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Hello everyone!!! My sincere apologies for the delay. I had to get off the trail earlier than expected. I decided to take a couple of weeks to decompress. My wife and I bought our first home recently, so I have been spending the last few weeks focusing on moving in. I know you have all been waiting with bated breath to read more about my adventure, so without further ado… I will begin releasing the remaining posts from my journey… Enjoy!!!
September 8th, 2021: VT-11 to Big Branch Shelter (15.3 miles, 3,156 ft elevation gain)
After a fantastic night of sleep and a great cold pizza breakfast, I received a ride back to the trail at 7:30. The weather was beautiful, my body was rested, and I was ready to get back to it.
Once I hit the trail, I was booking it. I made it up the first big climb to the peak of Bromley Mountain in about an hour. After enjoying a great view and short rest, it was time to continue on.
The next few miles were mostly enclosed in tree cover, but at least a lot of the mud had dried up, which was a nice change of pace.
I was cruising all day. The combination of weather and rest had my morale at the highest it had been since I started my journey.
Once I made it to the Peru Peak shelter, I stopped for a pleasant lunch. Unfortunately, shortly after the shelter, there was Griffith Lake, which had a great spot right next to the water, which was gorgeous. I always pick the wrong lunch spot.
After lunch came the first somewhat technical part of the trail that I encountered. Baker Peak was covered in mostly smooth rocks, so I had to lower myself and use my hands to climb up. It was nothing major, and I enjoyed the change of pace.
A big storm was supposed to come in during the night, so I continued at a brisk pace until I reached Big Branch Shelter. Named for the river that was right next to it, it was a great place to camp for the night. A weekend hiker had gotten a fire going, and the river was a perfect place to soak my feet in the cold water.
A few southbound hikers stopped by to enjoy the fire, and we swapped stories about the trail and life. After a nice dinner, we saw the clouds roll in. We said our goodbyes, and they headed back to their tents.
After crawling into my sleeping bag in the shelter, I was treated to quite a show. First came the lightning, then the thunder, the wind started roaring, and lastly the rain. There were only three of us in the shelter by that point, and we all agreed that we were relieved we didn’t have to tent in these conditions.
After a few hours of watching Mother Nature put on a show, I fell asleep, praying that the rain would stop before I started hiking again in the morning.
Previously: Long Trail: Day 4 (Stratton Pond Shelter to VT-11)
Next: Long Trail: Day 6 (Big Branch Shelter to Clarendon Shelter)