Somewhere above 4,800 feet on Vermont's Long Trail, a group of day hikers said the quiet part out loud: "You must be thru-hikers, you stink." Fair. The writers of this trail diary had been out for six days straight, and no amount of trail ingenuity was masking it. Their day 23 account, from Cooley Glen Shelter to the Castle Rock Ski Patrol Hut, is a funny, honest snapshot of what a long-distance hike in the Green Mountains actually looks like.
The day packed in a 3,068-foot ascent and a stretch of ridge walking near Mount Grant in howling wind, with an eye on Mount Abraham — Vermont's first 4,000-footer on their route. The climb from Lincoln Gap is short but brutal: 1.6 miles gaining 1,686 feet, with a final push over granite steps taller than the hiker's thighs. One half-mile took a full hour. They summited at 4:37 pm with a storm forecast, two miles still to go, and daylight draining fast.
The race to the ski patrol hut ended with a literal bang — a face-first collision with a fallen tree hanging across the trail. The result was an impressive goose egg, a grateful lack of concussion symptoms, and a promise to hiking partners to flag any blurred vision or nausea. They made the hut just before dark, found it unlocked, and — despite everything — still stank. "Life is good."
What makes this entry worth a traveller's time is the texture of trail culture. A hiker nicknamed Beatle shares route intel. Day hikers at Sunset Ledge smell like a supermarket detergent aisle. Strangers hand over two litres of water, a protein bar and homemade oatmeal cookies without being asked twice. The authors do their own maths, too: three litres of water each is over six pounds of weight, and it nearly wasn't enough.
For anyone considering a Long Trail section or dreaming about a thru-hike, this is the reality check and the charm in one: hard climbs, generous strangers, unreliable timing, and a bed (well, a hut) at the end of it. Sugarbush's ski terrain makes a great summer hiking backdrop precisely because the lifts aren't running and the trails are quiet at the top.
Who's this for? Hikers scoping out Vermont's 4,000-footers, section-hikers planning a Lincoln Gap-to-Sugarbush stretch, or anyone who wants a realistic read on thru-hiking life before committing to a six-month trek. Just pack extra water — and maybe a spare cookie to hand forward.
