Day 147
Start: Goddard Shelter
End: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles Hiked: 19.3
Miles on AT: 1647.4
Follow my journey on Instagram (@jenbrownhikes) for more updates!
This morning, I awoke in a cloud. Luckily, it wasn’t chilly out, but it was definitely misty. Mountain Momma and Jingles were up before I was, but we had breakfast together and said our goodbyes before I headed out.
I only had a short climb to reach the top of the mountain and its firetower, but when I got there, the tower was closed due to structural instability. Darn. I probably would have had a cool view, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
This area of Vermont was pretty cool. I was surrounded by fir and pine trees and dark green moss. At certain points, it smelled like Christmas was right around the corner. The misty coolness of the forest made me feel like I was in another land.
At the next shelter, Kid Gore Shelter, I took my break for second breakfast and watched the clouds rolling by in the distance. It wasn’t supposed to rain today, but the skies still looked a bit gloomy. My big climb of the day was Stratton Mountain, which had an epic view of the surrounding area. That is, if it wasn’t socked in by clouds.
With holes for a clear afternoon, I continued on. I passed by a beaver pond where the local residents had been hard at work. The beaver dam looked well-constructed and solid while some other beaver-built structure stood in the middle of the pond. I’d never seen that before. I’m sure it seems mundane and trivial to people who see beaver ponds all the time, but I’m always astounded by the complex work the forest inhabitants accomplish. That’s real engineering!
Soon, it was time to climb Stratton Mountain. I was a bit tired already and not very motivated to climb at this point, but it had to be done. I put a podcast on and kept moving up, giving myself permission to rest when I wanted and eventually getting to the point where I just wanted to be done with the hike. The last push to the top was beautiful, though. I love being at the fir/pine elevation; the smell of Christmas almost makes the climb worth it.
What made everything even better was the view at the top. I climbed the firetower and was happy to see that the clouds had dissipated. In their stead was a beautiful, expansive view of Vermont, its wilderness, and surrounding towns. I could see for miles and miles, with clouds hovering in the sky in the distance. Yeah, the climb was definitely worth it.
After soaking up the views, it was time to head down. I had a few more miles to the shelter that were all downhill. Depending on how you looked at it, that was either a good or bad thing. Luckily, the terrain going down wasn’t bad and it was pretty smooth sailing down the mountain. But, I was so tired. With one mile left to the shelter, I was ready to be done with the day.
After a final push and a few extra tenths of a mile, I made it to Stratton Pond Shelter and walked straight into a party. Okay, it wasn’t actually a party, but there were at least 8 to 10 hikers already congregated at the shelter. Where did all of these people come from??
After saying my introductions, I realized I’d met a bunch of people already. A lot of them were doing the Long Trail, but I’d met two of them during Trail Days since they were showcasing their published books about hiking. There were also a few AT hikers in the mix, but it was mostly a Long Trail group.
One guy, BC, had even brought his parakeet along with him on the hike (he was in the black bag, but you can’t really see him). He said he had hiked part of the AT before and really wanted to enjoy the few weeks he had to hike this section, so he brought a guitar, his parakeet, and good food with him to maximize his enjoyment. Not a bad idea!
After I got some food in me, I felt a bit more like a human again. Being around so many people was refreshing. Someone started a campfire and some of us sat around chatting until the sun went down. BC brought out his guitar and started strumming some tunes while another guy’s dog snuggled up against my legs. It was a good night.
All too soon, it was hiker midnight and time to turn in. I wanted to keep the party going, but knew that it was best to turn in. Since the tent area was so crowded, I didn’t get a chance to chat with Janitor before sleep, but texting sufficed. My tent and heart were warm, perfect conditions for a good night’s sleep.
And that’s day 147.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.