Maineiacs in Vermont

We continue our journey north and are now more than half way through Vermont. So far it has been quite wet and has apparently been so for the last several weeks, despite our rather dry and dessicated experience in nearby New York. Saturday, and part of Sunday, however, we are out of the rain on a 'zero' day spending time with our friends
Deb and Tim Shafer in Williamsville Vt.
Our hike up Greylock was quite spectacular. The weather was perfect with low humidity and outstanding views, especially north to Vermont. An extra bonus from our stand point was the lack of tourists on the summit. Normally there are two roads up to the top, but these are undergoing major renovation through 2008 and are closed to traffic. Consequently, the only people on the summit were those who walked there. We did see at least 20 or 30 day-hikers, but the lack of traffic and smog was not missed.
The next day we hiked the remaining 7 miles in Mass. to cross the Vermont border, but could not pass up the opportunity for a mid-morning second breakfast at Friendly's in North Adams, as it was only a half mile off the trail.
Once we entered Vermont we were greeted with wet and very muddy conditions. I think hopscotch would best describe our hiking technique over the past several days, as we desperately tried (unsuccessfully) to keep our boots from disappearing in the muddy
quagmire (and us with them.) The trade off is the obvious change to a New England landscape which is a welcome change for us.
We are now climbing real mountains, walking through wonderful pine forests and are enjoying fully the sense of being home in a familiar environment.
We camped on the summit of Bromley Mountain, a popular ski area in Southern Vermont. We set up camp on the landing stage for the superquad chairlift. There we fully enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains, the sunset (see picture), and the stars and moon as they appeared that night. We were rudely awakened at 3:30 am by another rain shower and had to beat a hasty retreat into the warming hut which is left open for hikers.
We are finding and camping at more mountain ponds. A swim at the end of a long day is incredibly refreshing ( and maybe cuts the odor a little bit).
We were surprised the other day by a visit from another college friend of mine, Al Henning, who like Brian Litscher sang with me in the Dartmouth Aires. Al was flying back to Hanover from California and spoke to me while he was awaiting a connecting flight in Atlanta. I told him of our location on Bromley Mountain and our expected
itinerary for the next day. After finally arriving in Hanover at 3am, he must have started driving at 6am and found a road that intersected our trail then started hiking south to meet us. It was a surprise and a great treat to talk and catch up on old times as we hiked back to his car. This was Dartmouth dedication above and beyond!
We are back on the trail today and expect to tackle Killington and Pico Peak tomorrow, the first time above 4000 feet elevation since North Peak of the Three Ridges in Virginia. Once we reach Route 4, it's up to Middlebury by bus for a day so Dewey can visit a few friends at the language school. We hope to finish Vermont and roll into Hanover by Friday. More updates to come.