Appalachian Trail: Days 110-113 – Vermont

June 22, 2018February 22, 2023
by Danny Strayer

I finally leave the Long Trail behind and hike along the Appalachian Trail through Vermont, making a stop at the infamous Yellow Deli Hostel.

Enjoy reading my latest journal entry as I backpack the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. If you missed it, here are my previous entries and videos from the trail.

NEW VIDEO

Here’s the latest video from the trail featuring my hike through the state of Vermont!

DAY 110

I woke up with the shelter all to myself. I ‘slept in’ until 7:30am. I was hungry so I had some KitKats and peanut butter.

I set off down the trail. It was mostly downhill and quite pretty. My ingrown toenail was very sore. At least it would be a short day.

Halfway down the trail I arrived at a junction. The AT had been following the Long Trail beginning at the Massachusetts/Vermont border. The Long Trail is actually older than the AT and runs the length of Vermont. After about 100+ miles hiking the Long Trail and the AT simultaneous, it was at this junction the former headed north while the latter and myself headed east. So long (pun intended). This also meant less hikers as the Long Trail hikers were gone and I was again stuck in limbo-land with the hiker bubble behind me and the front runners ahead. From the hiker logs it seemed I was only a few days behind most of the people I know.

After nine miles I arrived at a road crossing. I got off the trail and took the road to US 4 where there was a bus stop. I hopped on the bus into Rutland, VT. The bus services the numerous ski resorts in the area and connects the resort towns.

I was staying at the Yellow Deli Hostel which is run by the Twelve Tribes. I googled them and they’re a religious group, though some call them a cult. I ate lunch at their Yellow Deli and the food was amazing. I had a sandwich, salad, and smoothie. Afterward it was laundry and shower time. Database was staying here and I met Traveller as well.

After getting cleaned up I went to the cinema nearby and saw Oceans 8. It was enjoyable and has a good message: we need more female criminals (sarcasm). It was fun, though. From there I resupplied at the grocery store and ordered Dominos for dinner. Most stores were closed on account of it being Sunday.

Back at the hostel I conversed with one of the tribe members, Yonatan. His name was given to him when he joined. It’s Hebrew and they are given names based on the meaning behind the Hebrew name and how it fits their personality. Yonatan was in his late 40s and came to the community five years ago. He left for five months last year when he was feeling selfish. After having fun and being on his own he realized he belonged back in the community and returned in February. It was very interesting to hear his story. Though the group has religious beliefs that I don’t agree with, they are still people at the end of the day and they focus on a communal lifestyle and love. At least that I can agree with.

Inside the Yellow Deli. I loved the log cabin vibe

Talking with Yonatan made me think about my journey on the trail. It’s true I embarked on this hike as a personal quest to find deeper understanding of myself. It has been very introspective. And at the same time, some of my favorite memories and times of growth on the trail have been when I’ve interacted with others. It’s truly fascinating to learn everyone’s story and how we all impact each other, even in the slightest ways that may be imperceptible. A simple act of caring creates an endless ripple.

Day’s Mileage: 9.6

Total Miles Hiked: 1,714.0

Remaining Miles: 485.7

DAY 111

It was a good night’s sleep at the hostel but my body wanted more. I helped one of the tribe members cook breakfast and the four of us hikers ate together. My big toe had been throbbing all night and I sent a picture of it to my friend, Dr. Stephanie. She told me it was infected and helped me arrange to get some antibiotics. I have the best friends!

Ulysses, a middle-aged hiker, used to be a nurse and told me to soak my feet in Epsom salts. We found some in the hostel and I did just that. Ulysses also accompanied me to Wendy’s for lunch and to pick up my antibiotics.

It was supposed to be 90 degrees with thunderstorms later. With my recovering toe and my general soreness and body fatigue, I decided a full day off would be good. The heat made the decision much easier.

Back at the hostel, Joe Cool, Donatello, and Charlie Horse showed up. I met them back in the Smokies and hadn’t seen them in months. Eagle showed up as well. I last saw him when I hiked with my dad in Virginia.

Mid-afternoon I returned to the cinema solo and watched Solo: A Star Wars Story while eating a number of dark chocolate KitKats. It was enjoyable (the movie and the candy). I soaked my toe again and then had dinner with Eagle at Subway and bought a quart of chocolate ice cream. I spent the remainder of my night updating this very blog and editing some new videos of the trail! I’m hoping the day off will allow me to hit the ground running and really rock this last month on the trail. Some big mountains are ahead!

