7/13-7/25: North Adams, MA -> Hanover, NH

“Uh-oh! Mud! Thick oozy mud. We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh no! We’ve got to go through it!

Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch!”

Michael Rosen, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

Vermont has an unfortunate moniker among thru-hikers: Vermud. The VT section has a reputation for being disproportionately muddy, even in otherwise good weather conditions. And as I approached Vermont, the conditions were anything but good.

The night I was in North Adams, just 3 miles south of the Vermont state line, we got an alert from the ATC & Green Mountain Club highly advising hikers to get off the trails in VT and postpone or cancel their hikes in the state. In the wake of the historic, tragic flooding that had hit VT that week, and with more rain expected, they needed to do a full assessment of the trails and determine what damage, washouts, or impassable river crossings there were.

I was shocked and dismayed to hear this. Here I was, on the cusp of a new state, and one I was looking forward to, and now, was I going to have to disrupt my thru-hike? I was seriously spooked for VT, and indeed, the whole rest of my hike, with NH and especially Maine also getting wracked by storms. It felt like my luck had finally run out.

I quickly reached out to several trail friends that were currently going through VT to get their thoughts on the conditions and their plans, with on-the-ground knowledge and experience to guide them. I also talked to a few friends who were just behind me to see what they were thinking. Based on these conversations, I decided to forge ahead as planned. I resolved to take it one day at a time, taking things as they came, and being fully prepared to turn back and wait it out if there were dangerous crossings, or detour and road walk around entire sections if I had to.

Thus I prepared to set out into Vermont on July 13th. The Massachusetts magic wasn’t quite over with, as Renee made me breakfast before I hiked out. It was a beautiful day, and I ran into Stakes and the Sun God on my way out of town. I enjoyed hanging out with Stakes and Oats at a few breaks throughout the day.

Soon, I crossed into Vermont, and joined the Long Trail! Vermont’s Long Trail runs 270 miles from MA to Canada, and was the original inspiration for the AT. The AT and the LT share about a hundred miles in southern VT. It was cool to meet some LT thru-hikers as well as AT folks in this section!

I also met my first bonafide SOBOs right at the state line. They had started at Katahdin and were now absolutely battle-hardened after all the rain in Maine in June, the infamously tough White Mountains of NH, and the recent flooding and rain in VT. It was really fun to start crossing paths with SOBOs in this section and exchange stories about our hikes!

Vermud lived up to its nickname on that first day, and for several days thereafter. The mud pits were the most prevalent and deepest they’d been on the whole AT so far. Dealing with that was annoying, and all the more so because the trail was pretty green tunnely. I did pass several pretty beaver bogs. It’s amazing how tangibly beavers can affect ecosystems over such a large area. Beavers are so powerful. I’ve developed a much bigger appreciation for my alma mater’s mascot – it’s not just a silly engineering joke! Fear the beaver.

That night, at a shelter with 5 other people, we all got an alert on our phones warning us of a potentially dangerous and destructive storm coming overnight, with up to 80 mph winds. I felt renewed fear for my hike, and our safety.

It rained constantly overnight, but it certainly never felt destructive. In the morning, the rain stopped right as I hiked out, and I was pleased to find the trail in totally fine shape. It was just muddy. Turns out that particular storm was sort of a false alarm.

I didn’t go far before I found trail magic at the road into Bennington, VT. It was nice to sit and have coffee and cider donuts while I waited for certain other trail angels: my grandparents! Grandma and Grandpa drove up from MA to visit me, and had brought some special treats. I was so, so glad to see them and make the most of our time together! We spent a great day in Bennington together. We saw the cool Bennington Monument and learned some Revolutionary War history, ate delicious brunch at the Blue Benn Diner, and went to the Bennington Museum. I hadn’t been to a museum since being on trail, and it was really nice to do that and see some cool art. We even got gelato on our way back to the trail. It was a lovely time.

Grandma and Grandpa drove me back to the trail at around 4 pm. I said goodbye to them and then immediately cried myself up the trail. It really meant a lot to me to see Grandma & Grandpa and I’m really, really happy we could do that. I love them so much.

