Who could have expected 2020 to turn into such a dumpster fire? Every race I had signed up for was postponed and then cancelled and rescheduled to next year. If I can't race I might as well go into the woods. I had 63.6 miles left of the LT and had already covered the hardest parts, including Camel's Hump and Mt Mansfield. The plan is to drive up (Vermont's covid travel policy states that you can quarantine in your home state if you drive into VT) on Friday and finish by Tuesday. This was the first backpacking trip that I was starting alone (there were so many people on the AT that even though I technically started alone I was always around other hikers). There was no one ahead of me I would be trying to catch up to, and no one to wait for at camp each night.
It was a 9 hour drive to the trail head near Stowe. I parked in the lot right across from the Barnes Camp Visitor Center and got on trail at around 3:30 PM. It was about 75 degrees and sunny with I started climbing up the trail. Most of the afternoon was uphill, not terribly strenuous but consistent climbing. The first hour I walked two miles. The trail flattened out a little once I got near Sterling Pond. I had only seen a couple of day hikers up to that point, there were about half dozen at the pond when I arrived. I met another NOBO Long Trail hiker named Raphael at the pond. He had hiked the AT and PCT and, like me, thought he would make quick work of the Long Trail. He started on trail in June but had to get off for a month to rehab a knee injury. He was going to camp at Sterling Pond Shelter, I continued 3.5 miles to the next shelter. It was 5:20, later than I was hoping it would be, and I was moving slow. I continued up to Madonna Peak, which was the top of a ski lift. There were some steep rocky bits, nothing terrible, but enough to slow my pace. The trail crossed a few ski trails and the last stretch to the summit was up a ski run. The top had a lift and a small lodge with nice views. The trail was as muddy as I remembered it being, but the bogs were avoidable and there were surprisingly no bugs.
I made it to Whiteface Shelter, after hiking 7.1 miles, at 7:20 PM. It was getting dark, clouds were starting to move in and it was getting chilly. There was no one around - there was a caretakers tent at Sterling Pond Shelter but nothing at Whiteface. I decided to sleep in the shelter because I knew rain was coming. I kept hoping someone else would come in to camp there, but no one showed up. On my entire AT thru hike I had only camped alone once. Honestly, I don't like camping alone, I find it a little scary. I wrapped myself up in my quilt and laid down to sleep at 8:30.
Day 1 Mileage: Barnes Camp Visitor Center to Whiteface Shelter - 7.1 Miles
For most of the night it was calm and dead silent. By around 4 AM the wind started picking up and from then on I heard the trees constantly rustling. Surprisingly, I wasn't wide awake all night and was able to sleep a decent amount. When my alarm went off at 5 AM it was completely dark, I thought about snoozing a little longer until I looked at the weather forecast. The rain was supposed to start at 6 and get heavier throughout the day. I was a half mile from the top of Whiteface Mountain and I wanted to get to the summit before the rain started. I packed quickly and was on trail by 5:20 AM. I needed my headlamp for the first hour. It was cool, around 50 degrees, but the climb up had me sweating. The trail had a few rocky parts, but I was at the top by 5:45. There was nothing to see at the summit, it was tree covered but I took the short side trail to the overlook. On the horizon there was a thin fire-red sliver of sunrise, but otherwise the sky was consumed with clouds. Just as I left the summit it started misting. I had about 7 miles of downhill - I tried to move quickly down the rocky part at the top but my top priority was not hurting myself. I got to Bear Hollow Shelter, 3.5 miles into the day, at 7:20. It was raining consistently by then and I was soaked through. There was a couple inside making breakfast - they were hiking south and we exchanged details about what to expect from the upcoming trail. After snacking for about 15 minutes I started to get cold and continued down the mountain. 
After another mile of easy walking the trail turned into a logging road and eventually turned into a residential road. At around 8:30 I was 7.5 miles into the day and the trail turned left onto a rail trail. Turning right on the rail trail would have led straight to Johnson, VT. I had been on trail for less than a day, so there was really no reason to go into town. The rain had stopped, I was still cold and soaked but my shoes were no longer squishy. After less than a mile on the rail trail the LT turned right across a grassy field. The wet grass completely soaked my shoes again. I crossed VT Route 15 and then went over the Lamoille River on a suspension bridge. The next climb to Prospect Rock didn't take long, the clouds had cleared a little and there were nice views. Sap lines criss-crossed the trail in every direction.
I made it to Roundtop Shelter, 11 miles into the day, at 10:20. A hiker was still chilling in there from the night before. His trail name was Gump, as in Forest Gump, because when he got on trail at Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts he didn't intend on continuing north to hike the whole Long Trail. He was only hiking the 8.5 miles to the next shelter that day, which was where I was headed. I was relieved to know I wouldn't be spending another night camping alone.
