Total Miles: 582.5
Today was slow moving and all kind of passed in a blur. The rain had stopped in the early morning, but it was still an overcast day. I descended Glastenbury Mountain, ready to leave this area. I stopped at Porcupine Ridge for an early lunch, where the clouds moved out of the way some for a peek at a view. I made it to Melville Nauheim Shelter, where I decided to take a break a little bit further down the trail, but was very unimpressed with the shelter. It was trashed, and there was a lot of unnecessary stuff left around - hot chocolate, toiletries, dishware, etc. I'm guessing the Long Trail hikers are learning what they don't need and are trying to get rid of it. Unfortunately, shelters are not the place to leave it all.
I descended into the notch towards Bennington just in time for the clouds to burn off. This left me with sun and almost 80% humidity. It was pretty miserable from that point, especially with the climb I knew I faced. I had to make my way back out of the notch, and it was a pretty tough climb for Vermont. It was very steep and rocky, but I was glad I was climbing up instead of down, especially since most of the rocks were still wet and slick. As I continued on, I started to feel terrible. To add to the fun, I started to see the Vermont I was warned about - MUD. At this point my throat was sore and I had no energy. I was struggling with each step. I was glad to see the shelter, and I quickly set up camp. I made some soup for dinner, and I hope to feel better in the morning. Maybe it's just because of the temperamental weather. I'll be going into town tomorrow, so I can always stay there if necessary.
Harmon Hill
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