National Lampoon's AT Vacation

Hey again, party people. Just thought I'd give you the scoop on the conclusion to our massive trail detour through Vermont.

After spending about a day wandering through town (with one very uncomfortable night sleeping in the back of the car) we figured we had soaked up all Burlington had to offer. We didn't have to be back in Rutland until Monday, we had a car completely at our disposal, a road map of this wonderful tiny state, and nothing else holding us back. So of course we did what any respectable adventure-seeker would do - we drove to Canada. Neither of us had ever been and it was only 40-50 miles away, so why on Earth wouldn't we? Getting in with merely a driver's license was a piece of cake. We drove up the road through the majestic cornfields of Quebec (who knew?) until we hit a convenience store. I awkwardly bought a soda (Dr. Pepper even!) and ice cream from the French-speaking locals and then sat and soaked up the fact that I was actually sitting in a different country, with all the serendipitous events that occured to bring me there. Reentering our homeland, we encountered a little bit of grief (not having passports and all), but still made it through with no major incident.

We still had nothing else to do but drive into the sunset, so we set a course south, stopping for a hot second in the capital, Montpelier. Now I've been to the capital of Vermont. Having hit pretty much all significant points of the state, we figured we might as well set up a base camp in Rutland - our ultimate destination - so we drove on into town two nights ago, and yesterday spent yet another day driving and wandering and driving and eating and roaming and certainly not hiking.

Today is finally Monday. We've picked up our packages, run our errands, and again have to come to grips with the idea of hiking. Maybe. Who knows where the winds will blow us? Or what cars will drive us? I can honestly say, though, that when it finally does come down to hiking again, I will be ready, merely for the sake of finally getting it over with. It's been five months on the trail now and the end is actually in sight, so I'm raring to get there. From what I hear, this last bit through New Hampshire and Maine is more than worth the all the boredom and struggle that has preceded it, so I'm also anxious to get out of Vermont and see how spectacular it really is.

Anywho, that's all the news that's fit to print right now. We're working on finding our way out of Rutland (one way or another), so who knows when or where our next destination will be. Tune in next time for another wacky Twinkletoes Tale from the Trail!