On Sunday, October 12, 2008, my work schedule and the weather cooperated and allowed me to take what will probably be my last overnight hike of the year. I start at Lincoln Gap (2,424 ft. above sea level) at 11:10 am under beatifully clear skies and 50 degrees. I immediately began a steep climb up Mount Abraham. After 1.8 miles I arrive at Battell Shelter (built 1967, sleeps eight, 3,240 ft.) As I approach the peak (4,006 ft.) I must scramble up several rock ledges that would be much more difficult if they were wet and slippery. Along the way I pass about 20 hikers as it is a holiday weekend and many want to climb Mt. Abraham.
The view from the top is awesome and I take four pictures. To the west I capture the Adirondacks of New York, to the north the Green Mountains, to the east the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and to the south towards Killington Mountain.
Mt. Abraham is one of the five mountains in VT that exceed 4,000 ft and boasts alpine vegitation at its summit, one of only three alpine mountains in Vermont.
I descend steeply from the summit, cross a sag, and ascend Little Abe to Lincoln Peak (3,975 ft.) The view east is dramatic and I take a pictures here as well. 
I descend to the Castle Rock chairlift where I take a photo to the east and then begin the climb up Mt. Ellen. I climb to Cutts Peak after 5.9 miles, then descend sharply and climb again to the wooded summit of Mount Ellen which is tied with Camel's Hump as the third highest peak in Vt at 4,083 ft. 
Just past the summit I arrive at the Sugarbush North Summit Chairlift and take a picture to the east. I follow a ski trail for a few hundred feet before reentering the woods and descending steeply.
I wind back and forth down the ridge and pass several limited lookouts. I continue to descend and reach the LT intersection with the Jerusalem Trail (a trail I hiked last year with my motivation for hiking, Charlie Castelli, who, by the way, finished hiking both the LT and all of the side trails this summer).
Just past the intersection I come to Orvis Lookout (3,430 ft) and take a westerly photo that shows the Champlain Valley, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks further west.
I now climb steadily to the peak of General Stark Mountain (3,662 ft) continue along a ridge and reach Stark's Nest, the warming hut for the Mad River Glen Ski Slope.
At this location I meet several other day hikers, I ask them if there is a water source at the shelter I plan to spend the night at. They tell me that it is not likely. Fortunately it has been cool today and I have not sweated as much as usual. I've only consumed about half my water supply but would like to be able to drink up tonight. I cross my fingers and press ahead. I begin a steep descent and cross into Camel's Hump State Park. At one point the drop is so steep I must climb down a ladder that proves to be easy in spite of wearing a 40 pound pack on my back. 
After 9.7 miles I arrive at my goal for the day, the Theron Dean shelter (built 1966, sleeps 5, 3,320 ft) I have to take my pack off and hand it up over a five foot rock and then scale the rock to get to the shelter that is just off the trail. The shelter is a bit dissapointing - small and leaning - but luckily I am the only one there. Thirty feet in front of the shelter is a great view and I sit and eat my dinner (trail mix and a banana) looking out over the Mad River Valley. I take two pictures as the daylight wanes. I find one small trickle of water near the shelter, but it looks clean and I pump enough to fill my pack and allow me to drink all I want as night approaches. 
I bed down at 6:30 pm and spend a comfortable night snuggled in my sleeping bag. My guess is that the temperature dropped into the upper 30's but I was plenty warm.
I get up at 7:00 am to break camp having had only one small foot cramp during the night. Twelve and a half hours in the sack leaves me feeling pretty good as I pack up. I eat a blueberry bagel and drink a can of Mountain Dew. I packed in the can with the hope that it would give me an extra burst of energy. I move out onto the LT at 7:40 am. The morning has broken warmer than yesterday but it is still in the low 60's by my estimate. I take an alternate route called Dean's Pass through a cave that leads back up to the shelter. The squeeze is tight so I leave my pack on the trail while I work my way through the small opening. I pass back by the shelter and return to the LT and put on my pack. Today's hike will be about six miles consisting of a steep decline of about 1,000 feet followed by a steep climb of about 750 feet and ending with a descent of about 1,600 ft.
As I start the descent, I work my way down a ledge that looks dramatic when I turn back, look up and take this photo. The descent continues to be steep as I work my way down to Highway 17 at Appalachian Gap or "App Gap" as it is commonly called (2,377 ft). Once again I climb down a ladder in order to descend a particularly steep rock face.
I cross the highway and begin the slog up Baby Stark Mountain (2,863 ft) passing a spur that leads to another lookout over the Mad River Valley. I drop to a brook and check my water supply. I decide that I have enough water to get me through the hike and forego pumping more. I now climb Molly Stark Mountain (2,967 ft). I assume that General Stark, Baby Stark, and Molly Stark were at one time a family and so I feel I have summited a "family of mountains" on this trip. Who knows, maybe even Mt. Ellen is related to the Starks in some way.
Just past the peak of Molly Stark I come to Molly Stark's Balcony which offers my final vista of this hike, a northeastern view of the Worcester Range. I continue to descend and arrive at the Birch Glen Shelter at the intersection of the LT with Beane Trail(built 1930, renovated in 1999, sleeps 12 with a front "living room", 2,020 ft). 
This is one of the nicest shelters I've seen and I rest for about 15 minutes in the front area of the shelter. When I put my pack back on I spend about five minutes trying to find Beane Trail. There are often so many little trails around these shelters that finding the right one can be a bit tricky. 
But a little patience pays off and I'm soon on my way downhill. The going is quite pleasant and with 0.4 miles to go I emerge on a private road that takes me to the trailhead and my car.I have walked about 16 miles over two days over the most demanding terrain yet. However, by shortening the distance (my past few overnights have been in the 22-28 mile range) I feel quite good upon reaching my car and have no problems with cramping or excessive soreness. I believe the trick to enjoying this hiking stuff is to keep the distance reasonable and, for me, that is no more than 20 miles on an overnight hike.
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