That's the Connecticut River in the background as we finish up the Appalachian Trail in Vermont. Welcome to New Hampshire!
As I'm sure faithful readers have noticed, Farsight and I are joined again in our travels by High Gear. She finished camp and headed north to join us as we make our way through the Granite State. Welcome back High Gear!
Vermont pulls out all the stops as you head north. Here's a picture of Farsight in a bright, colorful meadow above Cloudland. You can imagine your own soundtrack, but if you're in the area then you might hear a bit of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry jamming in the background. He has a farm in the valley at the base of the hill.
We made it to the summit of Killington. After this, the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail divide. The Long Trail, the older of the two trails, continues north through Vermont to the Canadian border. The AT turns east and heads toward New Hampshire crossing into the Granite State at Hanover. We still have many miles to cover, but fewer every day!
On top of White Rock above the town of Wallingford, Vermont, is a sculpture of white rock in the middle of the woods. I thought it was a pretty cool discovery on the trail. Some people might see it as forest graffiti. In either case, it was unexpected and diverting!
We have had a great time passing through southern Vermont and a large part of that has been due to the generous hospitality provided by the Foote family. They graciously provided us warm beds, showers, shuttles, and family dinners which meant we were able to slack pack across several peaks. Awesome, and a huge thank you!
The picture above shows Farsight on Mount Baker. The beautiful white rock is mined from quarries visible across the valley to provide the famous Vermont marble in monuments and structures like the Jefferson Memorial, the US Capitol, and the the US Supreme Court.
This beautiful scene is not the opening shot of a science fiction video where Farsight has emerged to save Earth from disaster, though that may appear to be his spaceship! We are actually on top of Bromley Mountain here in Vermont ski country, and that is the mountaintop lift. The AT passes over several peaks in Vermont with well known resorts including Stratton, Bromley, and Killington.