I sat at the shelter for about 30 minutes chatting, drying out my feet, and snacking - I hadn't eaten much all day because I didn't want to stop in the rain. I started to get cold again and had to keep moving. There was more easy trail ahead before starting the climb up Laraway Mountain. The trail passed tons of great water sources and there were still no bugs, maybe the wind was keeping them away. The start up Laraway had steep sections, not technical but definitely felt like it could use some switch backs. Towards the top of the 2.4 mile climb it got rocky, with wet rock slabs and huge rock overhangs. 
It was about 1:30 when I made it to the ledges viewpoint - clouds had settled over the mountain, obstructing any views. Only 2.5 miles to the Corliss Camp shelter and it had started to rain again. I didn't want to end the day soaked so I tried to hurry. I arrived at 3 PM and was the only one at the shelter, which consisted of two bunk beds, a loft, and a picnic table. The sun peaked through off and on the rest of the afternoon, but it was not warm enough to dry my clothes or shoes. Gump came into camp around 5:45 and another couple came in a little after 6. The couple had just finished hiking all of the 4,000 footers in New England and had set out on the LT for a new challenge. I had hiked 19.3 miles, several very easy miles that day. I sat around most of the afternoon and ate my cold-soaked couscous dinner at 4 PM. Only had 37 miles left until I reached Canada.
Day 2 Mileage: Whiteface Shelter to Corliss Camp - 19.3 Miles
The wind picked up throughout the night, until the gusts were deafening. My alarm went off at 5:30 but it was cold, windy, and completely dark inside the shelter so I snoozed for another 20 minutes. I was on trail a little after 6 AM with oatmeal cold soaking in my Talenti jar. The gusts were freezing - I left camp in my puffy coat. The first climb up Butternut was not memorable, the top had a sign but there was nothing else to see. The next 5-ish miles to Spruce Ledge Shelter were easy and I tried to pick up the pace, I just couldn't move as fast as I wanted to. There were no climbs and it got cold enough that I had to put my gloves on. I ran into a SOBO hiker who said I had some hard parts coming up. I got to the side trail to Spruce Ledge Shelter at around 9:20 and stupidly took the long rocky side trail to get there. It was empty, but there was cell service and an overlook so I briefly stopped to eat some of my breakfast.
Next came the Devil's Gulch - a short rocky stretch of boulders that some compared to the Mahoosuc Notch on the AT. It was not. I mean, there were some boulders and crevasses to climb through but I was through it in about 2 minutes. The wind was calmer in the gulch, but once I started climbing again the gusts returned. At 10:50 I arrived at the trail head at Eden Crossing, where there was a parking lot that provided access to Mt. Belvidere. Several day hikers were heading back to the lot as I was heading up the trail. The 2.8 mile, 2000'+ climb to the summit was steady all the way up, with steep rocky sections at the top. The 0.2 mile side trail to the fire tower at the top was worth the visit - there hadn't been many views on this stretch of trail so far. It was 12:30 and the summit was empty. I was almost blown off the fire tower was I climbed to the top. Beautiful view, but so frigid I had to climb down after snapping a couple of photos. I finished my oatmeal breakfast and rested for about 15 minutes. I realized that if I made it to my intended camping stop that day I would only have ~17 miles left to reach the border. I emailed my ride, who was originally supposed to pick me up on Tuesday, and asked if she could give me a lift the next day (Monday, Aug. 31st) instead.
I left the summit at 12:50 with 8.5 miles left to hike for the day. The way down had more wet rocks, and so much water. The boggiest of bogs. However, I was able to keep my feet from getting fully soaked. At 2:30 I started the last climb of the day, up Haystack. It was slow and boggy, but worse coming down. I got weirdly excited when I started seeing piles of moose poop. There were no views at the top of Haystack, like most of the peaks in this section of the LT. There were so many wet sections on the descent, and just went the wet sections stopped the steep, slippery, rocky sections started. It took seemingly forever. I could feel blisters forming on the tops of my toes from being wet all day and my feet sliding in my shoes as they wedged between rocks and roots at unnatural angles as I navigated the trail. A mile from the bottom I ran into two NOBO hikers that were heading to Hazen's Notch Camp - relieved again to hear I wouldn't be camping alone. They were filling up from a slow trickling stream. Even though there had been water pouring down the trail all day there had not been many great water sources. I stopped to fill up a liter as well and we chatted about the trail and how our trips have been, and when we expect to finish. I got more compliments on my hiking dress, almost everyone I run in to comments on it. I had not had enough to eat or drink that day. Other than my oatmeal, which I finished at lunchtime, I had only eaten a handful of snacks. I knew I was pushing too hard, but the cold and windy conditions made me want to press on quickly and not take many breaks.
