Climbs, Mud, Heat, and Rain SOBO on the Long Trail

Nothing too fancy, just a quick update. This is actually a few days back. I’m currently right after I-89, between Route 2 and the Winooski River.
The first 50 miles on the Long Trail have been something. Climbs, mud, falls, thunderstorms, heat. I started out a little quick, doing 17 miles, then 18 miles. I’m going to slow it down going over the next few mountains. The weather is supposed to be wonderful.

Heather and I drove up to North Troy on Saturday. We got to the trailhead around 4. We were welcomed by a tremendous amount of black flies. I started to look for flights to the Bahamas: does Burlington have any direct flights? Apparently not, so we got all our gear ready. Heather was going to spend the first night with me. We hiked 1.7 miles to the Canadian border, took some photos, then started to follow white blazes. We got to an overview, Carleton Mountain, where there was a small spot for a tent, so we decided to call that home for the night. In total it was 1.5 LT miles.

We woke up and said our goodbyes. I started to climb some peaks. Northern Vermont was quite remote. Not a ton of water either. I got to the top of Jay by 2, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the lodge was open. I got a Gatorade and kept on hiking. Ending up doing 17 miles.

The next day was a bit longer, and had some more climbs. Talked with a few NOBO hikers finishing up their hikes. One girl told me she didn’t know why she was doing this, but it meant something, and the perseverance she gained she will take with her her entire life.

Day three had some views, and some rain.  But I made it VT 15, where Heather was waiting for me. We got dinner and resupplied.

All in all, getting some miles in through a tricky section. Looking forward to seeing the middle of the state

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