We had some light rain overnight, so everything this morning was good and slick. The pine forest was cool looking though as the morning sun burnt off the misty clouds.

Misty Vermont pine forest

Once the humidity blew out, we had a fantastic weather day. We had a big day with lots of climbing, so that was great. We climbed Bear Mountain (I think every state has a Bear Mountain), Clarendon Gorge (which had a pretty high suspension bridge that I forgot to photograph), Beacon Hill, and then big nasty old Killington last. The climb out of the Gorge had a view of the Rutland Airport, which did not appear very busy.

Rutland airport. We ate lunch here and saw one tiny plane land.

The climb up to Killington was long and got really rocky and root-filled towards the top, so it was a bit slow going at times. We made camp not quite at the summit, but my GPS tells me we are at 3844 feet, so we are close. Google maps also tells me we are super close to some of the ski trails on Killington here. The wind is blowing and it’s really cold up here tonight. Brrrrr…it’s a good thing we are meeting the supply team of Packy and Tapey tomorrow with our winter gear. I can’t believe I need my winter stuff in August. Anyway, we are really looking forward to tomorrow, which is a nearo, and Friday, which is a zero day, with Ma and Pa Hnatow!

Vital stats for Wednesday, August 6th –
Milestone – less than 500 miles left to Katahdin
Miles hiked today – 21.6
Mood – good and cold!
Smell – the cold does help keep the stanky stank contained
Song stuck in my head – Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away) by the Deftones