Saturday, August 22nd (day 10) Since we pulled longer miles in previous days, we only had 2.5 miles to get into town. That's pretty much a day off, and was well needed and deserved. We are staying at the Inn at Long Trail in Killington. After a good nights sleep, a little bit of a sleeping in, and coffee in the morning, we were in town by 9:30. Zippy and I both received a mail drop at the hotel with our food for the next 5 days. We also packed up a few things we decided we don't need, and took a bus to the post office to mail home. We showered, did laundry, and relaxed for the rest of the day. It's easy to miss loved ones at home when we have the whole day to relax. The hotel has a restaurant where we had lunch and dinner.

The mountain right behind the hotel is what we will be climbing first thing in the morning. At this point, the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail split off, and we will no longer be hiking with AT hikers. It will also be trail that is all new to me and Zippy. From this point on, the trail also becomes more difficult and rugged, but I think we are ready for it. We will have a little extra food with us in case it takes longer to complete as expected.
We saw Pringles today as we were checking in and he was checking out of the hotel. This will be our last meeting, since he is hiking the AT.

The Irish pub downstairs has live music, which we enjoyed during dinner. Even more entertaining was the little boy playing his own tiny guitar for his even littler brother.

We will cherish our comfy room tonight. We have a long day tomorrow.