LT 2014 Day 1: Sherman Brook Tentsite to Kid Gore Shelter

Note: This is written as if I wrote it all the day of the hike. It was actually compiled from my memories and notes that I took on my phone as I hiked and written much later.

Planned Schedule:

5am – Wake up
5:30am – Head out
6:08am – Sunrise
6:30am (2.2) – Stop for photo at state line, note time
8am (5 [3]) – Snack at Seth Warner Shelter
11am (12.4 [7.5]) – Refill at Congdon Shelter
2:30pm (18.3 [11.25]) – Lunch at Melville Nauheim Shelter (Cheese/Crackers/Sausage)
5:30pm (26.9 [16]) – Snack at Goddard Shelter
7pm – Glastenbury Mountain
7:25pm – Sunset (13 h 17 min)
8pm (31.1 [18.5]) – Stop at Kid Gore Shelter (Chicken Fajitas)Tent sites to the north at site of old shelter
9pm – Sleep

I woke up feeling great at 5am, ready for this thing to finally really begin. I packed up and took off, with only a small, steep climb before I got to the Vermont state line. I saw a small bear in the distance on this section but it ran away fast.

When I got to the actual state line, there was another hiker there. We didn’t really talk much then, but quickly I caught up with him and decided to pace him for awhile and chat. His name was Joe and he was in the army. He wanted to do a 10-14 day pace, so I figured we would see each other a lot over the next days. I called him G.I. Joe in my mind. He had actually dropped single day supply drops in the woods all along the trail so he could hike lighter. I think his pack was still a bit heavier than mine. We hiked together until Congdon Shelter and then he pulled ahead of me because he wanted to get to his first drop near Route 9. I caught up with him looking for his drop and told him I’d see him at a shelter up ahead. I never saw him again the rest of my hike.

We also ran into a thru-hiker, Forester Gump, whom we chatted with for a while. I like collecting trail names of the hikers I meet. It adds some color to the hike.

I did well throughout the day until the last big climb of Glastonbury mountain. My legs started to cramp badly but I just managed to squeak into Goddard shelter. I sat on the ground spasming a bit and tried to get water and make dinner. There were a lot of people at the shelter and surrounding tenting area. I was glad I wasn’t trying to sleep there. I chatted about record times with a couple of hikers there. Eventually my legs recovered enough that I put on my headlamp and finished off the trek to Kid Gore, probably getting there close to 9.

At Goddard shelter I met Jeff, a young hiker who had turned his inhaler into a pipe. We chatted a bit and then I hung my food bag outside the shelter and set up a tent for the night as there were a number of other people as well in the shelter.

I was pretty worn out and worried about my legs, but I had accomplished my first day goal only a little bit behind.