Nikki and Brendan Hike

Want to know what a typical day was like for us?   We would wake up anywhere between 4:30 and 6.  Depending when we went to sleep and what was ahead of us that day.  I'd usually be the one to crawl out of the warm tent and get the food bags from the bear hang or bear box and start coffee.  If it's not raining, when I leave the tent I'll bring my sleeping quilt and airpad out with me and hang them on the clothes line to air out a bit. (I sleep hot and sweat a lot)  Once coffee is ready we'll sip and take turns packing up whatever we have in the tent. (It's easier to go one at a time in such a small place.)  Then we change back into our hiking clothes,  which were typically damp and cold, so that's fun!  But it's like jumping into a cool swimming pool.  It's awful for 3 seconds then you're used to it. Once we're done with coffee we pack up the tent.  He carried the tent and poles/stakes, and I carried the rain fly and footprint. Two p...

The final day. Miles hiked today: 4? LT miles: 182 So Brendans foot is swollen up pretty bad this morning.  We made the right call.  Unfortunately it's raining so we're finishing going downhill on slick rocks.   We got to the trailhead parking lot and made arrangements for a room and a rental car so we can go pick up my car from the northern terminus tomorrow.  We spent about 2 hours trying to find a ride to town and a truck happened by us and offered us a ride!  Owner of Black Barn Farms.  Super cool guy and his grandson.  We rented a car so we can go pick up mine tomorrow and a got a room for tonight near Montpelier. The shower was worth it all!   We are both sad and miss the trail already but we absolutely made the right decision.  I know for me post hike depression will hit hard.  And man I will miss just eating whatever all day, lol! I'll update this blog with our other hiking adventures for sure!  Thanks for followin...

Miles hikes today: 6 LT miles: 179 Bamford shelter As if things couldn't have gotten worse yesterday;  a large group of teens showed up and filled the shelter and surrounding area last night.  School group.   We actually slept okay given how loud it was for awhile. Headed up Camel's Hump this morning. Weather once again changed to our favor so no rain until evening!  Camel's Hump was absolutely terrifying.  But amazing too.  You could see forever in all directions.  Once again it took us ALL DAMN DAY to go 6 miles.  But we did have that pesky mountain in the way.  Brutal hike today.  It's our packs honestly.  With day packs we'd have done that a lot quicker and easier.  Having all that weight throwing your balance off really slows you down. And there were places we just could not get through with them on so we'd have to stop, take the packs off, climb up/down/thru, hand off the packs, put them back on....which all takes ti...

Miles hiked today: 5 LT miles: 173 Montclair Glen Cottage. Up at 430 well before the sun.  Oof.  Barely slept anyway.  Wanted to get up, eat and packed so we can start at first light and have plenty of time. Heard the coyotes chattering around to each other. So it took us 7 hours to go 5 miles.  We can't do Camel's Hump today. Got to next shelter at 1 and we're done.  We fell a lot and it took all our mental energy to not fall more. This was the worst and scariest terrain yet.  Mentally we're too beat up for any more. If we were near a road we'd be done today.  I guess that's it.

Miles hiked today: 6 LT miles: 169 Slept in a little.  Breakfast isn't until 8 anyway. Oh it was nice.  The bed was so soft.  My everything hurts.  I am so unbelievably sore all over.  Walking.  Ow.  We spent some time trying to figure out the next few days but weather is not working in our favor. As of now it's supposed to be raining the day we go over Camel's Hump.  Which is a worse climb/descent than we did yesterday.  And that makes things way more dangerous. So we're not entirely sure what to do here.  Either way today will be shorter as we won't hit the trail until late morning, we still need to buy food. Today is the day I'm not feeling this.   Every time we stop in a town I'm less ready to hit the trail again.  And Waitsfield was a cute little town.  I liked it way better than Rutland. And the B&B was so cozy.  Ok, stop being a wimp.   The B&B owner dropped us at the grocery and we got s...

Miles hiked today: 10 LT miles: 163 Up before the sun for the last mile up Mount Abraham.  SO WORTH IT OMG.  Glad we waited for better weather.  Although it's COLD. But omg wow. Such an amazing 360 view.  And more to come! We hit several peaks and now have a very long and steep downhill.  But Brendan booked us a room at an inn nearby so we can shower, do laundry and resupply!  The hike down the mountain was probably the most scared I've been in years.  That was terrifying!  While we were on a peak Brendan called down to town to get a room for us at a super cute B&B.  They were so nice and even offered to come pick us up at the trailhead!  We got a double suite and ordered some burgers.  It's a super cute place out in the country.   Apparently the northern lights might be visible tonight here!  Might miss that.  So sleepy. 

It took most of the night for the pain to subside.  My feet, knees and hips THROBBED. And It got COLD last night.  Coldest yet.  And this morning....it's raining. Normally we just suck it up and hike in the rain but it's raining and cold and that's no Bueno. So we're just sitting in the tent. No cell service here.  Waiting on a weather update on my Garmin.  Looks like rain should stop late morning so we sit tight and have a shorter day. Which, after yesterday, we are SO ok with.  We are getting low on food though but should be able to get to a town by tomorrow maybe. Gotta admit it was nice to sleep in and just kinda hang out here in the shelter watching the rain, drinking coffee. Putting cold damp clothes on sucked though.  But we're getting used to it.  It's amazing the things we're getting used to.  We started getting packed up and got water from the stream and the rain lightened. By about 10 we were ready.  So late!  Glad we wai...

Miles hiked today 13.5. LT miles: 146.5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDAN!  No sunrise, too cloudy but it was gorgeous anyway.  Low lying fog down in the valleys below us.  Cold, gray day with intermittent rain today.  Unfortunately means it's humid again which makes hiking that much harder Brendan is still seemingly having a shit time and it's breaking my heart.  I don't know what to do to help. Got to first shelter after some rather dicey trail for early lunch.  Got about 9.5 miles to go.  Not sure if we'll make it.  Saw a lot of moose poop.  Yikes. The rest of the day was a shit show.  Terrain was awful, we were sweaty and chilly amd pushed too hard. Got to the shelter though, but we reallyhad no other options.  It's late and I'm too tired for anything else. 

Miles hiked today: 13 LT miles: 117 David Logan shelter. Up early, showered, breakfasted and out of the hotel by 7.  Walked to bis depot for ride back to the trailhead!  Of all people,  Crazy Cop from our first night go on the bus with us!  (75 y.o. with the broken toe)  he'd taken a week off to rest his foot.   Trail so far has been easier but still hard.  Our packs are so heavy right now. We finally split with the AT.  We're kinda sad we won't see those folks anymore.  Over all we will see a lot fewer folks from here on.  And the trail gets harder and drier.  Day took a turn after lunch.  We'd planned to stop at a cool stealth spot overlooking this lake.  But reports from south bound hikers were all the water sources were dry until the next shelter.  Which was a bit too far for us but now we had no choice.  We pushed so hard with extra heavy packs much faster than we're used to.  It really was brutal ...

Miles hiked: 0! Zero day in Rutland. Well we managed to sleep in a little, up at 630 instead of 5.  Hard to sleep in when the sun is up.  And we're further east so it's up earlier than we're used to.  (Like when we go visit Brendan's family in Connecticut at Christmas and it's dark by 4pm.  Ugh) Had breakfast at the hotel and did a very thorough inventory of all our stuff.  Gathered up some things we're not using and stopped by the UPS store to send it all home. Hit a random farmers market.  We've hit peak Vermont!  It's amazing.  Walked by the famous Yellow Deli.  (They won't get any of our money though.  They're anti LGBTQIA+. 😡) Feeling weird and a little guilty not hiking.  But we are walking all over town.  Without packs! Found a great art museum in an old mansion and an art festival in a park. I swear Vermont keeps saying "hold my syrup" and ups the ante on its Vermontness. By 1pm we were peopled out and tired so came ba...

Ugh.  I slept maybe an hour total last night.  And coldest night yet!  We were both very chilly all night.  But, short walk down and bus into town!  Nap as soon as we can check in to our hotel. Ok so the hike down to the road was 2 miles and not easy because nothing on this trail is.  I was super grumpy because I hadn't slept and I keep waking up with my eyes near swollen shut.  I'm worried I'm allergic to down.  I'm hoping it's just from sleeping more flat than I'm used to.  I have a small pillow but it's not great.  Reminder to take more Claritin.  We got to the road and had a short walk to a bus stop and got a ride into Rutland.  The bus felt so fast!  Unfortunately we couldn't check in early so we got breakfast and went to the laundromat.  It's odd when you need to wash everything but being naked in public is frowned upon. Then again this is Vermont.  Got checked in to the hotel early and took long, long show...

