Danby, VT (USA)

“Vermud” Day 2! Woke up a bit later and waffled about direction to go for a trail section. Got breakfast at McDonalds in Manchester (0730). Had planned on driving into New Hampshire but ended up returning to the Manchester area. Used VT-11/30 to reach Peru and then took Main Street, Hapgood Pond Road, USFS-22 and USFS-21 to get to Mad Tom Notch. Arrived at the trailhead just after 0800 and was lucky to get a parking spot (one left). Thought about hiking south to Bromley but decided instead to hike to Peru Peak (NOBO). It was foggy again, with a strong breeze, and it was pleasantly cool for late July. The first mile and a half was a challenging climb to the ridgeline with rock scrambles, root hopping and mud slogging. Still, it wasn’t as muggy as the previous two days and the view at the top (Styles Peak) was awesome. The ridge was just as muddy as the lower elevations and I had to navigate many up/down trail changes as I made my way north. Met two SOBO Thru hikers with their dog “Sam” and a few day hikers. Otherwise, the trail was mine. It was eerily quiet in several places - no birds, no wind, no sign of civilization. I turned around at Peru Peak (no view, unfortunately). On the way back, I probably passed 10 NOBO Thru hikers, more than half were the same I’d seen yesterday (got that “where did you come from?” look again). I stopped to rest at Styles Peak before I was done and enjoyed the company and conversation of a hiker from Tennessee who, while chowing down a full hunk of cheese, told me about his travels. No matter how many miles I’ve already hiked, there is so much more out there to see and experience! Made great time during the downhill and arrived at my car after 6.5ish miles (1155). Didn’t feel as tired/drenched as previous two days. Before I left, I found out from a local hiker that there is a trail nearby that will allow me to get back to Peru Peak without any AT re-hike - glad I found this trailhead! Headed back to the Danby house to rest up for more hiking... Called an audible on the next hike - the walk yesterday (near Rootsville Road) didn't seem worth the time when I could do something closer to town. Headed to Rutland for dinner at McDonalds (1755) and got gas down the street (1805). The weather was still great so decided to hike another section - this time east of Rutland. Eileen was inbound but was taking longer than she'd planned (with spotty cell service) so I thought I would squeeze in a "nature walk" near the Thundering Brook Falls before our planned hike in Gifford Woods. I drove to the trailhead on River Road (1815) and "hiked" SOBO on the pretty footbridge across a marshy river valley. There were lots of nature walkers enjoying the pleasant evening. Passed the waterfall and decided to continue on to my turnaround (Thundering Brook Road). As I was on my way back downhill (1845), Eileen texted that she had reached the other trailhead (at VT-100) so I sprinted back to my car (skipping the falls). Overall, hiked a little less than one mile in less than a half hour. Met Eileen at the State Park headquarters and, after quickly gearing up, headed SOBO from Campsite #10 (1900). The section was mostly uphill on a ridge and had several signs with vague guidance on how to get to the AT and Long Trail junction - I'm glad I had someone with me to help navigate the right way. We turned around at Maine Junction (where the AT/LT split) just as the sun was setting and headed back to the car. It got darker during the backtrack but we didn't end up needing a headlamp. Finished around 4.5 miles by 2100 and felt great. Ending the hike in the campground made me wish that I was staying there for the night (not THIS time...). We drove into Rutland and had a late dinner at Applebees (complete with Cranberry and Grey Goose drinks). We also shuttled the cars back to Danby and spent a little while in the kitchen of the old house, catching up and planning for the next day. Hoping to hike Killington Peak tomorrow! AT Today = 5.80 miles / G.T. AT = 1145.12 miles