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| Little Rock Pond |
Distance From Trail head: 2.2 miles (with options of a trail around the lake itself and a loop back trail that makes the total hike about seven miles or so.
Total Mileage for me: 4.4 miles
Difficulty of Hike: Easy to Moderate
Wildlife Sightings: One snake, several newts, a few birds, some minnows, and really strange white plants that looked like flowers but were probably mushrooms (no I didn't eat them!)
I have been planning on getting out to the Appalachian Trail for a bit now but seemed to always find reasons why I couldn't go. Finally after talking with my wife we decided to throw caution to the wind and check some of it out.
The first thing we did was pop over to the http://www.appalachiantrail.org/ and use their interactive map to scope out some trail heads close to us. If you haven't been to that site you really should go, it has a lot of great information and the map is seriously useful.
As we were looking for a place we saw one of the trail heads wasn't all that far away from our house and decided to check it out. The drive there was about an hour and a half long. We drove through the beautiful Vermont countryside and through a couple of quaint villages that I really should have taken some pics of but am still getting used to actually doing that kind of thing. Anyway we arrived at the trail head about noon or so and started making our way up the trail.
The first thing I noticed about this trail was that it was very well maintained and while it went upward it did so at a manageable grade. One of the goals I have before next summer when I take the girls with me through three states is to make sure I am in as good a condition as possible and a challenge like starting out up hill is exactly what I need. After a steep incline of about ten feet the trail again leveled out a bit and followed a gorgeous river that I couldn't help but stop and admire several times (my wife would say I was resting but that is not the truth!). I saw a awesome bit of water so decided to take a pic...
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| Part of the River |
While we were eating lunch an old guy with a backpack stopped by and talked with us. I never got his name but he told us an interesting story about a farmer in Vermont who flew the hammer and sickle flag of the USSR during the cold war and how people in Vermont simply left the farmer alone. It feels good to be in a state where people honestly don't put their nose in my business and the story made me appreciate Vermont that much more.
After finishing our lunch and playing with some newts that were eating small fish in the shallow of the lake my wife and I checked out the nearby shelter. It was amazing and I can't wait to take the kids there and spend the night. I meant to get a picture of it, but got distracted by talking to a thru-hiker about his hike. After resting a bit and chatting with a couple of other hikers my wife and I made our way back to the car. We had intended to do the loop around but I had decided to wear my water shoes instead of my hiking boots. This was not a good idea and I have learned an important lesson. Next time we go out on the AT I am definitely bringing my boots and saving my feet a bit of pain.
Overall the hike was about perfect for where I am at as far as conditioning goes. I wish I had worn better shoes and had gone for more mileage, but we all have to start somewhere. I definitely plan to go back there with the kids and will make sure to grab a pic of the shelter when I do. Until then I am busy plotting out my next excursion and will make sure to write a post about it.
Happy trails.
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