Miles hiked today: 11 LT miles: 102 Total miles: 109 My only real gripe at this point is that nothing ever gets dry.  Our stuff is constantly damp or wet.  But getting to wake up in the woods makes it all worth it. 💚 So today we climb Killington.  We COULD get to route 4 where we can catch catch free bus to Rutland but it's 13 miles. It'll be way too late in the day.  So one more night in the woods but we should end up pretty close to the road so we might even get breakfast in town! Packs are definitely lighter because we're pretty low on food.  But we will resupply soon! Stopped for second breakfast at a shelter and there is a youth group here doing maintenance which is nice. And lots of humming birds chasing each other around.  Outside of the bear glimpse the only wildlife we've seen are chipmunks and humming birds.  And my God there are SO MANY of both!  Got to the top of Killington, not much to see.  We split off from the AT soon.  ...

Miles hikes today: 11ish? LT miles: 91 Total miles hiked: 98 ish Shorter day so we slept in a little.  Not much.  Guy next to us was smoking until late.  So gross.  I'm baffled by people who do this and smoke. Its funny when I wake up in the middle of the night and open my eyes and am not sure they're really open.  It gets dark in the woods. We've both definitely lost some weight which I'm sure will come back immediately.  But pants are definitely hanging off a bit more. Met a guy doing a yo-yo!  (Hiking AT up abd back)  and our first SOBO LT hikers! Had a neat vertical 900ft drop and then Ascent.  Nearly rock climbing, we had to kinda crawl up.  Had to take a long break after that, thankfully there was a shelter at the top.  Took shoes and packs off for a bit.  Refilled water and had second lunch.  Such an amazing shelter but it's far too early to stop today.  The next shelter up is a bit far so we'll likely be steal...

Miles hiked today; 12 LT miles hiked: 80 Total miles hiked: 87 Somehow we both slept GREAT.  stopped raining at some point during the night too.  Still had to pack up a wet tent but at least it wasn't raining. Outside of the big storm we got caught in we have been insanely lucky with weather.  Today was an easier hike up to the last couple miles.  More beautiful scenery.  We're both pushing hard, we decided to take a zero in Rutland and that's been a big motivator. Still have a ways to go though. We've both come to the conclusion that it's not looking like we'll finish in time.  I'm trying not to let it upset me too much,  I know i can finish next year..  still.  We came this way and have been planning and looking forward to this for a year or so.  We knew what we were in for and how hard it would be.  We just are moving so much slower than usual.  We got word on a nice little stealth spot that we found.  One other guy her...

Miles hiked today: 11 LT miles: 69 Total miles hiked: 76 I've officially earned a trail name.  Double Check.  (Because I am constantly double checking my gear) Fog was so thick we could barely see 3 feet away so no awesome sunrise this morning. Neither of us slept well either.     First few miles were super foggy, quiet and smelled so amazing.  Thick, damp pine forest for miles.  I was in heaven.  One big climb and a lot of knee/toe murdering downhills.  My feet are super cramped.   It started getting really muddy.  I can't imagine this trail during actual mud season. We had some calf deep boot sockets and it's dry season.   Lot of (literal) ups and downs today including one near vertical climb that scared us quite a bit.  Amazing view at the top though.   As the day abd miles went on it kept getting hotter and hotter.  The heat and weight on my back really started to get to me after awhile. I thin...

Miles hiked today: 10 ish? LT miles: 58 Total miles hiked: 65 Bromely Mountain top Resupply day in Manchester.   Up and moving at 5:30, hitting the trail by 7. Had a knee busting walk down the mountain to Manchester for food.  Met an AT hiker on the way down who joined us for breakfast in town.  He was calling it quits.  Just decided he'd rather be at home with his wife but had a great time thus far.  We sprawled out in front of the grocery store like a couple of vagrants.  I went overboard on food yet again I'm sure.  I'm just so HUNGRY  all the time!  I'm terrified of not having enough,  lol. A/C and a toilet were nice luxuries for today.  I feel bad that we smell so awful walking into these places but im sure they're used to it.  And thankfully neither of us wanted to linger in town.  So we got a ride back to the trail and took off both feeling very refreshed.  Got a tip from several people that if we go to th...

