Hitting the Slopes

At the top of the mountain. 

    Today we only hiked a short distance - a little over 5 miles - since we had to relocate our "base camp" further north after our big 40 mile push.  Our hike may have been short, but it was very interesting.  It was cloudy and cool with a nice breeze.  On the way up the mountain, about a mile from the top, we stopped on a rock for a water break only to discover 4 snakes who had claimed the rock before us.  First come, first serve I say.  So we moved on.  When we got to the top of the mountain, we spent some time exploring the summit, since the mountain doubles as a ski slope in the wintertime.

Wish we'd taken the chair lift up!

    There were chair lifts and signs all over the summit, labeling the various ski trails.  It's fun to think that during the winter, people can actually snow ski down little bits of the AT.  The view at the top was wonderful.  Apparently there used to be a fire tower at the summit, from which you could see 5 states on a clear day, but the fire tower was taken down this year because it was no longer safe.  We finished our hiking for the day in plenty of time to relocate with Trail Angel to a beautiful Vermont B&B (although "base camp" location for the past week has been wonderful too - the innkeepers were so very nice, and it turned out that their son in law is a doctor at my medical school, and had actually lectured to my class this year...What a wonderful, small world!)  We got to enjoy a relaxing afternoon and a delicious dinner, which I was so glad for after a few days of camping.  I was especially glad to be inside for the night, since being outside for two nights in a row left me covered in mosquito bites.  I think I'll be refilling my big spray soon.

View of the VT hills from the top of the "slopes."