Washington State to Vermont – Day Minus One
For weeks and months you think about something, you plan it, you imagine it. Then suddenly reality rushes towards you like an express train coming out of a tunnel. It’s time to go!
Before leaving beautiful Washington state (see photo above!), I published my first Long Trail blog post here on The Trek. I listed seven anxieties that I carried when I began the journey. This was number six: “What if my technical skills for blogging on the road are too limited and this ends up being the only post I make?”
Oh my god, did I ever get it right! In fact, my technical ability was so weak that I didn’t even TRY to blog from the trail. Well, that and the fact that I was totally exhausted at the end of each day… Still, I decided I would do it. eventually I blog the entirety of my journey, whether I made it to the end or had to give up before reaching the end.
Why did it take me so long to resume? Mainly three reasons. First, I guess I’m a little lazy sometimes. Not my best character trait, but there you have it. Second, in the meantime I did a lot of serious travel, including a month in Central Europe and the Balkans with my wife. I’ll attach some photos below as proof. Third, I’ve been having computer issues, including the end of Windows 10. I bought a new laptop and am still in the process of transferring all my files, and I hope this resolves those issues soon.
Fisheye view of our adventure at Lake Skadar, Montenegro
Serbian Orthodox Church in Podgorica, Montenegro
Mosque in Kosovo
Jewish cemetery near Sarajevo, Bosnia
After the delay, a long day of cross-country travel
If you read my first post, you know that my exit plans were delayed by about two weeks. My wife Lee was sick, so I felt I should stay to take care of her. She reports that I learned how to cook excellent chicken soup. As I wrote, she was doing better (at least almost at least) and I was preparing to head east.
To save a two-hour trip to the airport each way, I opted to take the Greyhound to SEATAC, Seattle’s airport. This meant getting up very early, as the bus arrived at the Port Townsend stop at 6:55am. Lee gave me a big goodbye hug for inspiration and I left.
I arrived at 10:00 am at the airport. At 1:00 pm my flight took off, arriving in Washington DC at 8:57 pm Vermont has a small regional airport, so we always have to use a connection to get there. I’m sure I daydreamed about life on the trail while flying but to be honest, I don’t really remember it. At 11:44 pm my flight arrived in Burlington and my son Ben met me at the airport with a big welcome hug. Shortly after midnight we were at his house and I was heading to bed.
Don’t risk getting COVID before you start!
In Vermont – Day Zero
Above all, Day Zero was going to be dedicated to errands.
I packed my backpack inside the most enormous suitcase we had. I filled the space around my backpack with all the freeze-dried foods and snacks I bought and brought to Vermont. It still wasn’t going to be enough.
So Ben and I ran out and shopped, at REI and the usual grocery store, to cover my food needs for the next three weeks or so.
Before I began, I created a hypothetical itinerary, mapping out my plans for progress along the way. I know now, and I knew even then, that the key word in that sentence was “theoretical.” I knew a lot of things could come up that would change my plans. The most important thing for me were issues related to fitness, injuries or weather.
However, I felt like I had to at least send a care package to myself along the way, as I wasn’t sure what I might find in the towns along the trail. I chose Manchester Center as my first stop out of the way and packed a box of food. The second errand was to send it to myself at “General Delivery” at Manchester Center. I left the rest of the food at Ben’s house.
Then I looked for a place to stay in Manchester Center.
Green Mountain Club Documents Help, Except When They Don’t
I had requested three documents from the Green Mountain Club (GMC) in preparation for my trip. The one I hoped would be most useful was the Long Trail Guide, newly revised in 2025 as the 29th edition. It had a lot of interesting information about the history of the trail and a lot of other good stuff too. Speaking of “tons,” it also weighed about a ton! No way was I taking that on the road with me (although to be fair, they also have an ebook version).
The second was a waterproof map of the entire trail. I LOVE MAPS! This one definitely stayed with me the entire time. It was also interesting that the Long Trail is basically a pure North-South trail. So the GMC had cleverly included eight separate North-South sections on its single folding map. That meant I could track my progress based on the map I was operating on. For example, I cross from Map 4 to Map 5 and I must be halfway there. Great, right?
The third document was called «The Long Haul Guide from Start to Finish.» It was wonderfully thin and light, so I decided to bring it with me. It has lists of all the shelters on the trail and the mileage distances between them. This could also be roughly calculated from the map, but having it there was useful. It also lists the services available in these shelters, but also in nearby towns where you can go to resupply.
Green Mountain Club Publications. If you zoom in on the map, the key shows the 8 separate maps it includes.
So I put the “End-to-End Guide” to finding accommodation in Manchester Center to work. The best recommendation seemed to be the Green Mountain House Hiker Hostel because the guide reported that they provided shuttles to and from the trail and were very friendly to hikers. However, when I called them, they had already closed for the season even though it was only mid-August! Is that hiker friendly? So I started to doubt some of the information in the End-to-Ender Guide. Instead, Ben booked me into the Hampton Inn & Suites because he had a family connection who could get me a family rate. I was all set for my first stop off the trail.
Filet mignon!
That night I went out with Ben, his wife Melody, and their two daughters, Iris and Hazel. In case you’re wondering how “Papa George” became my trail name, it’s because that’s what all my grandchildren call me. Every time someone called me that on the road, I thought of those kids and smiled.
That night I had filet mignon for dinner. Very good!
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