Long Trail Hikers Find Respite at White Horse Lodge
Thru-hikers on the Long Trail take a zero day at a Vermont lodge, focusing on gear replacement and consuming a massive food resupply after a tough week on
Exhausted hikers on the Long Trail have paused their journey for a multi-day rest at the White Horse Lodge near Appalachian Gap. The group, which includes the narrator, a hiker called The Historian, and another named Rock Rabbit, secured an upgraded room with a kitchen after a last-minute weather escape from the mountains.
Innkeepers Mike and Dana collected the hikers from the trail and facilitated a major resupply. They provided transport to a grocery store for a large shopping run and promised a later trip to an outfitter for stove fuel. The hikers were initially shocked by the volume of food they purchased, which filled their refrigerator, but a careful menu inspection suggested they could consume it all.
Gear Replacement and Repairs
A critical task for the zero day was replacing worn-out equipment. The Historian’s boots were chewed up after 660 miles on the Appalachian Trail and 164 miles on the Long Trail. His replacement pair was waiting at the lodge.
The narrator’s trail shoes, which had less than 10 miles on them at the start of the journey, also needed replacing. Both hikers required new trekking poles for their right sides, as the metal spikes had been worn down to the plastic by the trail. The narrator also replaced a worn-out kula, a type of cloth.
The Feeding Frenzy
With a kitchen at their disposal, the hikers embarked on a sustained eating effort. Their first meal in residence featured sautéed hamburger patties, a salad of greens, mozzarella, and tomatoes, chimichurri sauce, and olive bread. They also opened a bottle of wine named “Do Epic S**t” as a joke.
Breakfast the next morning consisted of bacon and eggs cooked sunny-side up by Rock Rabbit, accompanied by biscuit-like bread made from pancake mix. A lunch of salad greens, raw vegetables, and yogurt followed a morning of chores, which included sealing boots and organizing resupply boxes.
Dinner featured organic lamb chops found on sale, served with broccoli and new potatoes. The narrator expressed disbelief at being ready to eat again so soon after lunch.
Recovery and Gratitude
The break revealed the group's deep fatigue from their hard push on the trail. Rock Rabbit napped intermittently throughout the day, while The Historian mixed laundry duties with rest. Everyone assisted with trip documentation.
As the day ended, the hikers stayed up past what they call "hiker midnight", 9:30 p.m. Their overwhelming feeling was one of gratitude for the lodge and the kindness of its owners. That sense of thankfulness carried them to sleep.
