Our group’s desire to hike Mt. Hunger, was not about to be squelched by the prospect of rain/snow/sleet/hail, and nor were our spirits. After initial introductions and the essential 9 a.m. cookie brunch, the group set off up the initially muddy Waterbury Trail. About 100 yards into the hike, the trail became a packed down mixture of ice and hard snow. Most acquiesced to the need for strapping on our microspikes. At that point, tiny hard snow pellets began to fall. We all laughed and were grateful that it was not rain.

We bounced up the trail, shedding winter hats and jackets and replacing with rain jackets and rain hats. Though it was not raining, the snow was soaking us to the bone. With hopeful thoughts of possibly seeing a view from the summit we moved steadily with only a few stops for changing our attire. We enjoyed conversations about trips to Peru, our jobs that we love and jobs that we …don’t love, dreams of trips we want to take and dream trips that we have taken.

At the summit, the wind whipped our soaking wet bodies as we huddled for a group picture. In the background the clouds parted enough for us to see Sugarbush Ski Resort in the distance. As quickly as the sky opened, the views disappeared. After appreciating the views, we fiddled with cameras as we desperately tried to set the automatic timer. With success, we snapped a picture and quickly made our way back down the trail. With a quick stop for some lunch and the remainder of the cookies, we made our way back to the trailhead. We were wet, muddy, and bloody, but were in good enough spirits for most of us to go grab a beer afterwards.

A special applause goes out to Scarlet, as she is 13 years old (91 in human years), and managed up a tough scramble and one of the steepest trails in Vermont. We are inspired by your perseverance Scarlet!

Participants: Phil Hazen, Kathy Adams, Jeff Wehrein, Dave Meatyard and his dog Liam, Wesley Volk, Audrey Winograd, Kurt Mehta and their dogs Scarlet and Felix, Larry Gagne, Mary Keenan, Darryl Smith.