As the second hitch comes around, we find our heroes preparing for a week in the field. Captain Price and Skipper Kimball, assisted by the henchman Perez, have many tasks to complete on this first day. They buzz around preparing the gear and making the shopping list, while Perez makes the maps. The day ends with an epic and successful shopping trip.
On the second day of Hitch two, the heroes and henchman find themselves bravely pursuing TrACS on Corridor 7, the infamous snowmobile trail. People shake in their boots at the very name. This day and the next blend into a blur of endless walking through trees, clearings, and chest-high grass, with no end in sight, yet they manage to survey and survive these tortures. Even the bridges ended up in their paperwork.
The fourth day of the hitch will always remain like a scar in the heroes’ memory. This day they set off without their henchman, and pushed through an arduous task. On this one day, they completed over 11 miles of the trail. Some may ask how such a heroic and thorny deed was done, but we laugh at those who doubt. Plus the Forest Service only needed distance for this section of the trail. None the less, the heroes’ names will be remembered for such a deed (possibly?).
The fifth day was a lot easier than the second, third and fourth. The heroes only had two miles of TrACS to complete. Then the rest of the day was spent in the office, revamping plans for the rest of hitch two.
On the sixth day, tragedy hit. Everybody saw it coming, but unavoidable it was. Like a storm brewing on the horizon, almost. More like a storm brewing on the other side of the mountain ridge. After hiking up treacherous terrain, the heroes heard the noise in the distance. Like the rumbling of GODS! So they pulled together the courage of heroes, and hid in the woods. As the storm got closer, the sky got angrier, and the thunder started to shake the marrow of their very bones. Then the flashes of lightning came, changing the essence of the sky from anger to rage. As the weather continued, and would not let up, the brave heroes did the most heroic thing they could, and fled the mountain like a rabbit flees from dogs. Luckily the thoughtful henchman was waiting at the bottom with hot chocolate and donuts.
The seventh day was more peaceful then the six. Instead of going back to Corridor 7, the heroes decided to do the TrACS on Cemetery Run, which is a nicer trail than the name implies and our heroes did not come upon a cemetery. This day the henchman Perez was with the heroes, helping out like only he can. This short trail went quickly, and then the heroes courageously washed the work truck, and packed away gear from the past week. This concludes the Heroic deeds done during Hitch 2, but please don’t skip out on the vital information below…
The eighth day of Hitch two was spent learning about the invasive plants found in Vermont. We were taught by the Green Mountain National Forest’s Botanist. She was very knowledgeable, and along with telling us how to spot these intruders, we were also taught what to do if we do spot them.
P.S. In all seriousness the sixth day of Hitch 2 made me think back to a program I did last summer called Adventure WV. It is an optional program that West Virginia University puts on for incoming freshman that can be taken instead of an introduction to college class. During Adventure WV, we had an hour of reflection to think about our goals for our freshman year of college. This took place on a ledge overlooking Canaan Valley, WV. I spent my time under a pine tree. As I was sitting under the pine tree during the thunderstorm this hitch, I thought about how much I had done during the last year. I found the perfect major for me, figured out what kind of job I wanted to do, and even ended up traveling all over the country to do conservation and trail projects through the SCA. This makes it impossible for me to imagine how much more I will accomplish in the next year’s time, and where I might find myself at the end of it.
Hitch 2 Totals
Trails TrACS’d: 130946 ft
Additional Trails Hiked: 35233 ft