Getting Started in Killington

Day 1 was July 5th, in Killington, Vermont. Why Killington? Well, I picked Vermont as my starting state based on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommendation to hike Vermont during June through September, and it seemed North enough to escape the warm, humid climate I had left in Texas. (There was no escape, of course, but more on that later.) On the map, Rutland was a big enough city to get a few last-minute supplies close to the trail, so I thought I would start in Rutland. Once there, however, I had a difficult time finding a good AT Guide Book in the area. I called the Green Mountain Club, the group overseeing the AT in Vermont, and they recommended Base Camp Outfitters in Killington, about a 20-minute drive away, for all my trail needs, including guide books. They were amazing, super nice, and did indeed have a great selection of maps (in addition to any other gear I might have needed, but I was all ready to go). I stayed the night in Killington on July 4 and waited for the post office to open the next morning to mail myself supplies.

Trail head

The do-I-mail-myself-supplies-or-resupply-in-stores-along-the-way debate is one which has been discussed and published by many experienced hikers. I decided, in the interest of avoiding high supply cost due to remote locations, to buy a month's worth of food, pack one week in my pack, and mail myself the remaining three. Just in case I actually do make it four weeks on the trail, you know. (I didn't. More on that later, too.) I decided, almost arbitrarily, to mail my supplies to Manchester Center, Vermont. As soon as I walked out of the post office, I thought, "Wow, I just mailed all my stuff to myself and now have to walk to go pick it up. This is really happening." I drove to the trail head and parked my car, not knowing when I would see it again. 

As I loaded up my (inconceivably heavy) pack to start the hike, I was more excited than I anticipated I would be. My plan was to take it slow, stop when needed, and be flexible. This area of Vermont had been experiencing unusually high temperatures (high 80s) and rain. That wasn't going to stop me. I was determined to walk this flippin' trail. 

As soon I got into the woods, I was in awe of its beauty. It was a little warm, a little muggy, a slight case of mosquitoes, and a little muddy from the previous day's rain. No biggie. I got this.

AT in Killington

I was walking in an uphill direction, which was alright for while. My pack was feeling heavy, so I made sure all the myriad of straps were nice and tight to ease the load. (Nothing says, "Dude, lay off the beer and bratwurst!" quite like cinching that wide lower strap around a soft midsection, let me tell ya.) 

The scenery was amazing, but I kept going more and more uphill. And uphill still. I thought about how the amount of work performed is determined by force applied across a certain distance multiplied by the cosine of the angle in the direction the work is being performed, blah blah blah. The greater the incline, the greater the amount of work required to move. I kept hoping for a section where Mr. Theta in my mental equation would be closer to zero, but it kept going up and up. Whenever I would stop and look at the path ahead, I was definitely looking upward toward the sky. Rocks were slippery, muddy sections tried to claim possession of my hiking shoes on several occasions, and I was sweating something awful. I had fully realized the effect of (1) only lightly training for this hike, (2) walking uphill when my legs were used to coastal, flat, constant zero feet above sea level terrain, and (3) adding significantly more weight via the pack. 

After two hours, realizing there was no flat ground near the trail to rest or set up my tent if I needed to stop for the day, I wondered how far I had hiked and, consequently, how much farther I had to go until I reached such a spot. I took a few short breaks by sitting on a rock, drinking water, etc. I got out my handy trail guide to reacquaint myself with my route, looking ahead on the map, and I found the next stop on the map: Mount Killington Peak.

I was walking up the side of a mountain. How did I miss this? Why did I start here? 

I had walked up almost 2000 feet in elevation, and it was going to continue. My legs were shot. I took a reality check and decided to turn around and go back down. I didn't want to risk going farther and getting stuck, so I started back down the mountain. I knew I was going slow, which was acceptable, until a family of six started coming up the trail. They blazed right past me. They were not carrying packs, which I decided was one reason why they were able to go so fast, but they also seemed to have hiked this section before. We exchanged pleasantries and up they went. I didn't think too much of it until, not long after, they started coming back down. Again, flying by. I must have been close to the peak (or summit, I'm not sure anymore) when I turned around, since they went up, made it to the top, and were coming back down. I'm carefully navigating my way down the slippery rocks and mud, and the tiny kindergartner is jumping past me in galoshes - not falling down once! - with a very sweet "Have a nice day!" and a smile. 

I am clearly out of my element and far beyond my comfort zone. 

This, of course, is one of the reasons for doing the trail, but this was ridiculous.

Two hours later, I reached the trail head and my vehicle. I estimated I walked two miles up and two miles back. Being a little disappointed that I turned around, I decided to find a better spot to start. I found another trail head on the map that had a less drastic elevation change and started driving for my "restart".

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Later, I looked up some information about where I started in Vermont using the Step-by-Step Trail Guide, which I somehow failed to consult prior to starting in Killington, and it reads:

"Between the Connecticut River and the Green Mountain National Forest, the Trail passes through high, rugged country with woods and overgrown farmlands. ... The Trail approaches treeline at Killington and Stratton mountains, and parts feature strenuous ascents." 

Nice.