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September 13th, 2021: David Logan Shelter to Middlebury Snow Bowl (15.9 miles, 3,570 ft elevation gain)
Once again, waking up before dawn (I did not miss this), I hit the trail early. It had rained a little the night before, but that eerie fog was gone, so I didn’t have to worry about getting lost again. As the sun rose, I could tell it was going to be a nice day. The first few miles were fairly easy-going until VT-73.
After the road, the trail gets a lot more vertical as you climb Mr. Horrid and Cape Lookout Mountain. At the top, you are rewarded with some nice views and a beautiful pine forest.
Continuing, I eventually made it to Sucker Brook Shelter, where I stopped for lunch. After an enjoyable break, I began the final climb of the day up Worth Mountain, looking to get to the Middlebury Ski Lifts, where I was planning on making camp for the night.
After a slow climb, I reached the lifts. They were unmanned and not running. It was still kind of early, but my feet were killing me, so I knew immediately I would indeed camp there. There was no water near this part of the trail, but I packed enough water to last me through the morning.
Near the lifts was an old ranger hut that had a semi-open lean-to attached. It could basically act as a one-person shelter. As I have stated before, I am a lazy hiker, so seeing that I would not have to set up my tent, I jumped at the opportunity.
After claiming my shelter, I went out and enjoyed the view. It was a beautiful day, and much of the ground near the lifts was flat rocks, which was perfect. I set out all my gear to dry. The sun was perfect as it was warm, but not too warm, with a cool breeze. I spent the next few hours exploring the area and enjoying the beautiful Vermont valleys.
A couple that was also hiking the LT eventually came up and set up a tent nearby. I told them the views to the east were supposed to create an incredible sunrise. I went to bed and made sure to set my alarm to catch it.
Previously: Long Trail: Day 9 (U.S. Route 4 to David Logan Shelter)
Next: Long Trail: Day 11 (Middlebury Snow Bowl to Lincoln Gap Road)