Long Trail – Div 1, Day 2

Long Trail Miles: 10.0
Remaining Long Trail Miles: 263.0

On Saturday, October 10, we left Seth Warner shelter at around 10am. The sky was overcast, and a fitful wind blew raindrops from the leaves onto our rainshells. Our goal for the day was Congdon Camp

A thick morning fog lent an eerie feel to the hike.

As the morning wore on, we crossed several woods roads. Approaching a nameless peak (approximately 3000ft) we crossed an exposed powerline clearing which was abundantly windy and cold. It was difficult to walk in a straight line with the wind knocking you off course, and the wind-chill effect on our damp clothing made the crossing painful.

A little after noon, we arrived at the first of a series of beaver dams. The fog was still abundant, and we could hear an ATV’er through the mist, revving his engine and shouting as he moved along another of the woods trails.

At 1:15pm, we summited Consultation Peak (2810ft). Other than a weatherworn sign, there was little to see.

The “Tinder Conks” on the mossy side of this tree were a different color than those on the flipside:

Near 2pm the fog finally broke, and we descended to another set of beaver dams. This area was particularly beautiful as the wooded puncheons were placed within arms-length of the dam. The water was about knee level and gently trickled over the top. The whole area was very peaceful.

We spent a portion of our hike following a small Downy Woodpecker, who leapfrogged from tree to tree ahead of us, but showed no fear at all. Later we passed a huge hole in a tree, evidence of a woodpecker feast.

At 2:45, we reached Stamford Creek, another wonderfully picturesque location. The trail followed to the left of the creek for about a mile, before turning left to Congdon shelter.

Congdon Shelter is a small, open front cabin that has bunk-beds and a table inside. It has 3 glass windows, and sleeps 8 (although I think that in a pinch you probably could fit 2-3 more in there. We ended up sharing the shelter with “Nomad”, a pleasant woman who was finishing the final section of her Long Trail journey. Several more people were using the tenting area, including 5 young ladies from Smith College.

After arranging our gear and hanging our wet clothes inside to dry, Brian set to collecting wood for the night’s fire.

Later, our neighbors joined us for a chat and some marshmallow roasting.