Once I went to sleep or tried to, the fireworks started. On top of White Rocks, I could hear three separate fireworks shows. I didn’t see anything but they were loud enough to get the effect. And I didn’t get out of my tent. I was as snug as a bug in a rug, so no point leaving the confines of my palace.

The weather started out splendid. The sun peaked through. There was actually blue skies for moments. Our morning walk went through pine forests, across rivers without bridges, and back into more forests. The earth smelled so good from the recent rains. The birds were singing in tune and it was a lovely morning.

Blue and I stopped for a morning lunch at Minerva Hinchey Shelter. We could hear chainsaws buzzing which I thought was odd for a holiday. Ends up that the shelter is adjacent to private property and the owner was clearing some fallen trees from the recent weather. We sat and ate, you guessed it, more tuna and crackers. But this day, I added Pistachios to the mix. That was a nice addition.

Once we left, our plan was to hightail it to Stone’s Throw Farmstead. They are an organic vegetable and cut flower farm located a stone’s throw (1/3 mile) from Vermont’s LT and AT.
Just a few minutes walk off-trail, this farm stand stocks fresh local food, drinks, baked goods, and essential supplies for hikers. They also have sheep and alpacas on the farm.

Up went our umbrellas and for the next hour. We had tunnel vision as it is difficult to see past your front feet with an umbrella blocking your view. The trail was rocky, muddy and once again, my feet were soaked. I had gone all day without wet feet. Well that’s actually not accurate. I put wet socks on this morning inside my wet shoes, but they started to dry out somewhat.

This was a must stop for a few reasons. I am out of food, and the Deli Shop is closed for the holiday. Blue and I headed up a rock obstacle course that was pretty intense. It was steep and there was some route finding. The rocks of Pennsylvania were tough but these are rock courses with altitude gain. I’m thinking Blue is seriously contemplating her true desire to continue on this Ninja Course. We made it up some 200’ of rock scramble, just before it leveled out to a reasonable foot path. Thunderstorms materialized and just like clockwork, it started raining. And it rained hard!

We plowed up and over Clarendon Lookout and Beacon Hill without much of a thought. With the rain and thunderstorms, it was best to get off the mountain and back down in the forest. The great part of hiking in this forest is the ground is super soft from the pine needles. It’s soft and spongy, and feels so nice under my feet. Within a couple of hours, we walked onto the highway, without umbrellas and were on our way to the Organic Farm.

Blue and I indulged. We first grabbed apples, then Maple Sparkling Water, Ice Cream and Curds. What a feast we had. As we were sitting on the porch, I made conversation with the Mom and Dad of the owners. They came up from Maryland to help their son and daughter-in-law with the farm. The weather was looking pretty sketchy so I popped the question? Any chance we could get a ride to Rutland? The Dad was happy to give us a hitch and after eating our curds and whey, we were loaded up in his SUV. Good thing because it started hailing as soon as we got in the car.

Once in Rutland, there was a transit bus that would take us to Killington. The problem was, would it be running on a holiday? I talked to the gal at the local gas station and she didn’t think it was operating today. Bummer. An Uber was going to cost close to $70 so I suggested that we hitch. Just as we walk to the road, a mass transit bus drives up. I flag him down and he pulls over.

Luke the Bus Driver, is a chatty Kathy. He even admits that he loves talking and we end up talking all the way to Killington. He’s been driving for close to three years and loves what he does. He meets new people daily, loves the Para-Transit Route as he might be the only person that these riders see in a week! He really enjoys driving and it shows. I tell him about my blog and we bid farewell.

Blue and I are all checked into the Inn at the Long Trail. It’s a hiker friendly place with rustic charm, great bar food and serves the best breakfast in town. It might be the only breakfast from here to Rutland, but this sounds perfect. We head up to our room on Floor Three. I think they send all the hikers to the third floor, being we won’t complain about walking up stairs. There is no elevator that I can find. We unpack our wet possessions, takes showers and head down for dinner and beer. This is exactly what we both needed. The rain can do whatever it wants now as we are all tucked into our cozy room for the night or maybe two.