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.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Forrester's Trail and Frank Post Trail Day Hike




On Saturday, May 1, i took my first hike of the season. About one month ago I was named the new President of Northwest Florida State College. I begin my duties on June 21 so I have a short window during which to complete the hikes that constitute the Vermont Long Trail and the Official Side Trails. By my calculation i have 5-6 hikes to take over the next 6 weeks, weather permitting.

This day I am climbing Belvidere Mountain via Forrester's Trail. I arrive at the trailhead of the Frank Post Trail (1,380 ft above sea level) near Eden, VT. at about noon. It is cool and I wear long pants and a long sleeve hiking shirt. I hike a short 0.6 miles up a gradual ascent on a snowmobile trail to the Intersection with the Forester's Trail (1,480 ft).

I turn Southwest onto Forrester's trail and ascend gradually, crossing Lockwood Brook and several other small streams for about 1.5 miles until I reach snow. It is the start of May and I had hoped the mountain would be free of snow fall. I work my way through increasingly, deep snow banks with the worst ones coming in at about mid-thigh. I carefully try to follow the blue blazes as the trail is obscured by the snow. It takes 20-30 minutes to climb another 2-3 tenths of a mile when I lose the blue markers and decide I must retreat.

I figure I am within a few hundred yards of the LT but do not wish to get lost on a mountain in the snow. I descend through the snow much faster than I went up and, in short order, return to the Frank Post Trail intersection. The Forrester's Trail climbs the north face of Belvidere Mountain (3,360 ft) and I'm hopeful that it is just the north face that is snow-covered so I now turn Northwest and try my hand at the Frank Post Trail.

This trail is an easier climb and has much less snow and no ice. After 1.4 miles of climbing steadily, I suddenly round a corner and am at Tillotson Camp (sleeps 8, built 1936, 2,560 ft). The view is to the south from the cabin and I pause briefly to soak it in and then begin my descent.

I make good time hiking the 2.1 miles back down to my car and recross several picturesque streams and water slides on the way down. I arrive back at my car at about 4:00 pm having hiked just over 7 miles in about four hours.
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