Sunday, September 22nd, 2019
I was super tired in the morning. There had been too much excitement involving bar brawls, drunk people yelling in the streets, and police action outside of my bedroom window overnight. I still managed to get up and meet the other for free hiker breakfast, which involved eggs instead of granola this time. We had more, interesting conversation over breakfast and we’d hang around the hostel until the Deli itself opened. It had been closed for their sabbath celebration and the guys had been waiting for days to get one of their Deli Rose sandwiches before we return to our hike. I’d get the chili instead, which was on point!
I hadn’t slept in days, it would have been a late start, and we weren’t exactly feeling up to it, so we postponed our hike and decided to have a zero day. It was official. We were stuck in the Rutland vortex. Unlike the guys, I needed to be back home by a certain time, so I was hesitant. I crunched some numbers in my head, and although it would be cutting it close, it was completely doable. I also recollected that the terrain ahead, which we had hiked through in 2017, was more leisurely than what had just been through. I complied. I was more or less concerned with the long hitch back to Maryland from Massachusetts since none of us knew how long that would take us.
We browsed through the Price Chopper grocery store to see what our resupply might be for the hike ahead. Then we went to a local bar called Two Shea’s, which was just a short walk down the street, to watch football while Middle Brother drank some beers. Frisbee and I were drinkers the last time we passed through the doors of Two Shea’s, but this time it was only water and coffee drinks for us. We chatted with the guy sitting next to me who was having a mini-dilemma. He was trying to take the bus home to Burlington, and the website for the bus line he was using mentioned he was required to have a print out of his ticket in order to travel with them. We laughed at the thought. We told him, in the digital age we live in today, he likely wouldn’t have any issues, especially if the bus was through the Greyhound system. From what I’ve experienced, you really only need a pulse to ride the Greyhound, and if you don’t have a pulse, I’m sure they’d make the exception anyway.
While on a coffee run, we ran back into Wit who joined us at the bar. He was a self-professed “lightweight” drinker and it showed, however the three of us were absolutely amused by his change in character. Wit has us entertained all the way back to the Yellow Deli where we got a second round of food. My appetite was suppressed, probably from all of the caffeine, but I forced down a delicious bowl of their chili while Wit giggled in the corner.
We returned to Price Chopper to buy our resupply and tried to encourage Wit to hike with us. In his drunken state, he seemed fairly persuaded to hike back where he came from with us, but would change his mind once he sobered up. Frisbee and I returned to Two Shea’s briefly with Middle Brother to watch more football. I was tired, so I left to make one last attempt at sleep. It was a Sunday night, so I was anticipating a quiet night. Luckily, I was right.
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Stubbs Rambles On 