Saturday, July 16th
Governor Clement Shelter (1694.7 mi) to Mountain Meadow Lodge (1709.3 mi)
Hiking Miles: 14.6
Total Ascent: 2,665.0 ft
Total Descent: 3,044.6 ft
Total Grade: 470.8 ft/mi
Steps: 33,630
BEE GEES – STAYIN’ ALIVE
Gator/Sunrise: I got up just before 6 am to start our hike to the Mountain Meadows Lodge and Christina’s surprise visit. But just before heading out, I encouraged Croc to take his time getting up and out this morning because we were in no hurry to meet Teresa since she wouldn’t be arriving until normal check-in time around 3 pm. Besides, a leisure hike sounded good today. We had several hours to kill while Teresa picked up Christina at Logan Airport in Boston, then drive about 4 hours to Killington, VT.
I hadn’t reset my FarOut app after checking an Ascent/Descent reading so the mileage reading showed we only had 10 miles to hike today instead of the 14.6 needed. Remembering to do that reset is critical whenever you were planning to hit a specific milestone for the day, however that only happened to us on one other occasion. I was slowing down even more thinking we had such a small amount of ground to cover. The extra 4.6 miles could actually add 2 or 3 hours of hiking, but we had so much time it wouldn’t matter.
Croc caught up with me around 10 am just before reaching the blue blaze trail leading to the top of Mount Killington. At first we were going to pass on climbing the steep incline, but then decided to climb it given the day was clear and we could catch some great views. We met a nice couple at the top who were impressed that we were thru-hiking the AT and offered to take our pic.
During the downhill, we met a young couple with a dog. They said their next stop would be the Inn at the Long Trail where they planned to order a burger. This caught our attention! A burger sounded absolutely amazing! We subsequently met another elderly couple (the gentleman was sixty – haha!) heading south who had just eaten at McGrath’s Pub which was part of the Inn. They bragged emphatically about their Irish Soda Bread, and to make sure we ordered some. We chatted with the couple a bit, then finished the last mile plus to the pub where we stopped for lunch. It was close to 1 pm and we only had 2.5 easy miles to go before reaching the lodge.
We both had the soda bread (it was worth it) and I ordered Shepherd’s Pie and a Diet Coke. We even ordered dessert which helped to stall at least another 20 minutes. I secretly texted with Teresa, and both her and Christina were about an hour away at this point so timing was good.
The hike to the lodge was filled with joyous anticipation. I couldn’t wait to see Croc’s expression when we walked up the grassy knoll leading to the lodge’s porch where I anticipated Christina and Teresa would be sitting and waiting.
Last year, Teresa and I reserved a second story room overlooking Kent Pond at the Mountain Meadows Lodge for 2 nights, during which time Teresa and I hiked the trail (leading both north and south) for a few miles in each direction whereas the trail ran right through their grounds. It was exciting to recognize parts of the trail, especially a campsite we passed through, and knowing it would be only moments before we reached our destination. But there were also stretches I hadn’t recalled which only proves you cannot see (or recall) everything you pass on trail.
I was also starting to get excited to see Daisy, the lodge’s resident dog who was super friendly and sweet. I remember Daisy joining Teresa and I for a trail walk last year (as she did with many guests) and it was so much fun having her lead the way. The only rule was staying clear of main roads. Daisy’s owner was a wonderful woman named Nancy (Inn Manager), and I was looking forward to seeing her again as well.
About a few hundred yards from the Lodge, I remember telling Croc we may find one of Daisy’s toys on trail (perhaps a yellow rubber chicken) that she would purposely leave behind so she could retrieve it on a subsequent trail walk. But unfortunately there were no signs of toys.
Moments before reaching the lodge’s trailhead, Croc lead the way and spotted Teresa waiting with her video camera raised (it was actually recording this time!). I was filming as well so as to surely capture this epic moment. Teresa greeted Croc with a big hug, then Christina slowly popped onto the trail from behind plush green brush. All the waiting and anticipation was over, and I finally got Croc back for the surprise visit he held from me while we were in New Jersey. Or did I? Let’s say the day’s video, and Croc’s blog captures what transpired next better than I could explain. However, I will say that unbeknownst to me, Croc had caught on (via phone tracking while at the Pub) that Christina was in Vermont, and would likely be surprising him on trail. Nonetheless, it was a great moment, and perhaps even better was the fact Croc hiked the last 2.5 miles with inner excitement knowing (99.99%) that he would be seeing Christina soon!
After a well needed shower (probably the longest we’ve gone without one on trail), we simply relaxed the rest of the day at the Lodge. We met a young lady who had recently graduated from UMASS Amherst and who was working at the lodge for the summer. She was bartending that evening while learning how to mix the specific cocktails that were highlighted on their beverage board. Some patrons were getting impatient with her lack of experience, however we loved the fact she was willing to try anything and her drinks weren’t bad at all.
The only bummer today was not seeing Daisy and Nancy. The team no longer worked at the lodge and were reassigned to run another establishment by the same owners. Over dinner, we decided that we would forgo plans to slack pack the following day (Sunday) and take a “Zero” to spend quality time with Teresa and Christina. I was so thankful whereas we had just completed our highest mileage week on trail.
Croc: I guess that one beer from last night did me in because I was the last person in the whole camp to get up, and I think it was still only 7 or 8 AM. Luckily, I got a text from Gator that said, “Take your time,” which was a relief because I thought he’d be at the lodge already if it was only (what we thought) a 10-mile hike today. Definitely so if he was going at the pace he had been going this past week. However, in my head, this was the first hint that something was going on because Gator had been in such a rush the last few days to get to the lodge early. Especially after him trudging along the night before to push the few extra miles only to want to take it slow all of a sudden.
