Lincoln, Vermont – Last summer, the twins spent a week hiking and camping in New Hampshire with an Appalachian Mountain Club teen camp. It was a good experience for them, despite the rain, and I thought they would do it again this summer. But it is expensive. So when our experienced outdoorsy hiker friend and her son invited us for a week of backpacking on the Long Trail in Vermont, we went for it.
Our group was three moms and four kids. The twins were happy to be having an adventure with their friends. I was happy to be having an adventure with my kids. And we were all happy to have the leadership and experience (and equipment) of my friend, who had tramped across sections of the Long Trail many times.
Alas, the plan began to fall apart when the date got closer. One kid got a summer job, so he and his mom were out of the picture. Then our fearless leader had an unexpected death in the family, just a few days before we were supposed to depart. But she and her kid decided they wanted to go ahead with the backpacking trip, which was a four-day hiking trip from Lincoln Pass to Camel’s Hump, for a total of 28 miles or so.
I was delighted to learn that we would be sleeping in shelters, so we didn’t need to carry tents. But we did need to carry four days’ worth of food, plus sleeping bags and supplies. I was also delighted to learn that we would be hiking with friend’s dog, Bear.
On day 1, we got a pretty slow start. We had driven up to Vermont the day before and I had done the food shopping beforehand. But we still needed to organize and pack everything. Which led to the realization that we also needed to stop for a few items at the camp store. By then it was lunch time and we certainly didn’t want to start hiking on an empty stomach. Then we braked for ice cream and the twins ordered milkshakes, which took forever for the guy to make.
Finally, my friend finally pulled over at what I thought was the trailhead. Alas, it turned out to be the not-so-secret swimming spot at Bartlett Falls. We could not resist the cool water and warm rocks–a perfect place to spend a summer afternoon.
Fortunately, we did not have to go too far on our first day. We hiked in through the woods to Battell shelter, which we had to ourselves. It was a less than 1000-foot ascent over about 2 miles. The kids raced ahead, even though we had given them the heavier packs. I was the tortoise (except for the part about winning the race).
For dinner, we made lentil soup with meatballs. (Seriously, it was good!) It was somewhat distressing that we had to boil the water from the nearby stream, which was a time-consuming process. We also had to lock all of our food (and toothpaste!) in a bear box away from the camp. But other than that, it was a pretty comfy cozy setup. We had a fun night playing euchre and telling ghost stories.
During the evening, my friend got a call with more bad news from home. She made the decision to return home the next morning. So the twins and I would be on our own. None of us were comfortable with that.
Have I mentioned that I do not know how to camp? We don’t even camp at Ferry Beach, where you don’t need to know how to camp. We didn’t even camp during the Great Urban Campout–we snuck back home and slept in our beds!
On the other hand, I was not ready to turn around and go home, especially since it had taken considerable effort for us to get this far.
My wise friend came up with a plan for us. We would spend the next day reaching the summit of Mount Abraham and hiking along the scenic ridge, and then return to the Battell shelter to spend the night. Then we could hike out the next morning. This had the big advantage that we wouldn’t have to carry gear or heavy packs to the summit. We didn’t have to navigate the trail. And we could also hike out before the rain that was forecasted for the following days.
In the end, it was not the trip I had planned for, but it was a good trip. Maybe it was even better. The hiking was not too challenging and the scenery was wonderful. It was a real treat to have the 2-on-1 time with my twins. And we had a few unexpected days of recovery time before our next trip, which was greatly appreciated.
Twin V asserted that it would have been very difficult to carry our heavy packs for four days and 28 miles. (I had to agree with him.) By contrast, S was in his element, seeming to enjoy every twist and turn of the outing.
So maybe we were overly ambitious. But I did learn a few things, gaining a little experience and a little confidence. I still don’t know how to camp… but I’ll give it another go. (I hope V does too.)
