[at-l] Long Trail Festival

[Eddy]

Jan
   
  thanks for your report. I am still kicking myself for not going but Canada was fun also.
   
  Eddy

Jan Leitschuh <janl2 at mindspring.com> wrote:
  

>This is really not a report about the Long Trail Festival. Others have already
>given their impressions and we await a report from Ms. Jan herself. 

Report about the Long Trail Festival
by
Jan "LiteShoe" Leitschuh

"The Ordinary Adventurer"
http://www.funfreedom.com

Or, How I spent My Summer Vacation


Well, okay, here it is,
in sketches, from my POV:

I just got home late last night, after a 1900-mile round trip journey that included two PA stops at the home of my '03 hiking buddy Itchyfoot and his wife Lupe. It was good to see them. Even without the beard, Itchy is still the same. I tried to talk him into coming to the Gathering in October, and I think he will hike the Long Trail next year with our '03-broken-wristed friend "Just Do It."

I stayed at the large, lovely, rambling home of LT Festival organizers Kathy (Ma Buddha) and Wayne (Madhatter '04) Krevetski. I'd hiked with their son Buddha in '03, and Buddha still looks like a hiker, having taken up trail running. Despite Ma Buddha's great chocolate chip cookies with Real Vermont Butter. It was great to reconnect with them all.

The State Fairgrounds couldn't have been nicer, with spacious grounds, facilities including showers, and those mountains looking on the horizon. Marty Fors (Rusty) tracked me down on Friday afternoon and drug me out to a very tasty fish and chips, as well as fulfilling an AT summit promise of a glass of wine. We had a lovely supper chatting about subjects far and wide.

The August heat turned October-ish, with nights in the 40s and 50s, a bit of breeze and a little damp. The sun generally came out by noon and warmed things up. There were 15 bands/acts, and a campground for hikers near the railroad trax, also RV camping. Gabby Art Cloutman and Old Ridge Runner camped here, along with many others, some of whom were thru-hikers or E2E-ers in progress. 

Grey Owl and the lovely Tricia found me near the campgrounds. Grey Owl handed me a phone and said "Here, talk to Felix..." So I did. Funny how Felix turns up everywhere. My arm was itching too.

Saturday I sold a few books, shared lots of hugs, laughed A LOT (got a face-ache, at one point), gave a talk and ate ice cream (with maple syrup, natch) and came home with lots of cheese. 
A local food co-op/bookstore traded me retail for retail for six books, so I loaded up on the real Vermont maple syrup (hey! I'm a tourist!) and smoked cheddar. 
(Mmmm, I think I'll go cut myself off a hunk right now and broil it with a fresh garden tomato on an English muffin... )

About a thousand people wandered in and out of the Festival. Besides the hikers, there was significant interaction with the town. I was surprised how many Rutlanders I spoke with were unfamiliar with their lovely AT/Long Trail asset. Ah, well they know a little more about it now. The brand-new Festival was a hit, and will certainly be repeated. Folks strung out chairs and blankets and sleeping bags to listen to the bands and storytellers, despite the evening chill.

Saturday, I saw Teej and his amazingly bright and well-spoken son Flash, formerly Moose. They had tackled Mount Mansfield, Vermont's hgh point, that morning and declared it freezing and foggy. 

So we were were lucky when six of us tackled the mountain on Sunday about noon-ish and watched the cloud ceiling lift. Though quite windy and buffeting on the Lips, by the time we got to Mansfield's Chin the winds had died and the sun came out. I was able to give some backpackers some cheese, which only seemed fair since five years ago that day someone had given Clyde and me some cheese up on that very spot. Karma resolved.

At one point in our little group of six, someone pointed out that there were five AT thru-hikers standing atop Mansfield - with at least twelve 2,000-mile patches between us. They were Cindy "Mrs. Gorp" Miller, Stumpknocker, who Mrs. G rescued from Maine and tendonitis, Art "Gabby" Cloutman, me and Blue Jay.

It was a fun day and I ate ice cream again. With more maple syrup.
Good times. Glad I went. The Krevetskis have every reason to be proud of their creation.
I expect the LT Festival to grow. Rutland reminds me of Asheville 15 years ago.

Jan



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