A lovely day! Sarah took me on a 9.5 mile trail run this morning, and we got to our resupply spot with 2.5 hours to spare. Honestly- the girl is a beast. So what better to do than strip down to our skivies and bask in the sun? Literally nothing.
We basked in the parking lot off of a highway and pretended we were on the beach. We could hear the waves crashing and taste the strawberry daiquiris. It was heaven. And because Tawny and Ben are freaking ROCK STARS, they arrived a whole hour early to find us and THEY. BROUGHT. FOOD.
Watermelon (praise the heavens)
Cherries
ICE COFFEE
Gatorade
Turkey sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce and garlic mayo (a very specific trail request)
Ruffles chips
Q-TIPPPPPPPS (a real luxury that I have missed dearly)
The list goes on and on. All hail Tawny and Ben!! I feel so happy and full and loved and full of love.
Then, the handoff happened. Sarah left, and Tawny was tagged in. Don’t worry, ladies, my mother will Venmo you the payment for your watch.
Tawny and I crawled up a very hot and sweaty Belvedere Mountain. At the top, along with admiring the beautiful asbestos mine, I devoured my sandwich and swatted at bugs. Tawny played on the fire tower. We then made our way to Tillotson camp. 15.3 miles today.
We have the best group of people here with us. Shout out to The Canadians (who have now officially been tagged as Plant and Delta), Giggles and her Golden, Pig Pen, father-and-son team Ryan and His Dad, who also stayed with us last night, and ladies and gentlemen…GIVE IT UP FOR COREYYYYYY!!! He does not yet have a trail name, but check this. Corey started in Canada TODAY, and is going southbound (SOBO) in an attempt to break the current unassisted record of 6 days and 9 hours. Awesome.
Upon learning what Corey was up to, we immediately made him empty his pack and show us all of his gear. His total pack, with food and water, weighs 19 pounds. He’s unassisted, which means no resupplies and no trail magic. Tomorrow he’s aiming for 40(ish) miles. We’re all very excited that we got to be here for his first night. Videos were taken. Pictures were silly.
On a side note, Corey’s girlfriend has written him a note for every day that he’s out. And the two of them have made bracelets to remind each other of their love. Obviously all of the women here were swooning (and also giving the other men here a hard time about their tokens of affection for their own partners). Obviously.
The hike today was fine. Hot. My legs feel like giant weights are attached to them. I whine a lot in the morning…but I do tend to perk up in the afternoon, thankfully. We went through Devil’s Gulch which ended up being a short little bouldering section surrounded by giant cliffs. Beautiful. Buggy. Would really like to take the kids back some day when all the mosquitoes and black flies and horse flies are wiped out of population. Sorry…I know they feed bats but I hate them.
Tomorrow we’re aiming for just under 12 miles to get to Jay Camp. There is a road and a very short hike in to the camp, if anyone wants to bring beer and pizza. Totally your call, though.
Life is good. I’m loving my group of trail friends (that’s Traimly for you, Big Animal). We all come plowing into camp exhausted from the day, but then we sit around and laugh until hiker-midnight (aka 7pm). We’re up early and hit the trail at different times, but then almost always end up at the next spot together. So fun. And I’m meeting so many people from all over who share many of the same interests who are all out here for different reasons. Sarah asked me if I have found myself since I’ve been out here, and it was honestly never about that. This, for me, was more of a rediscovery. I haven’t felt lost, I’ve just felt unattended to…by my own self, not anyone else. I think as moms and wives and career people, we forget to take care of ourselves and ensure that we refill our own tanks. This was me refilling my tank. And in that process, I have seen my friends and family pile around me in support- whether it be food, pickups, joining me for nights out, words of encouragement… it’s all been amazingly overwhelming. And I’ve made new friends in the process. Not only has my tank been refilled by taking this time out in the forests and the mountains, doing what I love and pushing myself as hard as I can, but my heart feels so full from this experience as well.
I know the next two days will be tough, but with Tawny by my side and a great crew of people all pushing forward together, it’s going to be fun as hell. And besides, now that we met Corey, there’s honestly nothing else that we can complain about. As I said earlier in the evening, if Corey doesn’t bring it or do it, it’s dead to me.
Not sure when this will be up as service (and water) is pretty shotty for these next 23 miles, but I will do my best to get it up before the finish. Two. Days. Left.
Side note, Sarah: everyone here has been taking about you and how Beast Mode you are. Scott: you are still known for your fire building skills and heavy-ass pack. The crew here still talks and asks about you every day.
Today was HOT HOT HOT. And I am in long pants and a long shirt, because I don’t know if I hate sweating, or bugs, more. I think bugs.
Sarah and I trucked it for 15.3 miles today to Corliss Camp. We summited Laraway Mtn and it was beautiful on top. We sat for a while, and I almost fell off a cliff, but it was truly enjoyable. Pictures to come once I have service.
I didn’t think I’d make it today. My legs were aching. Just so tired. I don’t have enough food and I definitely need electrolytes. My hiker hunger has kicked in this week and I was not expecting it to on this trip. Thankfully Tawny is coming in tomorrow and I was able to text her and ask her for some extra food and WATERMELON. Good Lord do I need watermelon.
Sarah is not only crushing me with her speed (of which I am super thankful for…), but she is also talking about food ENDLESSLY. Really good food. She is leaving in the morning to go eat a lot of said food, and shower, and I’m super jealous. It has been AWESOME having her out here with me.
We’re at camp now- covered 15.3 miles in 9 hours. It’s the Fourth and we won’t see any fireworks, but one of the girls here has some friends coming in and we’re all hoping they bring a keg of beer. Unlikely…but fingers crossed.
I am now with three others who are all planning on finishing on Sunday, like me….my Canadian friends, and a girl with her Golden Retriever. Y’all know how happy that makes me!!
It’s super fun to have this group here. We’ve been leapfrogging for days now and generally staying at the all same camps, and we’ve met all the same people. It has been a blast to compare stories. Lots of laughing.
We had a fire tonight (everyone kept telling me how proud Scott would be of me for getting it started), and we tried to make tortilla chips with all of Vincent’s extra tortillas. He and Justine (who, up until this point have solely been known as The Canadian Couple or My Canadian Friends) hike with an incredible amount of food and realized after their last resupply that they had about 100 tortillas too many. So we rigged some sort of wood fired stove over the campfire to make tortilla chips. They tasted like….warm tortillas. But hey…even plain old warm tortillas taste like cheesecake out here. Ok…maybe not cheesecake…
Tomorrow we will do another 15, including Devil’s Gulch. Not sure exactly what that looks like, but the guidebook makes it sound like a lot of bouldering- maybe like Mahoosuc Notch on the AT in Maine…known to be the “hardest” mile of the AT. So that should be fun!
Will try to get this posted tonight, but it might not happen. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Scott, this is when I needed you here to sing some of those patriotic songs!
Well these last two days have been something special. Last night I took some Benadryl and went to bed at 7pm. Woke up this morning at 4am and my body wasn’t broken. Yes!
Clint hiked out this morning and Sarah came in. Let me tell you- this girl is SMOKING me! She’s got me running about three miles an hour! But we crushed today up and over Madonna and Whiteface. Even got to enjoy a gorgeous moment on a chairlift enjoying the view. We crushed the 13 miles in no time.
We have met back up with our Canadian friends, and it is so nice to see them again! We’re set to finish on the same day….Sunday!!!
My mindset is better today after a good many hours of sleep. I’m feeling excited and also like I’ll need a knee replacement in about a week.
Sarah asked me today if I’ve had any revelations since I’ve been out here. I laughed because she asked me this as I stared at a straight, slippery rock face and I said “No! Because every time I try to have one I’m facing a trail like this and just trying to live!”
I’m so glad Mansfield is behind us. I was definitely nervous about it and it’s over. Today we met a guy who told us that every step from this point on is the worst part of the trail, and I just couldn’t believe a word he said…because having lived these last few days, I can’t imagine anything more taxing.
Sarah brought peaches and bananas to me today and it was glorious. If anyone wants to meet us tomorrow at Rte 15 with watermelon, that’d be great.
I feel done. So done. My knees ache. They’re swollen every night. I’m exhausted. These last several days have been so hard. I took Benadryl at 5pm and am hoping it knocks me the hell out.
