We woke up at 6 am and it hasn't rained yet so we were pretty excited and ready to hike. About 6:30, however, the rain began to fall. The three hikers were going into town for a resupply and the father and son were getting picked up on Thursday so they were hiking on. We were undecided and started off down trail at 7:45. As we walked up another ski slope the rain got heavier and soaked us quickly. It wasn't even a question after checking the radar and seeing rain forecasted all day that we would try to hitch into town!
We stood at Middlebury Gap for 40 minutes trying to hitch - it was about 55 degrees and pouring rain the entire time! We had decided to take a ride in either direction and eventually a woman stopped and offered to take us down to Middlebury, 13 miles away. She dropped us at a food co-op and we had coffee and bagels before trying to find some place to stay. Unfortunately, Middlebury is quite an expensive place with even cheap rooms running $99 a night and up. We found a place on the other side of the gap with rooms much cheaper and decided to head back up and over the mountain.
A hiker in the Long Trail Facebook group helped us out by giving us a ride over the mountain. It would have been incredibly tough to hitch in the pouring rain. He brought us to The Gather Inn, run by Kathleen, and we have been very happy to be clean and dry! We watched her feed her chickens and ducks, met her sweet cats, and went to a local hotel for dinner. Hancock is a small and quiet little town on route 100 and we are so happy it's here!
We will head back out to the trail in the morning. The temperatures are supposed to warm back up and we are hoping for clearer skies!
The Gathering Inn
Chickens!
The best meatloaf dinner I've ever had was at this old hotel!