That night, I reunited with Meadow & Victory, who I hadn’t seen since we did the half-gallon challenge together! It was great to see them again. We ended up hiking around each other for the next week. It was really fun to get to know them better and hang out with them!

The next day, we summited Glastenbury Mountain. Unfortunately, the fire tower up there was condemned and closed in fall 2022. I definitely did not climb it. It’s too bad, because I bet the 360 degree views up there would have been absolutely amazing, possibly the best on the entire trail so far!

That night we had a full house at the shelter, with another big storm in the forecast. It was a good crowd; among others, I ran into Kanga and Renegade, who I hadn’t seen since VA! The rain started in the morning and I hiked through it all morning, but it wasn’t that bad. I successfully psyched myself out so I was pleasantly surprised by the weather.

The climb of Stratton Mountain amid a lush coniferous forest was gorgeous, even in the rain. I just love it! The fire tower on this summit was actually open, although it was totally socked in. Victory, Meadow, and I climbed it anyway.

Somehow, the rainy part of that day was much better than the nice weather part. That afternoon, the trail was the muddiest it had been yet, and it really wore me down. It took a few days, but I finally truly slipped and fell in the mud. I got off easy, though, and it was more a morale hit than anything else.

I stayed that night in an enclosed shelter with Meadow & Victory, a new friend Plankfire, and a section hiker Shades that I had met back in NY. We had a great time hanging out, and in the morning all headed into Manchester Center, VT.

I was very excited and relieved to have a true nero day and my first real hostel stay since VA. It had been a very long time since I had showered or done laundry…exactly two weeks, in fact. I had truly embraced the hiker trash lifestyle.

“Now I am become hiker trash, the destroyer of noses”

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, probably

Manchester Center was the first trail town that I was sorta familiar with already, having been there several times. I had a lovely time there with friends. Victory, Meadow, Shades, and I had an amazing breakfast at Up for Breakfast, where we also ran into the Sun God! It rivaled the Smoky Mountain Diner for the best meal I’ve had on trail, minus the emotional content.

I got to visit the absolutely awesome Northshire Bookstore, which is definitely one of my favorite bookstores in the world. Then Victory, Meadow, Plankfire, and I headed over to Green Mountain House Hostel.

Green Mountain House was a lovely place, and I had a great, relaxing rest of the day there. I loved the maps of basically every long-distance trail you can think of, as well as the freezer full of pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Soo Vermont. Your first pint was only $1! They also had a keyboard. I didn’t realize how much I had been missing a piano!

It was a nice, small crew at the hostel that night – the four of us and one more crazy fast NOBO, Dave. I bonded a ton with Meadow & Victory. Later, I led an impromptu sing-along with them and Plankfire! It was a lot of fun. It was my favorite day off in quite a while.

Unfortunately, I also started to develop a cold. I think the recent wacky, wet weather, as well as the air quality, potentially, was messing with me. It was annoying to deal with that over the next many days, but I felt lucky that it wasn’t something worse.

The next day, we got back on trail and climbed up Bromley Mountain. It was our first ski mountain, and at the very top we actually hiked right up a ski run! It was hazy, so we only got outlines of views, but it was still pretty cool to sit on the dormant ski lift on the summit with Meadow & Victory.

Other than the haze, though, that day had the nicest hiking conditions I’d had in weeks. It wasn’t too hot or humid, and the trail was in great shape. It wasn’t as muddy, and the mud was drier, which makes a huge difference. My feet stayed dry all day – imagine that! It was my favorite hiking day in VT so far.

The gorgeous weather continued the next day, and it was clearer to boot. The trail was the least muddy yet. I adored the mossy, piney forest surrounding White Rocks. I tried to convince Victory & Meadow to come down the side trail to White Rocks themselves with me, but they declined – and missed out! Sure, the side trail itself was steep and sorta sketchy, but the views were worth it. It was so refreshing to have a clear day with good weather. Vermont was growing on me a lot.

