Left very early in the morning, eager to get to town and pick up my package from the Base Camp Outfitters there. Get there on time, but the place opened 30 minutes late. Must be a lax area when it is not ski season. The guy there said he did not have my package. I asked to barrow the phone to make a call and said I need to pay for it to my surprise, so I walked over to the visitor center next door to use their WiFi to figure out the issue. Amazing WiFi at the visitor center just to let future hikers know! I don’t want to say the owner there was rude, but he did not seem interested in helping me. Anyway, my Mom thinks there is a possibility the package is still in transit and advises me to stay in the area to see if it arrives tomorrow. Instead of pushing onward, I decide to make a call from the visitors center there to reserve a spot at the Inn At Long Trail. Fortunately, they had one more spot! Not sure why the Appalachian Trail had changed, but the trail and Long Trail used to cut across right where this Inn used to be. No worries, but it would have been nice to get to the Inn last night.
If I knew the WiFi situation at the Inn At Long Trail, I definitely would had stayed much longer to download Game of Thrones while I was at the visitor center, before walking up. There was a bus system in the area, but a mile up the road to me is really nothing so I walk. I walked and it must have been a little more than a mile because the walk in total took me 45 minutes. Oh yeah I passed through some construction and this one dude holding the stop/slow sign handled me an energy bar. May not seem to interesting to include this detail in my blog out of all of the other details I exclude from my blog, but it really meant something to me. I choose to share, to inspire mainly, but this detail is more, more about the community as a whole, the community of people that you have never met, but somehow have your back too. Ah…this reminds me of an essay I read in my Freshman seminar class in my Freshman year at Mount St. Mary’s, “A Shared Moment of Trust” by Warren Christopher. It is a very quick read or even a quick listen if you’d prefer to listen: A Shared Moment of Trust ~ Warren Christopher.
Made it to cute looking log cabin with the very homey feel to it, showered, tried the WiFi, gave up, and decided to take an Uber to Rutland, VT for the Walmart. Yeah I was surprised too, there was an Uber in the area and probably the only one for that matter. I could have hitched or waited for the bus, but I was impatient. I figured I would prepare myself for the worst and pick up some Cliff Bars in the neighboring town. Well I was not really preparing myself for the worst, I just really wanted some more of those blueberry crisp Cliff bars. Fortunately it paid off because as you will find out in the next blog, my package had yet to arrive. Rutland was much larger than I was expecting. I was caught off guard by the homeless population there. On my way out of Walmart, I ran into Legs who had been staying at the Yellow Deli. He was major in love with the place, but it is understandable why. They offer hikers a place to stay for free and apparently have amazing food. I did not get the honor of trying their food, but it is very much well known on the trail. So here is the thing with the Yellow Deli one needs to know before staying. It is a cult, or rather group of believers apart of “The Twelve Tribes” in which beleive that humans must return to an ancient communal life in order to achieve salvation, to be one with God. Not that I have a problem with this, but they will ask you to stay. Do not quote me on this, but I think if you choose to stay, you need to donate everything you own. I can see why they target hikers. There are a lot of us who are lost, not knowing their place yet in the world.
Anyway, I was heading to Ben and Jerry’s and asked if Legs would like to tag along. He was very much willing. It may be just in my head, but Ben in Jerry’s ice cream is significantly better in Vermont. Talked to these two people sitting down at the Ben and Jerry’s, table next to ours outside and asked if they could give me a ride back. They were eager to help. Normally, not the way I operate, but it was getting close to dark. They are both interns for a nonprofit close by on their last day before heading back to school. I did not catch their names, but they were super helpful, eager to even drive Legs back if they saw him on their way back.
While I don’t recommend the stay, the food alone in the bar is worth the stop at the Inn At Long Trail.
Side Note:
– The guy at the Camp Outfitters never sent back the food that eventually arrived there as he promised to do so. I would like to note that it may be a better idea to get your mail drop sent elsewhere. I do not know for certain, but I think when they informed my Mom that my package had arrived, they in reality lost it then found it. Maybe there really was a mix up, but it may be in your best interest not to take chances with this place. Fortunately for me, this package only contained a days worth of food.
