth down in Clarendon Gorge.
I camped at the Clarendon Gorge Shelter where some folks already had a fire started to dry out shoes and socks. I got it burning stronger, cooked dinner, and answered some of the endless questions that the section hikers had about thru hiking. Tomorrow was a hike up and over Killington Peak where I planned to take the steepest 0.2 side trail to the lodge for lunch.