Day 113 – Thursday, June 30: Stealth Camp (The Ledges) to Upper Goose Pond Cabin, 16.5 miles, 1,548.1 total AT miles.

We woke early, cognizant of the fact that we were tenting directly on the AT. We quickly broke camp and ate breakfast – unfortunately, The Ledges didn’t offer any sunrise views so we quickly got hiking. At 8:30am, we passed the Swann Brook Pond. I noticed I had cell service and quickly sent an email to my mother and grandmother requesting my next mail drop arrive in Manchester Center, VT, 120 miles to the north.

The plan today was to lay up a little short of our 20-mile average. Greyhound really wanted to stay at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin, about 16 miles to the north. She read that this was one of those places that thru-hikers shouldn’t miss.

We decided to hike fast and hard – thankfully the trail cooperated. We caught some beautiful views as we powered forward. By 4:30pm, we had hiked the 16 miles to Upper Goose Pond. We certainly could have hiked further, but decided to stick to our plan. And I’m glad I did! Upper Goose Pond not only had ample tenting sites, but a full service kitchen and canoes by the pond.

Greyhound and I quickly set up our tents and made our way down to the cabin. We ran into many thru-hikers we knew and chatted on the porch before decided to take the canoe out for a late afternoon paddle. We went back to our tents and were completely surprised by a trail angel literally running through camp handing out ice cream sandwiches! The closest road was nearly two miles away and downhill – he ran uphill to deliver the treats to us.

After devouring the ice cream, we made our way down to the dock and untied the canoe. We weaved our way across the water towards a small island. I beached the canoe and we hopped off to explore. It was very warm and Greyhound convinced me to take a swim in the pond. The water was clear and bone-chillingly cold. Our swim didn’t last long and we made our way back to camp for dinner.

The volunteer cabin manager gave Greyhound some carrots and cabbage – I used the cabbage for dinner. It was a delicious, fresh treat. After dinner, Greyhound and I walked down to the cabin and were treated with s’mores, pulled hot off the fire by two section hikers. It was nearing sunset and we decided to retire for the evening.

Author: Chris Kummer

Hey y'all - Cool Dad here. Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to thru-hike the AT. It remained a nagging thought for nearly a decade - then it got loud enough to warrant my attention. So I quit my unfulfilling job(s) in Seattle and commenced hiking north from Springer in the spring of 2016. And I'm exceedingly thankful I did. The people I met, the things I saw, the gross foods I ate - not a day goes by without fondly remembering life on the trail. If you've already thru-hiked a long trail, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're thinking about tackling a long-distance hike, do it. Do it now. I'm probably gonna do it again... View all posts by Chris Kummer