But Clint is here! Yay! We did the brutal climb up Mansfield (for which Big Animal promised me I’d be prepared…) and I only had about 2 nervous breakdowns. Once while climbing through a very precarious crevasse over a very high cliff, and once at the top of the summit because I just can’t imagine doing another five days.
Clint has been great- very supportive and helpful. He’s been singing Christmas carols and I’ve been crying. We’re a good team.
Mansfield was nuts. A beautiful day and the views were 360 degrees of the Green Mountains, White Mountains, and Adirondacks. We sat on the summit for an hour or so just taking it in and talking to a few caregivers and other hikers. We were also very lucky to come upon two lovely trail angels who gave us an entire bag of cherries. That. Was. Amazing.
We’re now all unpacked and have enjoyed a dinner of packet tuna fish wrapped with a bunch of bagel chips sprinkled on top. It’s amazing what tastes good on the trail.
My amazing and strong and brave friend Sarah is coming out in the morning for a few days. She’ll be fresh and will be great at motivating me for the 13 miles we have ahead of us tomorrow. I only have a few days left….66.6 miles left. I can do this. I just need to want to. Honestly, Stowe Resort is directly below us and I’m not too sure why we aren’t down there getting massages right now and martinis.
But I do want to…I really do. I’m just so spent. Hopefully tomorrow my knees will feel better and I’ll feel refreshed. Fingers crossed.
Weather forecast predicted 50% chance of rain this morning. Scott and I beg to differ. We are wet. Soaking wet. And I got to camp and realized that I lost my dry socks somewhere along the way. SMH.
I am struggling today. The weather this week, and the terrain these last few days, has made it hard to keep going at times. There were times today when we were running down rivers and trying to not fall, and then I would hear my brother singing “You’re a Grand Ol’ Flag” coming up the trail. Thank God for that. At least there has been plenty of laughter.
We’ve been running the same path as a great couple from Canada, and it has been fun to see them at the shelters each night. Tonight we’re also here with a giant pack of Boy Scouts. Scott is determined to build a fire with them to “dry out our socks”. I’m dying to see if this happens.
Scott is leaving in the morning, and I’ll be hiking him out to Clint and the kids a few miles back. I’m not sure what I’ll do for mileage tomorrow- and part of me is thinking that I’ll go home and figure out the last stretch…refill my resupply bins, organize my food and gear…and get my head into a better space for the next 81 miles. The plan is still to finish on 7/7…and if that’s the case, I have some long days ahead of me. So I better wrap my head around that. I can always add a few days if needed… while finishing the trail is my goal, enjoying it is much more important to me.
Scott (two days later): “I’m not going another mile with this pack.”
Items coming OUT of Scott’s pack for days 3 and 4:
Selfie-stick
Second pair of hiking shoes (not including the camp shoes)
ENTIRE PACKAGE of baby wipes (I took 8 wipes for 4 days…he took 120.)
40 feet of rope
Entire roll of duct tape
3 POUNDS of trail mix
Gigantic first aid kit that comes in a hard-shell case
JAR of vaseline
It’s really fantastic, isn’t it? I’ve been spending the last two days telling him how excited I was to write this blog post about his overzealous packing…this is great.
SO. We spent a lovely night in the shelter with all of our friends, and woke this morning to rain. We all eventually made it out onto the trail at about 6:30 this morning, and we climbed Camel’s Hump. And we climbed. And climbed. And then climbed some more. Two miles straight up from the northbound trail. And then we came to the rockface.
If you know Camel’s Hump, you know what I’m talking about. Scott did not know Camel’s Hump, and I believe his words (upon reaching the rockface) need to be censored. But he also said, “THIS IS REAL.” Yes, yes it is. I have some great footage of the summit climb that hopefully I can upload.
It was sketchy as hell!!! First, we were in the clouds. It had been raining all night, and the rocks were slippery. We couldn’t see which way we were going. AND IT WAS WINDYYYYYYY. Man! Was it windy! But we got up there eventually and didn’t really stop to take it in. Well, there wasn’t anything to take in, except (as Scott put it) thoughts about our own mortality.
