Make it count: Day #121

Saturday, July 11th - Day #121 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 16.7
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1,704/2,193 (77.70%)

Clarendon Shelter (1687.3) to Killington (1704) - Killington Motel in Killington

Total ascent - 4,016’
Total descent - 3,418’

Total States Completed - 11/14

**Rain - All day rain. Did start to clear mid-afternoon

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Currently sitting in a warm, dry bed at the Killington Motel. I pulled an audible today - and decided to push a couple extra miles and catch a ride into town to get out of the rain.

The day started early - I was ready to roll at 5:45am. After coming back from the privy to grab my pack and hit the trail - Sam was there. She said: “If you wait a couple minutes, I’ll give you some company today”. All good - hiking with someone definitely helps make the miles go faster and keeps me motivated.

Right out of the gate - a 600’ tough climb. Then - a gradual 3,000’ climb to Killington Peak. It started a steady rain after the initial climb. I was drenched to the bone by the time I was half way up the mountain. About this time - Sam and I decided we could add a couple extra miles to the hike today and stay at a hotel in Killington. We could stay 2 nights in Killington - getting a ride back to the trail on Sunday morning to finish up the miles leading into town. The plan sounded good - so we decided to put it into action.

The rest of the hike went well. It’s always a motivating, energy boost knowing you’re going into town. We got to the parking area about 4:15pm. Now - how do we get to the hotel? No Uber, no Lyft, no taxi, all shuttles were busy. So —- we decided to hitch. Hitchhiking is a common practice amongst AT thru-hikers. I’ve never introduced this skill set to my tool bag on this journey - but - you have to start some time. We started walking the 2-1/2 miles into town with thumbs out. A couple minutes later - a truck stops. It was Steamboat - a former AT hiker. We jumped in the back of the truck and he dropped us at the hotel. Plus — he’s going to give us a lift tomorrow morning back to the trail - and then pick us up at the end of the day. A solid, solid hitch!!!

The Killington Motel is well situated. A deli is right next door with great sandwiches and full resupply options. I’ll be able to load up tomorrow to get me into Hanover.

Killington ski resort is known as “The Beast of the East”. It’s the biggest ski area on the East Coast - with diversity of terrain across 6 mountains. It’s supposedly really popular amongst New York City skiers - and it’s also known for its nightlife.

A couple milestones today: I went over the 1700 mile marker and also passed the “500 miles to Katahdin” sign. A little bit at a time - I’m getting there!!

As I’m finishing the blog - the rain has started outside. It’s pouring out there. Nice call on the hotel stay!! Good night from “The Beast of the East”.