GoldenBear

As noted in the previous blog entry, I have imposed some restrictions on where I can hike. To cover my miles, I must-
1) return home within a week.
2) cover not much more than ten miles a day.
3) stay at a shelter or established campground.
4) get to both trail heads via mass transit; or between trail heads with minimal shuttling.

As I already covered all miles between Rockfish Gap and the Vermont border, travel between home and any trail head requires about a day. This means I need to find parts of the trail with road crossings about forty miles apart, with both crossings reasonably accessible by shuttles from cities with mass transit. Fortunately, Vermont fits this bill quite well.

As noted in the blogs for my trips there earlier this year, however, this isn’t the best year to go hiking in Vermont. Still, perusal of weather reports convinced me that I would face minimal rain there during the last week of August. I also noted that I could have much greater control of my schedule if I rented a car, drove to a trail head with plenty of parking and a means to get into a trail town, and then rode mass transit to the beginning trail head. A bit of study found that I could do all this by parking at Vermont Highway 9, riding Bennington bus services to Manchester, and then taking a taxi to the trail head near the latter city. Since there’s a shelter just a few miles south of the latter trail head, right on Highway 11/30, I figured I could leave Philly early in the morning, do the transport I noted, and still get to the shelter before dark.

One problem is that our household has only one car, and it would be unreasonable to use that car when Shuttle needs it for work. Which means I needed to rent a car – even though I was going to use it for nothing but parking for three days! Still, bargains for weekly car rentals can be found, if you’re willing to look. Although I thought I’d found one, here’s my experience with a service from Hertz that I really can’t recommend until I get some answers
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...tz-service.cfm
And guess what: Hertz STILL hasn’t responded to my complaints!

Despite the problems with getting the car, I was able to leave first thing Monday morning, and got to Bennington trail head with no problem. The city has a service where, for $3, they will send out a shuttle bus to that parking area upon request – just phone 802-447-0477. Note, however, that this shuttle will only go WHEN a driver is available, so immediate service may not always be available.
This service is in addition to the free Diamond Line
http://www.greenmtncn.org/emerald-line.html
which will also stop at this trail head parking area.
Interestingly, I probably didn’t need to even use the paid shuttle. While waiting to for that bus, two people came up to me and offered a ride into town! I wasn’t soliciting, not even standing near the road, and I still got offers for free transport – maybe I should have just hitch-hiked.

Getting between Bennington and Manchester is easy if you just read the schedule
http://www.greenmtncn.org/regional.html
Manchester Square is as good a place to get dropped off as any; it’s on Highway 11/30, it has public bathrooms, and (if you specify the shop), taxis should have no problem finding you. I was able to get such a taxi and ride to the trail head for $15. As I’ve said before, not that this is cash ONLY; all taxis say they will take credit cards, but they don’t unless the fare is $100 or more.

I had only one problem getting to the Spruce Peak Shelter that evening, even though darkness keeps arriving earlier as the year moves on. Specifically, a sign saying, “Spruce Peak” that wasn’t clear whether it was the shelter or the peak. For nobos, this won’t be a problem, because this sign is actually north of the shelter. Sobos, just be aware that the shelter is half a mile beyond this first sign.

Day 2 involved a pretty straightforward, eight-mile trek to Stratton Pond Shelter. Even though I gave myself some extra sleep time, I arrived at Stratton well before dark. Here’s a basic map of the area
http://media.intrawest.com/stratton/...tton_trail.jpg
with the pond area on the top third of this image.
Some things to note:
- the trail to the north shore tenting area only exists on the west side of the pond. If you are on the AT, on the east side of the pond, you will have to hike completely around the pond to get to this tent area.
- water for the shelter is from a spring near the pond, about where the AT first meets the pond while going north.
- you pay $5 whether you stay at the shelter or at the tent area.
- yes, there is a person who collects this $5 fee.

Because this was an easy (even for me!) hiking day, I had little trouble getting to sleep, particularly since I (once again) had the shelter to myself. That was, UNTIL a couple of hikers arrived well after dark. Want a spooky experience? Watch flashlights slowly get brighter and brighter as they get closer to you, while you’re drifting off to sleep and you THINK you’re alone! Fortunately, these late arrivals were polite enough to keep quiet as they arrived.