That night, I felt a profound gratitude to be able to be out here and thru-hiking. It’s a privilege to do this, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m having the time of my life.

Things got even better the next day: it was Killington day for me! It was the third day in a row of beautiful weather – imagine that. I stopped at a lovely farmstand for a delicious second breakfast, then it was time for the big climb.

The climb up Killington Peak was gorgeous, and long, but not too hard. The steep spur trail to the summit was the hardest part, even without my pack. The peak was fantastic! I had skied there as a kid, but certainly never from the summit, and I had never hiked it. The views were awesome on such a clear, beautiful day. It felt so good to be back in big mountains. It was our first 4,000-footer since the Shennies! It was also the first New England 4K-er I hit on the trail, which made me excited as a filthy peakbagger.

I liked talking to some other “hikers” at the summit. As it turned out, the gondola was running and they had come up the mountain that way. Suddenly it made sense why the first person I saw up there had asked me if I came up “the easy way.” I certainly didn’t think so! It was really cool to see the gondola bringing people – and bikes! – to the top. Killington is a mountain bike park in the summer; it was neat to see that sort of thing up close. I had so much fun on that summit, and stayed up there for a long time.

I headed into Rutland, VT the next day to resupply and check out an infamous AT institution: the Yellow Deli. I ate lunch at this restaurant, which is run by an alleged cult, the Twelve Tribes. I felt a little guilty to eat there and monetarily support this group that I do not support on principle or ethical grounds, but I was really curious to see what the place and its people would be like. Plus, the food was good.

The Yellow Deli was different than I expected: for one thing, it was a huge space, whereas I had been picturing a small deli counter. It was packed with customers. The vibe inside was interesting: another hiker compared it to “the old-timey section at an amusement park,” funnily and aptly. The “employees” there were all very friendly, but I did notice some oddities. They also run a free hostel (it’ll only cost you psychic damage), and they were definitely trying to get me to stay the night. For the record, many hikers stay there and have perfectly fine, pleasant experiences. I considered staying the night for a hot second, not because of anything the deli people said, but because some SOBOs I was hanging out with said good things about their experience, including one who had stayed there on a previous thru-hike and lived to tell the tale. He seemed sane enough. When else was I going to get the chance to see something like this? Their Gathering was that night and everything. But that reasoning is probably how it starts. Eventually, I stuck to my guns and hiked on.

Soon, I reached Maine Junction, where the AT splits off of the LT and heads east, and the latter continues toward Canada. But instead of turning east, I snuck into Long Trail territory to stay at a shelter just up the trail. I had a really nice time that evening with an LT NOBO and an AT SOBO. I can’t think of another time that the three people in a shelter could be going in three different directions in the morning!

I said goodbye to the Long Trail and the Green Mountains and rejoined the AT in the morning. To be honest, the trail itself for the rest of Vermont was a lot less inspiring once I left the Green Mountains, but there were still plenty of highlights in those last few days. That day, I did see Thundering Falls, the sixth (only the sixth 🙄) tallest waterfall in VT. But starting that afternoon, the next day and a half felt like VT’s version of the “Virginia Rollercoaster,” with many steep, viewless climbs.

I ended up that night at the Lookout, a unique unofficial shelter with an awesome rooftop observation deck. It is a privately-owned cabin that is opened to AT hikers – thank you for that! It was an amazing place with great views above the trees in many directions.

I really enjoyed watching the sunset from the roof with my new friends 8 Lives, Lotus, and Tonto, all of whom I had just met that day. I love that I’m still meeting cool new people all the time, even this far into the trail. I came back out to stargaze, and saw lovely stars despite it not being too late and dark. I’ve had surprisingly few chances to stargaze on the trail; it turns out, as a thru-hiker, you almost always want to be asleep by the time the stars are really out. It was cool to seize this chance in a unique venue. I even saw a meteor!

Naturally, the four of us got up to see the sunrise from the roof, too. It was really cool with seas of fog in the valleys.

