Oct 03: Montclair Glen Lodge
 
Miles Today : 20.4
Total Miles : 69.7

Wow, just another great day on the trail. I woke up early again this morning to a cloudy day. Not a great start, as I was about to go over one of the top three ridgelines on the Long Trail, and it appeared that I would be getting views of nothing but clouds. Also, I found out what has really been bothering Bear the last couple of days, his pack has been ribbing him raw behind his front legs, so now I am going to be carrying all of his weight, while his sores heal.

The ridgewalk was less than exciting, the clouds and fog made sure of that. But it was still cool being up high walking though stiff winds and cold temps. After passing over the two summits of Mad River Glen Ski Area, things started to get really interesting. The drop into Appalachian Gap as BRUTAL. Ladder, blow-downs, drop-offs - the trail was extremely technical. While I was struggling to keep upright, Bear did just fine on every obstacle that we came across.

Across the street, there were some brutal climbs, all the while without many views. Not that it mattered much since the haze was so thick today. The nice thing about being out here right now is the foliage colors, which has grown bolder and brighter with each day I have been out here. First yellows, then oranges, now reds are showing themselves. Despite the limited visibility, you just can't beat this hiking!

There was a nice two mile flat walk through a colorful valley connecting two ridgelines in the afternoon. It was a welcome visual effect, as well as a nice break for my legs. At the Cowels Cove shelter, I met a hiker named Rod. He is out for five days and has over-packed on everything, especially food. So being the kind person that I am, I accept his offer to lighten his load by eating some good, rich, hot oatmeal that he has just made over a fire. Yum.

A full stomach really helped me for the next five miles, which were fairly difficult. Having left Cowels Cove, I have again committed myself to a 20-mile day, and my body is feeling it. After a couple of miles, the trail drops down so steep that an aluminum ladder was installed. It was a piece of cake for me, but getting Bear down was another matter. As I was trying to find out a way for him to get down, I notice that he is looking on his own. Before I could react, he decided just to jump, and took a tumble, rolled over, and ran over to me. Needless to say, I was a bit worried that I was going to have to carry my dog out to a road, but he managed fine.

After an endless climb over Mt Ethan Allan, which has at LEAST 6 false summits, Bear and I arrived here at Montclair Glen Lodge. Exhausted, I hurried to do all of my camp chores, first and foremost which was feeding Bear and myself. Also here is Pappy, and AT and PCT thru-hiker. He is retired and lives in Myrtle Beach during the winter, and he hikes for the other half of the year. We talked trail over diner and retired early. Bear and I are dead tired, and we have Camel's Hump, another 4000 footer, to climb tomorrow.

-Chomp

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