Caterpillar Babysitter – Long Day Thirteen

Day thirteen, Thursday, August 28

Emily Proctor Shelter to Lincoln Gap Road.

Distance: 10.4 miles (154.9 miles total).

Pack rat escaping

I woke up in Emily Proctor and had breakfast while chatting with Packrat, a guy in his 60s. He was an interesting guy, but an incessant talker, so I was almost half-listening to him when I packed my bags and said goodbye to him.

I immediately set about climbing towards the top of Mount Wilson. At 3,745′, this would be the high point of a day with many ups and downs. My goal was Battell Shelter, on the slopes of Mount Abraham, officially the first peak of the vaunted “Northern” portion of the Long Trail.

Presidential Peaks (except Little Hans)

This was also a very “presidential” day. I crossed peaks named Wilson, Roosevelt, Cleveland and Grant. Just to mix it up, Little Hans Peak was there too. Much of the trail was a ridge hike, so it was relatively easy to establish a good pace. As I continued north, I encountered some rocky outcroppings, but they weren’t steep or wet, so crossing them was pretty easy.

At Roosevelt Peak, the “Killington View” allowed me to look back at all the ranges I had traversed. It was strange to see Killington so far away, as he felt as if he had just been there.

Progress is similar: on the walk and in life

On a long walk, the passage of distance is similar to the passage of time in our lives. Each day feels filled with all our trials and joys, our work and our rest, our activities, meals and sleep. However, the days inexorably accumulate and soon our childhood has turned into adulthood, our adulthood has turned into old age and, yes, it is coming, our old age ends in death. On the path, each step takes us further down the path, but each step seems small. However, the accumulation of steps – like the accumulation of minutes and hours in our lives – takes us to great distances, further than we imagined. This is how a giant mountain like Killington comes to seem so far away, and how it will eventually land beyond the limits of vision from some vantage point in the future.

The next rain causes a change of plans

It was a bright and sunny day, with great visibility. However, the forecast predicted that rain would arrive overnight and continue throughout the next day. I started to worry about starting the more difficult “North” section in wet conditions. There was a small road, Lincoln Gap Road, open only in summer, that passed south of Mount Abraham. I decided to change plans and go off-road there instead of at the next major road junction, where Ben planned to pick me up a day later. Then I could take a rainy day with Ben and his family, before returning to the trail the next day.

Fortunately, I had cell phone service. Ben initially rejected my suggestion due to a doctor’s appointment, and I plucked up the courage to take my first hike up “North” in the rain. However, shortly afterward he reconsidered and offered to pick me up after the appointment. I gladly agreed. Instead of Battell Shelter, this would be a shorter day ending with a roadside pickup.

Cruising route, but confused brain

With this new plan I slowed my pace, although the road was quite rough and I could have made good time. At least that was true before lunch. For some reason, after lunch I felt a little foggy and sleepy. Even my vision seemed a little blurry, so I was worried I would trip and hurt myself like I had before. I tried to shake him off, but he was persistent. I was glad I didn’t have a busy schedule.

I had seen few hikers heading south, so I was surprised to encounter an attractive interracial couple carrying almost no gear. They asked if there was a vantage point ahead where they could have a view and have lunch. By then I had already passed many kilometers from Killington View, so that option was out of the question. I told them there had been some views of Mount Grant, but they weren’t spectacular. I explained the concept of “the green tunnel”: how hikers on the Long Trail mostly live under a canopy of leaves with few views of the outside world.

A purge inside the Green Tunnel

They appreciated my explanation and I continued walking.

Sleep at Sunset Ledge

With time to spare and to clear my confused mind, I lingered in the sunlight on some rocks. Later, I took a “second lunch break” at Sunset Ledge, just a mile from the highway junction where I was supposed to meet Ben. The view to the west was fabulous and there were many people, including dogs and children, who had walked one day in this remote area. It would have been less surprising on a weekend, but it was Thursday. Maybe they came to watch the sunset at Sunset Ledge?

The view of the sleepy hiker at Sunset Ledge. Very sweet!

I fell asleep in the sun and then I heard voices nearby. I looked out and saw that they belonged to the couple I had met earlier on the road. «You decided you were past the best view, right?» I asked and they nodded while eating their lunch.

Descending to the Path

I set the alarm so I wouldn’t be tempted to oversleep and be late for Ben’s pick-up. When it went off, I followed the path. Before descending, I found a spot off the trail to discreetly urinate and was surprised to find a tree trunk that had grown into a sort of spiral. I wondered what environmental limitation had produced this effect. Nature can be so inspiring!

I can’t even imagine what circumstances caused this tree trunk to grow this way!

Once the path descended, it descended steeply. I was surprised that, considering all the kids and dogs on the ledge, it turned out to be so challenging after all.

Along the way I checked where the trail resumed on the other side, so I would be prepared when I returned, then waited for Ben and his family to arrive.

A third meeting brings with it great responsibility

The couple I met on the trail and at Sunset Ledge I met for the third time, while they were parked along the road. They had told me he was from New York and she was from Boston, but their Jeep had Louisiana plates. He explained that it was a loan from a friend of his. In fact, they had suffered an explosion with him on a road that had narrowly avoided being a disaster. They showed me a photo of the blowout: the tire was destroyed!

Ben and Melody had gotten confused about the name of the road and were a little late. I went and sat by a tree. I noticed that the “Jeep couple” did not leave immediately. I wondered why, until they brought me a gift.

Apparently, a strange caterpillar had appeared on one of their tires and they decided to rescue it. They put it on a sheet of paper and now they brought it to me for safekeeping. I guess they figured I’d make a good caterpillar babysitter? They were right about that, because I placed the leaf at the base of the tree and watched as it waited, motionless, before deciding that it was now safe to move.

The caterpillar finally starts moving!

Once it got going, it was unexpectedly fast. Like us hikers on the trail, each undulation of his body moved him only a little, but as I watched he reached and then ascended the trunk of the tree. First it reached my ankles, then my knees, then my waist, and soon it was barely visible in the first branches, high above my head. By the time Ben, Melody, and the girls arrived, I had completely lost it.

The caterpillar coming out of the leaf. Next stop? Check out mnh2. Canopy in the treetops!

Family, dinner, shower, sleep – what could be better?

It was great to see Ben looking really good for a cancer patient without an appendix! I gave him a gentle post-op hug. It was also wonderful to see Melody and my loving granddaughters Iris and Hazel. We started driving down the road and Ben asked, «Would you mind having dinner now, even though you’re all sweaty hikers?»

What hiker ever said, «Yes, I care!» to that question? So we went to Hinesburgh Public House in…you guessed it! – Hinesburg (and spelling be damned). The food was excellent and Ben had previously cooked with Alex, the owner, when Ben was still chef, so it was a reunion of sorts. I ate a LOT of food and may have had a couple of beers too.

When we got to Ben’s house, I took the longest shower, with real shampoo. That felt wonderful and left my hair clean, but the knots in my ponytail seemed impossible to remove. Or maybe I was just too tired to really try. In any case, I was soon sleeping in a real bed. Bliss!