My goal for the day was to do 18.9 miles from the Greenwall Shelter to top of Mount Killington and and the Cooper Lodge Shelter. Getting an early start, Derek, Jeremiah and I set off from camp together. Even though it was still very early in the morning, the temperature was already starting to creep up into the mid 80’s. The first climb of the day was a hike up and over the 2,247 foot high Bear Mountain. If I had a nickel for every “Bear Mountain” or “Brushy Mountain” I summited on my thru-hike, I would have about 45 cents. Shortly after the top of the mountain we crossed a highway and decided to stop for lunch at a restaurant that was only a half mile from the trail crossing. As long distance hikers were were always ready to eat, but the chance of sitting in an air conditioned restaurant was more of a motivator. The three of walked down the the sweltering highway and eventually came to “The Whistle Stop Restaurant.” The diner was a strange train styled shanty standing all by itself on a desolate highway. We breezed through the door and plopped down at a cramped table. It was a dark dining room featuring mismatched furniture, greasy wood panelling and desperation. We were not too surprised to learn that they were out of most of the menu items. I ended up ordering the blue plate chicken dinner special. It was sufficient but not sublime. The three of us were joined in the cozy dining room by two other thru-hikers, Tigger and Big Bad Tom. Tigger was laughing and joking as he ordered beer after beer. Tom and Tigger were both solid characters and we all enjoyed our little break in the dank little restaurant. Although I was tempted, I wasn’t in the mood for beer. I knew how tired I could get in the hot sun after a few frosty cervezas.

When our meals were finished we sipped our drinks and enjoyed a little more interior, conditioned air. As we were getting ready to leave, a nervous little southbound popped into the diner. He went by the name of Crazy Feet. All Crazy Feet sat in the corner looking shifty and talking about how we needed to have Vibram Five Finger shoes to cross the rivers in Maine. He was a nice guy, but he just kept talking and talking. At one point he said, “You guys have the hardest part of the trail in front of you.” To which Jeremiah said,”Maybe. But you have hundreds and hundreds of miles of absolutely nothing in front of you.” I really enjoyed that response.

Concluding our drawn out lunch, we got some ice cream and walked back to the trail. As we approached the trail crossing we were all amused to see Big Bad Tom climb out of the back of a car. He hitched the half mile back to the trail rather than walking it. I wouldn’t have done it, but I had to respect it. When we got to the woods, we were treated to a picturesque little section of trail. The white blazes tracked right next to a fast flowing little river for a couple of miles. I was in relaxed kind of mood, the trail wasn’t difficult so I took my time. By the mid afternoon, Derek and Jeremiah had passed me and were long gone.

After the river section, the trail turned into he forest and started to climb again. As I rounded a sharp bend something caught my eye. It was trail magic, and someone had gone all out. There was a cooler, a plastic patio chair and a wooden sign screwed to a tree that said “Katahdin 500 Miles” The cooler was full of ice cold sodas! I sat on the chair and slowly sipped my frosty root beer. My mind was in a weird place. Reading the sign I thought, “Wow that’s great, only five hundred miles to go.” Then I took a minute to think about how crazy that thought was. I had only five hundred miles of mountains to hike over to reach my goal. There was no way I was going to get to Katahdin by sitting in a plastic chair drinking Mug Root Beer. It was time to motor.

Immediately after the trail magic break, the climb up Mount Killington began. The summit of Mount Killington was just under 4,000 feet, but it was a serious 2,500 foot climb from the elevation where I stood. The incline of the trail gradually increased as I powered through the oppressive heat. Rounding a corner, I saw a building appear through the trees. It was the Governor Clement Shelter. The building was a substantial masonry structure complete with fireplace. There were some ratty looking southbounders lurking the back of the shelter. I could see their beady little eyes and smell the freshness of their gear from 30 feet away. I couldn’t blame them for sitting in the shade because it was still extremely hot outside. Taking a break, I sat with them for a bit in the shade. None of them talked very much, so I decided to get moving. During my break, I had some water and ate a snack to give me some energy for the big incline.

The climb up Killington was one of those climbs where I just went and went without stopping. The steeper it got, the faster I hiked. I found my rhythm and just marched up the trail. Eventually the dirt road ended and the trail began to skirt around the mountain through a thick, pine forest. Even though I had to navigate a bunch of downed trees, I was thankful to be in the cooler shade. The higher up the mountain I got, the cooler the air became. Approaching the summit, the hike became a classic rock scramble. Overall, it was a challenging and beautiful climb. I was in good spirits when I reached the summit and saw the outline of Cooper Lodge Shelter appear through the trees. Surrounding the shelter were short pine trees and rocks covered with thick moss. Those types of alpine areas always reminded me of a movie set. While looking for a place to set up camp, I reconnected my buddies and met an old man who was trying to reclaim his record as the oldest man to hike the trail. I wished him luck, but he did not look like he was enjoying himself. Cooper Lodge Shelter was fully enclosed, and made of massive rocks. Although it was an impressive building, I decided to set up on a nearby tent platform instead of sleeping in the shelter. Jeremiah and Derek pointed out a side trail that went right up to the very peak of the mountain. My adrenaline was still pumping from the climb, so scurried up to investigate. At the very top of the peak was a cell tower and some ski lift equipment, but the view was amazing. The sun was setting and the sky was full of amazing colors. To the North I could see large mountains colored pink and orange by the sunset. That was where I was going next. It was insane. The mountains looked so massive and far away. The challenge was intoxicating. When it got darker, I scrambled back down to the shelter made some hot chow and climbed in my tent. There were some teenage girls on the tent platform next to me. So I deployed my earplugs in anticipation of late night giggling. I was asleep in a few minutes.