I stopped at another trailside farmstand that morning. Tonto, 8 Lives, and I had a vertiable feast for second breakfast: a freshly baked raspberry blueberry peach pie, vanilla and strawberry ice cream, bananas, and several pastries. It was a much bigger meal than I expected, and a longer stop, but it was a delightful spontaneous time together.

There was a big crowd at the shelter that night, my last night in Vermont. It made for a fun time! That doesn’t happen too often at this point in the trail. I had a great evening with friends old and new, including Marathon Man, POTUS, and Breaks, who I hadn’t seen since central Virginia! That day was all about the people 🙂

My last day in Vermont featured tons of trail magic and nicer terrain after the end of the “rollercoaster.” Vermud wasn’t going out without a fight, though! After several days of drier respite, my feet got soaked on both of the last two days. It felt like a fitting end to my time in the state.

The trail magic began with stopping by trail angels Randy & Lynda’s porch for coffee and a soda. A lot of other thru-hikers came through, and we had a good time sharing stories.

Vermont ends, and New Hampshire begins, with a very long road walk through Norwich, VT and Hanover, NH. By my reckoning, it’s the longest road walk we’ve had on the AT! When I got to the start of it, I found the Mechanic, a traveling trail angel, doing unique trail magic: massages. I did not stick around long enough for a massage, but I did have a beer and hung out by his decked-out van with other hikers. Soon after, I got homemade cookies from the most adorable trail angel and her mom.

The ominous thunder we’d heard all afternoon finally materialized as light rain as I approached New Hampshire. I started to get a little emotional. Only two states left to go, and they’re the big ones. It really felt like I was making it back to my home turf. Then the rain got a lot worse and it brought me crashing back down to earth. When I got to the bridge over the Connecticut River, it was under construction and we couldn’t walk on the side with the state line plaque! It was super disappointing. Between the construction and hurrying across the bridge to escape the lightning storm, it was certainly not how I pictured entering NH.

But there I was in New Hampshire nonetheless. I took refuge at the Dartmouth Outing Club. It was fun and strange to infiltrate a college campus in a nice college town.

I got discounted pizza for dinner with other hikers. Several restaurants in Hanover offer deals to thru-hikers, or a little something as trail magic. There was more trail magic to be found in Hanover, too. Because it is an expensive town to stay in for hikers, several trail angels offer places to stay in town, and we were given a handy list at the Green Mountain House hostel (it was also posted at the DOC). I had arranged to stay with Chris and Paolo. It turned out that my new friends Gravity and Charmer were staying there too! Chris and Paolo picked the three of us up in town and took us to their home nearby.

I had basically been hoping to have a lawn to set up my tent on. I got much more than I bargained for! Chris and Paolo were wonderful trail angels. Not only did we get real beds to sleep in, but we got to shower and they did our laundry for us! We had ice cream and beer, too. It was such a lovely home stay with our hosts, and I enjoyed bonding with Gravity and Charmer. I was so grateful for the thoroughly unexpected evening!

Chris & Paolo even made us breakfast in the morning before driving us back to town. Charmer, Gravity, & I spent a nice morning hanging out in Hanover. We got a free donut from Lou’s bakery and found a local bookstore.

In the late morning, I met up with my Uncle Brian! He had driven up from Boston to his old Dartmouth stomping grounds to pick me up. I spent the rest of the day with him. We got great sandwiches at a cool hole-in-the-wall place nearby, then headed back to his home in Vermont. There, we made cookies from cookie dough that Aunt Nancy had kindly sent along, made dinner together, and even went swimming in the White River at a local swimming hole. It was a great, relaxing zero day and a perfect way to cap off my time in Vermont.

Going into VT, I was worried my luck was finally running out. On the contrary, I felt incredibly lucky with how things turned out. I went straight through VT without any real hiccups, detours, difficult stream crossings, or even much of any evidence of the recent flooding. I was relieved to have had a good experience through the beautiful Green Mountain State, and was thrilled to be heading into the final two states, which I had been looking forward to since the beginning of my hike!