The Clarendon Gorge is an awesome place to check out. It’s a tenth of a mile from VT 103 and is full of water carved rocks. There are deep pools, a great suspension bridge—everything I could hope for…except maybe a guy handing out fried dough and soda?

We met up with Rockhound’s grandfather at the Gorge and drove into Rutland, VT for lunch. Our waitress essentially quit during lunch, so we got our food more than an hour after ordering! Beware of Denny’s in Rutland!

Well fed and restored we said our goodbyes to Rockhound’s dad & grandfather and climbed up the trail. Our intention was to hike one more mile and call it a day, but when we got to the shelter we found a guy named Piper dominating everything. He had cooked up food and was offering it and coffee to hikers, but his loud conversation was non-stop noise. I was drenched from a thunderstorm but unwilling to put up with him, his chatter, or his bagpipes. I kept walking, joined by Rockhound and Jethro & Chief.

The Governor Clarendon Shelter has supposedly been hit by some trouble by people driving ATVs lately. The Green Mountain Club does not recommend staying there, as rumor has it hikers have been robbed at gunpoint! A couple of former thru-hikers decided to deal with the situation by building a shelter on their own land adjacent to the trail. Tonight we were the first guests at this shelter! It is still under construction, but it’s beautiful! They’re building it using a combination of milled lumber and naturally curved branches with skillful joinery. We got nailed by thunderstorms all night, but I slept dry and have only 11 miles to hike with Rockhound to meet Heather and spend a night with her aunt & uncle in Proctor!