Aug 10 : Kid Gore Shelter   Miles Today : 18,6 Miles to Katahdin : 558.4

Burr, burr, burr. Last night set a new low temp record for August in Vermont. DB has none of his cold weather gear, while I was stuck with just my fleece sleeping bag. It was not a very comfortable night for either of us. We did get to name an AT section hiker. This kid Dan carries Evening Primrose, a female hygiene/EMS product. I even forget what he was using it for, since we were laughing too hard, but his buddy Luke promised to pass on the Primrose name.

At ten miles into the hike, we came upon Harmon Hill, a small peak with a potential grass summit. The views from the top were to the west and Bennington, VT sprawled out along the ridgeline. There were several other views similar to this all day, but mostly they were just small glimpses of the mountain we are now on.

It wasn’t until we got to Goddard Shelter nestled on the south side of Glastonberry Mtn, that we got a good look at the landscape. The shelter itself faces south and Graylock was clearly visible in the distance. This was a truly great shelter, but since we got there so early and the wind was blowing straight into the structure, we chose to move on. Too bad since several journals commented on the great sunrises from there. Just 10 miles away, we hit the summit of Glastonberry Mtn. Which was marked by a fire tower. Now these are views! Despite the storm that was approaching from the West, excellent views were available in all directions. The cut of the mountains to the North were much more ragged and shame their counterparts to the south. Many hard hiking days ahead.

We left the firetower and hiked quickly to the shelter I am writing from. About halfway here the rain started to fall, thus dispelling the belief that it doesn’t rain on the AT anymore. It didn’t rain that hard, however, and I made it to the shelter without getting too wet. We were both surprised to find this place facing East with an excellent view of a small ridge and lake. We have hopes for a good sunrise, but we will have to wait and see.

I am just trying to keep warm right now. It will surely get cold again tonight, but how cold I do not know. Tomorrow we have heard rumors of an all you can eat buffet at Stratton Mtn. Man, food.

-Chilly Chomp

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