Had a gorgeous evening at my lean-to with tons of fireflies dancing throughout the dark. Haven’t seen that many fireflies in I don’t know how long.
Tried to get a video, but it didn’t turn out well.
Walked out of Vermont and did the first 7.5 miles of NY. About 9 miles total with maybe a couple hundred feet of elevation gain.
I really enjoyed the trail today even though most of it was road walking. I enjoyed it because I know this is the last day of carrying a backpacking pack, and that, after today, I will pick and choose which parts of the NCT in each state I will hike.
Felt good walking out of VT. I am now finished with that state once and for all and can move on. It’s a beautiful state, and I have covered it thoroughly through the Wildlife Refuges, Natural Landmarks, National Recreation Trails, the one National Park Site, the AT, and now most of the NCT miles.
Walked through Crown Point State Historic Site after crossing Champlain Bridge and enjoyed reading about its history in the pre-Revolution skirmishes between the British and the French. After that, it was road walking all the way to where I am spending the night. Pretty views of farmer fields and hills, but sometimes difficult due to constant direct sunlight. One glorious stop at Gunnison Orchards for a cider donut in the shade.
The NCT has a ton of road walking in the ADK section, and now I am glad I am not doing most of that.
I’ve become excited about this adjustment to my goals. No more going back and forth between states, no more pushing my body for weeks on end past where it should probably go.
I will come back to the ADK section of the NCT once I have gotten my rental car and then pick and choose small sections to hike from here to the PA border.
