Welcome to my Blog

This is the first time I have ever blogged so mistakes will likely be the order of the day! This past winter I committed myself to hiking the Vermont Long Trail (LT) in a series of day and overnight hikes over the course of hopefully no more than two summers. I have decided to create a blog to document my adventures and to provide a chance for any photos I take to be viewed by anyone interested in hiking in general or the LT specifically. I am a novice hiker whose prior experience basically consists of earning the hiking merit badge as a 12 year old. My father and I took five 10-mile hikes and one 20-mile hike as a part of earning the badge in 1974. Since that time I have hiked occasionally but never seriously. I was a long distance runner for many years and am in better than typical shape though in recent years my focus has been on weight lifting more than on endurance activity. I expect the trek to be challenging but manageable.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Cooley Glen and Battell Trail Day Hike



On Sunday, October 18, 2008 I was able to slip out for a day hike. I arrive at the trailhead of Cooley Glen Trail on a beautiful cloudless day of 40 degrees at 11:30 am. This 6.5 mile up and back side trail climbs Mount Cleveland from its western side. The trailhead is at 1,520 feet above sea level.

The trail follows a very pretty stream called the New Haven River. It was flowing about twice as strong as most of the streams I've hiked along, so I guess that qualifies it as a river. After 0.4 miles I cross a bridge to the north side of the stream. I pause and put on my jacket and gloves as it is cool and getting cooler as I start the ascent.

In short order I am removing my jacket and gloves as I start to sweat from the climb. In addition to the main stream, I cross several small tributaries along the way. I make the 3.25 ascent rapidly given that I climb to 3,130 feet and I reach Cooley Glen Shelter at about 1:00 pm. The climb down goes rapidly and I arrive at my vehicle at 2:00 pm having covered 6.5 miles in 2.5 hours - a very respectable pace given the leaves covering the trail.

I then drive about 20 minutes to the Trailhead of the Battell Trail, a 4.0 mile up and back trail that leads to the Battell Shelter just 600 ft from the summit of Mt. Abraham. The trail looks steep on the map but I decide I can handle a 2.0 mile climb. I start out at 2:30 pm. There are few flat sections on this trail and I am hoping as I climb that I am moving at about 1.5 miles per hour. There are no rivers or roads along the way that are marked on the map so I can't tell how fast I'm progressing. I stop briefly several times to wipe away the sweat from my eyes even though the temperature hovers around 40 degrees. Just when I figure I have 30 minutes more to go, I round a turn and there is the long trail. I have climbed 2.0 miles in one hour and 3 minutes! The climb down goes slowly compared to the last trail as the route is steep and leaves have fallen everywhere. I actually slip and fall at one point but my hiking staff helps break the fall and it is more of a tumble - wounding only my pride. I make it back to the car in 50 minutes and so it is just shy of 4:30 as I head for home. I have climbed from 1,473 feet to 3,249 feet and back over 4.0 miles in less than 2.0 hours.

Today's hikes total over 10 miles and have been fast and fun!
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