Early to bed and early to rise, gets the worm first? I’m not sure but I was up bright and early. Stops a Lot was giving rides back to the trail at 6:45am. That’s perfect. Today I wanted to set myself up for Manchester on Saturday. I knew it was going to be a lot of climbing and with the mud yesterday, I wasn’t sure how fast I’d be moving.

There were five of us going back this morning, while the others were either staying in town for a much needed Zero or they planned to take the late shuttle. Stops a Lot loaded me up with fresh fruit and an orange bell pepper. That’ll be eaten for lunch, if not sooner. I followed behind Hambone, Mary Poppins and Ultra. Catnap stayed behind me.

The morning was foggy and cool. Perfect temperature for hiking if you ask me. The first thing was a 1500’ climb to Glastenbury Wilderness. I would be in the wilderness for most the day. The problem with the wilderness is they don’t do anything to help hikers out. The river crossings are all natural. No bridges, no stepping rocks placed symmetrical for ease of crossing, no nothing. It’s all left in its’ natural state with minimal blazing, markings or clearing. They even warn you that rescue may take a bit longer due to the primitive conditions of the trail. Sure it looks nice, but it’s a tough stretch to hike.

The great part about the day was there was no rain. The only drops I felt was when the wind picked up and shook the trees. Any leftover dew would land on me or whomever was passing by. The ground was still wet and muddy though. Within a few minutes, my somewhat dry shoes and socks were soaking once again. This is the part of Vermont that I am not loving.

Around 10am I found a clearing that almost had a view. I can tell that the fog is trying to lift, and maybe just maybe, I will have my first day in a week without rain. That would be wonderful. I sat for a bit, ate my gala apple and some nuts, and waited for the sun to show its face. Wasn’t happening so I gathered my pack and kept climbing.

The forest has changed a bit. There’s much more moss on the trees and they are spindling. Mushrooms are popping up everywhere and the orange newts are moving ever-so-slowly. There’s tons of ferns, new flowers, orchids and clover. I haven’t seen clover on the trail till today. Maybe this will be my lucky day.

I planned to have lunch at Goddard Shelter. Ultra was there and when I arrived she warned me of the voracious flys and gnats. They were awful. I know I smell foul but you would think something died here. There were so many flies you couldn’t stop and eat. I shoved my lunch in my mouth and moved on.

Just up a ways is Glastenbury Mountain with a lookout tower. I’m not sure what’s going on in the northern part of the AT, but these tall towers are being decommissioned. This one has the access ladder removed so you cannot climb the tower. Bummer because I’m sure on a clear day, you could see Mount Greylock to the south and Mount Snow to the north. They really know how to take the fun out of climbing scary towers.

The rest of the afternoon was quite pleasant. Most of the climbing was out of the way. All I needed to do was get to camp and stay dry. My shoes and socks were caked with mud but I actually could see a slice of blue in the sky! That is super hopeful because it typically rains in the afternoons. I think I might be dry in my little tent tonight.

Kid Gore Shelter is pretty nice. It is one of the few shelters I’ve seen that actually has a view. It faces the east so I should get a stunning sunrise in the morning. Hambone, Mary Poppins and Ultra have staked their places on the wooden bunks inside the shelter. Mary Poppins saved a spot of her Dad, Catnap. He showed up after dinner. For me, I prefer my tent so I find the one and only spot near the shelter. I’ll be anticipating a lovely sunrise in the morning. Lord, thank you for this wonderful day. I know that you are in charge of the moon and the stars, the sun and the rain. I am so grateful for such a day as this. Sweet dreams, my child. Sweet dreams.