September 20, 2016 “Where am I? How do these covers work?” I wondered as I tugged at the thick comforter on the hotel bed. “Maybe this is another world from the trail, after all!” Yesterday morning, light rain pattered on the tarp a couple of feet above my head. I pulled the down bag around …
Monthly Archives: September 2016
Verrry Close
September 18, 2016 We stopped at 6:35 p.m. when we reached the Shooting Star Camp, the northernmost shelter on the Long Trail, just 4.4 miles from the northern terminus. We had talked about pushing on in the dark to the end, but agreed that the risk and slowness of night walking in this rocky terrain …
Countdown
September 17, 2016 9 a.m. 26 miles to go! Yesterday evening, we reached our goal, the Spruce Peak Shelter. It was a nice shelter, but it was only 5:00 p.m.! There were still two hours of light. We kept going. First, through Devil’s Gulch, a short scramble through huge craggy boulders covered with ferns. I …
Final 50
September 15, 2016 Johnson, VT 5:22 p.m. We are finishing up a fantastically successful resupply stop in Johnson. The last two days have been challenging for me. That rain we missed on Mt. Mansfield slowed us down – and made me colder than I like to be. There’s an existential question in that for me …
Hiker Friends
September 12, 2016 “Hiker Friends, we need a hiker friend, to pick us up at this trailhead and take us to town.” That’s my new thought when I have to hitch a ride into town for resupply. I accept that most of the drivers passing us by don’t know anything about the Long Trail and …
Moonlit Mansfield
September 13, 2016 It’9 p.m. and I’m standing on the highest point of Vermont. No, really! I climbed Mt. Mansfield, the highpoint of Vermont, at night! We reached the first peak, The Forehead, at 6:21, just as the sun was setting. The almost full moon was up. Happily, we had made it that far in …
Intown Ingenuity
September 12, 2106 I bought a backpack in Waterbury. It’s very cool, emblazoned with “I ♡ 1 Direction” and a photo of the boyband. “Whaaat?” you say! Actually, it’s perfect…….because… It has a zipper! My pouch needs a new zipper, and this backpack has a good one. I can cut it out and use it. …
Camel’s Hump
September 11,2016 My New Story that my amazing body takes me up stunningly beautiful mountains whenever I want helped me fulfill a wonderful accomplishment today! We kept going past the Montclair Shelter, a good stopping point for a comfortably short day, to Camel’s Hump! Tricky rock climbs, slabs, and straight-up trail made our approach up …
Rain
September 11, 2016 First, I remember the World Trade Centers. May all the significance of that day be sanctified and elevated to its spiritual clarity, in perfect timing. Now, for my current story. It’s 6 a.m. Thunder rumbles in the distance. The severe weather that motivated us to choose yesterday’s early stop at the Birch …
Amazing Body
September 10, 2016 It’s hard for me to admit and write about my Old Stories, those beliefs that could sabotage my outer journey and yet open gateways to my inner journey. I’m up for walking my walktalk, so here goes! Yesterday, we walked 11 1/2 hours through dense forest, up some steep and rocky mountains. …