Monday, July 18th
Zero Day
GERRY RAFFERTY – Right Down The Line
Gator/Sunrise: Last evening during dinner we all decided it would be great for Croc and I to take another rest day so we could spend additional time with the ladies and to enjoy more of Vermont. This morning, we thoroughly took advantage of that time starting with breakfast outside on the porch once again, and taking a pleasant boat ride on Kent Pond. Stevie and Christina shared a pedal boat while Teresa and I paddled a kayak.
Later that morning, we all drove to Woodstock, VT and spent time browsing shops downtown and having lunch at the Mon Vert Cafe which stood for the “Green Mountains of Vermont”. Christina graciously paid for lunch and we all enjoyed eating outside on their patio.
After we returned, we enjoyed the recreational facilities at the lodge which included shooting a few games of pool. After more relaxing in our respective rooms, we headed out to dinner at a restaurant that came highly recommended called The Foundry. Last year we had agreed we would try the restaurant for dinner the next time we visited. The four of us were seated on their deck with a great view of the pond. There, we all enjoyed a round of drinks and seafood dinners. We were joined by a number of handsome ducks that graced the waters. It was such a nice, peaceful evening, perhaps the last one we’d have until we completed our hike.
Nothing caps an evening off better than having ice cream for dessert. We elected to stop next door at Mad Hatter’s just after 10 pm for a tasty ice cream treat. Croc graciously covered the cost whereas we had collectively agreed he would cover all desserts for the remainder of the trail, a fun addition to our process.
It was such a great 2.5 days off, and we were ready (at least physically) to push hard for the next month and hopefully complete this bad boy of a trail.
Croc: It was a great day for another zero because it rained several times throughout the day. Christina and I woke up to another amazing breakfast of bacon, French toast, eggs, and buckets of coffee. I even tried some yogurt and fruit, as if that could fix my disastrous digestive system.
After breakfast, we took advantage of the lake before it started to pour again. Christina and I grabbed a pedal boat while Mom and Gator took a kayak. Although my legs were conditioned from hiking, they didn’t stand a chance with the pedaling motion, and I quickly became exhausted. Our original plan was to do a full loop around the lake, but we never made it because Christina saw an eagle (or hawk?) and steered the boat towards the shore. After getting her fill of bird watching, it started to sprinkle so we booked it back to the dock.
Our timing was perfect because the rain really started to pick up. We all decided to go inside and hit up the sauna. I felt a little guilty as I headed inside because the dock was right next to the AT, and I saw miserable hikers trudging along in the rain while we were heading back to the lodge warm and dry.
After resting for a bit, we then made our way over to Woodstock, VT, and grabbed some sandwiches and kombucha for lunch. We also quickly browsed around a local bookstore for Christina and a market to grab some last-minute resupply items for the coming days. It was a little sad always thinking about resupplies and the next days on the trail when you are trying to spend time with the people that are currently with you.
We then headed back to the lodge to relax for a bit before capping off our day with another restaurant dinner and ice cream at Mad Hatter’s. It was a little late in the hike, but this is where Gator and I made the deal that I’d pay for the desserts on the trail, and he could cover the meals. However, I don’t think we ordered dessert again until maybe Maine with his birthday cheesecake (featured in a future blog).
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