Swamps – Fox’s AT Thru Hike – Day 98

I couldn’t have asked for better terrain for my second day with a broken knee. The trail never really flattened out, but it didn’t have any difficult climbs. The day started on Porcupine Ridge and the hardest climb was Glastenbury Mtn. I wouldn’t rate it as «difficult» by AT standards.

Beaver ponds and swamps have dominated the Vermont experience so far and I love it. There is something amazing about nature’s own engineering corps. The trade-off is comparatively fewer views, but I appreciate the change of scenery. My knees welcomed the easier hills.

Today there were three shelters within nine miles. The last one, Story Spring, was my stopping point and we had a full team. The AT and Long Trail overlap here, uniting both groups of hikers. Dead, a Long Trail hiker, previously completed the AT and offers assurances about “the whites.” For anyone unfamiliar, «the whites» refers to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, generally considered the most difficult part of the trail.

• Breakfast: Oatmeal x6
• Dinner: potatoes, cheese
• Snacks: Fig Bar, Pop Tarts, Cereal Bar x2, Nut Butters, Nature Valley Protein Bar
• Known today: Dead, Poptart, Dragon, Stitch, Butterfly
• Days without a ramen bomb: 98
• Today I am grateful for: Beavers

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