Down The Trail

Hike North______________The Long Trail______________Hike South

The Long Trail End-to-End Journal
October 9, 2007
Battell Shelter to Skyline Lodge
LT Miles – 14
Total LT Miles – 133.6
Extra Miles – 0

I’m awake at first light, but the air is so cold that I opt to stay in my sleeping bag for a while. I reach for my water bottles – expecting them to be frozen – but they’re not. The temperature must be in the mid-thirties. I hike out all bundled up – including my gloves – which have remained dormant in my pack until today.

Battell Shelter – packed and ready

Most layers of clothes are shed by the time I reach Lincoln Gap. I cross the road and enter the Breadloaf Wilderness, meeting two female day hikers.
“Did you do the section between Lincoln Gap and Appalachian Gap?” one asks. “How was it?”
“Cloudy. Wet.”
“Really? It’s supposed to be beautiful! They call it the Monroe Skyline.”
They also enlighten me that today is John Lennon’s birthday. Happy birthday, John.

At the top of the climb from the gap I come to Sunset Ledge, with a wide view to the west. I have the place to myself only for a few moments before a father and son show up. They ask me about other good hikes in the area, and I suggest they go back to the road, and north to Mount Abraham, pointing out the clearly visible peak. The morning is overcast with little sun to light up the foliage.

The trail feels deserted south of Sunset Ledge. Breadloaf Wilderness has the character of a young, open forest laden with ferns, and dotted with some aged trees.

Don’t miss the next page! (This day continued)

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