Start Milepost: 1606.3 Time: 06:00
End Milepost: 1625.0 Time: 14:55
Miles hiked: 18.7
Miles to go: 564.8
Weather: cloudy
Temps: 40’s°, High 70’s°
Blue Side trails:
Resupply:
Overnight: Tent at Kid Gore Shelter
Map: Click on map pin
Scamper introduced me to the phrase Flat-on-Back (FOB) while she was volunteering this summer at Kids Across America Kamps in the Ozarks of Missouri. She meant tired; real tired. I’ve literally been FOB several times on this hike. Once, thinking I had successfully passed underneath a fallen tree, I attempted to stand upright again. Bam. I was on my back like an upturned turtle. Laughing, I rolled to one side and got to my feet. Today it was different. Following close behind Relentless, aka Papa, I stepped on a rock and tried to stop while he paused to select his next rock. My rock was sloped, so my heels fell below my toes leaving me trying to bend forward. I could not over come the pack weight, so I fell on my back into the Vermud. Fortunately there was no rock to bounce my head on. But there I lay – immobile. I could neither roll left or right; it took Relentless to pull me up. Funny. Dangerous.
There was nothing remarkable about today’s hike except that we entered the Green Mountains – the mountains at one time were home for Ethan Allen whose exploits I read about as a youngster. Our introduction to the mountains was one heck of along climb. Relentless made it look easy. I kept my breathing rhythmic and never lost sight of him.
Rain is due in tonight so we had attempted to set our tents appropriately on rocky terrain with tree roots aplenty. We will resume hiking in the morning once the rain passes through, which is supposed to be around 06:00.
Knowing that rain was approaching we had supper at five o’clock. All food was then placed in a bear box near the shelter. It is now 18:00 so I will pretend I am no longer hungry.
Future hiking days are under review. We will attempt to slack pack near Killington, VT. I was last near that town in 1973 – on a weekend of skiing with USMA classmates.
Hike with JAX DAD 