October 2nd, 2022: Roundtop Shelter to Spruce Ledge Camp (15.1 miles)
I got out of bed very early today. Once again, fighting through the cold and weariness, I packed up my gear and said my final goodbyes to Brian and Shane. They were hiking just a few miles ahead to their vehicle. It was good to have a bit of a tramily for a few days. I wished them the best of luck and told Mickey that I was going to try and make it 15 miles to Spruce ledge Camp, and hoped to see him there. He said he probably was not going to make it that far, but he was going to try.
The trail immediately after Roundtop was mostly easy. It was a quiet, chilly morning, and I did not pass anyone all morning. I was cruising.
What happened next was something that I can scarcely believe. At mile marker 229, at exactly 0850 hours (I wrote it down immediately after it happened), three moose passed me going south on the Long Trail. I had just crossed Codding Hollow brook, when I heard a loud grunt. I looked up and saw a giant moose heading straight at me right on the trail.
As you can probably guess I was startled. I immediately stepped off trail to the right and positioned myself behind a tree. As I watched the massive, gangly creature walk by, I observed something even cooler. The lead moose which was male, was followed closely by a female moose, and bringing up the rear of their mini-caravan was a much smaller moose calf. They were maybe 10 feet from me!!! The moose did not seem to pay me any mind as they quickly trotted south, leaving the LT and disappearing into the wilderness. I stayed behind the tree a few extra minutes just to make sure they did not want to come back. Moose are known to be territorial and aggressive, it was mating season, and there was a calf with them, all those factors increased the odds that an encounter could have gone poorly for me.
I was in shock. Just the night before, Shane, Brian, and I were asking each other if anyone saw a moose in their travels, and we all said no. Mickey also said that the moose population in Vermont had taken a hit, and it was very rare to actually see one, and I saw THREE!!!
It was absolutely the coolest hiking experience I have ever had, and it made all the pain, difficult climbs, and cold nights worth it. My adrenaline had been pumping so much, it wasn’t until it was too late that I realized I should have gotten my phone out to take a video or photo. In retrospect, I am glad I didn’t. It was a special experience to have that spontaneous moment to myself rather than looking at it though a screen.
After pinching myself, I forged ahead. The ascent up Laraway was steep, but the trail itself wasn’t rugged and I passed by some cool rock formations on the way.
The juice was worth the squeeze. The lookout is maybe the best vista on the entire Long Trail. I took a long lunch break, called my wife and told her about the moose. It was a perfect fall day. It was cool, but not cold, and the forecast was predicting great weather for the remainder of my hike.
After lunch I continued up and over the peak, the trail continued to be relatively easy (for Long Trail standards). On my way to Spruce Ledge Camp, the forest was glowing with a beautiful golden hue. The leaves were changing and the fall colors were upon me.
Due to the relative flat, nice trail, I made it to Spruce Ledge Camp early. It was a great shelter. It had sliding doors, there was a covered picnic bench outside of it, and a fantastic overlook.
I was the only one there when I arrived, so I claimed my spot and began to wind down. Maybe an hour later, another hiker showed up, and he actually recognized me. His name was Steve, and we actually followed each other on Instagram. He had messaged me a few times last year on my LT hike, and was heading SOBO to finish his section hike. What a small world.
We chatted for a while, and a few more people showed up, they set up tents near the overlook. When it started getting dark, one more hiker ended up joining us. It was Mickey. I was glad to have someone I knew, join us. While we were talking Steve mentioned that he left an orange bandana coming from Belvidere Mountain. It was a sentimental item that him and daughter shared hiking memories with. He asked if we saw it going north, that we pick it up and ship it back to him. I said I would.
We got a fire going, and after talking with them, I found out the tent hikers were actually from the Chicago Suburbs (I was also born there), in addition, one of them went to college at Indiana University. I went to Purdue, so we gave each other a hard time and had some laughs. but overall it was great end to the night.
Previously: Johnson Hardware
Tomorrow: Hazen’s Notch Camp