Vermont is supposed to be a gentler stretch of the Appalachian Trail — a green warm-up before the brutal climbs of New Hampshire and Maine. For one thru-hiking group, it turned into anything but. Slow miles, relentless downpours and flooded trails earned the state a new nickname in their trail logs: not VerMud, but RiverMont.

The trouble started south of the state line, where the AT shares its route with Vermont's Long Trail. Motivation dipped, rain hammered down, and the group's self-imposed deadline to reach Katahdin in Maine began to look shaky. One hiker, Singe, had a job start date creeping up fast, adding pressure to push bigger days. That pace accidentally left their friend Loon — who had stepped off the trail for a wedding — about 60 miles behind them. A stressful hotel stay at the Catamount Motel in Burlington followed, hikers huddled together while downtown streets flooded and cold rain (plus a little hail) soaked anyone unlucky enough to be waiting for a shuttle.

The turnaround came by phone. Singe's future employer agreed to push back her start date, and Loon decided to leapfrog ahead so the trio could finish together. Suddenly, the whole mood lifted. The Burlington zero day turned into pizza, yoga with a crowd of hikers, movies in a motel room, and postcards handed to a southbounder to deliver northbound — small rituals that make the trail's community as much a draw as the terrain itself.

Better moments followed. The writer's dad flew into Albany and showed up with trail magic, then came back the next morning to hike the full 21.7 miles over Stratton Mountain — complete with a 10am maple ice cream stop at the ski village and the three-quarters-of-the-trail milestone marker. Earlier, the group had survived the scariest river crossing of their hike, swollen by rain, crossing one at a time with friends cheering from the far bank. Later highlights included Clarendon Gorge, a packed night in Clarendon Shelter sharing space with summer camp kids, and a sleety stretch toward Killington they pointedly labelled Kill.

For anyone dreaming of a thru-hike or a section of the AT in Vermont, this is a useful reality check. The state looks easy on the map, but rain can turn its beaver bogs and stone staircases into slow, sloppy miles. Build weather buffer into your schedule, keep your group's paces in sync before someone steps off trail, and expect the logistics — shuttles, motels, resupply — to matter as much as your legs. It's also a reminder of why people hike this thing at all: strangers sharing shelters, employers granting extensions, dads grilling chicken after 21 miles. The scenery is the backdrop; the people are the story.

Full story and photos from the writer's hike via The Trek.