Okay- forget about the way up. Let’s talk about the way down. SIX MILES STRAIGHT DOWN and 4,000 feet of elevation loss! I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs right now if you paid me. Honestly, I am so thankful we did not have to hike Camel’s going southbound, because I cannot imagine what that climb must have been like. The rocks, the rain, the moss, the treacherous terrain…brutal. Really brutal. And after yesterday, we are done for it.
There is only one shelter between the base of Camel’s Hump and the base Bolton Mountain, and those shelters are 12 miles apart. So our plan was to try to hike the 17 miles to make it to Bolton…but the forecast was calling for thunderstorms all day. Then we decided that maybe we’d take it easy and just hike to the next shelter after summiting and descending Camel’s. That way we could wait out the storm and get going in the morning. After all, the hike between the two shelters is wiiiiiide open through fields and farm land, and after the other day, I did NOT want to be stuck out in another thunderstorm.
But then we had this brilliant idea.
If we were only going to hike 5 miles and then hunker down in the shelter to watch the storm pass for the night, why not hike 9 miles and go to a bar to wait out the storm, instead! And along came our trail angel (once again), Tawny. Tawny scooped us up at the trailhead, brought us clean clothes, and took us to a brewery. HELL YES, TAWNY. HELL YES!
Have you ever been to Stone Corral in Richmond, VT? LET ME TELL YOU. TACOS. TACOS TACOS TACOS. And grilled street corn! And beer! I would highly recommend you take any chance to head over there for some fantastic food and brews.
Honestly. Trail life is the best.
Scott is now purging everything from his pack and yelling about how he refuses to take anything other than “FOOD!” “WATER!” and “DRY CLOTHES!” Goodbye to the duct tape, AED defibrillator, bear spray, three pairs of shoes (?!?!?)…goodbye baby wipes…goodbye 3 pounds of trail mix….goodbye selfie stick. Goodbye.
Tomorrow is Bolton Mountain. I have a VERY motivated plan to get Scott over Mansfield on Monday, mainly because I’m scared of heights and it’s been nice having him to make fun of me when I have to crawl through some treacherous space. I don’t think we’ll make it that far, but we’ll try to bust it SINCE HIS PACK WILL BE SO MUCH LIGHTER!
Happy trails,
Ladybug
There’s a trail in there…somewhere…Ready to kill me.Made it! (We’re actually on the summit and there is sky behind us…)What? NO. STOP IT. Where the hell am I going?!?!?Show off.“Lauren, get a picture of me on that rock and don’t make me look stupid.”Happy brother.Happy me.
So many things to say about today. First of all, I’m out here with my brother, Scottie, aka The White First Aid Kit Walker in Heels. Trail names are special.
We climbed Burnt Rock Mountain today and it was AWESOME. By far my favorite stretch of trail yet. All rock scrambling and beautiful views in all directions. Loved. It.
But that was followed by Mt. Ethan Allen, and that mountain hates us. For real. It was a house of mirrors- fake summits around every corner. No views. Black flies like crazy. And we were so spent from our climb down Burnt Rock, that we were just dead by the end of it. We made it to Montclair Lodge and we’re with a bunch of people here who all felt the same way about the hike today. It is LOVELY to see people out here!
So all in all, it wasn’t a terrible day. But it was one of the hardest stretches that I’ve done so far. Really tough.
The plan is to get up early tomorrow to summit Camels Hump, but then we’re not sure what we’re going to do. The next few days call for rain and thunderstorms, and the next stretch of miles for us is not a great place to be in that kind of weather. So…we’ll see what will happen. I’ll be honest, today is the first day that I’ve actually wondered if I’ll be able to finish this by my hard stop date. I really want to…I’m super determined. But I can’t change the weather and I don’t feel like putting myself in any more stupid positions like the other day on Abe.
Until tomorrow…
* Addendum…I’m laying here in our shelter, which is packed full of hikers and dirty, stinky clothing, and I am so happy. My brother is here, stealing my pillow so I’ll sleep like crap, but even after this brutal day, I’m still out here doing it, and I LOVE IT. I love everything about this. I love how hard it is, and how much I want to quit. I love the terrible awful smell that tells me that I’m working so hard at something. I love the people (yes! There are real people out here!). I love the guy who’s snoring next to me because he’s fabulous for being out here and who even cares- this is why I take Benadryl and wear ear plugs. The point is, I’m so happy I’m doing this. And if I have to haul ass for the next 10 days to finish in time, I will. And if I can’t because of weather or my knees, or whatever…then I’ll figure it out. But honestly, aside from home with my kids and in my own bed, there is literally NOWHERE else I would rather be. And with my brother here next to me, and going through these tough miles with me, I’m just so happy I could cry.
