Saturday June 1, 16.1mi/25.9km

Forest service road #7 (1636.8) to Manchester (1652.9) (VT)

We got started early, hiking out by 7:15am, it’s a town day! The 1500ft/500m climb up Stratton mountain seemed to fly, and the trail wasn’t too muddy.

Near the top, the environment changed, and I was walking in a dense pine forest.

The summit had a fire tower, which supposedly had a great view, enough to inspire the creation of the Long Trail. I just saw clouds.

The hike down was quick and easy, and we took a break at Stratton pond shelter, which was huge.

The next couple of hours of hiking were flat terrain, and in a wilderness area. My mind wandered back to New Zealand, given the lush terrain, and slightly muddy trail.

When the ground got too wet and muddy, there were boardwalks. So many boardwalks!

We took lunch at a popular place called Prospect Rock. You could see the whole valley and the town of Manchester.

We hiked out the last few miles to the road, and saw lots of little streams along the way, with fish swiming in the pools.

Bob and I got to the road at 2:30pm, and we were picked up from the trailhead by my friend (and fellow RIT alum) Molly. We stopped by the house for a much needed shower, and then went to explore the town.

Molly, Steve, and two adorable toddlers showed us around town. It’s the home of the flagship store for Orvis!

And the Fly fishing museum…

Inside the store were so many interesting things. And the kids had fun feeding the fish they keep in the store!

And a cool stuffed bear.

After touring around, Bob and I stopped by the grocery store, and then went back to their house. Just in time for an amazing dinner of pork chips, beans, and the biggest asparagus I’ve ever seen! The kids kept us entertained until the hockey game started on TV. I stayed awake for a bit longer, but it was a long day!