Long Trail – Div 1, Day 3

Long Trail Miles: 14.3
Remaining Long Trail Miles: 258.7

Day 3 dawned cold and dry. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 30′s. We had scheduled to meet up with Diane and Lauren at the Rte 9 parking lot at noon, so we needed to get up and get started by 8:30.

After packing our gear and saying our goodbyes to the other hikers, we hit the trail…

This last section was a mostly easy and level ridge walk, and offered time for reflection on just how fun the weekend had been.

One of the final landmarks on the trail was “Harmon Hill”, a rise that offers a nice view of neighboring Bennington.

There was a log book at the top, and we signed our names.

At the scenic overlook of Bennington:

The path to the end:

All that remained was the climb down to Rte 9. The path is a rocky staircase that is a true marvel of trail engineering. Some of the rocks are so huge that it must have taken a massive effort on the part of the volunteers to lurch them into place. My knees at this point were getting pretty gimpy, so we took it very slow down the slippery rocks. It wouldn’t do to get hurt this close to the end!

The end!

Brian and I arrived at the Rte 9 crossing just after 11am. We sat down, drank the rest of the medicinal whiskey, and smoked each smoked a cigar.

Right on time, Diane and Lauren drove up, and they brought coffee and donuts! It’s hard to describe just how great that was. Thanks guys!

Truly, it was a great weekend, and both of us are anxious to get started on the next leg of the journey in the spring of 2010!