Journal Entries

Cooper Lodge (shelter) at Killington Peak - ‘lodge’ is an overstatement! Old and quite decrepit- large, uneven stones set into the dirt floor; window openings without glass; gaps in the mortar between the stones forming the walls; one of the bottom sleeping ‘decks’ broken and on a tilt- lots of character and history here! The most uncomfortable detail was the rain that leaked through the roof - splashed in about 2:00 AM- albeit a risk taken as this construction detail was noted earlier by builder @hammerhead :)

Monday Sept 17th, day 10- loving this sequence of sunny days. Our day’s endpoint is Killington Peak; along this stretch the Shrewsbury Peak Trail intersects with the Long Trail -so many places to hike!

@hammerhead checking his Green Mountain Club Vermont’s Long Trail map (an excellent and accurate resource) as we leave Clarendon shelter. Signage and trail marking was great- @toesalad also had Guthook’s app- all in all, our navigation was well-covered. (For the record- this is the morning after a brief evening downpour that resulted in a wet tent floor :( survived the night okay although we have some discovery work to figure out the source of the problem. Tent was pitched on a hard pack slope which didn’t help!)

Before this hike I had memories of Vermont’s beautiful forest and mountain views - from our vantage points now they are even more spectacular. Vermont will be calling us again. I hope often :)

‘Miles to go before I sleep’ - so we had to leave the pool! @reneetougas and @toesalad leading the way to Clarendon Shelter.

@reneetougas cooling off in Mill River; not icy cold which made it hard to leave!9

@hammerhead and @toesalad ‘cleaning up their act’- Mill River.

Clarendon Gorge, Mill River.

Filtering water: several times/day a necessary ‘chore’ .

Day 9 - a hike up and over Bear Mtn - beautiful waterways and much more. Magical wilderness :)