Ladybug š
Juuuuuust parked.
Camel’s Hump in the far left, and Mt. Mansfield in the far right
Scott using his selfie stick
Taking it all in…
Lake Champlain!
Scott’s first trail log!
Seriously…that’s the trail.
He’s not sure how he feels about this.
Still the trail…
“DON’T FALL, SCOTT!!!”
No. I am not going down that thing.
Reeeeeeeally unimpressed.
Camel’s Hump
Camel’s Hump zoomed in.
What shelters look like after all the hikers show up!
I’m sitting here basking in the sun at the App Gap, and a man just ran off of the trail, did a few jumps in the middle of the road, and then continued to run UP the App Gap. Why????? Why would someone do that????? And he seemed happy about it! I didn’t even see him as I came down the trail, which means he must have passed my shelter before I even left this morning and ran up…Mt. Ellen? Good grief. People are freaking amazing.
My knees are aching today from my thunderstorm 18-mile dash. The trail is a mess of mud…it’s like a slip-n-slide. I was going to try to get farther today, roughly to the base of Camels Hump, but I just don’t want to hurt myself. I still have too far to go!
My brother is coming out tonight and he and I are hitting the trail first thing in the morning, so I’m going to head home to shower and resupply, and divide up all our gear between the two of us. I’m really looking forward to the next few days. We’re going to summit Bolton, Camels, and Mansfield. I don’t think Scott knows what he’s getting into.
Yesterday morning Tanya and I ran into a man who was out counting bird species. He went out at 4am and listened to all the different calls. He heard 10 different species yesterday- really cool. But the coolest part was when I asked him if he could name a bird species if I whistled the call. He thought so.
10 years ago when I spent a summer on the Appalachian Trail, there was a bird in Maine that had the most haunting, melancholy call. It was beautiful and I heard it for weeks. I’ve never forgotten the call, and I’ve never heard it again since leaving the Maine wilderness. I whistled the call to this Bird-Man, and he knew right away. “That’s a PeeWee!” You have got to be kidding me. I go back to my previous statement…people are freaking amazing.
I feel wiped, drained, angry at myself for not hiking smarter yesterday- but physically I’m doing well, except for the sore knees. The mileage isn’t bothering me- don’t get me wrong, my feet are sore after 18 miles (actually they’re sore way before that…), but I’m feeling really good and happy that my body is holding up so well. Possibly even impressed with my legs and back and knees. I’m so dirty, and so smelly, but I’m happy. I’m happy to be out here and I’m loving the grueling physical and mental effort that it’s taking to stay out here. I’ve always loved a good challenge. In fact, I almost joined the army because I thought boot camp would be really “fun”.
I’m looking forward to some pad see ew tonight…and hot coffee this morning…and dry socks. I’m really excited about dry socks. But what I’m really looking forward to is busting my brothers BUTT! Let’s go, White Walker…let’s go.
My mother probably shouldn’t read this. In fact, mom, if you’re reading this right now, pour yourself another glass of wine and repeat after me: “she’s fiiiiiine.”
Ok great, now that we’re all on the same page…
I’m camped out in a full shelter- one couple from Canada, one girl solo hiking, one older man from VT, and two brothers from the next town over who are following the steps their father took when he was 22. He even stayed in this shelter.
So we’re all cozy right now and obviously the people from Vermont all know Clint and The Grift, so we have a lot to talk about. I’ve just popped 4 Advil and 2 Benadryl, and I’m hoping to GOD that I can forget this day by morning.
I had a lovely hike with Tanya for the first ten miles. We got to Lincoln gap and at that point she plowed me with cookies and candy and dry socks, and then we hugged goodbye. Her parting words to me were, “I think I prefer day hikes.” š
So after she left, I had decided I would climb Mt. Abe since I still had a lot of daylight left. The problem with this plan wasn’t that the nearest shelter was eight miles away once I decided to summit, because the mileage was fine. The PROBLEM was that the weather man LIED. Thunderstorms were not supposed to start until 7pm. But wouldn’t you know it, I heard the first rumble of thunder the second I got to the top of Mt. Abe.
