Let's go hiking!

I wanted to get away from the city for a week. I decided to go to Killington, VT; which is a well known ski resort. I was initially just looking for peace and quiet, but when I realized that Killington is also a destination for hikers and is on the path of The Appalachian Trail, hiking became the primary goal.

View from the Killington Peak

The Appalachian Trail is a 2180 mile mountain footpath that goes from Maine to Georgia and there are people who do this hike end to end (about 700 completed the journey in 2011). They are called the 2000-milers (I highly recommend the website. There is a whole subculture to be explored). The fastest known time is 46 days and change and belongs to Pharr Davis.

The trail crosses Highway 4 near Killington. I decided to walk south one day and north the second. As I said Killington is primarily a ski resort and things are quiet over the summer, but some stores are open and most importantly, The Bus (yep, that is what it is called) that runs between the nearby city of Rutland, resort hotels in Killington and the trailhead is operational. So, you don't need a car to get to the trail from your hotel.

White blazes show you the trail

Southbound hike on the AT took me all the way to the Killington peak, which is a bit over 4000 feet. It required 2000 feet of climb and took me 6 hours round trip, but as you can see in the above panoramic picture, the view was breathtaking (Google+ did the panorama automatically by the way, which I think is a useful feature).

You might think, how am I going to follow the trail. How do I know that I am not going in the wrong direction? To be honest, I was worried about that too. My outdoor skills are low to none. My girlfriend, in fact, was sure that I would get lost and die (she always worries about that though). As it turns out, my worries were mostly unnecessary. First of all, the trail doesn't have too many branches. If you step in the wrong direction, you would notice it from the terrain. Also, the Appalachian Trail is marked by white blazes on trees at regular intervals. So, as long as you see the blazes, you are going the right way. Using the blazes (some side trails have blue or yellow blazes) and a map I got from the Killington Chamber of Commerce, I was able to easily determine my direction.

Kent Pond

My hike on the north direction was shorter and easier. The only complicating factor was the rain, since the rocks got slippery, but even the rain was enjoyable in the woods! This one took me to the Kent Pond, pictured on the right here.

If you are a seasoned hiking enthusiast or even a novice like myself, Killington is a great place to visit. People are friendly and they are ready to help the hikers, point you in the right direction, offer you food.

On a personal note, the AT is on my bucket list now. I don't think I can find 4-5 months of free time and the money, but I can dream, can't I!