It rained all night, and I stayed in a shelter with about 5 other people to keep from packing out a wet tent. I have a pretty hard time sleeping near others, mostly because people tend to snore and I am a very light sleeper. But risking a poor night’s sleep vs tenting in heavy downpours and wondering if anything is leaking all night is a typical trade off of small comforts that you weigh daily on the trail.
I left once it stopped raining, only for it to start again twenty minutes later. Completely drenched from head to toe and pretty cold, I kept it moving through the morning, stopping off on a family’s back porch. They leave out food and drinks for hikers who can pay cash and take based on the honor system. I had some hard boiled eggs and an amazing brownie the size of my face.
Soon enough, I was walking uphill and through fields in 80 degree head, incredulous that I was shivering in the morning’s downpour just a few hours earlier. Then, I saw cows! I did not try to pet them, having seen too many videos pop up in my Reddit feed from the “instant regret” subpage.
Vermont has more fields and pastures than anywhere else I’ve seen so far. The trail is also more forgiving than New Hampshire and Maine. There are hills, but nothing too crazy so far. But then again, this is just day 2 in the Green Mountain State.
Trails And Travels 