2nd Generation Ultra Runner: Long Trail Section #2

David Logan Shelter - Sucker Brook Shelter (12.8 Miles)

Up Early, Still pouring. Probably would have stayed in bed longer if not for Rocket packing up and zipping out. I've slept like shit, tossing and turning what felt like every few minutes and having vivid dreams. When i wake up i ask Leah if i just talked to her about a dream. Apparently i had a dream that i was waking up from a dream in the same spot, telling her that it was awesome and sunny out. But then i woke up, and it was actually a dream within a dream. She told me it was like an Inception Movie moment. I'm still feeling awfully blue regarding the situation. Day two is starting where day 1 left off. Cold and Pouring Rain

I'm still shivering as i help loni pump water in the rain. I decide i'm eating my bacon and eggs for breakfast in hope that it'll help warm me up. Sadly, no. I put my gear on, grumbling the whole time. I was about as miserable as i was the night before. Leah asked if i was going to be like this all day. To which i grumbled and she said maybe we just catch a ride from Brandon at the next gap. I think of Bloodroot and how late we are starting (10am) and mutter that we better move faster today and take off.

The girls catch up shortly there after and we help one another over Wetmore Gap. Then the joke became...well, i don't know how we could be more wet, so how appropriate that we're in pouring rain on top of Wetmore Gap. Trail work had been happening which might have been nice, but in the pouring rain the fresh bench cut was a muddy slip n slide. One new staircase later we were another bench cut. The water was so deep at times that it was pointless trying to stay on the sides of the trail to keep our feet as dry as possible. After awhile i gave up and just started plunging in figuring that i'd move a lot faster if i wasn't constantly trying to find dry paths around puddles. Since i was soaked through i decided to do some trail engineering of my own and pushed out debris front the blocked benches and made some water bars of my own.

(Leah bounding over yet another puddle)

At Bloodroot gap it was a balmy 50*. The Girls sped ahead, Leah desperately trying to warm up. The rain had stopped and temps were on the rise finally. A few slimy and slippery bridges later we were at the first shelter (Sunrise) appropriately named as the sun was finally peaking through for the first time on our trip. The even better news was the day was half over as far as i was concerned.

At Brandon Gap we hung out our soaked gear on our packs, had a snack and started the climb up into the Battell Wilderness. And boy what a climb. At the top of the stairs I sat down at the cliff trail sign and felt faint. "Dustin is going to hate you if we skip the cliff trail." But i could have cared less. I had decided, i wanted to get to camp and out of my soaked clothes ASAP. Up and down the ridge we went until sip sip...nothing. I had drunk all 3l of my water and since i was sold cold this morning I only had pumped an extra .5l for reserve.

(Up another stone staircase)

An hour went by, another climb, is this it? An hour later, now Leah is out of food and water. So i offer up the last of mine and we move down the last slope. We finally get to camp and I pump gallons of water. We share the shelter with a family of sectioning SOBOs. They seem perplexed when all we did was put our food up on the hooks in the shelter and they were lugging around a massive bear canister. The kids seemed friendly but the adults were dildos. They were hiking on the Long Trail, less than 20 miles from Camels Hump, but had no idea what a Camels Hump was. "Oh, we have land in Rutland, but we're from Connecticut. BUT originally from California." That was all i needed to hear to have total disinterest in this group so we cooked our food, ate quietly and kept to ourselves. Additionally, upon arrival they offered to move over to share the shelter which never happened. More on that tomorrow.