What a special night of restoring sleep. Sleeping next to a flowing Brook as they call them here, was so nice. I fell to sleep easily and slept through the night. Blue and I were up by 5:30am and on trail before 7am. I already saw a couple of hikers pass by using the bridge. They must have stayed at the shelter south of us.

Todays hike includes a big ascent to The Lookout Cabin. It is a privately owned piece of property that allows hikers to stay the night. We had close to six miles and 2300’ of elevation gain. The problem with the terrain around here is you go up, and then you go down. I think I’d rather just stick to the ups so you get there a bit faster, but that’s not the AT way. So the 2300’ up includes 1350’ down. That always boggles my mind. It took close to four hours as we stopped for our morning snack and filled up on water.

But what a place it is. The Lookout Cabin is a two-story cabin with an interior fireplace made of stone and a loft that sleeps many hikers. I imagine you could fit 20-30 weary hikers inside. It’s the nicest structure I’ve seen so far on the Appalachian. Outside is a sturdy wooden ladder that’s affixed to the side of the cabin. It stretches to the top of the roof, where there is an observation deck.

Blue and I climbed to the top and were in awe of the views we could see. In the distance, we could see to The White Mountains, some 50 plus miles north of us. We had such a clear day with magnificent views all around. It was the clearest day we have had in sometime. No smoke, no fog or rain, just endless sky. We stayed for a bit and contemplated our next destination.

Blue is a Coffee connoisseur. She likes her Breve Latte and hasn’t had one since we got on trail a few days back. Ends up about five miles north is Abracadabra Coffee Company, just about 1/2 mile west of the trail. That would fuel my hiking partner and I could always use a shot of espresso too.

We climbed down our 30 rung ladder and headed back to the trail. About a mile down, there was a fork in the road. We could continue on the AT and hope to make it to the Coffee Shop before they closed or we could take the Blue Blaze, which would land us nearer to the Cafe. Both routes were five miles, and both take us to Maine. I chose the Blue Blaze. Now the purists out there would call this blue blazing and that’s exactly correct. But I call this, get me some coffee! We made the right chose.

The route went down a trail that followed Atwood Brook and many ponds along the way. It was beautiful and took us passed some beautiful homes and ranches. As for me, part of hiking any trail is getting off the beaten path, and seeing the beauty that surrounds the trail. This was no exception. I saw a WhiteTailed Deer in the woods next to us and pointed her out to Blue. We haven’t seen any large animal since she started hiking with me. Bambi turned, stuck her big tail in the air, and pranced away. Within a couple of hours, we arrive at Abracadabra. Just thirty minutes before they were scheduled to close.

Blue ordered her Breve Latte with a cup of Maple Ice Cream and I ordered a Cold Brew Float. I never had that before and it was fabulous. We sat outside, kicked our shoes off and savored every last sip of our specialty coffee drink. And then it rained! I figured it was just a passing thunderstorm, nothing to be concerned about. Once we finished, we donned our umbrellas and walked to On The Edge Farmstand.

The Farmstand is owned by Dana, an organic farmer and grower of flowers. The place is right off trail and many hikers stop in. Blue had an apple and banana and I found a large dill pickle and sparkling water. We went outside to the covered patio, pulled out our lunch sacks and ate away pounds from our packs. Mary Poppins showed up and we all sat and ate together.

Within a few minutes, two other hikers arrived, Speedo and Flipper. They are both from Florida, hence the aquatic names. The rain kept coming and this thunderstorm appeared to be more pronounced that I had given it credit for. I went back inside and talked with Dana. She had her weather app and told me it was going to rain for the next 24 hours! That’s not good news. Blue and I had planned to hike to the next knoll and camp atop Woodstock Hill. But with thunderstorms and lightning, this might not be the best plan.

I found Wise Pines Hostel and sure enough they had three beds left. Blue and I booked a bed, inside from the rain, and joined the others who already had confirmed reservations. I guess they already knew what the weather was going to be. At 4pm, the Hostel Owner, Mosie arrived and gave us a ride out of the storm.

Mosie was a thru-hiker a few years back and wanted to buy a piece of property near the trail. This is the way many hikers give back to the community. Her husband John looked for property for several months, wanted to be in Vermont being that was Mosie’s favorite state, and finally landed on Woodstock. It’s a gorgeous 40-acres and they have been working on it since 2020. It is the cleanest and newest Hostel I’ve stayed in. There is a Bunkhouse, two Treehouses, a Barn and a Lodge. Everything is done with love and attention to hikers needs. Blue and I stayed in the treehouse, a hexagon shaped space. Its private with electricity and a refrigerator.

We stopped at the grocery store, bought some steaks, portobello mushrooms, orange bell pepper and a salad mix. It’s definitely not our typical dehydrated meal! The Hostel is set up so you have a communal area to cook and eat in. The others bought pizza and we all cooked our dinners. Our dinner was tasty and it rained all night. What a great decision we made.

After dinner, we headed to our treehouse and slept in a nice warm environment. It’s gonna be a great night, without a worry of rain inside our tents, and packing up all the wet stuff. God, once again, comes through and keeps us warm, nourished and comfortable in the pouring rain. How blessed are we!