We only thought we were in shape!

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Hiking around our home in Dallas was flat.  We found out the hard way that it didn't really test our stamina when we took some hikes around Rutland, Vermont.  The hiking shoes we bought in Austin sure came in handy.  Four hikes in four days!

Hiking to the top of Killington Mountain was an experience we will never forget.  We originally had planned to take the gondola ride to the top, but unfortunately, it's not open this time of year.  So, hiking it was!  I (Donna) am afraid of heights, so the higher we went, the more nervous I became.  I did it though!  The trail (which was not well marked) was rated a moderate - heck, no!  We went up more than 1500 feet over the course of our nearly two mile trek.  Some parts were only steep and others were crazy steep!  We calculated the incline to be an average of 15%.  That's rise (1,500 feet) over run (10,000 feet) for those of you who are interested.  Coming down was just as hard, trying not to run down the decline.  To top it off, we took the long way down.  Don and I had a difference of opinion as to where our car was parked.  We got lost for a little bit.  I finally convinced Don of the actual location of our car and we made it back.  Two miles to go up the mountain and three to go down.

We met a really nice couple (a surgeon and a pharmacist) on the trek up the mountain who are thinking about doing the same thing as us.  They are seriously considering quitting their regular jobs to travel around the country with their young children in an RV.  They will find work as needed.  We have now met several couples wanting to do the same thing.  Wow!

Snow in June!

Views from the top!





We also took a hike on part of the Appalachian Trail.  How cool is that!  We would have gone the whole way but we weren't at a trailhead.  The hike was steep, but not as steep as Killington.





We also hiked Pine Hill Park twice.  While it had inclines too, the park was a piece of cake compared to the other two.  One of the paths was named Voldemort (the evil wizard from Harry Potter).  Of course, we had to take that path.....


I (Donna) conquered my fear of walking on a suspension bridge!




While parked on Killington Mountain, the windshield chip that we just had fixed in New York became a huge crack.  And that means another stop at Safelite to get the windshield replaced.  That won't happen for another 10 days when we are in Augusta, Maine.

Our time in Rutland is over and we're on to Burlington with stops in Montpelier (the state capitol) and Waterbury (home of Ben and Jerry's ice cream).








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