DownTheTrail.com

hiking guides, gear, and journals

  • LATEST
  • GUIDES
    • COLORADO TRAIL
    • THE LONG TRAIL
      • LONG TRAIL SHELTERS
    • ARIZONA
    • UTAH
    • CALIFORNIA
    • HAWAII
    • ALASKA
  • GEAR
    • MY GEAR LIST
  • JOURNALS
    • GRAND CANYON
    • COLORADO TRAIL
    • LONG TRAIL
    • BICYCLING ACROSS AMERICA
    • APPALACHIAN TRAIL
    • DENALI
  • MORE
  • ABOUT

Day 14 – Breadloaf Wilderness

updated: January 2, 2018

Battell Shelter to Skyline Lodge
October 9, 2007

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. I reach for my water bottles – expecting them to be frozen – but they’re not. The temperature must be in the mid-thirties.

I begin the day’s hike bundled in several layers of clothing.

Battell Shelter

Most layers 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 Lincoln Gap I come to Sunset Ledge, with a wide view to the west. I have the place to myself for only a moment before a father and son show up. They ask me about other good hikes in the area.

I suggest they go back to the road, and north to Mount Abraham – pointing out the clearly visible peak.

The morning is overcast without much sun to light up the foliage.

Mount Abraham on the right

The trail south of Sunset Ledge feels deserted.

The Breadloaf Wilderness has the character of a young, open forest laden with ferns, dotted with some aged trees.

I often hear Canadian Geese and scan the sky for their V-shaped migrations. This happens nearly every day.
I fashion them as my southbound brothers, traveling all the way to the tropics.

I also flush out grouse and turkeys in the brush quite regularly. Only a fluttering of wings in surprise, and they’re gone.

from Mount Grant

I meet a lone backpacker at Cooley Glen Shelter. He gives his name, a regular name… John, I think.

“I’m Duct Tape.”

“Duct Tape…” he replies, “You were on the AT in 2001?”

I look at him again, and a slow moment’s recognition pieces my memory together.

He’s an old acquaintance from the Appalachian Trail in 2001.

“Dharma Bum!”

“So what have you been up to for the past six years?”

He’s been living in Austin, TX, and now Brooklyn, NYC. We go over old times on the Appalachian Trail. I remember when he turned 18 at the Trail Days Festival in Damascus, Virginia. I was 20 years old at the time.

Skipping to current events, we exchange experiences on the Long Trail in both directions. “They have a thermometer at Skyline Lodge,” he says, “It was 34 there this morning … Have you seen any moose? I saw one the other day…”

Soon it’s time to continue the day’s hiking. He’s going north – one of the last north-bounders of the season.

The day grows long.

The sky darkens.

Wind whips on Mount Roosevelt.


I think that’s Killington, appearing far to the south. I’ll be there in four days.

I meet two section hikers at the Emily Proctor Shelter – Quiet Walker and Darkblood.

Here I pause only briefly – a light rain has commenced, and Skyline Lodge is a mere two miles to the south.

from Breadloaf Mountain

Skyline Lodge is packed with at least 20 noisy high school kids on an organized trip. They’re quick to make room for me (Before I even ask, to their credit, and along the wall to boot), but there’s no hiding the fact that this is a much different shelter experience than I’ve grown accustomed to.

I clear a corner of the porch area to cook my dinner, where I hope not to be stepped on. One of the leaders offers me a huge pot of pesto pasta. Score. They’re nice people, just oblivious to group size regulations.

Besides, it’s not like I should expect 20 teens to hush up immediately at dark and go to sleep on account of a crazy lone hiker. They have flirting and gossip to attend to.

<— PREVIOUS (DAY 13)

NEXT (DAY 15) —>

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

About Jamie Compos

I'm the guy behind DownTheTrail.com. I love the outdoors, and the Grand Canyon is my favorite destination. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter (at the bottom of the page), or else I'll slip a rock into your backpack when you're not looking.

Comments

  1. Tom Adams says

    March 12, 2019 at 12:53 am

    If you meet Dharma Bum on the AT, did you ever meet AWOL. He wrote a book about his time on the AT and mentions a Dharma Bum.

    Reply
    • Jamie Compos says

      March 12, 2019 at 8:11 am

      I never met AWOL but I read his book and I think he’s referring to a different Dharma Bum. It was (is?) a popular trail name at the time.

      Reply
    • Jamie Compos says

      March 12, 2019 at 8:16 am

      I don’t know but maybe it was for porcupines? They were known to eat the sweat/salt soaked wodd on the edges of the shelters.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Best Gear for 2023

Backpack

Day Pack

1-Person Tent

2-Person Tent

Sleeping Bag
(3 season)

Sleeping Bag
(summer)

Sleeping Pad
(inflatable)

Sleeping Pad
(foam)

Camp Pillow

Thru-Hiking Shoes

Sturdy Shoes
(Rugged/Off Trail)

Trail Running
(minimalist shoes)

Road Running
(minimalist shoes)

Socks

Water Filter

Water Treatment

Backpacking Stove

Headlamp

Power Bank

911 calls via GPS

Thru-Hiking App

Packraft

SEE MORE DETAILS
(my ultimate gear list)

 

(purchases through affiliate links earn commission)

 

chart your course

Copyright © 2023 Down The Trail - All Rights Reserved - legal statements - contact

This site feeds you cookies and is peppered with affiliate links. Recreating outdoors can be dangerous. Links to e-commerce sites earn commission. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT