Hiking Vermont

Stage 22 - The End of the LT and Journey's End Trail

2010-06-09T14:16:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, June 8, 2010 I simultaneously finish both the Long Trail and all the recognized side trails. I am the 9th person in 2010 and the 3,813 person to ever officially finish the LT and I am the 2nd person this year and only the 12th ever to officially finish all of the side trails.

I arrive at VT 105 and the LT (2,150 ft above sea level) at 10:00 am. Kim drops me off and I immediately begin a short ascent of Carleton Mountain. As I round the second turn in the trail, not 200 yards in, I almost step on the snake pictured to the right. He refuses to move so I pick him up with my hiking staff and place him off the trail to continue.

The climb up Carleton Mountain (2,670 ft) is a short 1.2 miles and I fairly jog up with eagerness to finally finish the Long Trail. There is ashort spur off the trail to a ledge that affords a view to the south over the trail I have come these past 270 miles. That picture is to the left.

The descent is also quite pleasant, a mere 1.4 miles to the Canadian border. Less than a quarter mile down a clearing opens up and I'm able to take a picture of Canada to the north (picture above). I make even better time down the mountain than up and arrive at the northern terminus of the LT after a total of 2.6 miles hiked in 70 minutes. I climb a rock about 20 yards past the sign pictured at the top center of this post and I take the photo to the right of Canada. I also take a shot of a survey marker in the Center of the rock I climb.

I then begin my search for the US/Canada sign post. I wander around some indiscriminate bushwhacked trails searching for the post and just about give up thinking that the little marker on the rock must be all there is when I decide to climb the rock again. I climb down the other side and see the post. I imagine a number of hikers have come all this way and not seen it. It says "Treaty of Washington" on one side and gives the date of the treaty on the other. Remember, you can click on a picture to see a larger image.

After killing about 5 minutes on the border, I decide not to seek asylum in Canada and begin my hike down the final side trail, appropriately called Journey's End Trail. A short but muddy 0.6 miles later I come to Journey's end Camp (1,720 ft, built 2003, sleeps 8). Just past the camp I arrive at a stream crossing that has a rope to help you climb the slanted rock on the other side. This is a new twist on stream crossing that i have not seen elsewhere on the trail.

Another 0.7 miles and I arrive at the trailhead where Kim is parked and waiting for me. It has taken me well under two hours to hike 4 miles and, aside from a muddy final mile, the hike has been pleasant. Kim takes a picture of me at the finish and, as I climb into the car to leave, it begins to rain.

We drive to Stowe, Vermont where the headquaters of the Green mountain Club are located. I deliver a hard copy of this entire blog and they certify me as a completer of both the end-to-end and the side-to-side requirements. They give me a couple of patches and certificates, congratulate me, sell me a t-shirt and a ball cap, and send me home to shower.

I recall a sign that was hand written over the inside door frame of the Journey's End Camp shelter that said "The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation". It is a quote from Walden by Henry David Thoreau (a book I have read twice and love). It occurs to me that this extended hike has been a good break for me, allowing me to disconnect from society for a while and enoy the outdoors, isolation, and exercise. In three days I will be moving to Florida to start a new job in the Panhandle. I commit to doing what I can to keep my efforts there from becoming anything close to "quiet desperation".

Finishing Up the Side Trails on Mount Mansfield

2010-06-01T11:30:00.016-04:00

On Memorial Day, 2010. My wife and I paid the $25 to drive up the toll road to the top of Mount Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vermont. We arrived at 9:45am with the intent to have Kim explore the top and perhaps read a book and enjoy the view, while I hike for three hours finishing up the side trails I have not yet done up top. As we approach the Visitor's Center a Trail Guide asks me my plans and I tell. She tells us I'd better plan on more than three hours to cover all I expect to do. I disregard her.

I leave Kim in a nice spot near the Long Trail and return to the TV road the find the start of the Amherst Trail. It takes a few minutes but I find it and am off. This trail is 0.3 miles long as is relatively easy. I reach the end and backtrack 0.2 miles track to the start of the Cliff Trail.

The Cliff trail is a tough 1.1 miles and the guidebook does not recommend it for backpackers because of the tight crevices you must pass through. It takes me 80 minutes to cover the trail making it the slowest mph I have made on any route to date. Along this trail I navigate three ladders and work my way through 3-4 very tight spots, not to mention a number of places where a fall would mean serious trouble.

I arrive at the LT winded but otherwise in good shape. I now hike 0.2 miles up Mt. Mansfield to the start of the Profanity Trail. I did this trail before but descend it for 0.5 miles to get to the Hell Brook Cutoff Trail. The descent is steep but manageable.

I Take the Hell Brook Cutoff Trail from just below Taft Lodge on the LT. This trail is 0.7 miles long and ends at the Hell Brook Trail. The path is narrow and there is one spot where I must sit on a wet slippery rock and slide about eight feet laterally to solid ground on the other side. If I slip I will likely slide down the rock for about 10 feet into an area that will be a challenge to climb out of. I do begin to slide downwards, but am able to slide at an angle and not descend to the bottom.

At Hell Brook Trail I turn up and climb 0.4 miles to the Adam's Apple Trail. along the way I realize the mathematical mistake I made to day. I had totaled up the number of minutes I expected each segment of today's hike to take and calculated it would take 295 minutes. When I stupidly converted this to hours, I came up with 3.0 hours instead of 5.0 hours. thus, I've left Kim on top of the mountain expecting me back two hours before I am going to actually get there. I'm tired and the climbing is tough, but I am a few minutes ahead of my 295 minute estimate at this time.

I ascend the Adam's Apple Trail 0.2 miles to its intersection with the LT. Along the way I reach Eagle Pass and look backwards to see the beautiful Lake of the Clouds. I soon reach the LT and turn north to descend 0.3 miles back to the intersection of the LT with Profanity trail, thus completing a 1.6 mile loop.

I now face a 0.5 mile climb back up the Profanity trail and I know it will be challenging. My right foot keeps wanting to cramp as I climb, but luckily it doesn't. It takes 32 minutes and four of those are one minute rest stops, but I make it to the top and back to the LT.

I retrace my LT steps from earlier today for about 0.3 miles until I come to the Subway. The subway is a short 0.3 mile trail that works its way beneath the west side of Mansfield. I'm tired and this makes the route a challenge. The photo to the left shows the final pass and climb I take up from the Subway. I return to the LT and continue south.

In short order I reach the Canyon North Extension. As soon as I start down the trail I realize I have hiked it before - last summer. Therefore, I return to the LT and work my way the last mile to where Kim is waiting for me in the car. It turns out she was not worried about even though I told her 3 hours and it took 4 hours and 45 minutes.

This will be my last hike on this mountain. It is a challenging mountains and most of the toughest hikes I have taken have been here.

One more hike and the whole event is finished!

Stage 21 - LT Day Hike from Rt.242 to VT. 105

2010-05-20T07:47:00.012-04:00

In spite of a less than favorable weather forecast, I decide to take my last "long hike" on the Long Trail on Wednesday, May 19, 2010. The weather is cool, upper 40's - low 50's, windy and wet. The forecast calls for light showers most of the day with winds up to 30 mph. I decide to go because I have three more hikes left to finish the LT and all of the side trails and I want to do it before June 10th.

Kim drops me off at the start of the hike at 9:30 am on Rt. 242 at the base of Jay Peak (2,220 ft. above sea level). As soon as I enter the woods I reach a day shelter that I did not photograph. It is not intended for overnight use and fires are not permitted there.
In short order, 0.1 miles, I come to the south end of the Jay Loop trail that leads 0.2 miles to Jay Camp (built 1958, sleeps 10, 2,350 ft). From there it is another 0.2 miles to the northern intersection of Jay Loop with the LT. I actually by-pass the Jay Loop trail at the start of the hike with the intention of driving back to it and covering it after I finish the rest of today's hike. That way, if the weather turns really nasty I'm that much closer to my car.

As I ascend Jay Peak it starts to drizzle but not so badly that I have to break out the rain gear. It is 1.7 miles to the peak and all of my running these past few months has really paid off as I make it with ease. At the top (3,858 ft.) I must manuver around some water pies and a fence, cross a ski trail, and continue to climb. At the very peak there is a ski-lift station and I take some stairs off the rocks and get on a ski trail for several hundered yards. The view from up here is non-existent given all of the cloud cover and the wind is whipping hard.

I am pleased to be heading off of the peak given the cold wind. It is 1.5 miles down to the Laura Windward Shelter (built 1956, sleeps six, 2,800 ft). The trip down is relatively easy, although there is still a fair amount of snow (3 feet in places) and I have to navigate the first ice of this year's hikes. The trail is very well marked, however, in this region.

I now undertake a 0.9 mile ascent of Doll Peak (3,409 ft). The climb is steady but smooth. I then proceed down and up 0.5 miles to an unnamed "peak" on North Jay Mountain. On the descent from North Jay I encounter a bit more snow but no ice. The northern side of the mountains are wet, slippery, and more likely to have snow until June I have found.

I now take a very pleasant 2.9 mile hike down North Jay to Shooting Star Shelter. The trail is soft, forgiving, and feels very good on my feet. I make excellent time down and arrive at the shelter feeling very positive as the misty rain has ceased for good it seems. The shelter (built 2001, sleeps six, 2,260 ft) is situated on a prominant rock outcropping that I find rather slippery to negotiate. I rest here for all of about three minutes before pushing on.

I climb steadily for 0.6 miles to the peak of Burnt Mountain and then descend 1.2 miles, again gently and speedily, to my parked car at VT 105 and the North Jay Pass. I have traveled 9.3 miles in five hours. Feeling good, I drive back to my starting point and hike the Jay Loop mentioned earlier, bringing my total mileage today to 10.2 miles.

Stage 20 - LT Day Hike from Belvidere to Hazen's Notch

2010-05-17T08:31:00.016-04:00

On Sunday, May 16, 2010, a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the 60's, I was able to check off another stage on the Long Trail. I begin on Vt 118 in Eden Crossing and head north from the LT trailhead (1,320 ft above sea level). I cross several brooks, one named Frying Pan Brook (picture above center) and begin to climb steadily up Belvidere Mountain. At 2.6 miles I intersect with Forrester's Trail.

I turn right onto Forrester's trail and continue 0.2 miles to the summit of Belvidere (3,200 ft). A fire tower is maintained on the summit and I climb halfway up to take photos. You can see in all directions but the wind is probably blowing 30 miles per hour so I choose not the climb to the top. The picture above right shows an old Asbestos mining operation on the northeast side of the mountain. The picture below left shows Jay Peak and Big Jay that I will climb on my next LT hike.

From the summit I back track to the LT and then take Forrester's trail down the mountain a ways to make up for my failed attempt to hike the trail to the summit two weeks ago when the snow was too deep. In a short couple of hundred yards I arrive at the spot where I abandoned the attempt before. I'm surprised how close I was to the LT. Now I can officially say I've hiked the entire Forrester's trail.

Once again it is back to the LT and a turn north to hike 2.8 miles to Tillotson Camp. I descend Belvidere and, in the valley below, I come to a picturesque Beaver Pond and pause to enjoy the view. I then begin the climb up Tillotson to the Camp (2,560 ft). I've been to the camp before from the Frank Post Trailhead.

I now have a 0.6 mile climb to Tillotson Peak (2,980 ft). From Tillotson Peak I have a 2.1 mile down and up hike to the east summitt of Haystack Mountain (3,180 ft). This mountain is deceiving. I hike to what I think is the peak and, as I crest the rise, discover a higher peak ahead. I do this four times before I reach the summit. It does not feel like a mere 2.1 miles when I get there. At the top there is a 0.2 side trail called Haystack Summit Trail that I climb even though it is not an official side trail of the LT (it should be).

From the view atop Haystack I descend steeply 1.9 miles to Hazen's Notch where my car is parked (2,040 ft). Being the north slope, it is wet and slippery from the recent snow melt and I pick my way carefully. Several times I sit and slide down a rock slide as I'm sure my boots won't hold on the wet angled rocks.

As I approach the Notch I pass a young family hiking up. Once again a foolish father has his infant child in a chest sling and is hiking up wet rocks. I almost say something about how risky it will be coming down, but don't. His wife and 2-3 year old daughter are behind him and the youngster tells her mom that I'm a "nature man" as I pass them. 50 yards later, and still thinking about the danger of hiking wet rocks with a baby strapped to you, I hit a slick spot and my feet fly out from under me. I land on my side and slide a few feet. I'm fine but my right side is soaked. I say a little prayer that the father doesn't meet the same fate.

I arrive at the Notch at just after 4:00 pm so I have hiked 11.2 miles in just over 6 hours. I take a photo of the cliffside were Peregrine Falcons nest and drive home to a great dinner my wife has fixed.

Stage 19 - LT Hike from VT. 58 to VT. 242

2010-05-06T14:30:00.008-04:00

On Tuesday, May 4, 2010 I am able to get away for a day hike on the Trail. i decide to skip the Belvidere Mountain section and give it another week for snow to melt. Over the weekend, 10 inches of snow fell in northern VT so I suspect there is still plenty of snow up on Belvidere. The section I'm doing today is north of Belvidere but is not at such a high elevation and I believe i should be free of most snow.

My wife, Kim, drops me off at the trailhead at 10:30 am on an overcast day that calls for scattered thunderstorms. I cross my fingers and take off. I enter the LT going north into Hazen's Notch (1,780 ft above sea level). The Notch is named for General Moses Hazen who built a military road from Peachem, VT to this point. The road was intended to reach Canada but was not completed. After just seven minutes on the hike I reach out to grab a small tree I must work around and I grab a spot with a broken branch that takes the skin off of the piece of meat between my thumb and forefinger of my right hand. It bleeds like a stuck pig for the next 10 minutes and makes it tough to grip my hiking staff for the rest of the hike. Over the next 1.4 miles I travel level ground and then ascend steadily over Sugarloaf Mountain. I then descend a short distance to a 0.1 spur leading west to Hazen's Notch Camp.

From Hazen's Notch Camp (sleeps 8, built 1948, 2,040 ft) I return to the LT and head north. I ascend steadily to a skyline view at Bruce Peak (2,900 ft.). From there I begin a down, then up, cycle taking me to the summit of Buchanan Mountain (2,940), Chet's Lookout (2,900 ft., see picture at right) and Domeys Dome (2,880 ft). Finally, I ascend Gilpin Mountain (2,940 ft) and begin the 0.8 mile descent to VT 242 (2,220 Ft.).

Along the way the sky threatens to dump a storm on me constantly, but the most I ever get is a 10 minute light sprinkle. I arrive at the car at about 2:30 pm having covered about 7.2 miles in four hours. I feel good at how strong I felt during the hike and about my prospects of finishing the LT before I leave for Florida.

Forrester's Trail and Frank Post Trail Day Hike

2010-05-06T14:03:00.010-04:00

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.

Hiking in Arizona - 1/13/2010

2010-01-18T12:40:00.019-05:00

On Tuesday, January 13, 2010 I found myself in Scottsdale, Arizona with time on my hands. I hiked 32 blocks (about 1.5 miles) south from the hotel to an LA Fitness Center where I did a 90 minute workout consisting of heavy squats, deadlifts, and calf raises. Following the workout I walked the 1.5 miles back to the hotel. I arrived back at about 12:30 local time.

I went to the conference registration for the afternoon only to find out that there really were no sessions for me to attend until an evening reception so I quicky decided to hike up Camelback Mountain. At 2:00 pm I had a cab take me to the far side of the mountain (north) and drop me off at the foot of the Echo Valley Trail. The literature claims this is a strenuous 1.5 mile hike from 1,100 ft above sea level - the valley floor - to 2,750 feet above sea level with panoramic views of the valley in all directions.

I arrive at the trailhead and realize I have forgotten to bring any water! The temperature is sunny and about 75 degrees and I'm used to Vermont weather so I know the hike is a no-go without water. Luckily, there is a water supply at the start of the trail and another hiker gives me an unused plastic water bottle I can fill and carry with me - trip saved!

I take my time as I am sore from the morning workout and work my way up the steep northern slope of the mountain. Numerous hikers pass me on the way down, and several pass me on their way up. At times the route is steep enough that they have erected fences to keep you from falling and rails to help you pull yourself up. Both detract from the beauty of the mountain and I would rather see them leave it natural.

I would compare the climb to a climb up Mt. Mansfield for its intensity and steepness. Of course the view is startlingly different. I arrive at the top and have a seat to look out over the valley. There are about 15 people or so up on the summit with me. There is another trail that leads down the south side of the mountain and I am told that it is 0.3 tenths of a mile longer than the climb up. I can also see from my perch that it comes out in the direction of my hotel so I figure I can see some new scenery and save $15 in cab fare by hiking back to the hotel.

The trip down is very steep for the first few tenths of a mile and then the trail becomes very easy to navigate. In the picture to the left you can see the easier section of the trail in the shadow side of the mountain as it works its way down. This trail is called the Cholla Trail.

The trail ends near a beautiful golf course and, just before I get to the course, an unusual bird steps onto the trail and hops to the other side. It then stops on a rock and looks out over the valley, paying no attention to me. I fish my camera out and get a shot of its backside. Later on I am told that this was a roadrunner and they are not really that common to see, as they tend to stay away from people - beep! beep!

The trail comes out in an exclusive neighborhood where all the homes cost more than $1 million and one in particular looks like a $20 million dollar home. I don't bother to take a picture of this massive home and am told later, at the hotel, that it is one of Clint Eastwood's homes. I decide not to hike back for a picture. The photo to the right shows Camelback Mountain from my endpoint of the hike.

I quickly find the route back to the hotel and discover that it is only 12 blocks away. This makes the total hike about 4.5 miles meaning I have hiked a total of 11.5 miles today plus done a 90 minute weightlifting workout. Needless to say, I stay sore through the weekend but it was worth it.

On Friday I have the afternoon free and I arrange to play a round of golf at McCormick Ranch about 3 miles from the hotel. I am able to rent clubs (a nice set of Pings) and can take the city bus to within two blocks of the course. They charge me for nine holes but then let me play as long as I want, so I end up playing 24 holes in four hours. I include photos of the course for those of you that like golf.

Stage 18 - LT Day Hike from Davis Neighborhood Trail to Rte.15/118

2009-10-12T11:28:00.023-04:00

On Sunday, October 11, 2009 my wife and I head out in the cars to drop me at the start of the Davis Neighborhood Trail. The weather looks ominous as we drive north. We drop the return car at Belvidere Pond on Rt. 15 in a steady drizzle with the temperature in the upper 30's. We drive south to the trailhead of the Davis Neighborhood Trail(1,200 ft). As we reach the trail the sun breaks through for the first time all day. It is to remain sunny my entire hike.

I drive partway up the trail (this is allowed) as the trail follows an old roadway. after about a half mile I decide it's getting too rough and turn around so Kim can drive out. I begin my hike at 11:00 am. It is a short 1 mile back up to Corliss Camp (1,900 ft) and I make excellent time as the trail is easy. I turn north on the Long Trail and begin a steady 1 mile climb to the summit of Butternut Mountain (2,715 ft). The summit is marked with a US Geological Survey brass marker.

I begin to descend the north slope of Butternut and realize that I have been walking on frost/light snow ever since I rose above 2,500 ft. It is so mild it is not even slippery. I don't become aware of it until I'm descending and having to watch my step more carefully. i would characterize the foliage a few days past prime, but it is still breathtaking to be walking in such beautiful surroundings. As I descend I pass a few brief clearing that afford a view of the valley below.

As I bottom out from the mountain I reach Basin Brook. It has been a number of hikes since I have come across a stream that compares with the beauty of the ones I saw in southern Vermont, but now that I am north of Mt. Mansfield they are beginning to get enchanting again.

The bottoms at this point are fairly soggy and I am glad that, for the first time, I have worn gaiters over my boots and lower legs. This keeps my sock dry. As I descend rapidly I jump out onto a old roadway and come face to face with a huge Moose. The Moose is about 50 feet away from me and is as startled as I am. She (no antlers) turns and wobbles/runs across the road and into the woods. She stands taller than I am so I'd put her at 6 feet tall and older as she is very grey around the muzzle. I am unable to get my camera out in time so I take a shot of the closest living thing I can think of - Me!

I continue to descend towards Spruce Ledge Camp. It is 5.4 miles from the summit of Butternut To the spur leading to the Camp and along the way I climb to small summits that make up Bowen Mountain. Other than that the hike is mostly downhill. It is not terribly steep but it is damp and fall leaves cover the trail so it is slippery. I fall twice. the first time I am rounding a corner too fast and my back legs hits my front and I am thrown off the trial onto my side. No damage done - just wounded pride and a lecture to myself to be more careful. The second time I step on a downward sloping rock that I do not notice because of the leaves and my feet fly out from under me. I land hard on my left hip and, as I write this entry it is sore and beginning to bruise.

At the Spur I turn uphill and hike 830 feet to Spruce Ledge Camp (built 1998, sleeps 8, 1,515 ft). The camp is pleasant and well made, with a separate picnic shelter that is very close to a nice view of Ritterbush Pond in the distance. I pause here for the first time today to drink some Gatorade and catch my breath. It is 2:10 pm and I don't even think about eating anything.

Soon I continue downhill along a pretty stream towards Devils Gulch (1,260 ft). Devils Gulch is described as a challenging set of boulders and rocks that hikers must work their way through. It really wasn't that bad but it took a while to get through it. The pictures to the right and below left show part of the path I have to navigate. It is bordered by steep cliffs and is an awesome sight. The picture at the top of this blog entry shows one sidewall of the crevice.

From here it is a short hike to the intersection with the Babcock Trail (1,100 ft). Along this route I encounter a pleasant waterfall/cascade.

I turn east and follow the Babcock, a trail I've hiked before, for a short 1.4 miles to Rt. 15. This trail passes by Big Muddy Pond, whose name still perplexes me as there is nothing muddy about the pond at all. I arrive at Rt. 15 at 3:45 pm having hiked just over 10 miles at just over a 2.0 mile per hour pace. I pause at the car to take three photos of Belvidere Pond. You can see the peak of Belvidere mountain off in the distance of one of the shots - my next challenge on the LT.

Stage 17 - LT Day Hike from Prospect Rock over Laraway Mountain and out Davis Neighborhood Trail

2009-09-28T11:59:00.020-04:00

On Saturday, September 26, 2009 on a crisp and cool morning (38 degrees) Kim drove me to my drop off point on Prospect Rock Road where I began hiking on the Long Trail at 9:30 am. From Prospect Rock Road (960 feet above sea level) I head north along the road for a few hundred yards before I turn to the right and head off into a pleasant pine grove complete with pine needles carpeting the path. If the hike stays like this my feet will smile the entire trek. (Just a reminder that you can double click on any picture that interests you and it will enlarge to fill your screen)

After 2.6 miles I have reached the top of three climbs I will make today. This one is called Roundtop and a short distance after summiting I reach Roundtop Shelter (built 1994, sleeps 10, 1,650 ft.) There is a hand written note telling hikers that the water source for the shelter has gone dry and will not have water again until the next heavy rain. I suspect that may surprise a few overnight hikers coming from the south as there is no water source in that direction.

From the shelter I follow a ridge to the north before descending to Plot Road one mile from Roundtop shelter. along the way I come to a sugarbush (a stand of sugar maple trees) and take a picture of the tubing that is used to collect maple sap. In times past the sap was collected in buckets (a technique still used on a limited basis today) but nowadays tubing is used and the sap drains to a collection tank. In high tech sugaring operations a vacuum pump is used to draw the sap from the trees.

I cross the road and begin my second climb of the day followed by a descent into Codding Hollow. Before I reach Codding Hollow Road (1,230 ft) I cross an interesting stone wall marking the boundary of an old farm.
I turn right on the road and, in a few hundred feet turn north back into the woods. I soon come to a nice stream and pause to take a drink and a picture. The trail here becomes wider and I believe I am following an old logging road.

In short order I come to the base of a most impressive cliff. It is probably 75 feet of sheer rock wall that continues for several hundred yards. I climb over numerous rock slabs as I work my way along the edge of the base of the cliff. Clearly, the rocks I'm scrambling over have fallen from above so I keep my fingers crossed that known fall as I pass under them.

I now begin the 1,400 foot climb to the summit of Laraway Mountain. The climb is not excessively steep and I make good time. Before I reach the summit I come to Laraway Lookout (2,620 ft) which provides a panoramic view from the southeast (Mt. Mansfield) to the northwest and what I assume is the Adirondack Mountains of New York. A short distance of 0.3 miles further on I reach the Peak of Laraway Mountain.

Laraway Mountain (2,790 ft) has a wooded summit and no views to speak of. i do pause and take a photo of the summit sign, however. I have know made my third and final climb of today's hike having covered 7.0 miles so far.

The descent is quite nice with few sections that require me to pause and think about where I will step on the way down. It is 2.7 miles downhill to my next stop, Corliss Camp. Corliss Camp (built 1989, sleeps 14, 1,900 ft) is the "cutest" camp I have come to so far with a proper door and windows making it look much more like a cottage than a camp. The inside looks like it will only sleep about 6 so I wonder how 14 could sleep there as the guide book suggests. When I come back out of the cabin I find a ladder that ascends up to an open "attic" that sleeps the rest. I pause here for a few minutes to each some roasted Cashews and drink some Gatorade.

When I push off, I leave the LT and begin a 1.5 mile hike out the Davis Neighborhood Trail to my car. In no time I come to a gravel road with no indication of which way I should go to get to my destination. I choose to go left and, in a few hundred yards come to a blue blaze on a tree that indicates I chose correctly. I arrive at my car at 3:35 pm having hiked 11.2 miles in six hours - not a bad pace for the Long Trail.

Stage 16 - LT Day Hike Over Whiteface Mountain

2009-09-22T14:04:00.016-04:00

On Monday, September 21, 2009 I was able to slip out for another hike on the Long Trail. I arrived at the Trail head of Beaver Meadow Trail (1,550 ft. above sea level) at 9:20 am and started out on what promises to be a beautiful day (sunny, temps in upper 60s, low 70s). I am backtracking up this trail to complete the Chilcoot Trail and hike along the LT. The first 1.8 miles covers ground I hiked on my last outing. It is a pleasant walk with a gentle ascent and few roots and walks. I hike this portion in regular running shoes as I know it is a soft and friendly route. At 1.8 miles I turn left and continue on the Beaver Meadow Trail Loop for another 0.5 miles until I arrive at Beaver Meadow Lodge (built 1947, sleeps 15, 2,214 ft). The lodge is musty, but has a wood stove so that it can be used in winter. Here I change into my hiking boots for the rest of the hike.

From the lodge I continue on the Beaver Meadow Trail Loop for another 0.3 miles to complete the loop and come out at the Whiteface Trail trail head. I then turn around and return to the lodge. In back of the lodge I find the Chilcoot trail that leads up to the LT. This is a short, but steep 0.5 mile hike up to Chilcoot Pass (2,950 ft). Thus, I climb 735 feet in a short 0.5 miles.

I arrive at the LT winded but in good spirits. I turn north to retrace 1.5 miles of LT that I covered on my last hike in this area. Along the way I pass Hagerman Overlook (3,190 ft) again and take a nice picture of Mt. Mansfield.

In short order I arrive at Whiteface Shelter (built 1958, sleeps five, 3,156 ft). This is the spot where I turned off of the LT and hiked out to my car two hikes ago. I pause long enough to take another photo of the shelter, another shot of the view from the shelter, and drink some Gatorade.

It is 12:15 pm as I leave the shelter for what promises to be my last climb of the day, up 0.5 miles to the peak of Whiteface Mountain. At the peak (3,714 ft) There is a short spur that leads to a couple of nice views of the valley below.The shot to the left looks north toward Canada while the shot to the right once again frames Mansfield to the south. I pause again to take the photos and catch my breath. I have hiked 5.4 miles, most of it in ascent. Now comes the fun part.

It is a 3.1 mile drop from the peak of Whiteface to the Bear Hollow Shelter. As I hike down I am prepared for a steep descent as the trail drops from 3,714 ft to 1,380 ft. over this distance. I am pleasantly surprised to find only one or two really steep areas. Over most of the descent I am able to make excellent time. Along the way I pass several interesting rock formations but only pause to take a picture of one whose face I pass under on the way down.

I reach Bear Hollow Shelter (built 1991, sleeps 12, 1,380 ft.) one hour and 45 minutes after leaving Whiteface Shelter. The guidebook says it should take 2 hours and 15 minutes to make the hike - So There! The shelter is interestingly positioned on a small bluff that overlooks the LT that passes underneath the bluff. I pause to get another drink and eat a package of Cashews for lunch. Kim is deathly allergic to Cashews so this is a treat I do not get to have at home.

I have made excellent time and only have a short 2.6 mile hike left to get to the car. The trail level out at about 500 feet above sea level and I cross several small brooks before emerging on a worn logging road. After a short stint along this road I come to a field where I take a picture of an interesting flower (name anyone?) If you enlarge it you can see a bee doing his days work.

After about 1 mile from the shelter the logging road intersects with a gravel road that presents me with a left or right decision. I finally consult the guide book (if all else fails, read the directions) and proceed to the right. Only then do I see the white blaze that tells me I'm doing the right thing.

In short order I arrive at the Iron Gate blocking the road and my car parked just beyond. It is 3:20 pm so I have covered 11.1 miles in 6 hours even - not a bad pace. On the way home I drive past Cady's Falls and stop to take pictures. One is at the top of the entry for this hike, the other is to the left.

Stage 15 - Long Trail Day Hike to Prospect Rock near Johnson, VT

2009-09-14T08:53:00.015-04:00

On Sunday, September 13, 2009 I slipped out to try and make my last ascent of Mt. Mansfield. My plan was to take the Gondola up to the Cliff House Restaurant and from there finish the rest of the side trails I need to hike before hiking off the mountain. I arrive at 9:30 am to find the summit covered with dark, foreboding clouds. The Gondola doesn't open until 10 am so I stick around to see if the skies might clear.

The weather forecast is for partly sunny weather, with a bit of rain possibly moving in for the evening. Obviously the meteorologists went to the wrong palm reader for this forecast, as they often do in Vermont. If you've ever noticed that precipitation forecast are always in increments of 10% ( say 30%, 40% or 50% chance of rain/snow) and never say a 25% or 33% chance I can explain the phenomenon, at least in Vermont.

In Vermont, all of the radio, TV and newspapers have pooled their resources to predict the weather. They can't afford trained forecasters so they have hired 10 well-intentioned persons who know a little bit about weather forecasting. Being Vermont, these individuals are allowed to work out of their homes and still draw a salary. Each morning they awake, take a shower, dress, and drift downstairs for a cup of coffee - organic, fair trade, no doubt. Eventually they drift out onto their decks and gaze off into the sky. After a few sips of wake-me-up they wander over to their computers and wait for the dial-up Internet connection to function. Then they email Office Central with their prediction. If three of the ten say it may rain today - Waalaa! - 30% chance of precipitation in Vermont today. And that, little kiddies, is the science of weather forecasting in Vermont!

At 10:00 am I make the wise decision to forgo Mt. Mansfield today. Instead I choose to hit a bit of low lying fruit on the Long Trail - easy hikes in the rain. I head north from smugglers Notch to route 15 and turn east to West Settlement Road. This public road is actually a part of the LT. I drive south on the road until I come to a fork and take the left branch. i immediately see a sign warning of Tree Logging operations. I continue on another 0.3 miles until I come to a locked gate and a place to park my car (@700 ft. above sea level).
My hike should be short so I forgo the usual backpack, water, and hiking staff and head back down the road on the LT. About 100 feet from the intersection with Rt. 15 the LT turns left and follows the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (500 ft). I follow the flat, gravelled railroad bed for just under a mile before the LT veers right and across a hay field.
In short order, I climb briefly out of the field and skirt around the eastern edge of an attractive cemetery.

I cross Rt. 15 and continue into another hay field that I skirt around until the LT heads north into the woods. From here it is about a 1/3 mile hike to the Lamoille River through a pine forest on a soft, pine needle carpeted trail. This hike is clearly going to be easy on my feet. I arrive at a back pool of the river and cross it on a most interesting rock formation. I then climb gently to a well maintained suspension bridge over the river.

From the other side of the river (500 ft) I cross Hogback Road, where there is a parking area for anyone wanting to see the river and bridge, and begin to ascend 0.8 miles to the top of Prospect Rock (1,040 ft.). The climb is only steep in a very few spots and the trail is virtually root and rock free so I enjoy the ascent, passing several other hikers on the way up. The view from the top of Prospect Rock looks out over the Lamoille River Valley and is quite nice.

I continue north on the LT for another 0.3 mile downhill to Prospect Rock Road (940 ft.).
Here there is another parking area for those who want to get to the view with a minimal amount of walking. I turn right on Prospect Rock Road and leave the LT to hike back to my car. I make the round trip in 2 hours and five minutes, covering about 4.7 miles - a good pace over the easiest section of the LT I've found.

I then drive to Jonesville to finish up a short section of the LT I passed over earlier. This section is a 2.3 miles section that follows along the Winooski River on Duxbury Road. It connects the descent from Camel's Hump to the ascent of Bolton Mountain. I hike the 4.6 miles out and back in a very short 90 minutes. This is because it is all on pavement and their is very little elevation change. Now I have covered every inch of the LT to the top of Mt. Mansfield from the MA border. I head home damp from the misting rain but happy to have still had a productive day.

Mt Mansfield via Halfway House, Forehead By-Pass, Lakeview, and Canyon Trails Day Hike

2009-09-11T11:04:00.018-04:00

On 09/09/09 at just after 09:09 in the morning (more like 10:30 am) I arrive at Underhill State Park (site of the end of the hike that saw me hospitalized with dehydration earlier this summer) to tackle yet another ascent of Mt. Mansfield. This time I will climb up a trail that was once used to by horses to apparantly get to a lodge (no longer there) that was about halfway up the mountain. Once on the top I plan to check off as many as three additional side trails I still need to cover near the summit.

From the Park (1,800 ft above sea level) I join up with another hiker and take the Eagles Cut Pass to cut out some of the road hiking and emerge on a CCC gravel road after a few tenths of a mile. We follow this road to the trailhead of his destination (Sunset Ridge Trail) where he leaves the road to begin his climb. His name is Ben (I think) and he has on a very nice baby backpack and is toting along his 2 month old baby, Maggie. I tell him how Kim and I used to hike with our oldest son, Jon, like that in Arkansas. I also warn him about the steepness of the trail and that he should take care. Maggie is sound asleep within ten minutes of the start of the hike. If she is like Jon was she will stay asleep most of the hike with her head bobbing back and forth the whole way. I also warn him that, if he goes all the way to the Chin, he should return by the same route and not by the shorter, but steeper Laura Cowles trail. I'd hate see him slip and fall with a baby on board.

I continue on the CCC Road for another few tenths and come to the trailhead of the Halfway House Trail (2,600 ft) and turn left to begin a steeper climb up the mountain toward the Forehead. At one point on the ascent I come to a ladder that, if the Halfway House was higher than this on the mountain, must have been a challenge for the packhorses to navigate in days past. Of all of the climbs I have made up Mansfield, this has been the least strenuous and I arrive at the LT intersection on top of the mountain at 12:00 sharp.

From the intersection I have a unique view of the Forehead so I pause to take a picture and talk with a few visitors who have driven up the toll road to walk around. I then head south on the LT towards the Forehead. In a short and easy 1/2 mile trek I arrive at the start of the Forehead By-Pass Trail. Much of this short hike is actually on a gravel road called the TV Station road that leads to the TV Towers on the Chin. I hiked 0.3 miles of the By-Pass Trail on one of my previous hikes as I worked my way down the east side of the mountain via the Hazelton Trail and I'm back now to cover the entire 1.2 mile trail.

The Forehead By-Pass Trail (3,900 ft) is a trail designated for inclement weather use to protect hikers from storms, high winds and lightning. From the north side of the Forehead it drops rather steeply, falling over 900 feet in 1.2 miles. About half of this trail is hiked on rock ledge that in wet weather I have to believe would be very difficult to navigate. The picture to the left should give you a feel for this. Since I am heading downhill in dry weather I make short order of the 1.2 miles and arrive at the south end of the trail where it intersects with the LT at an interesting rock formation called the Needle's Eye (picture at right) that LT hikers pass through (3,080 ft).

On the way back up the By-Pass Trail I pause to take a photo of a large rock formation that I hike under on the trail. I arrive back at the Northern LT Intersection at about 2:00 pm having covered about 5.4 miles so far.

I head North on the LT and about 50 yards after I get back on the TV Road I take a left into the woods to hike the Lakeview Trail.
After a short stent in the woods I emerge on an open shelf with a great view of Sunset Ridge and the valley below. This short 0.8 mile trail takes over an hour to hike as it quickly becomes a challenging hike over, under and around boulders.

The Trail intersects with the Canyon Trail Loop about 100 feet from reconnecting with the LT, So I hike to the LT and turn around to go back and complete the Loop. Canyon Trail Loop is an even shorter hike, 0.6 miles, that takes even longer and is the most difficult trail I've hiked. I squeeze through several narrow passages too thin to get through with a backpack and one that anybody more than 250 pounds will probably not get through at all - unless they're 7 feet tall. I then enter "the Canyon", a large chamber overhung by the mountain wall. At the far end of the chamber I must climb a six foot aluminum ladder that is not hooked to anything to stabilize it and that ends on an angled rock slope that I crawl over to get back to level ground. I then drop into another smaller chamber at the end of which I must remove my back pack and push it and my hiking staff in front of me as I scoot on my belly to get through the narrow passage about 2 feet high, three feet wide and 20 feet long.

Once I emerge from the cave, if you will, it is a short and easy hike to the intersection with the Halfway House Trail where I turn left and head down the mountain to my car, arriving at 4:00 pm. I have covered 8-9 miles in about 5.5 hours and feel very good, with no soreness or cramps as I drive home.

Stage 14 - Smuggler's Notch to Whitface Shelter on LT and out Beaver Meadow Trail

2009-09-06T09:33:00.018-04:00

On Friday, September 4, 2009, a beautiful day n the low 70's without a cloud in the sky, I took a day off to hike up from Smuggler's Notch at the base of Mt. Mansfield (1,600 feet above sea level). Because I have an appointment tomorrow, I am unable to make this an overnight trek. I hit the Long Trail, heading north, at 9:15 am and begin the 2.3 mile climb to Elephant Heads Cliff. I had been told that this was a reasonably challenging climb but, having climbed Mt. Mansfield multiple times over the past few weeks, I find this to be pretty easy going.

About halfway up I catch up with three ladies that are out on the first day of a several day hike. One of them seems to be struggling more than the others. Just after passing them I come upon a clearing that gives me a good view of Mt. Mansfield and I take two pictures. The one above on the right is of the Forehead and Nose, and the one to the left is of the Chin and Adam's Apple.

I reach a 0.1 mile spur that leads steeply down to Elephant's Head Cliff (2,800 ft) and arrive at a view that I last saw in 2007 when I climbed up to here via the Sterling Pond Trail with Charlie Castelli and several Vermont Tech students. The shape of an Elephant's head escapes me in the photo so perhaps it is on the cliffs that are below me. I do not lean out over the major drop (several hundred feet) to try and see. As I reach the LT the three women I passed about 20 minutes ago are standing there trying to decide which way to go. I explain their options to them and one of them immediately says, "I want to see the view" and takes off down the spur. The one I thought was dragging looks at me like I'm evil for suggesting the extra hike has a rewarding view. I tell her this would be a good spot for her to sit and rest while the others hike the spur. I can see that she doesn't want to be viewed as weak by the others so I then suggest that she leave her pack in the brush and hike down. She brightens at this idea and is soon off down the spur. This is day one of a three day hike for her and they've covered less than 3 miles so far. I predict PAIN and SUFFERING for her this Labor Day weekend.

Back on the LT I continue to climb towards Sterling Pond. The trail emerges on a Ski Slope, called Snuffy's Ski Trail (3,080 ft), Snuffy the Snuffleupagus, I assume, and I follow the trail down a short way to the striking Sterling Pond (3,000 ft). At the Pond is a man and his young son and their Golden Lab. The father throws a stick out as far as he can into the pond and the dog retrieves it with no hesitation. I think about joining the dog as it is warm, but instead eat a couple of cookies and drink some Gatorade before pushing on.

In short order I cross another ski trail and reenter the woods to come upon the Sterling Pond Shelter (built in 2005, sleeps 8, 3,030 ft). From there I begin a steady climb to the top of Madonna Peak (3,668 ft), the highest point of today's hike. At the peak is a chairlift and I take a picture facing Northeast from the peak and showing the lift (in all it's beauty). I have hiked exactly five miles so far, most of it up, up, and up. From here I must follow a ski trail down the north side of Madonna Peak. The trail is sparsely marked and I get nervous that I may miss where it reenters the woods. Off in the distance I see Whiteface Mountain and, below the summit, I see a building that I believe is Whiteface Shelter, where I plan to leave the LT. About 50 paces past the intersection of the Chilcoot Ski Trail ( the one I'm on) with the Catwalk Ski Trail, I find a cairn that shows me where the trail re-enters the woods.

I begin to drop steadily until I reach Chilcoot Pass (2,950 ft) and Chilcoot pass trail. Here a sign warns me that I am in imminent danger. I decide to stop here and eat lunch which consists of a roast beef sandwich and Gatorade. While in recline a young hiker from the north joins me. It turns out he graduated in the last couple of years from MIT and is a computer engineer in Boston. I tell him my son went to the University of Chicago. We share a few jokes at the expense of Harvard - If MIT or UChicago students really wanted to make A's they would've gone to Harvard - that sort of thing. We chat for about 15 minutes and it's time to part.

I now begin to climb the south slope of Morse Mountain and soon reach Hagerman Overlook (3,190 ft). The view looks back over Mt. Mansfield one more time. I continue to the height of land on Morse Mountain (3,380 ft). From here I begin to drop to the base of Whiteface Mountain, a mountain that I will tackle in my next hike.

At the base, I come to Whiteface Shelter (built 1958, sleeps 5, 3,156 ft). This is a nice lean-to shelter that faces south and gives me a chance to take a picture of the ground I covered coming off of Madonna Peak. The ski trail coming off the mountain is the one I hiked down earlier. I pause here to drink some more Gatorade and then leave the LT to begin my descent down Whiteface Trail. I have hike 7.3 miles to this point. Whiteface Trail is a 1.0 mile steady descent down Whiteface that, in short order, intersects with the Beaver Meadow Trail.

At the intersection with the Beaver Meadow Trail (2,165 ft) I decide to turn right and work my way over to Beaver Meadow Lodge. The trail quickly thins out and after about 0.2 miles I come to a most interesting building labeled Burling Camp (I wonder if the owners are from Burling-ton). I enter cautiously and discover a stove and several bunks along with a built in table.
The place reeks of mold and I doubt if I could spend five minutes inside, let alone a night. The trail is so thin I give up trying to find the lodge and figure I will find it on my next hike. I retrace my steps back to Beaver Meadow Trail.

As I suspected, Beaver Meadow Trail is a wonderful way to end the day. the downward slope is mild and the trail is wide and well-worn. I cover the 2.3 miles very rapidly, probably averaging three miles and hour. I arrive at the trail head (1,550 ft) , however, and have a decision to make. The trail abruptly ends at a steel gate and intersects with an unimproved road. I must decide whether to turn left (up) or right (down) to get to my car. I choose the easier route, right, and am rewarded about 15 minutes later when I arrive at my car and the end of the hike. It is 4:15 pm and I have covered just over 11 miles (in 7.0 hours). My feet are sore but, other than that, I've had no threats of cramps or side-stitches. I feel very good and am glad to have taken this beautiful day to hike. Hopefully, I'll be fully recovered over the weekend as I hope to get out again on Monday.

Stage 13 - Hell Brook Trail to Profanity Trail and Down Mt. Mansfield on Long Trail

2009-08-21T15:04:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, August 19, 2009 I took a day of vacation in order to hike what promises to be the toughest trail I'm required to complete - HELL BROOK Trail! I arrive at the trail head with some trepidation as several people have told me this is a tough one and the guide book talks about precipitous ledges and actually recommends that no one attempt to descend the trail. This is balanced by a web search I did where I found pictures of people climbing in the dead of winter so I figure I'll survive.

I arrive at the trailhead (1,803 ft) at 10:00 am and begin the 1.5 mile climb to the intersection with the long trail. At the trailhead is a warning sign - the first I have encountered in my hikes. The guide book says the trail should take 2 hours to complete, or .75 miles per hour, the slowest time in the whole book. The trail begins a ruggedly steep ascent from the very start and in no time my calves are screaming for a rest. There is practically no break in the climbing as I continue to work my way up. I find I use my hands to pull myself up by grabbing roots and rocks almost as much as I use my feet. Frequently, I must get an uncomfortable knee hold from which I pull myself up - my knees do not like this very much. On a couple of occasions I pause to consider how I am going to make a climb or traverse because one slip might mean a short fall or slide of 6-20 feet.

Frequently, I reach a brief opening in the woods that gives me a good look at the cliffs on the opposite side of VT 108. I believe this one may be Elephant's Head Cliff. After about one hour's worth of climbing wouldn't you know it starts to rain and the rocks become more slippery. Having said this, however, not once do I ever slip or come close to falling on the entire ascent. I reach the intersection with the long Trail in one hour and 59 minutes - besting the guidebook by one minute and find an interesting sign that I assume is an attempt at a warning for anyone wishing to descend the Hell Brook Trail.

From here I continue to climb on the Long Trail over an exposed and fairly technical ascent to the Chin of Mount Mansfield (4,393 ft), the highest point in Vermont. The guide book talks about the breathtaking views from up here but I am enshrouded by a mist and clouds block all views. All views that is, save for a young lady from Quebec that speaks French and looks like she just walked out of a Victoria's Secret catalog to greet me at the summit. I choose not to take a picture of her - that would be rude, wouldn't it - but I include this description just to see if my wife is really reading my blog. There are actually a lot of people up here - most of them coming up the Toll road or rinding up in a gondola.

I descend to the south from the Chin a short distance until i intersect with the Sunset Ridge Trail - a trail I hiked earlier this year (The trip that put me in the hospital). I pause at this intersection and eat a couple of cookies and drink some Gatorade. Across the way from this intersection I find the Profanity Trail - a good name for a trail located close to Hell Brook if I say so myself. It is really less of a trail and more of a gully that I descend steeply for 1/2 mile before reaching Taft Lodge.

Taft Lodge (built 1920, sleeps 24, 3,650 ft) is a great structure and just as I arrive and step inside it comes a gully washer, complete with thunder and lightning. I rest there, along with 8-10 other hikers for about 30 minutes while the storm passes through. I eat five or six Nutter Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies for my lunch and drink some more Gatorade. It was my intention to hike another loop covering about 1.1 miles and completing all of the side trails on this end of the mountain, but the rain has made everything slick and wet and I decide I'll have to come back again to complete the side trails.

I head out before any of the others are ready to descend figuring that if I slip and fall on the wet trail down someone will find me quickly and offer assistance. although the 1.7 mile descent is steep, it is not as slick as feared and I make good time down the mountain on the Long Trail.
I arrive at the intersection of the Trail with VT 108 and turn north to hike 0.75 miles up smuggler's notch to reach the car. It is 3:30 pm so I've hiked for 5 1/2 hours and covered only 4 miles. No problems with cramps at all but after I get home I discover a number of scrapes and scratches I earned while climbing Hell Brook.

Stage 12 - Nebraska Notch Trail To Mt. Mansfield Forehead to Haselton Trail

2009-08-21T13:11:00.018-04:00

On Friday, August 14, 2009 I am able to slip away for another long day hike cover a portion of the Long Trail. Kim drives the second car and drops me of at the Nebraska Notch Trailhead (1,400 ft above sea level). This will be the third time I've traversed this pleasant 1.5 mile trail. I get started of a warm, sunny day at 10:00 am.
The hike up to the LT is just as I remember and I am able to move along at about a 2.0 mile per hour clip. At the LT Intersection I turn north and begin to cover new ground on my way up Mt.Mansfield.
The first part of the ascent is gentle and I make really good time as I cross a few small brooks and make my way 1.5 more miles to the Twin Brooks Tenting area. This area consists of multiple tent platforms and a nice central area for a fire. It is located about 50 yards down a spur of the main trail. After pausing briefly at the tent site I push on up Mt. Mansfield another 1.2 to the Wallace Cutoff Trail. This trail descends steeply one tenth of a mile to Butler Lodge - a very nice shelter.

Butler Lodge (built 1933, sleeps 14, 3,100 ft.) is located on the side of Mansfield with a pleasant westerly view shed. I stop here for 15 minutes and drink some Gatorade and eat a few crackers. I'm feeling well and decide to take the first of several optional side treks. This one is called the Rock Garden Trail and it is a short (1.4 miles out and back to the Lodge) but challenging hike. I follow the Wampahoofus Trail for one tenth of a mile to where the Rock Garden Trail begins - even this short section requires that I work myself around and over steep ledges. Once on the trail itself I find I have to descend into a steep rock gully and then crawl on all fours under a low pass that is only about two feet high. The crawl is only for six to ten feet but I wonder who will find me if the rocks shift while I am under them. Of course, I'm sure they been in this position for eons, but the thought still crosses my mind. After working my way up, down, around, under, and over five or six formations I arrive at the end of the trail where it intersects with the Maple Ridge Trail, a trail I hiked last year. I return the way I came and wind up at the Lodge after 70 minutes of hiking. thus I travelled 1.4 miles in 70 minutes, giving you some idea of how difficult this little trail was.

I spend another 15 minutes resting at the lodge and eat my lunch which consists of Nutter Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and Gatorade. At least the word sandwich is in the title so I count this as a healthy lunch.

Now I face the challenging part of today's climb - a 1.0 mile ascent to the Forehead of Mt. Mansfield that climbs 1,000 feet along the way. I take my time, stopping frequently to drink and lower my pulse rate and, aside from taking almost an hour to complete, arrive at the forehead in good shape. The Forehead, at 3,940 ft., is the highpoint of the southern peak of Mansfield. Here the trail intersects with the Wampahoofus Trail. The furthest visible peak in the picture above is Camel's Hump, I believe.

The Wampahoofus is optional hike number two on the days list and I am feeling good enough to do it. I descend steeply along the forehead ridge line for two tenths of a mile to where the Wampahoofus intersects with the Maple Ridge Trail. I did the rest of Wampahoofus last year so I am able to turn around and ascend back to the Forehead. At the turnaround point I get a good view of the TV towers that sit upon the ridge line of Mt. Mansfield north of the forehead. The most prominent tower sits on the Nose, with the Chin, and Adam's Apple visible off in the distance.

Back at the Forehead I turn North and descend and then climb towards the Nose. I arrive at the northern terminus of the Forehead by-pass, a side trail that is recommended in bad weather to keep hikers from being exposed along the ridge line. I turn south and begin the descent down Mt. Mansfield. After 3/10ths of a mile I come to the Intersection of this trail with the South Link Trail and I have a decision to make - I can follow the by-pass for another 0.9 miles and the return for an additional 1.8 miles on this hike, or I can take the South Link and return another time to finish this side-trail?

I'm growing weary so I choose to take the South Link 0.6 miles down the mountain to where it intersects with the Toll Road. Mt. Mansfield has a Toll Road that wimpy tourists take to get to the top without getting sweaty. It's rather expensive - on the order of $25 bucks per car plus a head charge for however many people are in the car, I believe. It makes for a crowded summit and lots of "hikers" walking around on exposed rocks in flip-flops. At the Toll Road I face my first real challenge of the day. The Haselton Trail is supposed to start in the vicinity of the south Link Trail and continue down the mountain but I can't find the trail as it is unmarked. I work my way over to the Octagon, a ski lift terminal located across the Toll Road and down the mountain about 100 yards but I can't find the trail. From the Octagon I get a nice picture of the valley that I'm supposed to climb down to if I can find the trail.

I return to the Toll Road and finally find the unmarked trail about 100 feet up the Toll Road. There a ski slope heads north and the gate blocking the slope shows faint signs of hikers circumventing to go up or down the slope. After walking about 100 yards on the slope I find a blue-blaze indicating I'm on a side-trail, hopefully Haselton. After descending steeply on the ski slope for about 0.3 miles the trail turns off into the woods and is marked with a sign. I continue down fairly steeply for another 1.3 miles until I come out of the woods at the edge of the Midway Lodge - a ski lodge.

My car is parked on the far side of the building so I get to it after just a few hundred more yards of hiking. It is 5:30 pm so I have covered about 11 miles in 7 1/2 hours - a fair pace given the climbing and descending I have done. As I take my shoes off I get my first and only cramp of the hike, a real doozey in left calf muscle that has me hopping around for a full 30 seconds.

Stage 11 - Bolton notch to Lake Mansfield Trail Day Hike

2009-08-11T09:35:00.014-04:00

On Friday, August 7, 2009 I took a day of vacation to complete another section of the Long Trail. My youngest son, Beau, leaves for college on Sunday so I did not want to do an overnighter, but I knew I needed to get another section of the LT done so this will be a long day hike. I arrive at Bolton Notch Road (1,120 ft. above sea level) and set off at 9:34 am. The weather is cool (60s) and it is supposed to stay cool with a chance of occasional showers and thunderstorms. I set off in shorts and a short sleeve shirt and carrying both my water pack and a day pack holding 48 ounces of gatorade (no more dehydration for me).

The climb is steady to the top of Oxbow Ridge (@2,400 ft) and along the way I see several easterly lookouts. From the top of the ridge I descend steadily to the intersection with a spur leading south 0.3 miles and down to Buchanan Shelter (Built 1984, sleeps 16, 2,310 ft)

The total hike to the shelter from the notch is 2.6 miles, most of it a steady ascent and my legs are sore becuase I haven't hiked enough this summer to get them into shape. I also believe my dehydration problem last month has weakened my leg muscles because the hike is wearing them out much more quickly than I would usually expect. From the shelter I ascend steadily to the summitt of Bolton Mountain(3,725 ft) passing several nice views along the way. I have now covered 6.6 miles and have a short, but steep, 0.5 mile descent to Puffer Shelter.

Puffer Shelter (built 1975, sleeps six, 3,200 ft). is a small frame shelter built by over 100 volunteers who hiked all of the materials used in its construction up and over Bolton Mountain on the same path that I have traversed so far today. Any reasons I might think I have to complain about this hike pale in comparison to this feat. Of course, I forget to take a picture of the shelter.

I now take a 20 minute break to eat lunch, a roast beef sub sandwhich, and drink several cups of gatorade. While eating, another north-bound hiker arrives and it is clear he is serious about his trek and making great time. I leave him to enjoy his lunch and head down Bolton Mountain.

The trip down is not as steep as I had thought it would be, but I start to get the nagging feeling that I'm about to start cramping up - not from lack of fluid - but from weak leg muscles. I stop every time I feel a cramp start and, by resting for about 30 seconds each time, am able to ward off any full cramps. The descent is broken up by two short climbs, the first up Mount Mayo (3,160 ft) and the second up Mount Clark (2,800 ft). I follow a ridge around Mt. Clark and continue my descent.

On the trip down I come to the longest ladder I have had to use to date (picture at top of entry). About halfway down it I start to cramp so I pause for about 30 seconds while the cramp releases itself - no true risk of falling. I descend to the largest Beaver Pond I have seen to date and cross the pond on a very narrow system of planks. On the other side I climb gradually out of the pond area and soon come to the intersection of the LT with Taylor Lodge.

Taylor lodge (built 1978, sleeps 15, 1,850 ft)has been pictured in a previous hike I took on the Lake Mansfield Trail so I provide a shot looking out from the porch of the cabin. I have hiked 3.4 miles since leaving Puffer shelter so I stop long enough to drink some gatorade and then head 1.7 miles down the Lake Mansfield Trail to my car.

I arrive at my car (1,140 ft) at 5:45 pm after over 12.5 miles of hiking covering just over 1.5 miles an hour on this trip. My legs are sore but the cramping has not materialized and I have a comfortable drive home.

07-13-2009 Bald Mountain Trail Day Hike

2009-07-29T14:06:00.006-04:00

On Monday,July 13, 2009 I took the day off to hike the final side trail hike I have in the southern part of the state. It has been difficult getting away to hike this summer because I am spending lots of time playing golf with my sons that are home from college and because there has been sooo much rain this year and trails are muddy and rocks/roots are really wet.

I arrive at the trailhead (700 ft above sea level) about 11:00 am. After about a 200yard walk the trail ends at the point where major road construction intersects the old trail. I work my way around the perimiter of the construction following a series of blue blazed asteriks (*) figuring these are meant to mark the re-routed trail (the trail is a blue-blazed trail). Turns out I am wrong. After about 1/4 of a mile I cross the road construction and begin to work my way up a telephone line gap that I hope the trail will intersect with. after a total of about 30 minutes I am ready to give up looking when a rider on an ATV comes roaring up. I flag him down and tell him my delimna. He says he thinks there are blue blazes up a side road just a few hundred yards from where I am at. I follow his advice and, sure enough, find my way back to the intended route. Who says ATVs shouldn't be allowed in Vermont?

I follow a couple of unnamed brooks for a while and then begin a steady climb up Bald Mountain. I cross a few wet rock slides but do not lose my balance. It is sunny today but it rained the last few days. At 2.6 miles on the trail (more like 3.6 given my bad start) I reach White Rocks. This is a series of broken rocks that I must carefully pick my way over to avoid twisting an ankle. It looks like someone came up here and mined white rocks and left many 3-15 pounders lying about. I work my way through 3-4 fields of these stones.

I re-enter the woods and continue another mile to the junction with the Long Trail (2,750 ft) having climbed a full 2000 feet on this hike. On the way back down I take a short side trail just below the white rocks to a view of the Bennington Valley. Also on the way down I am able to follow the correct trail and come out where I should have gone in at. The trick is to walk through a tunnel placed by the road construction crews instead of trying to work around the construction. Future hikers take note. I am back to the care by 3:00 pm having taken four hours to cover about 8 miles.

Stage 10 - Duxbury Road to Bolton notch Road Day Hike plus several side trails

2009-07-01T09:40:00.011-04:00

On Tuesday, June 23, 2009 I took two days of vacation to go on a couple of long day hikes. This morning I decided to hike a short section of the Long Trail rather than do a side trail. I started on Duxbury Road near Jonesville VT (326 feet above sea level). From the Honey Hollow parking lot I hike a flat, paved road for 2.1 miles until I cross under Interstate 89 and proceed a few tenths up a gravel road (Stage Road). There the LT takes a right turn (southward) and head up a steep ascent through a power line field. The sun is up and I sweat profusely on the climb. I reenter the woods after another few tenths and continue to climb over exposed rocks to an unnamed summit. From there it is a short downhill to a spur leading south to Duck Brook Shelter (built 1966, sleeps 12, 670 ft.). At this shelter I meet a group of four teenage men and one teenage woman who spent the night at the shelter. The men are standing around while the young lady cooks breakfast for the group. It is at this point that I realize that, for the first time, I have forgotten to bring my camera on a hike - oh well!

From the shelter I begin a series of short ascents and descents for another 3.3 miles. Along the way I pass several rocky ledges offering nice southern views. I end this portion of the Long Trail with a steady descent that winds around a long beaver pond and emerges on Bolton Notch Road. I have covered five miles of trails plus 2.1 miles of asphalt road.

It is my intent to catch a ride down the 5.8 mile hike back to the car. If I can do that, I will have the time to go hike another trail somewhere before calling it a day. After about 2.5 miles of hiking down the road an old farm truck rumbles up and I'm offered a ride. Since it is only a couple miles out of his way, he takes me all the way to my car. I offer him gas money but, like a good Vermonter, he's having none of that. I've gone a total of about 9.5 miles and feel great. It's only 1:00 in the afternoon so I treat myself to a pizza at a joint in Richmond, VT and then drive north a bit more than an hour away to Belvidere Corners and the Babcock Trail.

The Babcock Trail, and Babcock Trail Extension, is a 1.8 mile side trail. By hiking South on the Trail I can circle back to the LT and then hike 1.7 miles north along the LT and back to my car for a total of 3.5 miles. The trail is pleasant and skirts two ponds. The first, Big Muddy Pond, is not at all muddy and I enjoy the views as I hike to the west side of the pond. The last 1/2 mile is a descent into Devils Gulch, a ravine. At the bottom of the gulch I intersect with th LT and begin the climb back to my car. It is here I pass by the second pond, Ritterbush Pond. Soon after the pass I find myself climbing a rock staircase steeply out of the gulch. By the time I reach the top I am very winded but the trail flattens out and the rocks disappear so the remainder of the hike is pleasant. At the car I find three young through hikers, all college students, who are looking for a ride into Belvidere to buy supplies. I give them a lift, returning the favor given me earlier today.

I arrive home about 6:00 pm having hiked about 13 miles and feeling very good. At night I sleep well and never have a hint of cramps so, on Wednesday, I decide to go hiking again. When I wake up in the morning I step on the scale and am pleased to see that I am about 5 pounds lighter than usual. I feel good and never connect the weight loss to dehydration, a big mistake.

I head north to hike a few side trails on Mount Mansfield the highest mountain in Vermont. At 9:45 am I begin at the trail head of Sunset Ridge Trail(2,340 ft). This 3.3 mile long trail is considered the most popular hike to the Summit of the mountain as it climbs up onto a rocky ridge above the tree line and gives a great view of the valley below.

After a short but intense climb I come to the Cantilever trail. This is a 0.4 mile round trip spur to a unique rock feature not done justice by my photo. Discovered in 1960, Cantilever Rock is a horizontal blade of rock 40 feet long and wedged into a 100 foot rock face about 60 feet above the trail. It is quite an impressive sight.

I work my way back to the Sunset Ridge Trail and continue my enjoyable climb arriving at the LT near the summit of Mount Mansfield at about 11:45 am (4,000 ft). I decide to walk along the LT on top of the mountain and then work my way back using alternative side trails. I pass many people on the summit as I hike 1.9 miles south - all on top of Mt. Mansfield. Eventually, I work my way to the Visiters Center up on the Mountain. There is a Toll Road that, for $24, you can take to the top and park at the Visitor's Center.

It is here that I get the first cramp of the hike. In less than two minutes I'm getting a second cramp and realize that I have a tough hike ahead of me. A family from New Jersey is out having a picnic and I ask them if I can buy a drink from them. They give me a 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade - a potential life saver. I drink up the Gatorade and figure that will do the trick so I return to the trail. I am so confident that I decide to take an alternate route back. I head down the Halfway House Trail for about 0.2 miles until it intersects with the Canyon North Trail Extension. I turn south and figure I'll hike the 0.6 mile trail. After a short 0.2 miles I come to a crevice that I'm supposed to crawl through. I realize the cramping I'm in for if I try to crawl through this space and decide to turn back.

Back at the Halfway House Trail I have a decision to make. I can go down the Halfway House Trail and, in 2.5 miles be at my car (in hindsight the smart thing to do) or I can continue to work my way back to the Sunset Ridge Trail. Not realizing
how dehydrated I am, I really do not give the smart choice much of a thought and choose to continue 0.6 miles north on the Canyon North Trail. It is along this rugged route that the cramps really begin to set in. I climb my way back up to the Long Trail and make the 1+ mile hike back to the Sunset Ridge Trail. A couple of hundered yards later and I'm at my next decision point, continue 3.3 miles back down a trail I've already hiked or turn down the steeper, but shorter (2.7 miles) Laura Cowles Trail.

I choose the latter at about 1:30 pm. It is supposed to take 90 minutes to make the descent according to the guide book. No way that is going to happen. Instead it takes 3 hours. The descent is very steep and rocky. A stream runs most of the way down the trail making the rocks wet. Every time I slip, about every dozen steps or so, my body tenses and I get cramps. Some are so bad I practically scream. Every 25yards or so I'm forced to stop for a minute or two to recover from cramping. Bear in mind that so far today I've had 70 ounces of water, 20 ounces of Gatorade, and 20 ounces of mountain Dew (not a good choice I know).

About halfway down I come across another hiker stoping to rest on the way up. He looks at me and says "you don't look too good". I tell him I don't feel too good. He offers me some bread to boost my blood sugar and I take him up on it. He then tells me the only drink he can give is an Apache energy drink - his skin tone tells me he is an Indian - but he doesn't think I should have that. I look at him quizically so he reaches into his bag a pulls out a 12 ounce can of Budweiser. I do decide to pass, even though I was a bit tempted. We part ways after about five minutes and he cautions me that this is the toughest climb he's ever made on a trail.

I continue down steeply with the cramps altering their locations. By the time I reach the car I've had cramps in both feet, both calves, both quads, both hamstrings, multiple side stitches, my right tricep, my left forearm, both hands, my upper back, my neck, and my chin. It takes a solid 10 minutes to be able to get into the car behind the steering wheel and then I sit there for another 10 minutes wondering if I can drive without getting another series of cramps. I have some extra water and a soda in the car so I drink that while I wait.

After a few minutes I decide I feel better and begin a slow drive home. I never cramp on the way and only stop once, at a drive-through McDonald's to get a burger and a 32 ounce Powerade. Once I arrive home my wife insists that I go to the hospital. I was thinking that would be smart by this time anyway. At the hospital, they start me on an IV quickly and run some blood tests. The first tests result in the blood clotting before it could be analyzed so they have to pull blood again. Long story made short, I was dehydrated enough that they kept me overnight for observation to make sure my kidneys and heart were not injured. I had six bags of fluid pumped into me. My upper body recovered quickly, but my legs were sore for four days after I got out of the hospital.

Stage Nine - Beane Trail to Duxbury Road Overnight Hike

2009-06-16T10:26:00.016-04:00

On Sunday, June 15, 2009 I am able to slip off for my first overnight hike of the season. This one promises to be a challenge as I will climb and descend Camel's Hump over the Long Trail. Kim drops me off at the start at 9:40 am and I take off up Beane Trail near Hanksville, Vermont (1,361 ft above sea level). The climb is gradual and by 10:30 I arrive at the LT and Birch Glen Shelter (bulit 1930, sleeps 12, 2,020 ft)having covered 1.5 miles.

As soon as I start on the LT I can tell the difference as the LT is much rougher. I have 2.9 miles to get to Cowles Cove shelter. The climb is only 500 feet but the footing is rough. My new hiking boots are a God-send, however. Cowles Cove was built in 1956 and sleeps eight (2,520 ft.). It looks pretty run down to me and is in need of some sprucing up. I'd hate to have to pack the tools and wood up here to do it, however.

From Cowles Cove I climb 1.5 miles to the summit of Burnt Rock Mountain (3,168 ft). Along the way I pass the junction with Hedgehog Brook Trail, a trail I hiked last year. The going is rocky with numerous spots where I must throw my hiking staffs up ahead and climb rock ledges. A couple of them are exposed edges that I don't want to slip on. The guidebook says that I will "scramble over bare rocks and cobbles " an accurate description. By the way, it rained yesterday so the trail is a bit muddy, but more problematic, the rocks are slippery. The view from the top is impressive.

From Burnt Rock I descend into a small valley and then climb to the summit of Mount Ira Allen (3,506 feet) covering another 1.5 miles. Along the way I pass several viewsheds and also must climb down a 12 foot aluminum ladder into appropriately-named Ladder Ravine. Climbing down a ladder with a 35 pound pack on your back in wet hiking boots is not fun but I manage. The hard part is getting on the ladder in the first place because it rests on the top of a slick angled rock. I have to hold onto a small tree and spin myself around backwards to get my foot on the ladder. I imagine inexperienced ladder climbers often try to face away from the ladder when climbing down - not a good idea. At the bottom I find no skeletal remains of inexperienced ladder climbers so it must not be that big of a deal.

From Mount Ira Allen I drop a couple of hundred feet and then ascend his brother Mount Ethan Allen (3,688 ft) covering another 1.1 miles. The going has been a challenge today but my feet feel great. I have a 1.2 mile hike to my stopping point for the night at Montclair Glen Camp. I arrive at the shelter (Built 1948, sleeps 10, 2,670 ft) at 4:30 pm having covered 9.7 miles in six hours and 50 minutes - not a very fast pace but steady given the condition of the trail.

The cabin is nice with windows and a door that help to keep out the black flies. For Christmas this past year I got a JetBoil Cooking system so, for the first time ever, I eat a hot meal on the trail - dehydrated Beef Stew. It tastes quite good and, best of all, the gravy contains two cups of water. It feels good to eat something warm instead of cold Tuna and the liquid helps to hydrate me. I settle down at 6:30 pm in my sleeping bag and listen to Robert Earl Keen and Tom Waits on my Ipod (I know, I shouldn't bring electronic devices with me on the trail) and drift off to sleep at 9:00 pm. I toss and turn as I always do when sleeping on too thin a pad and wake up every 30 minutes to reposition myself. But the liquid has helped and I suffer no cramps during the night.

I awaken at about 4:00 am just as daylight is beginning to break. I force myself to stay in bed another 45 minutes and then get up to pack and cook breakfast. I have a Denver Omelette (also dehydrated) that needs salt and pepper (mental note). I am back on the trail at 5:54 am on a morning that is overcast and looks like looming rain.

The first part of today's hike promises to be the toughest climb (up Camel's Hump). It is a steep 1.5 mile ascent but along the way I am treated by several great views. At several points along the climb I am so winded I must stop and rest for one or two minutes. I take my pulse during these intervals and am surprised to find it at about 170 beats per minute. This is equivalent to my heart rate back when I was a distance runner training with interval workouts and it dawns on me that this hiking business is every bit as tough as any workout or race I've ever entered.

I arrive at the intersection of the LT with the Alpine Trail (3,800) and am faced with a key decision. I can continue 3/10s of a mile up to the summit of Camel's Hump and 8/10s of a mile down the other side or I can circumvent the hump by hiking the 1.7 mile Alpine Trail that is designated for use in inclement weather. The rocks are wet, the sky is ominous. and I'm tired of the rugged ascent so I choose the extra distance (I previously hiked all of this section and side trails so I know what I'm in for). The Alpine trail may be designated for inclement weather but it is still a challenging workout over wet rocks and bluffs. About one mile in I am treated to an imposing look at the Hump and pause to take a picture.

I arrive back at the LT intersection on the North side of the mountain and take a three minute break to catch my breath. Now begins a rugged 3.0 mile descent to Banforth Ridge Shelter. At this point I'm not looking forward to the pain of a steep descent. To my surprise the trail doesn't just bottom out. Instead, I climb a series of steep ridges and descend along slippery rocks only to ascend again. On at least a dozen occasions I must sit down and slide on boulders too wet to stand up on - not a pleasant experience - but safer than risking a fall. I make good time on the descent however and cover the 3.0 miles in two hours - better than I thought I would do. It is 11:00 am as I arrive at Bamforth Ridge Shelter (Built 2002, sleeps 9, 1,900 ft) perhaps the shelter in the best condition I have seen on the trail. It sits about 2/10s of a mile off the trail and it is another 1/10 of a mile to the water source to fill my Camelbak. So visiting the shelter adds over a half mile to today's hike.

I now have 2.9 miles downhill to go Duxbury Road (400 ft) and another 9/10s of a mile to my car parked in the Honey Hollow parking lot north along the road. The descent on the map is much steeper than what I've just come down so I fear for the worse. In fact, however, although steep the trail has few rocks to navigate and I am able to make great time without a lot of wear and tear on my legs. It has been thundering for some time as I descend and I figure at any moment the clouds will open up and a deluge will come. Just before Duxbury road I come to a new wooden bridge crossing Gleason Brook, the only sizable stream I've seen on this hike.

Once I reach the trailhead at Duxbury road I turn north and hike along the pavement for about a mile to the car. I arrive at 1:50 pm about 5 minutes before a thunderstorm strikes. At this point (400 ft) the trail is at it's lowest point in Vermont. Today I've traveled 10.1 miles in eight hours and 10 minutes. I'm wet and muddy but I feel rather well as I head for home haivng hiked a total of 19.8 miles over the two days.

Up Camel's Hump - Twice! - All Side Trails Day-Hike

2009-06-02T13:23:00.018-04:00

On Monday, June 1, 2009 I took the day off of work to take a day hike up the west side of Camel's Hump. The temperature was in the low 40's and the day was clear at 9:12 am as I set out up the Forest City Trail (1,600 ft above sea level) on the western edge of Camel's Hump State Park. The trail climbs 2.2 miles and 1,070 feet to Monclair Glen Lodge. Along the way I cross Brush Creek twice. The creek is impressive with large boulders and cascading water. I also pass a small clearing and an old cement covered oven located on the site where a 1930's Civilian Conservation Corp camp used to be.

I arrive at Monclair Glen lodge (built 1948, sleeps 10, 2,070 ft) to find three young men eating breakfast around a campfire (forbidden at this site). I'm feeling really good so I decide to add the Allis Trail to my hiking distance today. The trail begins about 0.2 mile south of the Lodge and loops east of the Lodge to rejoin the LT 0.1 mile north of the lodge. Along the route I pass the David Morse Memorial Bench honoring a volunteer trail maintainer.

I am wearing new hiking boots today. I have finally broken down and bought true backpacker boots. The Merrill brand boots cost $150 but are made for rocks, roots, and mud. I am hoping they make my feet smile more than the day-hikers I've been wearing. At this point in the hike my feet would usually be getting sore already. But so far I can't tell I've even taken a step. For this terrain you need a boot with little to no lateral give when you step on a root or rock. When I grab this boot by the heel with one hand and the toe with the other, I'm unable to twist it from side to side, unlike my other hiking shoes.

Because of how good my feet feel, I decide to add more on to the hike. I start down Dean Trail, a 1.0 mile trail that travels partway down the east side of Camel's Hump and connects to the Hump Brook Tenting area and the Monroe Trail. Along the way down the Dean Trail I pass three small Beaver ponds that are quite picturesque. The last of these gives a great shot of the top of Camel's Hump in the distance, the place I hope to reach later today.

I arrive at the Dean Trailhead and spend a few minutes exploring the nice campground that can only be reached by hiking 1.4 miles in from the nearest parking area. I'm still feeling good so I decide to descend all the way down to the start of the Monroe Trail on the East side of Camel's Hump. By making this decision, I am committing myself to trying to do all of the Camel's Hump side trails in one day - something I had planned to take two days of day hiking to accomplish.

I arrive at the Monroe Trailhead (1,500 ft) no worse for the wear. To the south of the trail I find a plaque memorial dedicated to the ten crew members of an air force Bomber that crashed on the Mountian in 1944. Of the 10, only one survived. A family member must have visited the memorial over Memmorial Day weekend because of the recently placed Pewter crucifix left hanging nearby along with incence residue. I pay my respects and return to the trail. Before climbing back up the 1.4 mile descent from Dean Trail, I swap out my shoe inserts in an effort to make my feet less sore by the end of the day.

The trip back up is a bit more challenging after the five miles I've done so far, but it is my legs that are complaining and not so much my feet. Once I reach the Dean Trail I continue the ascent up 1.1 mile further to the Monroe Trail intersection with the south section of the Alpine Trail. The map shows that this section of the Alpine Trail climbs south around the cliff making up the peak of Camel's Hump. This is also considered to be the "inclement weather route" for LT hikers who do not want to be exposed on the top of the cliff in a thunderstorm. A little more than halfway up the 0.5 mile climb back to the LT I find the remaining wreckage of the plane that crashed in 1944. I believe it is a wing section. the climb is steep but not too rugged.

After intersecting with the LT, I turn north on the LT and complete a 0.3 mile rugged ascent up the rock face of Camel's hump. The going is tight and there are two spots where, if I lose my balance, It will take a helicopter to rescue me - if I am worth rescuing at all after such a fall. I complete the scramble and arrive on top of camel's Hump (4,083 ft) to share a brief rest with about six other hikers and take a couple of pictures, the first of Lake Champlain and the second of Mount Washington way off in distant New Hampshire.

Camel's Hump is the most recognizable physical landmark in Vermont and is tied with Mount Ellen (climbed earlier) as the third highest Vermont Peak. It is the only undeveloped peak over 4,000 feet in Vermont (read - no cell/fire towers and no ski lifts). It is one of three Vermont peaks that support rare alpine vegitation. The Waubawakee indians called it Tawabodi-e-wadso, meaning "the mountain that is like a seat" while french explorer Samuel Champlain named it "le lion couchant" ( the crouching, or sleeping, lion). On Ira Allen's (brother of Ethan Allen) 1798 map it is referred to as Camel's Rump. To bad that name didn't stick. In 1830, it was amended by map maker Zaddock Thompson to Camel's Hump which has led to any number of t-shirts and bumper stickers asking the question, "Have you seen Camels Hump?" reminding me of equivalent paraphanalia in Florida stating, "I climbed Mt. Dora" - not exactly a mountain in central Florida.

After a brief rest I descend the north side of the Hump 1.1 miles to the start of the northern section of the Alpine Trail (2,800 ft). The descent is steep and slow but not as risky as the southern climb. Having said that, I slip once and cut the back of my left hand while grabbing for a tree branch to break my fall. I don't notice the blood for several minutes until it is dripping off my hand. Turns out to be just a surface wound - no need for a med-evac. The 1.2 mile section of the Alpine Trail I cover next is a straining climb at this time of the hike. I have covered 9.1 miles of steep terain and am starting to feel the onslaught of leg cramps. I drink extra water and push on.

I reach the Monroe Trail intersection where I turned off on the southern section of the Alpine Trail and turn north to complete the 0.6 tenths of a mile climb remaining on the uncovered Monroe Trail that climbs back to the LT on the northern side of the Hump. While any climb is work at this point, this section of trail is really quite manageable and I reach the end of the trail at 4:00 pm exactly. I now have a 2.1 mile descent of Burrows trail to make.

The descent down Burrows is quite painful, in part because of how far I've climbed today and, in part, because of how rocky the climb down is.
I reach the end of Burrows and decide to take the 0.1 mile trail connector back over to the Forest City Trail I hiked at the start of the day. A short, and fast, 0.8 tenths of a mile later I am back at my car at 5:45 pm having covered 14 rough miles in 8 and 1/2 hours.

On the way home I have two major calf cramps but my feet, though sore, are much fresher than in the past. I would have never made this trek in my other hiking shoes.

Emily Proctor Trail Dayhike

2009-05-26T09:39:00.001-04:00

On Monday, May 24, 2009 (Memorial Day) I took a day hike up the Emily Proctor side Trail to the LT along with my oldest son, Jon, and his boss at National Life, Tom Yevchek. This is only the second time that I have had company on a hike since I began this quest. It's good to be following someone else for a change. We arrive at the trailhead (1,520 ft above sea level) at 10:43 am on a beautiful cloudless day with the temperature about 70 degrees and a cool breeze blowing.

The beginning of the hike is a steady climb for about 1/2 mile on an old logging road to a clearing that was logged several years ago. From this point we begin a gradual ascent up Breadloaf Mountain. Along the way we come to a beautiful stream known as the New Haven River. Where we cross is an inviting pool of water that is crystal clear and appears to be at least five feet deep. I make a note that I will have to hike back to this point with Kim sometime and take a dip. It takes us about 40 minutes of hiking to reach this stream.

We continue the gradual ascent for a total of about 2 miles , crossing numerous smaller streams until, with about a mile and a half left on the ascent the trail becomes much steeper and rocky. My legs begin to tell me that they remember the 16 miles I did two days ago and my feet recall that they were sore. On the steepest section we pass two hikers with large dogs descending and, about 200 yards further on, one hiker with a beautiful, but huge, Husky.

We arrive at the Emily Proctor Shelter (built 1960, sleeps 5, 3,460 ft) at 12:30 am and eat a lunch consisting of a sandwich (mine was Bologna and Swiss) and a handful of M&Ms. We begin the hike back down at 1:00 a bit disappointed that there were no views from the shelter out over the valley. According to my map the nearest vista is 0.7 miles away and we decide it's not worth the extra steps. I forget to take a picture of the shelter before we leave.

The trip back down goes fast and smooth. When we reach the New Haven river pool I offer Jon $5 to take a swim but he is not up to the challenge. We arrive back at the car at 2:30 pm having covered 7 miles and climbed 2,000 feet in 3 hours and 45 minutes, including a 30 minute lunch. I have a cooler with a couple of sodas and a couple of beers and we relax for a few minutes before heading back to civilization. At the trailhead is a primitive camping area along the New Haven river that is the prettiest camping area I've seen in Vermont so far. Kim and I will definitely camp here this summer - hopefully more than once.

Finally, I have another flower picture for identification.

May 23, 2009 East Bald Mountain - West Ridge Trails Day Hike

2009-05-24T10:30:00.020-04:00

On Saturday, May 23, 2009 I set out on what promised to be my longest single day-hike of my odyssey. I plan to hike 9.7 miles along the West Ridge Trail to Goddard Shelter and the Long Trail up on Glastenbury Mountain and then reversed field and trek back down for a total of just under 20 miles in one day. I arrive in Woodford Hollow at 8:15 am but struggle to find the trailhead. I continue down the dirt road until I meet a man on a small backhoe. I ask him and he advises me to park in his yard and head north up a snowmobile trail until I reach the blue blazes marking the the trail. When he says blue blazes I figure he must know what he is talking about so I follow his direction. I start hiking at 8:35 am in 60 degree weather with overcast skies and a 30 percent chance of rain/thunderstorms (1,300 feet above sea level). At the start of the trail there is a horse farm with about a dozen pretty white horses. They seem pleased to see me.

The snowmobile trail snakes northward and climbs steadily for about 2.5 miles taking one hour of hiking. I realize partway up that the trail is not heading westward enough for me to meet up with the West Ridge Trail and that there is a serious ravine between me and the trail. I know, however, if I keep going north, not only will I reach my destination, but I also may be able to cut my hiking distance down significantly. Unfortunately, after an hour I run out of snowmobile trail as the trail ends at a private lodge partway up Glastenbury Mountain.

I have a decision to make - bushwhack on up or turn around and admit defeat...I bushwhack. The climb is steady but there are numerous moose trails that help me navigate through the bush. I use my compass and try to keep moving in a northern direction as much as possible. After one and a half hours of this I step out onto a trail and immediately see a blue blaze. It turns out that I am just about 200 yards from my destination - Goddard Shelter (3,748 ft) - on top of Glastenbury so I have climbed 2,500 feet, mostly bushwhacked, and have knocked off about five miles and two hours of hiking by taking this route. I reach the shelter at 11:00 am.

I pause at Goddard Shelter to eat a cold hamburger I brought with me and to change out the inserts in my hiking shoes. At 11:15 I begin the descent down the West Ridge Trail. The going is fine and the descent is not too steep but my feet are exceptionally sore today, especially my left foot. Every step on a rock, root, or at an angle, anything other than on a soft pile of leaves, is uncomfortable to say the least. I must descend 7.8 mile to the crest of Bald Mountain (2,857 ft). About halfway to Bald Mtn. I come to a spot where the trail enters a flodded area. I do not relish the idea of stripping down and wading across. Eventually, I find a way around that keeps me from getting wet. I arrive at Bald Mountain at 3:00 pm having covered about 8 miles in about four hours. Along the way I pass an older couple who obviously are just learning to overnight hike. They are carrying way to much gear and are laboring under the loads. I ask if I can help but they politely say no - they are fine. I wonder if that is really true but decide to push on. When I pass them they are about six miles from their car and heading home.

On the top of Bald Mountain there is an unusual white dust covering that, I'm sure, is the basis for its name. The views are not majestic, but the clouds have cleared off and the day has warmed up into the mid seventies. The black flies have been out in force for much of the hike and I put to good use my mosquito netting Kim got me for Christmas. It covers my hat and head and works great. I never use the bug spray.

I turn east just after the Bald Mountain summit and begin a steep 2.0 mile descent back to the road I started on. The descent is tough on my already sore feet as there are numerous rocks and roots that have to be stepped on during the trek down. I reach the road at 4:00 pm and now see where the trailhead was that I missed to begin with. My large map located it 1.2 miles from Route Nine but it is actually 0.8 miles from there. I hike the remaining half mile up the road to my car having travelled roughly 16 miles in just under eight hours.

On the way home I drive through Bennington where a Moose Festival is going on. As if I haven't hiked enough, I park my car and walk through the festival, taking pictures of the only moose I've seen on the hike. Something tells me that they are not the ones that left all the moose poop up on the mountains I hiked today :)

Let me know what your favorite moose is - don't forget the one pictured at the beginning of this entry...

May 18, 2009 - Lye Brook, North Branch Pond, and Old Rootville Road Trails

2009-05-19T09:41:00.001-04:00

I get up at 5:30 am on Monday, May 18th 2009 in order to have plenty of daylight for a long day hike. I arrive at the trailhead of the Lye Brook Trail just outside of Manchester Center at 8:30 am. The weather is cool (low 40s) and overcast but the forecast is for no rain so I take off. From the trailhead (760 feet above sea level) it is 2.3 miles up an old railroad bed and old woods roads to a turn off heading south to Lye Brook Falls.

The climb is steady but not too steep and the falls were the nicest I have ever seen along any trail. As majestic is to Niagra, beautiful is to Lye Brook Falls. The falls tumble over a rock ledge at least 150 feet. The side trail I am on intersects the falls well below its bottom. Unfortunately, the angle and the trees keep me from getting a perfect angle in order to capture a nice image, but I highly recommend the 5.0 mile round trip hike to anyone that likes a waterfall - this is one of the best!

From the Falls I return to the main trail and continue up the south side of an unnamed mountain in the Lye Brook Wilderness. I reach the height of my hike about 200 feet from the summit at about 2,700 feet by my calculation. At this point the trail flattens out and I actually enter a very marshy area.
I cross numerous areas of muck but I am usually able to find submerged rocks and/or logs that keep me from sinking to my knees in the mud. I've attached a picture of the typical sinkhole. I arrive at the intersection of the trail with the Branch Pond Trail after 8.1 miles of hiking. It is 12:10 pm. This intersection is the point at which last year, on July 19th, I came to from the east along with my son Jon. At that time he and I turned south and completed the southern half of the Branch Pond trail. This time I turn north. Along the way I cross several streams and find a particular type of flower growing over about a one mile stretch of trail. I provide it for you to identify, if you can.

I turn north and skirt the eastern shore of Bourn Pond passing two primitive tenting areas along the way. The trail is rather flat now and stays this way for several miles as I work my way 3.5 miles north to a shelter. Along the way I come to a point where the trail disappears into a flood plain. It is cool out and I do not relish the idea of wayding through the water so I decide to try and bushwhack my way around the obstacle. It takes about five minutes, and I begin to get nervous about finding the trail again, but it all works out well and I'm on my way again.

After hiking along Bourn Brook for about a mile, I arrive at the William B. Douglas shelter (built 1956, sleeps 10) a log lean-to renovated in 2005 with a nice sleeping platform inside the shelter. There is a refreshing piped spring providing clear-cool water, but my water supply is in good shape so I don't pump any. I rest in the shelter for about 10 minutes, taking my shoes off and replacing the inserts with a spare pair in an effort to fool my feet into thinking they are refreshed. It works for a short while.

I now hike 1/2 mile north from the shelter where I intersect with the Long Trail. From this intersection it is a short hike to Old Rootville Road, a passable but poor road that the LT follows for 0.9 tenths of a mile before turning north. I continue past this LT turnoff for 1.8 more miles down the Old Rootville Road until I arrive at a home and an intersection with East Manchester Road. The last two miles have been fairly steeply downhill and my quads are telling me they are tired of hiking. I finish the trail at 3:20 pm. At the intersection I find an older man in a GEO Tracker who stops to ask me questions about the trail. After answering him, I tell him about the Lye Brook Trail and the falls that he simply must see. He does not know where this is so I volunteer to let him drive me to the trail head where my car is. By doing this he gets information about a hike he is going to take and I save about 3 miles of extra hiking on a blacktop road. In the end I've hiked 14.5 miles in just under 7 hours and I've marked three more side trails of my list.

May 4, 2009 Pine Cobble and Broad Brook Trail Day Hike

2009-05-04T11:29:00.002-04:00

On Sunday May 3, 2009 I completed my first successful hike of the 2009 season. I say successful because I went out in mid-april and attempted to hike the Emily Proctor Trail to the top of Breadloaf Mountain. I made it about two miles and about 2/3 of the way up when I encountered snow as deep as two feet. I continued into the snow for about 1/4 of a mile before I came to the conclusion that I was not going to make it to the top and complete this hike until the snow melted. On the way up I came across what I am certain were bear tracks in the snow. Unlike dogs these tracks had clearly defined claw marks.

I started my Sunday hike on the Pine Cobble Trail (630 ft above sea level) in the stae of Massachusetts. This trail is not in Vermont but is considered a side trail because it is one of two approaches to the Vermont Long Trail start at the state line. I hiked the other approach, the Appalachian Trail, last year on my first overnight hike. The Pine Cobble trail is an easy to find and well-marked Hike. I get on the trail at 10:20 am and make good time climbing 2.1 miles to the intersection with the AT (2,010 ft) arriving at the AT at 11:15 am. Along the way I traversed through two granite fields I found interesting.

On the way back down I took a side trail for 0.2 miles leading to the peak of Pine Cobble Mountian (1,894 ft.) and overlooking the Hoosic Valley and the Berkshire Mountains. I pass several people on the trail - this must be a popular hike for people in the area. Some bored hiker went to great lengths to set up a number of balanced rock formations that must have taken a bit of effort to achieve. I arrive back at the trailhead at 12:15 pm having taken just under two hours to hike 4.4 miles.

It takes just 15 minutes to get to the trailhead of my next hike - Broad Brook Trail. Charlie Castelli has warned me about this trail telling me that it is poorly marked and has multiple creek crossings that one must wade because their are not enough rocks to step across on. He was correct - especially since the spring runoff is still occurring. I start out at the trailhead about 25 yards inside the State line of Vermont (900 ft.) and pass by the Pownal Water Works as I enter the trail. The first mile or so is well marked and follows the south side of Broad Brook.

Then come the water crossings. The first one is the deepest (of course, I don't know that at this point). I remove my shoes, socks and pants and put on a pair of imitation Crocs I bought thinking just of this hike. I wade across in frigid water up to my thighs. My footing is secure, however, and the current, while strong, does not come close to knocking me over. I re-dress on the other side and continue on my way.

I make the next crossing about 1/2 mile later and go through the same ritual. On the other side however, I decide that since there are no other cars at the trailhead the trail is mine and mine alone so I leave my Crocs on and begin hiking in my black spandex Under Armour underwear. If this is too much information, I apologize. The trail continues to cris-cross back and forth over Broad Brook. I keep a count and in total I make 19 creek crossings with 10 of them requiring me to get wet on the way up and back. After a few more crossings I can tell my feet do not like hiking in Crocs so I put on my shoes and socks but continue sans pantelones.

At the top I come to a rough but driveable road that takes me .3 miles east to the Long Trail (2,130 ft). There is no sign for this intersection so I take a picture of the White Blaze that marks the LT. It takes 2.5 hours to cover the 4.0 miles to the LT, about 30 minutes of that spent changing shoes to make the crossings.

The trip down is much faster as I decide to wade in my shoes and socks and forego the Crocs. The trip down goes well even though the trail is poorly marked and I get sidetracked a couple of times. I arrive back at the car at 5:00 pm having covered 8 miles in 4.5 hours.

In total I've hiked 12.4 miles today in less than 6.5 hours. Not bad for the first hike out this spring. I stop and eat Thai food in Rutland on the way home to celebrate the start of another season. My goal is to complete the LT and all of the side trails by the end of next fall.

11-23-2008 New Boston Trail Day Hike

2008-11-24T11:11:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, November 23, 2008 I took a short day hike to try out my new ice spikes. They work well. I arrive at the New Boston Trailhead (1,940 ft above sea level) at 9:30 am. It was sunny and 20 degrees with a couple of inches of snow on the ground. The hike up follows a snow mobile trail for about 0.6 miles and then veers north up to the David Logan Shelter (2,640 ft). This is the same shelter that I had to run to in a hail storm when out on the Long Trail in September.

I did not wear my spikes up the trail and therefore I did not make good time even though the trail was not that slippery or steep. I wore the spikes down and was able to move at my traditional pace. I got back to the car around 11:15 am covering 2.0 miles.

I then drove over to Aiken State Forest and the Bald Mountain Trail. This is the trail that I almost got stuck on overnight because it got dark on me and I couldn't find my way down. I wanted to reclimb it and figure out what I had done wrong before. This time I missed the turn off of the woods road that leads up the mountain and I kept hiking down the woods road. The path was pleasant and so, when I realized I'd missed my turn, I decided to just keep going. I turned around and hiked back arriving at my car at 1:30 pm covering about 2 1/2 miles.

I guess this particular trail is not going to cooperate with me - I'll have to try one more time someday.

Lake Mansfield, Nebraska Notch and Clara Bow Trails Day Hike

2008-11-08T10:23:00.006-05:00

On Friday, November 7, 2008 I took a day of vacation in order to complete a day hike. I chose to hike two trails that I hiked last year with Charlie Castelli and students from Vermont Tech as well as a third trail I hadn't hiked before.

The day was unseasonably warm, in the upper 50's, and overcast. It had drizzled the night before, making the trails damp but not soggy. I began at the Lake Mansfield Trail Trailhead (1,140 ft. above sea level). The trailhead starts at the picturesque Lake Mansfield Trout Camp and I take a picture of the lake and the spillway from the lake before I take off on the hike. It is 11:00 am when I start.

The trail is quite nice and ascends gradually 1.6 miles to Taylor Lodge. Along the way I see a number of interesting rock formations and numerous small streams. The trail steepens as I climb into Nebraska Notch but there is no ice and the footing is solid. Near the top I round a curve and come to a beautiful cascade of water falling some 100+ feet. The two pictures above show the top and the bottom of the cascade. I was unable to frame the entire drop in one photo.

A few hundred yards further up I come to a beaver pond complete with a perfectly constructed beaver dam. This beaver must have gotten his architechtural engineering degree from Vermont Tech as his pond and palace are well constructed. Another two minutes of uphill hiking and I come to Taylor Lodge (Built 1978, sleeps 15, 1,860 ft) named after the founder of the Green Mountain Club James P. Taylor.

From the Lodge I hike north on the Long Trail 0.4 miles to the LT intersection with the Nebraska Notch Trail. The trail offers a gradual 1.5 mile descent out of the Notch to the western side of the range. Thus, by hiking these two trails together I go from the eastern side of the range to the western side in a short and not too steep 3.5 mile hike.

At the Nebraska Notch Trailhead (1,400 ft) I reverse direction and climb back up to the Long Trail. From there I head south 0.3 miles to the LT intersection with the Clara Bow Trail. The Clara Bow offers an 0.4 mile alternative route back to Taylor Lodge. The guidebook and the trail markers indicate that it is a rugged trail. Completing it requires that I navigigate over some large boulders and drop drown into a ravine that leads to a cave where I must use a 10-12 foot wooden ladder to climb out.
The pictures above show the blue blazes telling me where to hike and the picture to the left shows the cave/crevice I climb through to get to the other side of the rock formation.

I arrive back at Taylor Lodge no worse for the wear and take an unarked side trail leading about a tenth of a mile to a pleasant overlook of the Nebraska Valley below. Something tells me the state of Nebraska doesn't have many views like this.

My hike back down to the car is uneventful and I arrive at 3:00 pm having hiked 8.2 miles in four hours. I unlock the car and reach back to remove my back pack. It is only then I realize that I left my pack back up at the Lodge...Crap! Now I have to hike 3.2 miles up and back to get my pack. I practically jog the trail covering the 1.6 miles up in 37 minutes and the 1.6 miles back down in 35 minutes. Thus I have now hiked over 11 miles in just over 5 hours. Live and learn - I'll not be leaving my pack behind again!

Jerusalem Trail and Hedgehog Brook Trail Day Hike

2008-11-04T14:33:00.020-05:00

On Sunday, November 2, 2008 I went out for a day hike of just under 10.0 miles. I arrive at my first trailhead (1,640 ft above sea level), the Jerusalem Trail at 9:30 am on a cool day. The sky is blue, the wind is slight, and the temperature is about 29 degrees. I hiked this trail last year with Charlie Castelli. In fact, this was the trail where I decided I should try to do the entire Long Trail. I am hiking it again because I want to be able to say I did every trail within two hiking seasons. I start out with a t-shirt covered by a long sleeve t-shirt, and over that a fleece vest. Within a few hundred yards I pause to take off the vest.

I climb steadily and the temperature drops as I ascend Stark Mountain. I see increasing amounts of snow and ice but the trail is not any more difficult than last time I hiked it. About 1.5 miles in, and 1,000 feet up the trail becomes icy and the snow at times is about six inches deep. At one point I have to throw my hiking poles up ahaead of me and climb a steep area that is covered in ice. The picture of this section is to the right. I hold on to small evergreen trees and pull myself up. On the descent I know I will have to sit down and slide.

I make good time and arrive at the LT, 2.4 miles away, by 11:00 am. By 11:30 I am at Glen Ellen Shelter (built 1933, sleeps 8, 3,430 ft.).
The shelter is quite nice and has a commanding view to the east of the Green Mountains. The picture to the right captures me taking the shot and a reflection of the view east from the ridge. The J - Trail starts from the west so I have climbed to the top of the Green Mountain ridgeline and partly down the east side.

I put my vest back on as I begin the trek down and back to my car. It is not as slippery as I had feared going down on the icy trail would be, but I do sit down in several spots numbing my cheeks as I slide down two tricky sections. I arrive back at the car by 12:30 so I decide to hike another trail before calling it a day.

I arrive at the Hedgehog Brook Trail (1,160 ft.)to begin my second hike at 1:30 pm. the first thing I notice is that the east side of the mountains have less snow and ice than the west side. The temperature is a few degrees warmer and I start this hike without my vest. I quickly drop down into a very pretty valley and have to cross what I assume is Hedgehog Brook.

The stream is running fast due to melting snow from above and I cross the brook on a series of stones that are spaced far enough apart (as the picture to the left shows)I wonder if I will slip and get wet...I don't. I walk through the valley for about thirty minutes and cross the brook several times along the way.

At the 30 minute point I begin the steady ascent up towards the summit of Burnt Rock Mountain. The higher I go the more ice I come across and, near the LT, the going gets just as slick and icy as my earlier hike on the West side of the range. I manage without any falls but once again use the trees in spots to pull myself up the incline.

I reach the LT ((2,800 ft) 2.0 miles away from the trailhead and begin my descent. Once again I must sit and slide down a few rougher sections but, on the whole, the going is smooth. I arrive back at my car at 3:35 pm and call home. Kim tells me I need to get home fast as one of the college's buildings is on fire and blazing out of control. I arrive back in Randolph to discover that our Business Enterprise Center/Business Incubator is a total loss.

For the remainder of the hiking season I will need to bring my snowshoes with me in case I hit substatial snow or ice.

Frost, Maple Ridge, Wampahoofus, Butler Lodge Trails Day Hike

2008-10-27T10:15:00.019-04:00

On Sunday, October 26, 2008 I had a chance to slip out for a day hike. I chose to go north this time and drove up to Mt. Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vermont and a peak that the Long Trail passes over. I had heard that the trails leading up to the peak are rugged and steep. It rained all day yesterday so I hesitated before deciding to attempt this as I suspected wet rocks might make the going even more precarious. But it was a beautiful sunny day with no clouds and the temperature steadily rising towards 60 degrees so I decided, what the heck?

The trails I took head up the west side of the mountain towards what is known as the forehead. The entire mountain, when viewed from afar, looks like one of those Easter Island Statues that has fallen over, complete with exagerated forehead, long face, and a prounounced chin. I'll get a picture from afar some time and post it. In addition to the Long Trail there are 32 side trails heading up this mountain that I will need to cross off before I can claim to have done all of the side trails to the long trail. Many of them are very short, but I will have been all over this mountain by the time I finish them all.

I start out at 10:45 am from just east of Underhill Center, VT. on the Butler Lodge Trailhead (1,400 ft above sea level). I stroll along the fast flowing Stephensville Brook that is swollen from yesterday's rains. In short order I find I have to cross this stream. All of the stepping stones are covered by the high water and I wind up stepping onto a large boulder, planting my hiking staffs in the center of the stream and swing across using the staffs for support. I make it without getting wet - Sucess! After 0.2 tenths of a mile I arrive at the Frost Trail trailhead. I turn north and follow this trail and I immediately begin to climb steadily. About 70% of the rocks I step on are wet and slippery from last night's rain, but I am hopeful that the higher I go, the thinner the tree coverage abd the drier the trail will be due to today's sun. After a short distance I come up to a large eight foot tall boulder that catches my attention. It has an abrupt edge that makes it look like it was carved square.

As I begin to move above the treeline the rocks become drier and less slippery. The ascent is still steep hoever and ther are a few ledges that a fall from would spell trouble. I pass several vistas but take just one picture as I know I will be going higher and more views will come. I arrive at the intersection with the Maple Ridge Trail having hiked 1.2 miles in one hour and decide to descend to its trailhead. I hike down steeply for about 20 minutes covering about 0.4 miles. The going is slick and I fall once and slip several times. I actually discover that coming back up the steep trail is much faster, and safer, than descending.

The climb up Maple Ridge is the steepest I have ever done. The incline is intense and enough spots are wet and slippery that I become nervous. At one point there is a wall of rock in front of me that is about 10-12 feet high. this wall has a diagonal ridge that runs up it and provide about two inches of ledge. I scale the rock by inching my way up the ledge and then flopping myself over the lip once I have only about three feet to go. The picture to the right shows the trail, note how the blue blaze disapears over the edge, and the continuation of the trail below.

Of course the hard work pays off with some excellent views, the shot to the right is the forehead portion of Mt. Mansfield and the shot of long cliff is the southern descent from the mountain.
I am now almost two hours into the hike and realize I must wait to scale to the Forehead on another day. I'm actually relieved not to attempt the climb - I'll make sure I come back when it's been sunny for several days in a row. I'm not scared to do it...but I am anxious. I arrive at the intersection of the Maple Ridge Trail with the Wapahoofus Trail. This trail is described as a rugged trail in my guidebook and I earlier passed a hiker who told me, with yesterday's rain, that particular trail will be miserable.

Just before I get to the trail I pass three college girls and one guy. They tell me they just came up the Wampahoofus Trail and it was not that bad - so I bite. As soon as I turn south on the trail I come to a huge rock formation with a cavern that goes right through it. I can't get through with my pack on so I remove it and carry it with me. There are several spots where I must throw my hiking staffs down to the bottom of a ledge and then lower myself down to them, but in all honesty, I think the Maple Ridge trail was a greater challenge. After 0.8 miles I arrive at Butler Lodge, take a short break, and begin my descent down Butler Lodge trail to my car. On the way down, as I am precariously focusing on not slipping down the descent, a jogger - that's right, a trail runner - passes me running downhill. If that isn't a broken ankle or dental surgery waiting to happen I don't know what is. I arrive at the car at 3:05 pm so this has been a 4 hour hike and I have only covered a total of about 5.3 miles and climbed about 2,500 feet.

Epilogue - As I write this it is two days after the hike and I still have residual soreness in my shoulders, back and arms from the climbing. My legs and feet have the standard amount of soreness that I usually have after going on a hike of twice this length. Four of the thirty-two Mt. Mansfield trails have been hiked - twenty-eight to go!

Cooley Glen and Battell Trail Day Hike

2008-10-20T11:02:00.010-04:00

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!

Lincoln Gap To Beane Trail - Stage Eight - Overnight Hike

2008-10-14T15:36:00.001-04:00

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.

Lake Trail and Baker Peak Trail Day Hike

2008-10-14T11:04:00.015-04:00

On Monday, October 6, 2008 I am able to take the afternoon off to hike. I drive to the south of Rutland, VT to the town of Danby to hike two connected side trails of the Long Trail. I arrive at the Lake Trail Trailhead (720 ft above sea level) on a cool early fall day when the leaves are at their peak colors. I start the hike on a snowmobile trail that stays moderately flat for about one mile before it narrows and begins to climb up Baker Mountain.

I pass several narrow vistas and soon come to where the Baker Peak Trail Branches off to the North (1,920 ft). Following this trail I begin to skirt around the northwest edge of the mountain along a ridge that, at times, makes me realize that one misstep and I could slide down the slope. The top picture of this post shows one such possible slide.
At one point I cross a wooden platform complete with metal railing. This is a first on my hikes so I suppose one or more accidents must have caused this platform to be built.

I arrive at the Long Trail Intersection with Baker Peak Trail (2,760 ft) and turn south on the Long Trail. I travel south on the LT for 1.9 miles. This is the third time I have hiked this section of the LT. I arrive at Griffith Lake and then backtrack 0.1 mile to the Lake Trail intersection with the Long Trail (2,620 ft)The descent goes smoothly and follows the brook the feeds out of Griffith Lake. along the way I come to an open area filled with colorful leaves that have fallen from trees. My camera does not do the color justice. I arrive back at the Car no worse for the year having climbed over 2,000 feet and hiking some 8.1 miles.

Clark Brook Trail Day Hike

2008-10-14T10:38:00.018-04:00

On Sunday, October 5, 2008 I hiked the Clark Brook Trail outside of Granville, Vt. This trail is only about a 45 minute drive from where I live and is one of the prettiest trails I have hiked.

On Friday,October 10, 2008 I returned to the trail with my sister and her husband, Lydia and John McKay, and we hiked the first mile of the trail, getting to the second bridge before we turned around and came back.

The trail starts at 1,331 ft above sea level and climbs very gradually for the first mile. The trail runs on the south side of Clark Brook and there are several nice views of the stream. after about 15 minutes of hiking I come to the first bridge crossing of the stream. another 10 minutes of hiking and I arrive at a second, even prettier bridge crossing.

At this point the trail steepens significantly and I must work my way up Breadloaf Mountain. along the way I pass a nice cascade of water crossing the trail.

I also climb an interesting ramp - not quite a ladder but not quite steps either.

Just as I'm beginning to think that this hike is getting tough, I arrive at the Long Trail Intersection (3,390 ft). I've climbed 2,000 feet.

On the way back down the trail I pass a couple hiking up and they look fatigued. I give them encouragement and tell them they only have about 20 minutes to go before reaching thew top. I can tell that this is not good news in their mind. I'm betting they never made it to the top. I've hiked 6.0 miles round trip.

Homer Stone Brook & Bald Mtn Trails - Day (& Night) Hike

2008-09-22T09:53:00.012-04:00

On Sunday, September 21, 2008 I have the chance to slip away for an afternoon hike. I arrive at Homer Stone Brook Trailhead (680 ft. above sea level) at 1:15 pm for a 4.8 mile hike to the Long Trail and Little Rock Pond (1,854 ft.) This will be the third time I have hiked to the Pond...each time by a different trail. The trail climbs steadily past an old stone wall and then runs along the north side of the very pretty Homer Stone Brook.
Most of the trail follows an old roadway known as the Old South Wallingford - Wallingford Pond Road. The roadway is in fair shape and my guess is that a 4-wheel drive vehicle could make it up the first 1.7 miles. I
t appears as though a few ATV vehicles have done so lately. At 1.7 miles the trail crosses Homer Stone Brook and the ascent steepens over the last 0.6 miles until I arrive at Little Rock Pond.
The descent goes fast as there are not as many loose stones and roots as on the LT. I arrive at the car at 3:25 having covered 4.8 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Given my fast pace I decide their is sufficient daylight left to hike the Bald Mountain Trail. This trail is a 3.5 mile loop trail that does not connect to the LT. Instead, it climbs Bald Mountain (2,747) in the Aiken State forest just outside of Rutland VT. I arrive at the trailhead at 4:15 pm to begin the hike. Shortly after starting I come upon a lone female hiking with her dog. She advises me to take the east side of the loop as that is the better climb up the mountain. I follow her advice. after about 1.2 miles I arrive at a poorly marked decision point. I can turn north and head up the mountain or turn east and head around it. The trail is supposed to be marked with blue blazes but, unfortunately, both directions have such blazes. I choose the east figuring I'll hike around and then up to the summit. I follow this trail for another 1.0 miles until I come to it's abrupt end. I've now gone over three miles, two of which are not the right trail. I arrive back at the junction and, even though it is dusk, decide to climb the mountain, figuring I can do this and complete the loop in about as much time as it will take to back track my steps. Besides, this will eliminate the need to come back and complete the trail some other day.

I climb steeply up the mountain and arrive at a vista looking out over the Rutland airport. The trail continues up a short distance to another vista. Upon reaching this vista the trail branches in two directions. One direction is simply labeled "Pico Vista" and the other is not labeled at all.
I figure the Pico Vista branch is simply a hike to another view that requires one to turn around and come back after getting there so I choose the unlabeled branch. The blue blazes lead me to another vista. It has now gotten dark enough that I pull out my halogen headlamp to light my way. This is the first time I have used it on a hike and it works well. After another 10 minutes of hiking I come to another Vista...Man this summit has lots of Vistas. Another ten minutes and, wait a minute! Didn't I climb over this same tree lying across the trail once before? I continue on a short way and come to another vista and it dawns n me that I'm going in circles. It is now dark and I can't tell one vista from another. I say a quick prayer that I will not have to spend the night on a mountain top in shorts and a sweaty t-shirt with the temperature in the mid-forties.

I climb over the downed tree for a third time and begin to resign myself to a long night. Perhaps I can keep walking all night and that will keep me from getting too cold. I'm not panicking but I do figure I'll be up her until daybreak. On my next loop, hiked very slowly, I come to a descent that looks new to me. 200 yards past the start of this branch I realize I'm heading down and not towards another vista again. Apparently, I'm on my way out. I decide to turn off my headlamp to see just how dark it is. Without the headlamp it is so dark that I realize I will simply have to sit down right where I am and wait morning out if it fails to work; it is that dark. I turn the headlamp back on. After about a mile of descending I come to an intersection I recognize and turn west to head back to my car. I arrive at the car at 7:41 pm having hiked the last 1 and 1/2 hours in the dark. I intended to go 3.5 miles and instead estimate that I have traveled 7.0 miles on this hike bringing my total for the day to about 12 miles. I'm not very sore as I get into the car, drive to cell phone service and let Kim know I'm on my way home.

2 Day Hikes - 4 Trails Covered - Sunlight Pond/Sucker Brook/Silent Cliff/ Burnt Hill Trails

2008-09-13T15:28:00.014-04:00

On Friday, September 12, I took a half day of vacation to get out on a couple of trails. This weekend is the Tunbridge World's Fair so I did not want to do an overnight hike as I am taking Kim and Jon to the Fair tomorrow.
I arrive at the Sunlight Pond trailhead (1,960 ft above sea level) at 1:00 pm and start my hike in a steady rain. The canopy of trees overhead helps to limit how much rain I get hit with, but every now and then the wind blows and the trees release a downpour. Combine that with my body brushing up against wet branches and ferns and it's going to be a wet hike. It is 58 degrees as I start the ascent up Breadloaf Mountain to a rendevous with the Long Trail. I cross several small streams on the way up, climbing a total of about 1,500 feet before I reach the LT. On the way up I pass a couple climbing down and the man tells me they gave up getting to the top as it was taking too long. He describes the point where they turned around. I come to that point in about 20 minutes and, wouldn't you know, another 100 yards past their turnraround I come to the end of the trail (3,420 ft). I've climbed for 2.5 miles and it has taken 70 minutes. The trip down is faster of course, and I arrive back at the car in 60 minutes for a total of 5.0 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

I'm soaked but decide I should do another short trail before heading home. It takes less than 15 minutes to get to the Sucker Brook Trail, a 2.0 mile out and back trail that also climbs to the LT. This one has less of an incline and is muddier but I find I can manage.
The road to the trail has washed out in recent weeks because of flooding in the Middlebury Gap region so I have to park about 0.2 below the trail, cross a creek that has washed out the road, and hike up to the trailhead (2,020 ft.). I reach Sucker Brook Shelter (2,420 ft.) after a fairly short climb, take a photo and head back down. The rain picks up during my descent and I arrive at the car sopping wet.

On Saturday, September 13, I get up at 8:00 am and head out to tackle two more trails. As Hurricane Ike pounds Galveston, it looks like the day here may clear after a while and become sunny. I arrive at the Middlebury Gap intersection with the Long Trail (2,144 ft.) at 10:00 am and start to climb north. The first 0.4 tenths of a mile is on a section of previously covered Long Trail but near the top I branch off onto the 0.8 tenths out and back Silent Cliff Trail. The trail is not very steep and I arrive at the cliff (2,750 ft.) in short order. I can see 600 feet down to Hwy 125 and can even see my car parked off in the distance. My trip back is an easy descent. I've climbed 600 feet while covering a total of 1.6 miles. In my car I crack open a cold one - diet Brisk Iced Tea - that is - and head on to Burnt Hill Trail.

Burnt Hill Trail (Trailhead 1,640 ft) at is a 2.2 mile uphill hike to the Long Trail and to this I add a 0.5 mile hike north on the Trail to Bryce Shelter (3,020 ft). I slept here on my last hike but forgot to take a picture of it so I'm doing the extra mile to get a photo. The climb is steady but not too difficult.
The sunlight has started to dry out the trail making the hike even easier as I don't have to worry as much about slipping on roots and rocks. I take it easy and enjoy the hike. On the way up I startle a tribe of sleeping Turkeys and watch about 20 of them scramble off in flight. I arrive back at my car at 1:45 pm so I have covered 5.4 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

So, in two days I've covered four trails and a total of 14.4 miles. This has been an enjoyable two days of hiking.

Brandon Gap to Lincoln Gap - Stage Seven - Overnight Hike - aka CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A MOOSE KIND

2008-09-02T10:35:00.020-04:00

Well, I learned the limits to my endurance on this overnight hike and I had an epiphany along the way - no more hikes of this degree of challenge!!! I began the hike at 9:50 am on Saturday, August 31 at Brandon Gap (2,183 ft). The forecast was for occasional showers and the sky was totally overcast. This made it pleasant hiking weather but took away the opportunity for some great vistas along the Trail.

The first 0.8 mile climbs Mt. Horrid (3,216 ft.). The ascent is steep and long. I arrive at a side trail that takes me 0.1 mile to the Great Cliff of Mt. Horrid. From the Gap, on a clear day, you can see the cliff rising 600 feet above. From this spot, however, all I see is clouds. I then snake my way up to the wooded summit. You know when your first mile of a hike is a climb up something called Mt. Horrid, you're in for a rough time.

I then descend a short way and begin another climb up Cape Lookoff Mountain (3,320 ft). Following a third short descent I climb Gillespie Peak (aka, White Rocks Mountain, 3,336 ft). Along the way I encounter a flower I do not believe I have seen on the trail before. I also saw a pink version of this flower as well.

I soon leave the Green Mountain National Forest and enter private land owned by Middlebury College. The land was given to the college by Colonel Joseph Battell and is now known as the Battell Wilderness. After another short descent I climb to the East Summit of Romance Mountain (3,125 ft).
I'm not sure how it got its name, but I'm not feeling too romantic after all of the climbing. I hike a switchback down to Romance Gap (2,685) and move north until I come to Sucker Brook Trail and Sucker Brook Shelter (built 1963, sleeps 8, 2,440 ft). I assume it's called Sucker Brook because there is no water running in it - Sorry sucker! I've hiked 5.6 miles at this point and it feels closer to 8 because of the ups and downs.

From the shelter, and a brief five minute rest, I begin my second significant climb of the hike up Worth Mountain (3,234 ft). I pass a few vistas along the way, but only clouds do I see. I then descend moderately, and pass over a couple of unnamed summits as I work my way to the clearing for Middlebury College's Snow Bowl Ski slope. The clouds have lifted a bit and I actually have my first long range view to the northeast.

Worth Moutain Lodge is located 0.2 miles off of the trail but I decide it probably doesn't serve ice cold beer so I forego the 0.4 mile round trip excursion. I cross a number of ski trails and accidently step into a hole that trips me and takes me to the ground. I'm not hurt, but focus more on both the trail and the trail markers as I'm descending from the Snow Bowl. I soon come to a 0.2 side spur to Lake Gilead (2,128 ft) the lowest elevation I'll be on this hike. A lake strikes me as more worthy than a lodge and I take this detour. The lake is pleasant and deserted. I strip down to my Under Armour Boxers and wade in. The water is refreshing, even though I sink to my knees in organic mush. I paddle around for about five minutes. As soon as I get out of the pond I hear people coming down the trail towards me. No sooner do I have my shorts back on than a family of four, with two pre-teen girls show up to swim. Good timing!

Back on the trail I climb a low ridge and then cross Rt. 125 at Middlebury Gap. I've driven through here many times and its nice to hike across it. I now begin my third significant climb, this time up Mt. Boyce. I enter the Breadloaf Wilderness and begin to climb. After 0.4 mile, I come to Silent Cliff Trail, an 0.8 round-trip spur to a view. I decide that cloud cover will prevent much of a view and I press on. This spur, however, is one of the required side-trails for certification, so I know I will have to return and hike it some other day. I suspect I wimped out due more to my fatigue and less due to the cloudy view.

I continue to climb and come to Burnt Hill Trail, another side trail. I'm tired and at this point decide that I will stop at the next shelter I come to. I follow a rugged slope west to Boyce Shelter (built 1963, sleeps eight). I have hiked 13.6 miles and am exhausted. It feels like I have gone 17 or 18. It is 6:30 pm so I have hiked for over eight hours. I slip out of my shoes and into my flip flops and walk down to the water source which the trail guide describes as "unreliable". I'll say! I have to go down stream a bit in order to find a puddle big enough to pump water from. Back at the shelter I eat my canned Tuna and look forward to spending a night in a shelter by myself. This will be the first time I spend the night at one alone. The weather is cool, low 50's I'd guess, and I settle in. I spend the night fighting a massive right hamstring cramp that flairs up about every hour and takes much of the joy out of sleeping.

I awake feeling better than I probably should. I'm packed and on the trail at 6:50 am, bagel in hand. I'm so focused I forget to take a picture of the shelter. Today I get to make a choice. I can go 10.0 miles to Cooley Glen Shelter and stay a second night there, or I can push on to the end and cover 15 miles. I debate what to do most of the way. Generally speaking, whenever I am hiking uphill or steeply downhill, I mentally vote for the Glen. On flat areas, I feel like I can make it all the way.

I start out by finishing my climb to the summit of Mt. Boyce (3,323 ft). The day has dawned beautifully with hardly a cloud in the sky. There is a pleasant pre-fall breeze that comforts all day long. From Mt. Boyce I continue along a ridge and then climb Breadloaf Mountain. After 2.0 miles I come to Skyline Lodge (built 1987, sleeps 14). This was actually where I had planned to spend last night but didn't make it. It is the nicest shleter I've seen so far and overlooks a lilly-pad covered pond.

I have been sucking down the water so I refill my pack at the spring located near the Lodge. I continue a steep ascent to the top of Breadloaf (3,835 ft.). Along the way I pass a large slab of marble and I use it as an excuse to stop and rest while taking a picture. At the top of Breadloaf there is a 0.1 mile spur to a view looking east and the beautiful day makes for a great shot.

I follow the rugged path downhill crossing over or under numerous fallen trees. Getting under a tree with a backpack is challenging. I also have to negotiate my way bown several steep granite slabs without falling. After 4.0 miles today, I arrive at Emily Proctor Shelter (Built 1960, sleeps 5, 3,460 ft). At this shelter is a young man who has set his tent up inside the lean to. He says he started from the north at Mt. Mansfield 16 days ago. This means that he has covered about 50 miles in 16 days, a leisurly pace to say the least. As I leave. I'm thinking he isn't much of a hiker, but the further I go the more I realize that maybe he has this hiking stuff all figured out! Of course, once again I forget to take a photo of the shelter.

I now begin the climb up Mt. Wilson (3,745 ft.) At the top I meet a fellow who is taking a month off from his work in Hanover, NH to hike the trail. He has to average about 9 miles a day to finish it and says he is a bit ahead of schedule. I begin the descent down the other side and soon climb back up to Little Hans Peak (3,348 ft) and then up to summit Mt. Cleveland (3,482 ft.)

I start down the steep descent and after another mile that's when all hell breaks loose. I round a curve and there, staring at me is a large female moose. She stands about six feet tall and is not a happy camper at my arrival. She paws the ground and charges me. I jump off the trail behind a small sappling and bend it back as far as I can. When she gets close enough I snap it into her face. She pauses to recover as I believe it hit her in the eye. I move behind a large tree as she regains her anger and charges again. What follows is a chase around and around the tree that must have lasted for 20 circuits. Eventually, tired and dizzy, she slows to a wobble. I move back to the trail to continue on, picking up a sizable rock on the way. She just stares at me on shaking legs. I figure I am in the clear and turn to head down the trail. About 15 seconds later I hear her staggering up the trail towards me. She is walking at a gait - no longer charging. When she get to within about three feet of me I throw the rock with all my might, catching her right between the eyes. With all of the weightlifting I've been doing, I'm strong enough to deliver the rock with force. She drops to her front knees, swivels to her side and then, believe it or not, she has a heart attack. as Jimmy Buffett says, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it"!

I descend steeply to Cooley Glen Shelter (built 1965, sleeps 8, 3,130 ft.) Once again I'm too tired to think to take a photo. It is 1:40 pm and I have been hiking since 7:00 am and have covered 10 miles so I remove my pack and my shoes and lay down to rest. After 45 minutes I reassess my condition and decide I can make the final 5 miles to my car and do not need to spend a second night eating Tuna.

The first 0.9 miles is a steep ascent up Mt. Grant (3,623 ft.). At the top I realize only willpower will get me through this hike. My hands are cramping from gripping my hiking poles, my calves and hamstrings are cramping, my left quad is quivering and my feet are sore, sore, sore.

I descend steadily but slowly as I try to focus on not taking a misstep. Every fallen tree I have to over or under creates a new batch of cramps. These are the deep cramps that one can do nothing about. I climb toward Sunset Ledge (2,811 ft.) There are actually three climbs to get to the ledge. Each takes you up steeply about 150 feet over a sloping wall of granite. Half way up the second tier I give out, drop to my knees, remove my pack, and roll over onto my back. I lay on the granite for 15 minutes wondering if I could spend the night there if I had to. I decide I shouldn't and get up, put the pack on, and get moving.

I reach Sunset Ledge and, even though it is 5:30 pm and the sun is getting low in the sky, I snap a quick picture and get back on the trail.

The remainder of the hike is a steep descent down to Licoln Gap (2,424 ft.). I handle this with reasonable speed as I can smell my car and the big Mountain Dew I plan to buy on the drive home. Why I don't have one iced down in the car already I don't know. I pass a number of hikers heading up to the Ledge for Sunset.

All in all, I have hiked 28 miles climbed over 5,000 feet, descended over 4,000 making this the toughest hike to date. Today I have hiked 15 miles in 11 hours and 20 minutes. I am exhausted as I drive home. I keep praying that I won't get a massive cramp while driving. During the drive my hands cramp so severely that I can't straingten out my thumbs, my forearms cramp from holding on to the steering wheel, and each hamstring cramps several times. I drive about 40 miles per hour all the way home where Jon, my son, has gone to pick me up some Chinese food. I shower, eat, soak my feet, suffer a few more cramps, and decide that this is enough...I'm breaking the remainder of the trail into smaller, more managable treks. Perhaps if I was doing this sort of hiking daily it wouldn't be a problem. But hitting the trail every other weekend is not frequent enough to develop my muscle stamina to where it need to be. My next overnight hike will cover only 12 miles and I plan to enjoy that one.

Chittenden Brook Trail Day Hike - Can you see the Orb that I saw in the Woods?

2008-08-25T16:24:00.011-04:00

On Saturday, August 23, 2008 I was able to slip away and take a shorter than usual hike. I chose to hike about 8 miles on the Chittenden Brook Trail. I have been busy the past couple of weeks and have not been able to get out like I would like to. I took my youngest son, Beau, to college at Western Kentucky University last week and, while there, was able to get out on a 14 mile day hike on the Millenium Trail in Burnheim Forest near Louisville, KY. I only had shorts and. since the hike, I have been enduring a nasty Poison Ivy rash on both of my lower legs.

The Chittenden Brook Trail is located just outside Rochester, VT off of Rt. 73. It is named after the first Governor of Vermont - Thomas Chittenden. The trail head is at 1,395 ft. and for the first 1.8 miles follows a gentle incline along the banks of Chittenden Brook. It is a beautiful stream and I have included several pictures in this post. If anyone from outside VT visits me here and wishes to go on a hike - this would be a nice representative hike with great scenery and not too demanding a trail. At 1.8 miles I come to a 0.1 mile spur leading down to a relaxing Beaver Pond. I pause here to sit on a bench and look out over the pond. Back on the trail I quickly come to the Ruth Johnston spur that leads 0.4 miles down to a campground run by the US Forest Service. I decide to hike this if I feel good on the way back.
After crossing the Brook I begin a lengthy and, at times, steep climb up to the trail's intersection with the Long Trail. I arrive at this point, 3.9 miles into the hike and 2,951 ft above sea level, after 1 hour and 45 minutes of trekking, so I have made very good time even though I have climbed over 1,600 ft in elevation.
The trip down is a piece of cake and I arrive back at the Johnston Trail intersection ready to hike over to the campground. The campground has 17 primitive campsites with no running water and two outhouses it appears. Only about five sites are being used probably because none of them are right on the water. It would be okay for an overnight camping trip but no place to spend a week. The road that I parked on to start the hike is the same as the road that leads to the campsite (USFS 45) so I decide to hike the 1.7 miles back to my car along the gravel road rather than re-hike the same route I've already followed. I arrive at my car at 3:45 pm meaning it has taken me 3.5 hours to hike 8 miles.

This would be a good hike for someone wanting to get a feel for hiking in VT. You could start where I did and go to the Beaver Pond, follow that by going to the campground, and then return to your car by the gravel road. The total distance would be about 4.2 miles and you would avoid the rugged climb up to the LT.

Route 4 to Brandon Gap - Stage Six - Overmight Hike

2008-08-04T14:34:00.013-04:00

This hike started on Route 4 near the Inn at the Long Trail in Killington, Vermont (1,880 ft) and traveled North to Brandon Gap. I arrive at the start at 9:30 am on a beautiful day with the weather forecast calling for scattered thunderstorms this evening. My son, Jon, who turned 21 on Thursday, was supposed to go with me but decided to forego the experience at 9:00 pm last night so I continue to make the journey on my own.

Within one mile of my start I arrive at Maine Junction.
This is where the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail separate with the AT heading east to New Hampshire and, ultimately, 467 miles to its northern terminous while the LT continues north to Canada. At 1.4 miles I arrive at the Tucker-Johnson Shelter (Built 1969, sleeps eight, 2,250 ft). The trail is not as hilly as previous sections I have been on, but the footing is not so good so I am only able to average about 2 miles an hour over the first five miles. With little change in elevation I arrive at Rolston Rest Shelter (Built 2004, sleeps 8, 2,240 ft) after 5.0 miles on the trail. Continuing north, I pass several vistas giving me a brief view of the Chittenden Reservior, one of which is my lead picture to this post.

I now begin to ascend to Green Road, a private drive that crosses the trail (2,500 ft) before descending into Telephone Gap (2,300 ft). For the life of me I see no evidence of a telephone or telephone lines so I can't fathom why it has such a name. I have now hiked 11 miles and am feeling well as I start to ascend the south slope of Mt Carmel. The weather quickly becomes threatening and a lightning storm passes to the south of me but largely misses where I am at. At about 12 miles, however, another one comes through and this one is vicious. I hear lightning stikes just south of me and am pummelled by peanut-sized hail as I scramble to reach the next shelter. On unsure footing, in a pouring hailstorm, I practically jog the remaining one mile in about 20 minutes. The hail stings my arms a bit, but other than that, and being soaked, I arrive at David Logan Shelter with no harm done.(Built 1976, sleeps 8, 2,760 ft).
I have travel 13 miles today. I intended to follow the New Boston trail, a side trail, out and back for a total of 2.0 miles in order to be able to mark that trail down as complete, but the rain is too hard and I'm cold and wet. I strip down to my boxers and hang my clothes to dry in the shelter (fat chance of that). My backpack has done its job and items enclosed are only a bit damp. I sread out my pad and sleeping bag and decide to go to bed early. It's only 7:30 but it feels much later.

Within an hour I'm awakened by two noisy hikers who come in from the rain. About 15 minutes after that, two more even noisier hikers arrive. They chatter and carry on, sharing loud stories of the rain without regard for the old man trying to go to sleep. After about 15 minutes of this rude banter I turn towards them and the one female says, "Oh! Your awake...What's your trail name?" I reflect for a moment and say "Serial Killer" and then roll back over to face the cabin wall. I think they caught my drift as they were much quieter the rest of the night.

I awake at 7:00 am before the wild ones and quietly pack up to head out. I fill my water pack as I leave the shelter at a spring about 50 yards from the camp and decide to eat my breakfast while hiking. Considering how wet I was last night, I feel pretty good this morning. The only problem is that my shoes are soaked and, in no time, my fresh socks are wet as well.

I continue to climb Mt. Carmel a short ways and then drop to Wetmore Gap (2,600 ft). I then begin to climb the east ridge of Bloodroot Mountain, what a great name,
as it begins to start drizzling again. By the time I reach Bloodroot Gap (3,110 ft) it is raining steadily and I am starting to get a blister on my right pinky toe due to the wet shoes and socks. This section of the trail is only marked sporatically by white blazes so I'm constantly concerned I may have taken the wrong path (even though there are few, if any, other paths to choose from). I cross several nice streams although it is overcast out and the pictures don't do them justice.

I slab the east ridge of Farr Peak in the rain and pick up the pace as I descend along a nice trail to Sunrise Shelter (Built 1964, sleeps 8, 2,564 feet) I have now hiked 19+ miles and only have one mile to go. It is raining too hard to break out the camera and I decide to stop for a while at the shelter to squeeze the water out of my socks and maybe let the rain pass by.

The rain slacks off after a 30 minute wait and I decide I might as well finish up. I quickly come to a beautiful stream that, once again, isn't well-captured by a camera in the overcast weather. It takes me only 25 minutes to hike to Vt. 73 and Brandon Gap.

I have hiked just over 20 miles, with fairly limited ups and downs, but in the nastiest weather to date. I'm actually feeling good at the end and feeling like I could go on for several more miles if I needed to. It was probably a good thing Jon chose to sit this one out as it would not have been a good introduction to overnight hiking.

Stratton Pond Trail - Branch Pond Trail Day Hike

2008-07-22T09:47:00.012-04:00

On Saturday, July 19, I took my first non-solo hike of the season. My oldest son Jon went with me. We planned a 12 mile day hike so that he could carry a pack and determine if it would work for him on an overnight hike. We went camping the night before on Kelley Stand Road with Kim and Beau, my wife and younger son.

At 8:00 am on Saturday, Beau dropped Jon and I off at the parking area where the trail head is. Unfortunately, Jon and I buzz off onto the first trail we see thinking it is the Stratton Pond Trail. After about 1/2 mile the trail narrows to where it is hardly discernable at all. We decide to push on. In another 15-20 minutes the trail is non-existant. During this early foray, we come across a pretty pond most likely created by a Beaver. The top photo captures this tranguil spot.

Consulting our map, we determined that the real trail had to be east of us so we set off cross country in that direction. Along the way we stumbled, fumbled, and mumbled through a number of patches of thick woods, marshland that we sunk into up to our ankles, and the occasional old game trail or forgotten woods road. We found the Stratton Pond Trail at about 10:30 am having spent over 90 minutes finding our way to the right route. My greatest concern was that Jon would not enjoy the hike and therefore would not want to do an overnighter later on. The woods crossing did nothing to help on that front.

The Stratton Pond Trail provides a relatively flat, low-land route to Stratton Pond that does not climb Stratton Mountain on the way. Once on the trail, the hiking was fast and smooth.

At 3.6 miles we come to the very nice Stratton Pond Shelter (Built 1999, sleeps 20), where we take pictures of each other. That's me and not Captain Morgan in case you can't tell the difference. after a quick break to wring the water out of my socks we cover the short .1 mile to Stratton Pond. At Stratton Pond, the largest body of water on the Long Trail, we meet a family that is taking a break. We stop to say hello and they ask us what route we came by. We tell them of our woods adventure and they say that two previous hikers had just come through that had the same experience we did. I think perhaps the Forest Service should put some warning signs up at the incorrect trailhead because it difinitely looks like the trail and we were not the only ones fooled by it.

We follow the LT on the east side of the pond and soon leave the LT to follow the North Shore Trail around Stratton Pond. It rained a bit last night so the trail is muddy in spots and somewhat difficult to navigate. in order to complete the side trails in this section we hike all the way around the pond back to our starting point. The circumference of the pond is 1.5 miles. Then we have to back track 6/10s of a mile to get to the Lye Brook Trail that takes us west to Bourn Pond.

At the Lye Brook Trail junction we turn west for what is supposed to be a flat 2.0 mile hike to Bourn Pond. A sign at the trailhead, however, warns us that the area is not well-marked and that we should be prepared to have fun and go wild. After a short .5 mile hike we come to what appears to be the end of the trail. We study our situation for a few moments, then reverse our direction and turn south on what turns out to be a cross-country ski trail. after a few minutes on this trail we return to the dead end.

It really isn't a dead end. It is simply that the trail leads straight into a forboding looking pond complete with numerous downed trees. We debate what should be done and ultimately decide that we must wade the pond. Jon leads off and, after about 10 steps must crouch down to where his torso almost touches the water in order to cross under a branch.
I chuckle at his effort, forgetting for a moment that the old man must do it too. Once under the tree, I take the lead and wade about 15 yards through dark water that winds up being just shy of waist deep. Jon, packing his $1,200 camera, follows with his back pack raised over his head. This picture shows a portion of what we waded. It is taken from the exit point of the water.

We stop for a few minutes to wring out our socks and drain our shoes. When we start again we know we still have about 7 miles to go and we worry about wet feet and blisters. Soon we realize, however, that our hiking shoes and hiking socks have done their job and our feet will be fine. We cover the one mile to Bourn Pond quickly, passing another father/son on the way east to Stratton Pond. We explain that they will have no choice but to wade the pool as we did, but I think they kept going without believing we where being serious.

Just south of Bourn Pond, which is barely visible through the trees, we come to the Lye Brook Trail Junction with Branch Pond Tail and we turn south to follow Branch Pond Trail about 4.5 miles back to Kelley Stand Road. We make good time on this section, even though we are tired from our day's efforts.

We arrive at Kelley Stand Road about 15 minutes before Beau is scheduled to pick us up (4:00 pm). Rather than sit and wait we turn west and start hiking the road toward our camp. If Beau doesn't come, it is a 4.5 mile hike back to camp. We've covered about 13 miles, waded on pond and hiked cross country though the woods for 1.5 hours. At precisely 4:00 pm, Beau rounds a curve in the car and picks us up. Overall, this was a challenging introduction to hiking Vermont for Jon and he held up very well.

Killington Mountain - Stage 5 - Overnight Hike

2008-07-14T10:25:00.018-04:00

On Friday, July 11, 2008, I began the fifth stage of the Long Trail Challenge, a 24 mile trek featuring the longest ascent to date - Killington. I begin at 8:45 am at VT Route 140 (1,300 ft above sea level)and head north. I immediately encounter a new site on the trail - stone walls. These walls are numerous and marked property boundaries when Vermont was mostly farm and field and not forest as it is today. The walls are simply piles of stone thrown in place. There is no "professional" fitting of the stones as you see along the state roads and byways of Kentucky. I soon begin my first ascent of the hike, Bear Mountain (2,262 ft). At the top there is a limited view but more striking than the view is the granite ledge on the crest of the hill. The climb has been a good warm up for the hike and I am already wondering how ready I am for this stage. I am carrying a different pack than I usually do and, even though it is newer and nicer, I soon discover that I have grown used to my older pack and wish I were carrying it instead. My older pack has an external frame and this one has an internal frame. So far on all of my hikes I have not come across anyone else using an external frame pack, but I like it.

I descend Bear Mountain a short way and arrive at Patch Hollow. This is a comfortable, rather flat area, where the trail is shared by cross country skiers whose winter trails frequently intersect the LT. It used to be the site of an old homestead in the early 1900's. At 3.6 miles I arrive at Minerva Hinchey Shelter (built in 1969, renovated 2006, sleeps eight, 1,530 ft). I pause long enough to take a picture and push on.
In fairly short order, at 5.5 miles, I arrive at a westerly view overlooking the Rutland Regional Airport. The airport looks out of place from the forest as the town of Rutland can't be seen from the trail. I begin a descent that drops me 600 feet over seven tenths of a mile to arrive at beautiful Clarendon George. There is a nice camping area here that I will try to come back to some other time with Kim. I have to cross a suspension bridge that is 40-50 feet above the Gorge and looks to be in sad shape. It is wobbly and I wonder how much longer it will last before it needs to be replaced. At the north end of the 30 yard bridge is a plaque commemorating a hiker who became lost here in the 1970's and was never found. Strange, because Vermont Route 103 is only a few hundred yards north of the bridge. He must have drowned in the Gorge.

I cross Vt. 103 and traverse a small pasture, climbing ladders to get over the barbed-wire fences. In the field I see an interesting flower that I continue to see for the next few miles. It appears to like sunlight. I reenter the woods and climb a boulder-filled ravine that is some of the most difficult climbing I have encountered on the trail. There are rock ledges on either side of the ravine and the ravine itself is about thirty feet wide. The climb is at about a 45 degree angle - for each step of horizontal movement I take one step of vertical climb. It takes about 30 minutes to make the climb and I stop numerous times along the way. I'm in pretty good shape however, because I drop my bandanna on the way up and, when I realize it, I look back and can see it about 50 feet down. Instead of leaving it, I still have the energy to climb down and get it, then haul myself back up.
At the top, I begin a short descent and, at 7.3 miles, I arrive at Clarendon Shelter (built 1952, sleeps 12, 1,350 ft). This is the nicest overall shelter I have seen, largely because it actually has a yard around it that someone maintains. There is even a flower basket with flowers in full bloom. A few hundred feet east of the shelter is a nice brook that I hike to in order to fill my water pack. At the shelter I meet three people, one is a volunteer who is out repainting the white trail blazes that mark the trail, one is a young man in his twenties who goes by the trail name "Bad Idea", and one is a young woman, also in her twenties, who is hiking the entire Appalachian Trail by herself. She is from Charlottesville, VA and her trail name is "Certain". She is the first female I have seen hiking on her own without a dog to protect her. I stay at the shelter long enough to eat a bagel and a banana and head back out.

From the shelter I climb up Beacon Hill, probably named for an airport beacon that is located on top of the hill and then drop down through a Maple sugar bush and through another private pasture. When I get to Kieffer Road I turn left on the road and follow it about 150 feet to where the trail re-enters the woods. I don't like hiking on roads because I always get concerned that I will miss where the trail turns back into the woods. No problem here, however. In short order I arrive at Cold River and cross a bridge over the brook at 10.4 miles.
At 11.0 miles I cross Gould Brook. The Volunteer at the last shelter warned me that this crossing is tough in high water and that I should expect to get wet, but the crossing is really no tougher than any other I've had so far.

At 12. 0 miles I'm starting to think that I will not make it as far today as I had planned as I'm feeling run down and low on energy. I round a curve in the trail and stumble upon some trail magic! The Trail Fairy, a person who goes by the name of The Mad Hatter, has set up a lawn chair, a cooler full of sodas, and a Tupperware full of packages of peanut butter crackers. A note says that I should have a seat a celebrate with a soda before I go on. I don't argue with the note and sit down for two cans of Mountain Dew and a package of crackers. This is just what I need to motivate me to push on until dusk! I hope the Trail Ferry crops up again sometime.

I soon pass through a wooded clearing with scattered pines and a number of stone walls. This is the site of the extinct Haley Farm that in 1920 was described in a Long Trail book as providing "good beds and board; telephone". At 13.1 miles I reach Governor Clement Shelter (built 1929, sleeps 10, 1,850 ft) where I pause to change out my shoes and leave, forgetting to take a picture. Upon leaving this shelter, I commit myself to climbing Killington tonight. The Mountain Dew and crackers help as I slab uphill for miles and miles. I hike continuously uphill from mile 12.0 until mile 17.5 when I reach Cooper Lodge. I pictured this lodge in my last post so instead I provide a picture of the famous composting toilet in the middle of the woods, the Cooper Pooper, and a shot of where I set up my tent for the night. There were three tent platforms at the lodge and I pitched my tent on the middle one. I thought sleeping on the wood would be uncomfortable but after 17.5 miles I found it just fine. There was no support beam in the center of the platform so the wood gave a bit under my weight, sort of like the mattress in my dorm when I was an undergraduate. The tent pictured is not mine as I broke camp before I took the shot.

For dinner I eat a Banana and decide to fore go the Tuna as I am tired but not terribly hungry. I cramp a bit as I try to get to sleep but the night is pleasant and I decide not to use my rain fly. Therefore, I see all the stars above me as I camp at the highest shelter on the LT (3,850 ft). The temperature drops down to about 50 degrees which I find to be perfect for my worn out body. The next morning the person in the tent next to me tells me I spent my first hour of sleep moaning in pain as my legs cramped. I apologize as I do not recall it happening. I break camp about 6:00 am, pump some fresh water from a nearby piped spring, and eat a bagel as I begin my descent of Killington. I only have about 6.5 miles to go today so I decide to take it easy and stroll. I descend Killington about 1,000 feet and cross over to Pico Mountain. Fortunately, the climb up Pico is not substantial as I work my way around the peak instead of to the top.
At about 21.5 miles I begin a steep descent along switchbacks that leads me down to a spur leading .1 mile to Churchill Scott Shelter (built 2002, sleeps eight, 2,560 ft). While the shelter itself is fine it is not in a very pleasant location, in my opinion, and I am glad I am not spending a night there. From the shelter I continue to drop down to Vt Route 4.
I cross a bridge over a brook and emerge from the woods at Route 4 at 10:00 am. I have hiked about 24.3 miles, ascended about 4,600 feet and descended about 4,000 feet. I continue to get stronger at hiking, but still find it very challenging, especially on my feet. As my Dad would say, "Them dogs were barking at the end of the hike". My final picture is of a berried bush I passed on Friday. It looked good enough to eat and I believe there were some blueberry and raspberry bushes growing in with this plant. Of course, I chose not to taste them - can anyone give the bush a name?

Bucklin Trail - Shrewsbury Peak Trail Day Hike

2008-07-07T11:25:00.020-04:00

On Friday, July, 4th I decided to spend the day taking a long day hike.
I begin at the Bucklin Trailhead (1,786 ft above sea level) at 9:50 am on a beautiful day with a forecast high temperature of 72 degrees. The trail begins in a valley and stays level for about 2.1 miles before climbing sharply up Killington mountain.
Along the way I hike parallel to Brewers Brook, a mid-size stream. The guide book indicates I will have to wade the stream but when I arrive at the crossing I instead find a newer looking bridge designed for cross country skiers to cross. At several more points along the trail I come close to the waters edge and enjoy the sound of "water music" as I hike.

At 2.0 miles I come to a fork in the trail. Cross country skiers are to go left, while hikers are to go right. The trail is not marked for this so I am lucky to have a guide book with me or I would have chosen wrong. As soon as I make the turn I begin the long climb (1.4 miles of climbing) up Killington. I reach the Long Trail after about 45 minutes of climbing and the elevation at the intersection of Bucklin and the LT is 3,770 feet. This picture shows the Bucklin Trail as it comes up to the LT. I turn south on the LT and continue to climb up Killington. After just a few minutes I come to Cooper Lodge (built in 1939 by the CCC, sleeps 12). At 3,850 feet, it is the highest shelter on the LT. It is also the first one I've seen that had stone walls. I guess stone construction entitles one to be called a lodge rather than a shelter. From there I decide to climb two trails that lead to the top of Killington. The first ends up on a slightly lower mountain crest than the last. But I get a good laugh as I pass the composting toilet built for the Lodge as a name plate tells me I am staring at the infamous "Cooper Pooper". I spare you the picture. The view is a northern view from the first trail I climb. This trail was steep but not too difficult, lasting perhaps .1 miles each direction. The second trail is longer, about .25 miles each way, and gets me to the summit of Killington (4,235 feet, one of the highest in VT). I have to pull myself up some of the rock faces in front of me as I climb this steep ascent. The view is of forests all around. At the top I meet a young couple who have ridden the Gondola up to the top. They have me take their picture for them and politely decline when I suggest that they take my day pack and hike down the mountain while I use their gondola pass to ride down. After scrambling back down the mountain top, at times having to sit down on one rock and jump down to the next level, I return to Cooper Lodge. From there I must go 1.5 miles south on the Long Trail to intersect with the Shrewsbury Peak Trail. If you've followed my blog before, you may recall that when I hiked the Shrewsbury peak trail, I missed a turn and failed to cover about 2.2 miles of the trail. Today I will cover that section of the trail but it requires a 1.6 mile each way detour along the LT. I refer to this 3.2 mile trek as my punishment for missing a turn on an earlier hike. I descend to the Shrewsbury Peak Trail intersection (3,500 ft) and turn east to follow the side trail. The trail is less travelled than most of the trails I have hiked so far, but in no time I come to a group of five hikers who have stopped to refill their water bottles at an inviting location. Three of them are young boys and the other two seem like scout leaders. I say hello to the five but press on to finish my climb down Killington and up Shrewsbury. I drop 600 more feet to 2,900 feet before beginning my climb up the north side of Shrewsbury. At 3,700 ft, I connect with the Black Swamp Trail and now know the error I made on my earlier hike. The trail is hardly marked and I suspect that many make the same mistake I did.