Miles hiked today: 10 LT miles: 49 Total miles: 55 Waking up in a hotel was nice, gotta say. But I'm ready to get back out there!  We ate the free breakfast like we've never seen food before.  I noticed a small area of one arm that is a little bit numb.  Guessing my pack must be sitting on a nerve somewhere.  Making small adjustments to it along the way as I can.  Cute little market here but didn't have great food options so we'll have to stop next town.  I hate getting of trail this much but we obviously need food.  Stupid gondola doesn't open until 10am so we're getting a late start and have a ways to go today.  Trying not to get annoyed but I want to be back on the trail! I love how everyone around here loves hikers!  Back home if a smelly person with a big backpack walks up to you, you typically walk away.  Here we are treated almost like celebrities.   Got to the shelter early but the heat and humidity today made it too ho...

Miles hiked: 5 ish LT miles: 41 Total miles: 46 We survived!  We were plenty warm and dry but sleeping on the hard cold ground with no pillow; 1 of 10 do not recommend.  We both tossed and turned our already aching bodies all night.   The rain eventually ended sometime in the night.    When we woke up we  Had to come up with a plan. Most of our stuff was soaked and so were we.  So, as much as it sucked, we had to pull ourselves out of our warm bags and put on our absolutely stopping wet clothes again. I'm not sure if you've ever had to put on wet clothes while you were cold but I don't recommend trying it. But like jumping into a cold swimming pool you get used to it eventually.. Even with all of this we were both surprised to see that we were still in a great mood and having a good time despite all of our stuff wet and being chilly.  Hey, it stopped raining and things could have been so SO much worse.  Once we got things packed up in ou...

Miles hiked today: ? LT miles: ? Total miles; ? Random camp spot.  Today started great. Got around 12 miles in.  Easy hiking met some great people.  Brendan was feeling better and i was feeling amazing, just on top of the world. Found a perfect spot to camp just as we heard thunder.  Tossed the tent together and Got inside and unloaded and the storm began.  Then the tent flooded.  We screwed up bad.  Did our best to get things packed up to move but everything was wet and it was getting cold.  We were 100% soaked to the skin.  We moved the tent out of the newly formed pond and up a hill.  Just as my shivers began We got things set up again.  A few things managed to stay dry thankfully including our sleeping bags. So in the pouring rain I had to strip naked and dive into the tent and dry off as best as possible and get bags set.  Brendan did the same shortly after.  I had one dry set of clothes but he did not.  Unfortun...

Miles today: 8 Mile  of LT: 25 Miles hiked: 29 Somehow woke up feeling tons better.  Pack is still heavy but I'm finally acclimating to it. Getting my rhythm down too.  Unfortunately Brendan is not.  He's really having a hard time.  Hoping he gets his trail legs today.  I really don't want to be finishing this on my own.  Stopped a bit early but needed a break and some time to dry out some of our stuff.  It's been really humid and everything is damp.  Some big sunny spots at this shelter so we laid out our stuff to dry and get a nap. This shelter is far less crowded but one of the nicest I've seen yet.  We have been insanely lucky with weather so far.  Looks like thay may break tomorrow.  P.S. Good lord, I have been eating like I'm 8 months pregnant. Hiker hunger is legit 

13 miles.  Mile 16 of LT 20.miles total Melville Nauheim shelter   Today tested our bodies, minds and marriage.  By far the longest and hardest hike we've done.  We were up at 530 and hiking by 7. Ran into many more AT hikers, got smoked by a 70+ year old with a broken toe.  We're still getting our legs.  Brendan is really struggling and I feel terrible. My left foot is giving me issues for sure but I'm pushing on. We saw some amazing views. Pictures don't do it justice. I'm far too tired to say much more.

7 miles.  Staying at the Seth Warner shelter. Shorter day but we Started later in the morning than usual as we had to get my car to its car sitter for the month, have breakfast and say goodbye to our friend Kari who spent our last night with us. We were both shaking with excitement and nerves!  First day of our first thru hike and we really have no idea what to expect. First 2 hours were 1500 feet up, with one near vertical climb.  Got to the actual start at the Mass/VT border close to 1PM.  Saw a group od SOBO AT hikers resting their and one NOBO.  We've run into several AT hikers so far going both directions.  We're both feeling every ounce of the extra weight. It's rough but the views and vibe out here are absolutely worth it. Shelter is nice, set up tent out back.  We debating pushing on to the next but decided not to kill ourselves the first day.  It's another 7 miles up and we got here at 3pm.  We'll get up early and have a longer day t...