I made it to the turn off for Hazen's Notch shelter at 6 PM. The shelter was fully enclosed and when I opened the door I found a SOBO hiker inside, already in their sleeping bag. He was awake and didn't mind the interruption. He was new to backpacking and didn't realize how boring camp can be if you get there early and no one else was around. He had eaten dinner by mid-afternoon and how nothing to do but sleep. I forced down cold soaked couscous and kept checking my email to see if I had received a reply from my ride to let me know if arriving a day early was going to work with her schedule.
Day 3 Mileage: Corliss Camp to Hazen's Notch Shelter - 20.1 Miles
When I woke up at 5 AM and still didn't have a reply from my ride I figured I wouldn't be getting a ride that day and planned on taking my time getting up and finishing the last 17 miles. The wind had finally moved out but it was cold, upper 40s. The enclosed shelter was pitch black which made it hard to quickly and quietly pack up. I was on trail just after 6 AM with my headlamp and puffy on. They both came off within the first 20 minutes. Little bit of easy trail before the climb up Buchanan. It was nearly three miles and I kept thinking I was at the top and then there would be more climbing. At around 8 AM I passed a SOBO hiker, we both commented on how we had broken eachother's cobwebs, at least for the next few miles. I was tired of the spindly strands draping across my face and arms. There were two more similar peaks, about a half mile descent and then a half mile back up. Nothing to see at the summits, so I didn't stop to rest and made it to the third peak at 8:15, almost 5 miles into the day. The next climb was Jay Peak, the last big peak of the trail. I was less than 2 miles long and about 1,600' of climbing. It was a steady climb, not too technical until the last half mile. The trail opened up to a ski trail and then led into a rock pile. I made it to the summit and took a break on a memorial bench. There was no one around, but excellent views. I was trying to remember to eat and drink every hour so I was ready for a snack break.
As I sat down at 10 AM I checked my emails and had received a reply from my ride that said she could pick me up at the border at 3 PM - sweet! But, oh crap! I had just under 10 miles to the end of the official trail (plus an additional 1.3 miles to the road) and 5 hours to get there. I had not been able to keep a 2 MPH pace and knew I needed to hustle.
I shoved some trail mix into my face an headed down the trail. There was no one around, but the top of Jay Peak has a lodge and a ski lift that was running. On any other day it would have been a nice place to explore. The trail continues down a ski trail before turning back into the woods. The trail descended for about a mile and a half. I tried to keep the pace up, luckily the trail wasn't too technical. The mud pits continued. I could feel the blisters on my feet getting worse, even though I put on my dry pair of socks on that morning. Doll Peak was next and it was tough enough to slow me down, but it was only about a mile long and there was nothing to see at the top.
At around noon I was worried that I wouldn't make it by 3 and my ride wouldn't wait, so I emailed her and asked to push pick up time to 4 PM. I had a little more time, but my body was wearing down, only a few more hours and I could rest. All of the hikers I saw were heading south, except one man I passed who was almost done piecing together an LT thru hike. I passed two women who had started their SOBO thru hike that morning. They told me they had been hiking for 4 hours since the border - I only had 3 hours to get there. I was hoping that I was hiking faster than them. They were happy to see solo female hikers on the trail. Saw more piles of moose poop. Hadn't seen much evidence of large animals, but on several occasions I was startled by grouse making a commotion somewhere in the brush. Next was the climb up Burnt Mountain, only half mile up, just kept moving past the summit, still nothing notable to see. I reached the final road crossing at Jay Pass just before 1:30 PM. One more climb to go, and 2.4 miles until the border. I didn't know if my ride would be waiting for me at the parking lot at 3.
Most of the 1.2 miles up the last climb up to Carleton Mountain was steady and not too hard. The last half mile got steep and slow. Last summit, no view - I picked up speed down the mountain. Only 1.2 miles to go. Of course in the last mile of the trail I slipped on a wet rock slab and fell on my butt. The trail was still boggy but my feet were still dry. At 2:45 the Northern Terminus sign came in to view. The sign matched the one at the VT/MA border I passed on July 4th, 2018 on my AT thru hike. It was a pretty anti-climactic finish - I was alone, in the middle of the woods, not on the top of a summit. I didn't see anything else around until I climbed up a large rock slide and saw the terminus monument marker.
Just like that, it was over. Except I still had 1.3 miles down Journey's End trail to get to the parking lot. I only stayed at the terminus for a couple of minutes before turning east towards civilization. I saw a series of bear prints in the last mile, the first sign I had seen on this trip. I arrived at the lot at 3:15, no sign of my ride. I started walking down Journey's End road, probably walked another mile before my ride came down the road. By 4:30 I was back at my car in Stowe!
Day 4 Mileage: Hazen's Notch Shelter - Canadian Border - Northern Terminus - 17.2 LT Miles + ~ 3 down Journey's End
No comments:
Post a Comment