The next morning we caught the shuttle into Rutland. I had planned to stay 2 nights at the Hiker's Hostel at the Yellow Deli so that I could slackpack some, plan the next section of my hike and get some more calories into me. Unfortunately, when I arrived I learned that they would not let Forest inside, and we would have to sleep on their porch. We had lunch, and then I spent the afternoon unpacking my resupply box, redistributing things in my pack and doing some planning for the next section. After dinner, we went to sleep on the porch.
After I got up this morning, I fed Forest, grabbed some breakfast, hopped the shuttle and headed back down the Trail toward Churchill Scott Shelter, which was a little over a mile away. This section began with about a 1,000-foot steep climb up to the beginning of the Coolidge Range in the Green Mountains. We passed the Churchill Scott Shelter (elevation 2,560 feet) and continued on to the top of Pico Peak (elevation 3,967 feet). We collected water there and took a break for lunch.
After lunch we ridge-walked past Rams Head Mountain and Snowden Peak. At that point, the Trail began climbing again, past Cooper Lodge shelter and up to the summit of Killington Peak, the second highest mountain in the Green Mountains and the highest mountain on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont (elevation 4,229 feet). More importantly for me, it was the last of the 4,000-footers until Virginia. Unfortunately, it is also another beautiful mountain that has been completely commercialized by the Killington Ski Resort, complete with a lodge, restaurant and bar near the peak.
I decided to continue on across Little Killington and then down a steep descent to the Governor Clement Shelter (Mile Marker 498.9). We collected water, had a quick dinner, set up camp nearby and crashed for the night. Forest was as tired as I was, and the cool night would be perfect for sleeping.
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