Day 5: Green Valley

Friday, August 9, 2019

Rained a good part of the night but was done by early morning. Got up at 5:30 or so and left Corliss Camp around 7:30 a.m. I needed to get in 11 miles to get to Johnson, my first town stop to resupply, shower, and eat real food.

Like most starts, it was uphill from the get-go. First up was Laraway Mountain. It was a pretty gradual ascent and then a much steeper descent. At the summit I met a young hiker who was doing a section hike. She was kind enough to take a photo of me by the summit sign. Laraway isn't very tall at around 2,800 feet so the top was covered in trees (i.e., no views).

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From there, it was a few smaller climbs with some cool terrain along huge walls of granite.

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I reached Roundtop Shelter and had some lunch at the picnic table. The day was foggy until that point but now it was clearing into a beautiful summer day. After eating some peanut butter quesadillas, I hiked three and a half miles downhill (more or less) to get to the trailhead at VT-15. The views of the valley below were simply stunning.

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I arrived at the trailhead in Johnson around 3:00 p.m. and walked the half mile to Johnson’s Hardware. They accept resupply boxes so I sent my first box there. It's a free service they provide for hikers. Even though it's mostly a hardware store, they have a good-sized hiking/outdoor section that's legit. It's a good place to pick up any needed items. Plus, they take your photo and put it on the wall with the hundreds of other hikers who pass through.

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Dave, the co-owner of Nye’s Green Valley B&B, picked me up at the store and brought me back to my first civilized home in five days.

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Once I showered, Dave took my clothes to wash them and then dropped me off in town. I ate at a top-notch pizzeria and then picked up some things at the store. His wife Marsha came back to pick me up a couple of hours later. They have a special rate for hikers that includes these wonderful services. It's worth every penny. The property is lovely and has a neat backstory. Check it out on their website.

Tomorrow, Dave will make breakfast for all the guests and then take me back to the trailhead. I start a pretty brutal stretch of days that includes Whiteface, Mansfield (VT’s tallest mountain), and Camel’s Hump. Can't wait!

Total miles for the day: 10.9