Mt. Abe is one of New England’s 4,000ft peaks. If you’ve ever been up, you know it is GORGEOUS. Full 360 degree views and really a fun rock scramble. From there the trail continues along a ridge to Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen. It’s not a difficult hike…on a nice sunny day.
So the thunder started and I started hustling…immediately regretting my decision to bank some miles. I met up with a girl who’s solo hiking, and she wasn’t concerned about the weather. I was.
Everything I learned in all my wilderness training told me to get to low ground, insulate oneself from the ground, and hang tight till the storm passes. My training did NOT tell me to run as fast as I could down uneven terrain while splashing through giant puddles with metal poles while there is thunder and lightning RIGHT ABOVE ME. So why did I do that? I honestly have no idea. I was scared. I was trying to keep up with the 20-something who just graduated college and didn’t have a fear in the world. I didn’t want to be alone. I don’t know. But I am not a religious person and there was a LOT of praying happening this evening.
I/we made it to the shelter around 7:30 tonight…12.5 hours after my hike began. I ran these last six miles. My whole body aches right now. I can’t believe I didn’t twist an ankle or fall. I can’t BELIEVE we didn’t get struck by lightning. I can’t believe how I looked at the map and thought, “oh it’s just a ridge walk- it’ll be fine.” You know where it sucks to get stuck in a thunder storm??? ON A RIDGE.
Stupid stupid stupid.
But now I’m here and warm. My clothes are completely soaking wet- even my new dry socks from Tanya. I have eaten all my peanut butter and Nutella and I’m not sure I even have any food left for tomorrow. So I’m safe, warm, full…there isn’t much to complain about right now. I just hope I’m not the one to snore like a monster tonight and keep everyone up.
Tomorrow I’m supposed to do 16 miles and then hike out for the night. I don’t know if I’ll be able to move.
But then, I’ll be joined by my BROTHER on Friday, who has already given himself the trail name, White Walker. So I’m coming off the trail for a rest and a shower tomorrow regardless so that Scott and I can reload gear, etc. before heading out Friday morning.
Right now I’d give anything for my bed.
The pics below are from today and a few of the different peaks. I’m pointing to a mountain that is far away in one pic…that’s Mt. Abe…still roughly 9 miles away at that point.
Okay- I’m signing off for tonight. Come onnnnn, Benadryl.
As Matthew McConaughey said it, “alright alright alright!” It is so nice to be back out on the trail…. with my amazing and brave friend, Tanya, by my side. It’s buggy, we’re stinky…but damn I’m happy.
We got started early this morning and within a few hours we’re trapped in a crazy storm. Rain coming down in BUCKETS. But thankfully we had made it to a shelter for lunch so we stayed there in our sleeping bags and waited for it to pass. After a few hours we put our wet clothes back on and headed out.
We didn’t get as far as we wanted to today because of the weather, but I can tell you that it was wildly peaceful sitting in the shelter staring out at Sterling Pond and listening to the rain come down. I thought, “no one needs me right now.” That’s not a thought I have all too often.
But then of course I thought of my kids yelling “mom!” all the time and how lucky I am for that noise, as well.
But seriously…my only job at that moment was to sit and watch the rain. It was lovely.
So now our clothes are hanging and we’re under our bug nets, and we’re sharing our shelter with a precious Golden named Lilly. I’ve given her the trail name Lilly Bear, because I followed her paw prints today like I have with bears in the past weeks.
Tomorrow we’ll get up earlier and see where the day takes us. It’s supposed to be beautiful and sunny and hot, so we’re feeling pretty excited about that.
On a side note, my cheese is all moldy. This is physically unattractive, but honestly it doesn’t change the taste at all.
On ANOTHER side note, I saw more moose poop in one place today than I have ever seen…and YES, of course I took pictures of it and YES, you’re welcome. Unbelievable! I don’t know if the pics do it justice but I swear we followed this family of moose for at least a quarter-mile.
Alright, signing off for the night.
Happy trails,
Ladybug and Tanya (she’s working on her trail name…) š
The Mighty Sparkle 