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October 3rd, 2022: Spruce Ledge Camp to Hazen’s Notch Camp (12.4 miles, 4,514 ft elevation gain)
The hand warmers I purchased at Johnson Hardware paid off. I put a few in my sleeping bag, and though it was overkill, I enjoyed the extra warmth.
Before leaving, I told Steve it was a pleasure meeting him in person, and I would look out for the bandana. Mickey asked where I was trying to get today. I informed him I was to make it to Hazen’s Notch camp, which was 13.5 miles ahead. We said our goodbyes, and I departed.
The trail started with an ominous-sounding section titled Devil’s Gulch (insert ominous Gregorian chant). It is a geological feature called a defile, which is defined as “a narrow passage (as between rocks or cliffs). ” I’m here to tell you, dear readers, its bark is worse than its bite. It was only 0.2 miles long, and as long as you take your time and are careful, you should have no problem. Admittedly, it had been dry for days when I crossed. I bet it would be a lot more treacherous when wet.
After I passed VT-118, I began the brutal climb up Belvidere Mountain. At some point during the climb, I took a short break and listened to the sounds of the forest. The sound of falling leaves filled the air. All around me, the foliage was beginning to coat the ground. It was quite cool.
Once I made it to the top, I noticed something right on the trail a few yards in front of me. It was an orange bandana!!! I stowed it in my pack and made a mental note to message Steve when I got the chance.
The next 7 miles of trail over Belvidere, Tillotson, and Haystack were among the muddiest slogs I’ve ever hiked through. It felt like it took days. The mud was so deep it nearly swallowed my trekking poles. I thought I was done with Vermud, but like Lee Corso always says…
In between the endless mires, I took a lovely lunch break at Tillotson camp. I basked in the sun near Lockwood Pond and enjoyed the nice fall weather.
One road crossing later, and a relatively steep climb near Sugarloaf Mountain, and I made it to Hazen’s Notch Camp, my destination.
When I arrived, there was a SOBO hiker prepping dinner. While we were talking, I could not help but notice a giant bear bag hanging inside the shelter. The other hiker explained that someone who was attempting a thru-hike of the Long Trail had brought only two sources of food for his trip, a giant container of peanut butter and 10 lbs worth of tuna.
His bag was filled with tuna packets. I gagged slightly, having to imagine eating only tuna and peanut butter every day. I packed a lot of Cliff Bars to snack on for my hike, and I could barely look at them anymore. Unsurprisingly, that hiker did not last very long on the trail. He left all of his food in the shelter (dick move by the way, sir).
The other hiker ate his dinner and moved on. I unpacked, got a small fire going, and, much to my chagrin, I observed a few mice roaming around in the shelter. Probably due to the careless hiker who left his stuff. I was worried it would attract bears, so I almost moved on to find a stealth spot but decided against it.
The shelter did have a lock on it, so I utilized that. I made sure to put all my food/smelly items in my bear canister prior to bed, and I placed my gear out of reach so the mice couldn’t get to it.
I called my wife to check in and formulated a plan on how to finish the trail. I only had 17.5 miles to go and lots of potential options to finish it.
The Strategy
- Tomorrow: A short 6-mile hike to VT-242. From there, a 2-mile road walk would put me at my vehicle and final resupply. A quick drive into Montgomery Center, and I would look for a local hotel or motel or sleep in my vehicle if necessary. I would then call a local shuttle service and schedule a ride early on October 5th (two days from today) from the parking Lot at Journey’s End Road. I knew of a local couple who were readily available to shuttle hikers for a modest fee.
- October 5th, aka the day after tomorrow: Before sunrise, I would drive to the parking lot on Journey’s End Road. The pre-scheduled shuttle would pick me up from there, then drive me back to the trailhead on VT-242. I would then hike to the Canadian border and then to my vehicle.
This plan required some external variables to go right to be implemented and was more complicated than simply hiking to the Journey’s End and back to my vehicle, but if executed correctly, it would accomplish three key things:
- The final 11 miles would be done in a single day, so I could ditch all my overnight gear and significantly lower my base weight. It would basically be a day hike and allow for moving quickly.
- Once I pick up my vehicle tomorrow, I can spend the rest of the day resting and relaxing before my final day.
- I could finish the hike and go straight to my vehicle, rather than doing a 22-mile out-and-back to the Canadian border. This would save me a day and a lot of miles.
Prior to committing, I checked the weather forecast, and after seeing it was supposed to be 70°F and sunny on October 5th, I was ALL IN!!!
Very proud of my improvised plan, I went into the shelter to get some rest. No one else showed up that night, so it was just me and the mice.
Previously: Long Trail: Day 19 (Roundtop Shelter to Spruce Ledge Camp)