Day’s Mileage: 0.0

Total Miles Hiked: 1,714.0

Remaining Miles: 485.7

DAY 112

I ate the hiker breakfast at the Yellow Deli. From there, Donatello, Joe Cool, and I took the bus back to the trail. They got off before me because I was maybe four miles farther on the trail. It was nice that there were so many bus stops close to the trail.

My body was feeling pretty good. My toe didn’t hurt as much and I started taking the antibiotics. The trail had some steep hills to start and I passed Thunder Falls. Someone was hammocking near the falls. I didn’t want to disturb their peaceful setting and hiked on. I would later find out this was Dine-N-Dash, a hiker I have yet to meet but we follow each other on Instagram and know a lot of the same people. I was ahead of him, then he was ahead of me, and we keep leap frogging and missing each other. If only I’d known it was him in the hammock we could finally have met.

I hiked on and did not see another person the entire day except for one day hiker. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze to keep it cool. For lunch I stopped at Lost Cabin which is on private property but open to hikers. There was a deck on the roof with 360° views of the mountains. I could see the Green Mountains and the ski resorts nearby and the White Mountains off in the distance. It was nice to relax and take it all in.

I saw more salamanders; they always like to sit on the trail and risk getting stepped on. The terrain was up and down but my body was handling it well. I didn’t think I’d make it to the next shelter since it was far away; I figured I’d hike until I was tired.

There were beautiful white pine forests with maple trees mixed in. I passed some of the biggest maple trees I’d ever seen. I crossed a few fields and streams before climbing into more pine forests.

It was getting close to sundown but I wanted to camp with a view. I continued through the pine and maple forests until birch started appearing and the trail followed an old road. The forest trees lined the road with an old stone wall on alongside.

Just at dusk I arrived on top of the ridge with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. The sky was orange and the moon still high. I pitched my tent in a field and reflected on what a great day it was. If my body can stay in good form I’ll keep kicking ass to Katahdin.

Day’s Mileage: 26.0

Total Miles Hiked: 1,740

Remaining Miles: 459.7

DAY 113

Woke up to a very sunny morning, so much so it was heating up my tent. There was a lot of condensation on the inside of my tent fly so I flipped it over and let it dry in the sun.

I walked down from the mountain I camped on and into the woods. It was an easy day. Lots of forests of pines and maples. I saw a huge porcupine that climbed a tree when I startled it. I’d never seen one before.

Soon I walked into the town of West Hartford. I was going to stop at the library to get some water and charge my phone when a man in the house next door started hollering at me. I took out my headphones to see what he wanted. He invited me to his porch and offered me muffins and eggs and soda. His name was Randy and he and his wife Linda liked to help hikers out. I was very grateful and now I didn’t need to make my own lunch! He told me how you could jump off the bridge nearby into the river. He had marked the area where it was deep enough. I was tempted but also thought better not risk it. I need my legs functioning for four more weeks! Besides, who knew how much the water levels fluctuated in this river.

Before I left their home he asked me what I thought of Vermont and other states on the trail. As I told him my experiences, I mentioned how it’s harder to appreciate the scenery now since I’ve been on the trail so long. I find myself taking it for granted because I’ve become so used to seeing trees and mountains and salamanders. I have to stop and remind myself how special each day is and how fortunate I am to be seeing so much nature.

I continued hiking through West Hartford and back into the woods. The terrain was nice and mostly downhill into the town of Norwich, VT. Here there were chairs and a cooler of Coke for hikers. I obliged before walking a few driveways down the road where another cooler had banana bread and watermelon for hikers! The woman in the home offered me more watermelon and a place to stay the night. People are so friendly in Vermont!

I walked on down the road and it eventually led me to the Connecticut River. Halfway across the bridge I entered the state of New Hampshire. And then there were two!

A motorcyclist named Charlie chatted me up on the bridge and offered me an apple. He was traveling around hiking sections of the AT. Farther on I walked into Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth college.

I stopped at the post office to pick up some food I had mailed myself and a new pair of shoes! My Oboz Traverse shoes lasted over 1,000 miles before starting to fall apart. The warranty sent me a free pair.

I met a man named Hal who offered to buy me dinner and beer at a nearby pub. The pub let hikers write their trail name on the wall. Hanover was so hiker friendly! They even had a list of trail angels that would give you rides and let you stay the night.

My trail name has been immortalized on this wall

Afterward, Hal invited me back to his home for the night where I showered and we drank some beers by the river. It was nice to be on a couch and not the ground!

Day’s Mileage: 26.0

Total Miles Hiked: 1,740

Remaining Miles: 459.7

Daily Average: 15.6

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

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