As I hiked, I found myself even more excited because I knew we would be passing Killington Mountain today. I’ve heard about this mountain probably 100 times, but I don’t think I ever visited it. Luckily, I caught up with Gator not too far from the blue blaze that would lead to the top.
When we arrived at the blue blaze, my mind changed pretty quickly about going to the top after seeing that it was a 1/4 mile detour that would probably cost us an hour of time. Especially since we could just take the sky tram up tomorrow with Mom. I also thought Gator was still trying to arrive at the lodge early, so I didn’t want to delay our timing. But then as we began walking down the normal trail, he suggested we turn around and go up the blue blaze, so we went for it. Little did we know that this 1/4 mile was probably the steepest incline we’ve hiked on trail and probably the steepest section until Katahdin. Luckily it didn’t take long, but still not the easy side trail I was expecting.
After we reached the peak, we snuck down another side trail on the top to see the sky tram and noticed there was a little concession stand that was open. We ended up getting some beers so we could “Kill some beers on Killington” or be “Killing-a-ton of beers,” and also grabbed some turkey sandwiches with chips. Gator kindly bought lunch for Gin as well since they were passing by at the same time. Gator was known for being extremely generous on the trail and he would use the classic line “It’s trail magic” when someone tried to pay him back. I know he personally helped me out A TON, but he also helped out everyone on the trail. He would buy meals and hotels for our trail family, help buy people supplies on grocery store visits, always pay for the car rides that people would weasel their way into, and would also be the guy who added money to the donation boxes to make sure food stands and hostels stayed afloat. Honestly, his trail name should have been Generous, or Charity, or Sugar Daddy (after hours).
When we finished lunch, we climbed back up and over Killington and worked our way down the steep blue blaze. We were still making good time, but I could tell we were going to be arriving later than expected. However, we were then hit with another big decision for the day that could actually result in us getting back on track. The AT split off into two directions with an “Old AT” trail and a “New AT” trail. The older AT option was definitely more direct, had more promising views, and also passed a restaurant along the way. The new AT really didn’t have anything to offer according to FarOut, so it was a no-brainer. I’m not sure why they decided to re-route the AT, but it may have been due to some construction on the trail (we saw a large water line going right over the path), or because this route crossed a major roadway. The AT often does re-routes for safety purposes and conservation, and that’s why the official length of the trail changes every year. We were lucky to be hiking in 2022, because now the trail in 2024 is 4 miles longer!
It was a great decision to take the old AT because it definitely shaved off some time with a more direct downhill path rather than some pointless ups and downs; however, I believe this decision officially ended our VT Long Trail experience since it followed tailed off North on the new AT. We also ended up at McGrath’s Pub for a delicious (second) lunch. This was the second big hint of the day that something was up. We were originally falling behind schedule, then miraculously got back on schedule, but then Gator wanted to go to a sit-down restaurant? Especially only a few miles out from our destination where we could eat there too? And then he also asked if we wanted to stay for dessert? I guess this kind of makes sense since he did say Mom would be late, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t arrive early at the lodge and chill.
While waiting for dessert, Gator got up to use the restroom (or maybe talk to Mom/Christina in secret), so I did what I always do when I have cell service and I am not hiking… I texted Christina to see what she was up to today and checked in on the pets via our home cameras. She said she was hanging out at a brewery today with her friends, which I initially believed until I checked in on Maxy and saw his camera was pointed at his food bowl instead of the living room. Christina would always point the camera at the automatic feeder when she went away on trips to ensure that the food actually dispensed. Then I knew something was potentially up. I should have let it be, but I was dying to know where she was going, so I checked the “Find My Friends” app and saw her location in Vermont!
Of course, now I had to keep it a secret because I was snooping around. I didn’t want to ruin Gator’s big surprise. I did play a little prank on Christina by texting her that my stomach was feeling ill and that I might be pooping all night, but it was good that I had a hotel to myself.
I still wasn’t 100% sure Christina was going to be at the lodge, though, because her best friend Kit was having a baby shower in VT today. Christina could have flown in to attend that event and then planned to see us later at night. Yet, as we got closer to the lodge, Gator unleashed hints three, four, and five. First, he kept bringing up how Mom and I surprised him back in New Jersey and that he REALLY had to get me back someday. And how shocked I would be if he someday surprised me with Christina. Then he made a comment about how cool it would be if Christina hiked part of the trail someday. And perhaps the most obvious, when I was at the 99.99% sure point, was when Gator pulled out his phone a few hundred feet before the trail ended and started filming me. A little strange that he’d be filming Mom waiting at the end of the trail and not Mom filming us? That being said, IT WAS STILL AN INCREDIBLE SURPRISE. It had to be my favorite day on trail to see Christina again after two months. So even though Maxy ruined the surprise, it was still an incredible moment and did actually surprise me back at the restaurant. Gator still “got me” because I had to hold in my excitement for the last 2 miles of the trail.
After we hugged, downed some Gatorade, caught up, showered, ate again, and drank at the bar, we decided to forgo hiking the next day so that we could relax and spend some time together. It felt like when you were a kid and saw “No School” on the TV during a snowstorm, and you could sleep well knowing you didn’t have to do anything the next day.
I know this is getting long, so I’ll keep this last section brief. Christina and I decided to watch a documentary on the Yellow Deli, or the Twelve Tribes, which is a notorious cult on trail that preys on “lost” hikers and college students. They have several Yellow Deli’s on trail that offer food and housing in hopes that they can trap you forever. Go look it up.
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