Day 136 – Cold River Road to Inn at Long Trail

“Life is like the snow: it will come and it will go.

You gotta get out and get it while you can.

I’ve got my skis and my six-string and I’ve got a song to sing.

Ski and party, that’s my master plan” – Pixie and the Patrygrass Boys

Up at 6:30. Packed all my gear to be slacked into a trash compactor bag for Flipakey to take to the Inn. I put labels on both sides of the bag with masking tape. I have 13 miles today with the first half uphill to Killington Peak. Headed out at 7:30. On trail at 8:00.

Sunny, 60 going up to 81. Should be a nice day.

Major milestone. Less than 500 miles to  Katahdin!

Took a quick snack break at 9:45. The next 4 miles to the top of Killington are going to be steep and  challenging.

Crossed the 1700-mile mark at 10:50.

Made it to the Cooper Lodge shelter at 11:50. Old shelter in very bad shape. Spur trail goes to the top of Killington Mountain from here. The climb up those last .2 miles was almost vertical at times. Very challenging! The view up here may be the best I have had since North Carolina. 

YouTube video at the top of Killington.

Took the easy blue by the top of the ski lifts back to the AT at Cooper Lodge. Started descending at 12:30. Got 5.5 miles to the Inn for tonight.

Arrived at Sherburne Pass Trail at 1:50. Taking this trail into the Inn at Long Trail. This is the old AT route. I have about 2.8 miles to my destination.

View from Pico ski run.

Arrived at the Inn at Long Trail at 3:30. Basic room, but very nice. Great room and game room on the first floor. Bus stop out front with hourly service to Killington and Rutland.

Unpacked, showered, and took the bus to the Killington Market for supplies and to generally scope it out. 

My package from Dana arrived; winter quilt, water shoes, gloves, mittens, balaclava, buff, dehydrated chicken, red pepper flakes. I’ll mail my summer quilt and a few other items home tomorrow.

Got a nice meal at the pub.

Met a SOBO this evening who graduated from Poolesville in 2015. What a small world!

Also had an hour-long chat with a Long Trail hiker that I met 3 nights ago at Lost Pond Shelter. She was a ridge runner in Shenandoah in 2011. Nice conversation.

Technical Notes:

• Cranberry Orange muffin 500
• Body armor 220
• Zero sugar Sausage 120
• Zero sugar Sausage 120
• Skittles 150
• Oreos 160
• Zero sugar Sausage 120
• Skittles 100
• Seltzer 100
• Pringles 900
• Reese’s 210
• Guinness draft 210
• Shepherd’s pie 1000
• Guinness draft 210
• Chips and salsa 500
• Misc 1100
• Water 1.7
• Miles 12.8 + .7
• Time 7
• Elevation gain 3088
• Calories consumed 6500
• Calories burned 6000