We slept in late (7:30 AM), and were out on the trail late (8:30 AM). After yesterday’s long day we decided we owed it to ourselves to sleep in.
Packing up at the shelter
Today was challenging. The trail ascended and descended all day. It was a terrible roller coaster of a ride that offered very little in the way of views. Once you reached the top of a mountain you were treated to more dense forest and the pleasure of walking down the other side of it.
The roots of an overturned treeMushrooms hiding in the nook of a treeThis is what hikers look like circa 1970
We reached a ski resort mid day. I’m not sure which one it was. This provided us with some decent views of the mountains beyond only because of the cleared ski runs. It was nice to acknowledge our surroundings for a change and confirm that we were still in the mountains.
Vermont mountainsideThe easy way upThe all too elusive “view”What 99% of our day looks like
Unfortunately it started to rain almost immediately upon our arrival to the chair lift. It got really windy again, and dark, and we put on our ponchos in anticipation of the coming storm.
It began pouring, yet again, but it was okay under the trees. That’s one positive of being in a dense forest all the time- the trees take the brunt of the rain, trapping a fraction of it before allowing the rest to fall on top of you.
The storm didn’t last long, and after several minutes it was sunny again.
The afternoon was spent going up and down again. It was quite tiresome. Going up isn’t so bad, but when you are going straight up, almost having to use your hands, it’s a tad ridiculous.
The slugs don’t care much about the rain
We arrived at Skylight Lodge around 6:30 PM. We are the only ones here for a change which is absolutely awesome. The Lodge is really nice and looks over Skylight Pond to the east. It’s a shallow pond with lots of lily pads and frogs. The sky reflects on the surface, illuminating the clouds within the soft ripples of water. The trees are reflected too, and hang upside down in the water, merging with the lily pads.
Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy. I’m not looking forward to it. Actually, the next three days are looking quite miserable.
I suppose that’s all part of the experience.
A frog looking out into the pondReflections on the daySkylight Lodge; home for the night
