Today we were ready for a re-supply, and past ready for a good hot shower! When we saw the AT passed through the lawn of the Mountain Meadows Lodge on the shore of Kent Pond, it just had to be checked out! MML is quite busy on the weekends as a wedding site etc., but does a great job catering to hikers during the week. Tonight, they were hosting a business meeting in their bar area, which meant they offered the same chicken cordon bleu dinner to us for only ten bucks. Throw in laundry and a hot tub, and we were sold!

As you would expect, the walk from Killington the Mountain to Killington the Town was mostly downhill, and with the cool morning temperatures (probably around 50° when we started), very enjoyable. After crossing US 4, we did have a climb up to Maine Junction, where the AT and the older Long Trail diverge after sharing the same route north from the Massachusetts line. Along the way, we ran into Perch and Otto, last seen in early Connecticut. Perch’s knee still bears a scar from a fall the day we first met, but they (meaning Otto and Perch, not Perch’s knees) were both in great spirits and looking forward to the Whites and beyond.

At Giffords Woods State Park we once again started seeing major trail damage from Hurricane Irene. At VT 100 there were minor detours where another AT bridge had been washed away. It was an interesting juxtaposition of erosion and downed trees with the below normal level of Kent Pond because of this year’s dry winter/spring/summer. Not to mention at the state park we hit the 1,700 mile-mark…

After dropping off our gear at the lodge, we ducked through the cross-country ski paths/ frisbee golf course for the short walk to Base Camp Outfitters and more importantly the Killington Deli and Marketplace. What a great sandwich they fix! Add fruit salad and the soup of the day and we had a feast on their picnic table out front. (While we are eating, up walks a much thinner Hot Wheels, last seen in early Virginia. He thanked X for blister treatment advice she had offered back then and said it had been most helpful. Always great to see folks from early on still on the trail!)

We had briefly met Spiceman & Rhino, the hiking brothers-in-law, at last night’s shelter, but like Castaway and us, they also wound up here at the lodge where we were all put at a “hiker table” for dinner. It was interesting comparing notes on the different adventures we’ve had now intersecting at this point. Getting to know so many of our fellow hikers remains a trip highlight…