At this point I realize I am now over half way finished with my hike. I've climbed Killington and Shrewsbury so far. Now I must retrace my steps and descend the Shrew, reclimb Mr. Kill, and then descend it once more on the Becklin Trail. Fun! Fun! On the way down I pass the five hikers. At this point the two leaders are wearing their packs on their backs and each one is carrying the pack of one of the 10-12 year-olds up the mountain. I get the impression that the one remaining pack is being traded off between the three young boys. I try to help the leaders by making a comment that "real men carry their own pack" but I see the boys are having none of my wit and move on.
I stop for water at the location where I saw the five refill their water supply and pump water for myself. The climb down Shrew and up Kill are actually pleasant. The descent down the Bucklin side of Killington, however, is hard on the feet and knees and I am glad when the trail levels off following the 1.4 mile descent. I reach the car at 5:50 pm. I have hiked 15.5 miles in just over 8 hours. Given that I have climbed, and descended, three mountains (Killington twice) with a total of about 4,200 feet of climbing and another 4,200 feet of descending, I feel very good about my 2 mile per hour pace.

Old Job Trail North - Keywaydin Trail

2008-07-07T10:12:00.014-04:00

On Saturday, June 28th I had the chance to take a sorter than usual day hike so I chose to knock off a couple of shorter side trails. I start out on the north branch of Old Job Trail. The trail is generally flat and for the first mile follows beside Lake Brook. Because of the rain the Brook is flowing fast and loud. A warning at the start of the hike indicates that the bridge across the brook is closed due to ice damage last winter.

After one mile, I come to Old Job Shelter (built 1935 by CCC, sleeps eight). Because of the closed bridge I suspect, the shelter is not being used much, has weeds growing up around it and is damp and musty. The guide book states that the village of Griffith once stood here. If so, it will take an archaeologist to find it.

The closed bridge is located just west of the shelter. I climb down to the Brook and see no way across but to wade in frigid water flowing fast. I return to the bridge and re-evaluate it. It is a suspension bridge and the east side (the one I'm on) has had it's supports bent by the pressure of ice on the bridge. The platform itself now rests on the east bank. It looks passable...in fact, it looks fine and will probably not sway as much since one-third of it rests on the bank. I lightly step out and find it is plenty strong. I even pause halfway to take a picture of the brook (see photo at start of this blog entry).

Once across the bridge I encounter waist high weeds I must wade through for about one quarter of a mile. This is due to limited trail use as a result of the bridge warning.
I see a flock of Turkeys as I advance and soon arrive at the northern Old Job intersection with the Long Trail. I have hiked 2.0 miles and now must return as this is an out-and-back trek. On the way back I take one more picture of the brook.

I am making good time so I decide to stop at a sign that announces Big Branch Overlook and hike down to Big Branch Brook. The hike is steep and is about .5 miles round-trip. The Brook is flowing wildly down the gulch and I enjoy sitting along the bank for a few minutes.

I also stop at a bridge near the town of Mt. Tabor on USFS Rt. 10 and hike a trail that I have passed several times before. It is not a side-trail but follows on the south side of the Big Branch Brook. I can't get close enough to the river for a picture, but I come upon a tall rock that looks like a good place for a rock climber to test his/her mettle.

I then decide to hike Keewaydin Trail, a one mile round-trip out-and back trail that links the White Rocks picnic area with the Long Trail. The hike is a 250 foot climb to the LT and, even though it is short, it has its moments. There are a few small streams that I enjoy crossing as they simply trickle down the mountain side and across the trail.

By the time the day is done I have hiked about six miles, most of it flat and easy.

Mad Tom Notch to Vt 140 - Stage Four

2008-06-27T09:23:00.026-04:00

If asked prior to this hike I would have stated that there are four key elements that determine the difficulty of a Long Trail hike; roots, rocks, ascents, and descents. This hike added a fifth element to that list - MUD! Having rained each day for the past week, I postponed my fourth overnight hike on the trail until Tuesday the 24th of June. I arrive at my starting point (Mad Tom Notch, 2,446 ft) at 10:30 am. The sky is overcast and it looks as though some rain may move in today as well. As my wife helps me into my pack four women emerge from the brush heading in the same direction I will be going. They see me (I don't think they saw Kim) and immediately start calling out and saying hello. I turn to my wife and she gives me the evil eye - forget the rain - my trip came close to being canceled right there from "circumstances beyond my control". Luckily, Kim realizes the meeting must be circumstantial and I am released to begin my hike.

As I head north from the notch I enter the Peru Peak Wilderness and the White Rock National Recreation Area. I immediately begin a 1.6 mile steady climb to Styles Peak (3,394 ft.). I hit my first batch of mud as I climb. The roots and rocks are wet and slippery so it is not safe to step on them if I can avoid it. The mud is messy and, in parts, deep. This makes the hike more of a slog than a stroll and slows everything down. In continuously muddy spots the Trail caretakers often put eight foot long boards in place for hikers to walk on to protect the trail. I can usually bounce up on them and pick up my pace. When I hit my third length of planking, however, both feet slip out from under me and I land flat on my back. The planks are like walking on ice - wet and covered with slime. I work my way back to a standing position - my backpack cushions the fall but makes it a challenge to get up and make a mental note to walk very slowly on the planks. Over the course of this hike I will slip, but not fall, 8-10 times, and once I will slip on a plank and have to jump off it to avoid falling. In doing so I land in a bog that I sink in about 18 inches. Amazingly, my shoes, North Face hikers, do not leak at all and my feet stay dry.

From Styles Peak I drop down a couple of hundred feet and then climb to Peru Peak (3,429 ft). Both peaks are wooded and the view is limited. I begin the climb down Peru Peak and, at 4.0 miles, thunder begins to roll in, I pick up the pace in an effort to make it to Peru Peak Shelter (built 2005, sleeps about 10, 2,550 ft). The shelter is at 4.6 miles and I arrive just as the first raindrops hit. I stretch out in the shelter (the nicest one yet) and wait for the storm to move through. After 30 minutes another hiker arrives. He is an English teacher from MA. He says he passed the four women about a mile behind him so they are making slow progress and probably nervous about the storm. In another 30 minutes a hiker arrives from the north. He is also a teacher and has his hound dog, Charlie, with him. I'm not sure why I remember pet names better than people names...maybe they impress me more? Charlie has his own backpack that he carries on the trail.

I quickly decide that three is too many and that I am on the Trail, in part for the isolation of it, so I load up and push off. It is a good decision because the thunder abates within ten minutes and the sun comes out for a while.

The one hour rest has done wonders for my energy, complemented with a banana, and I push on feeling good.
I cross a nice unnamed Brook close enough to the shelter to hear it rippling as I rested.
Over the next half mile I cross two more bridges over brooks and arrive at the South end of Griffith Lake. This is the same lake that I hiked to last week when I hiked Old Job Trail.

I come to Old Job Trail at the north end of the lake and begin the climb up Baker Peak (2,850 ft.). Last day hike, I got turned around and hiked this section of trail from the north. This time, instead of scrambling up the rocks to the peak, I take the inclement weather route that is no less steep but avoids the slippery rocks. I miss the view but the weather isn't promising a good view anyway.

I descend from Baker Peak and, at 9.1 miles, come to the point where I intersected the LT on my last hike. From here it is a short 0.2 miles to where Lost Pond Shelter used to be. It burned down in November of 2006 (the second one at this sight in six years to burn???) and is now just a camping area. Shortly after leaving this sight I hear the magical sound of Big Branch, a large stream the flows wildly down the ravine. At 10.9 miles I cross the Big Branch Suspension Bridge (pictured at top of this entry). It is about 100 feet long and is suspended by cables. The entry sign warns that only one person should cross at a time, but I find it quite solid. At 11 miles I arrive at Big Branch Shelter (Built 1963, sleeps eight, 1,470 ft.). This was my original goal for the day and I stop to eat a great dinner consisting of a can of chunked white chicken, some crackers, and a second banana.
I also use this stop to pump some fresh water from the stream pictured here.

As I climb back up the rocks from the stream, Mr. MA English Teacher arrives and decides to stay there for the night. It is 7:00 pm and the next shelter is 3.0 miles ahead so I decide to push on in hopes of sleeping in a shelter by myself. I don't want to tent as thunderstorms seem quite possible tonight. At 12.1 miles I reach the junction with USFS Road 10 and continue north towards Little Rock Pond.

At 8:15 pm I arrive at Lula Tye Shelter (Built 1962, sleeps eight, 1,865 ft.).
Much of the past mile has been spent hiking alongside a babbling stream while dusk descend on the trail. I have hiked 14 miles today and take some liberty with a few lines from an old country music tune, "I never would of made it through the Vermont mud, if I hadn't been born and bred a Southern stud".

The shelter has one other occupant already there, a third teacher, this one from Virginia. He hikes 300-400 miles of Appalachian Trail each summer and this year started in Bennington, Vt with hopes of reaching Goshen, NH in short order. He has come 17 miles today, so he gets my respect as my 14.o was not a piece of cake. The night goes as well as can be expected in a open shelter, sleeping on wood floor with a thin pad, plenty of mosquitoes energized by the rains, and a shelter-mate who snores incessantly. In spite of this, I do sleep and get up at 5:45 am to cover the last eight or so miles of this hike. I break camp at 6:20 am and eat a bagel as I start today's hike.

In short order I arrive at Little Rock Pond, the prettiest pond I have seen on the trail so far, and work my way around its eastern edge. At 14.7 miles I arrive at Little Rock Pond Shelter spur and climb to the shelter
(built 1962, sleeps eight) to take a look. This shelter is empty so, had I pushed on another .8 miles, I would have at least avoided the snoring.
At 15.4 miles I pass the abandonded Aldrich Job Clearing and I take a shot of an old stone wall or foundation with various "discovered" tools displayed with it.

Back on the trail I cross Homer Stone Brook on a wooden bridge as I start to make my final ascent of the hike. I climb White Rocks Mountain (2,600 ft). As I work my way up the most beautiful pine forest unfolds in front of me. Other than the streams and brooks, this is the most refreshing spot I have seen on the trail. As I descend the other side I come to two areas where hikers have left cairns (statues of piled rocks). Even though they are not natural formations, they fit well in the landscape and remind me of something from a Lord of the Rings setting.

At 18.6 miles I reach the White Rocks Cliff Trail, a rather rugged .25 mile spur leading to a view of the valley below. I take the spur to see the view and therefore add another half mile to my hike. It was worth the extra steps, it always is. I also take this picture of a flowering plant to be named. I regret that the picture is a bit out of focus - like my lizard earlier.

At 19.6 miles I come to a .3 spur leading to Greenwall Shelter. The second day of my hikes is always a challenge, even if I only have to go a short distance and so I do not hike the extra .6 miles to see this shelter, rationalizing that, "If I've seen one shelter...".

At 20.5 miles I cross Bully Brook and leave the White Rocks National Recreation Area. I then drop beside a dramatic gulch harboring Roaring Brook and an impressive cascade. I stop their to soak my feet and pump fresh water to drink. The water is so cold I can only leave my feet submerged for about 20 seconds before they start to go numb. I do this a few times and decide to finish up the hike. I can feel leg cramps wanting to develop as I contort to put my socks and shoes back on.

At 11:00 am I reach VT 140 (1,160 ft.). I have hiked just over 21 miles, ascended about 2,700 feet, and descended about 4,000 ft. In my estimation the mud added an increased effort factor of about 20%. I do not feel as good about my stamina on this hike as I felt on the last overnighter, but I am hanging in there.

Old Job Trail

2008-06-20T10:35:00.016-04:00

On Wednesday, June 18, I took a half day of vacation in order to hike one of the side trails. I chose Old Job Trail. I'm not sure if "Job" is pronounced like a chore you have to do or like a biblical prophet so I'm using the prophet's pronunciation. I started at 12:50 pm on an overcast and cool day with a high temperature of about 62 degrees. The trail is intersected by a parking area and you must choose whether to start north or south. I choose north as that is the longer section. Unfortunately, the north part is not well marked so I take off on a path that I think is the trail. The sign saying "Lake Brook" lures me into travelling this direction. The trail was lightly hiked and I must climb over, under, or through thirty fallen trees as I progress. In many spots the weeds have grown up to thigh height.
I am still able to make out the trail because a few people have hiked it in advance of me this year and there is a beaten-down path. The route follows and old woods road and is not that difficult. I realize I had made an error from the start when I intersect with the Long Trail after just one hour's worth of hiking. The Old Job Trail takes 3.4 miles to meet up with the LT and I knew I had only gone a little over two miles. My map has no indications of the trail I am on but I have a general idea of where I am so I turn south on the LT. Within 30 minutes I meet up with an AT hiker that is coming north and he tells me he had passed the Old Job intersection about 2 miles south of where I was. The Old Job Trail is a relatively flat trail but because I had deviated from it I now climb Baker Peak (3,260 feet) on the LT. The view is impressive and the climb down rugged as I have to work my way down for several hundred yards over steeply declining granite slides.

Near the base I find my first pile of fresh Moose droppings. Since I have mentioned them in earlier posts my father did some research and came up with a recipe that I will have to try soon. He tells me that I should:

"Get some litmus paper from the college and you can soon determine which droppings Kim should prepare as a side dish. They should be near dry but not crumble. Dip in bacon drippings before you roll them in corn meal. They are served like toast on a stick. They are cooked like hush puppies. If dry and crumbly due to age you should finish crumbling them and mix a whipped egg with them then shape them to fit on a stick . NOTE: Do not fry with the stick in place unless the bacon drippings are shallow in the pan. They should be refered to as "NATURE'S BOUNTY PUFFS"
PS:add some salt to the bacon drippings. Guests that have a strong reason to impress the president will usually eat the most, Kim should be prepared to supply copies of how to prepare these tidbits supplied from God's bounty. New England "Waste not want not"

I believe it is based on my Grandma Norwood's cooking style as it involves the use of bacon grease, a staple of her fine fare.

1.9 miles from the top of Baker's Peak I arrive at the LT/Old Job Juntion. It is within 150 feet of Griffith Lake, a very pleasant body of water.I'm not sure what the difference is between a lake and a pond in Vermont as Stratton Pond was a larger body of water than Griffith Lake. I turn Southwest at the junction in order to finish the 2.0 miles covered by the Giffith Lake Trail. This is a very pleasant hike with only slight changes in elevation. Off to my right is Griffith Lake and it's southern end is marked by a series of low-land swamps that I can barely discern through the trees. I hear many bullfrogs and birds as I move quietly along this route. I also see fresh Moose tracks in the mud, but, alas, no Moose. I reach the Southern end of the Trail where there is a parking area and trail signage. I now get to retrace my steps and hike 2.0 miles back to the LT. I make exceptionally good time and complete the 4.0 mile round trip in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I am almost giddy about my pace and, in a moment of euphoria, take a bad step and twist my left ankle. This ankle routinely gives me trouble and I should be more careful. It only hurts for a few hundred yards though and then I can return to a reasonable pace.

Back at the LT I turn east on the Old Job Trail that I should have come in on to start. This trail is also relatively flat and follows a snowmobile trail. The map says it is 3.4 miles back to where I parked. After a short distance the trail begins to run alongside Lake Brook, a very pleasant stream with many small cascades. I am treated to the sound of running water all the way back to my car. At my car I look for the trail marking I should have seen when I started this hike and find a very small blue blaze located about 25 yards down the road I should have followed. No matter though, I have covered all that I set out to and then some. My estimate is that I have covered 12.7 miles with only one mountain climb. The hike took just over five hours so this is the best pace I have been able to set so far. Of course, the trail was flat and there were not many areas requiring me to watch for roots and rocks. It was a great hike today and I am pleased to head home. I'll come back and finish the northern part of the trail some other day.

The flower of the day is an unusal one. It was growing all by itself in the trail and I have not seen another one like it. Can anyone identify it for me. It almost looks like a flytrap sort of flower.

Shrewsbury Peak/BlackSwamp/Canty Side Trails

2008-06-10T09:28:00.021-04:00

I was unable to get out for an overnight hike on the LT this weekend, so I took Sunday, June 3 as a chance to hike a few side trails. I start out at 11:00 am on the Black Swamp Trail (2,300 ft). For the first 0.8 mile this trail follows the woods road pictured above. The road is closed to vehicles until mid-July because this area is a favorite place for Black Bears. I keep my eyes peeled but do not see any. I do see a few tracks that were either bear or large dog. I'm not sure as my tracking skills have deteriorated ever since I stopped watching Fess Parker - TV's Daniel Boone - Now he could track a bear!
I do come across a number of piles of Moose droppings. I can't resist and take a picture of one of the piles. For those of you who have not seen it this is about the usual quantity although I have seen as much as twice this amout in one spot. After leaving the road I follow a traditional trail as it steadily climbs up the east side of Shrewsbury Peak. At 1.8 miles I came to Shrewsbury Peak Shelter, a log lean-to built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It was not in very good shape on the inside - I wouldn't want to spend a night there.
I reached the peak (3,720 feet) at 2.1 miles where I am treated to a nice view. Also along the way I came across a frog sitting on a rock. He never moves as I get out my camera and take a picture from 2-3 feet away.It was my intention to come off of the Peak to the North side and hike 2.1 miles to the intersection with the LT. Unfortunately, the trail is not well marked on the Peak and I instead come down the west side on the Shrewsbury Peak Trail. Fortunately, there is a trail I still must do, the Bucklin Trail, that will put me in position to cover the missed ground. The trail down is steep and not nearly as well-developed as the other teails I have been on. On the way down I came across a shelter that is not on the map or the trail guide. It had a name plate calling it the Russell Hill Shelter. I could find out nothing more about its history. A bit further on I came to a break in the woods that was growing up with many ferns. This shot doesn't quite do justice to the beauty of the field.
As I near the trailhead I come across an old homestead with its chimney still in place. The floor of the house was slate rock and I can walk around it and get a good feel for its dimensions. I reach the trailhead after a 1.9 mile descent from the peak. I now have to walk 1.5 miles along a CCC road to get back to the Black Swamp trailhead and my car. Along the way I cross a babbling brook that I take a picture of from above. When I reach my car I have hiked 5.4 miles. It is only about 2:00 so I decide I can hike another trail that starts about a 30 minute drive away. I find the Canty Trail with only a little difficulty as the trailhead is not well marked. It is a 4.8 mile (round trip) trail that climbs to the Peak of Blue ridge Mountain (3,278 ft.). This trail is not an official side trail of the LT but it is on the map and I figure I should hike all of the trails on the map before I'm finished with this challenge. It is hot today and as I start out, I realize I have sweated a lot of water. I've been drinking a lot but not enough to keep up with the heat. After about 3/4ths of a mile the trail connects with an old woods road and begins to climb steeply up Blue Ridge Mountain. I pass a woman and her dog coming down and ask her if she went all the way to the top. She says, "No - just to the Waterfall - that's enough of a climb for me". Now I have something to look forward to...a climb and a waterfall.The waterfall turns out to be today's highlight. Perhaps it is better labeled a cascade. My guess is that it falls about 35-40 feet. I soak my bandana at its base and continue to climb. I leave the woods road and continue steeply upward on the trail. Several times I think about turning back but I'm determined to reach the top. When I do the view is impressive, and my picture doesn't do it justice. I sit on the ledge for 10 minutes and eat some trail mix and drink some water. My legs are sore and I'm feeling worn out. The climb down goes very quick although I have one problem. As I step up to go over a fallen log my right calf siezes up in a massive cramp that immediately takes me to the ground. I get up and try to walk it off, with some success, but it continues to pester me for the remaining 1.5 miles of the hike. I get back to my car by 6:00 pm and am ready to call it a day. I have covered 10.3 miles on a day when the temperature exceeds 90 degrees with high humidity. I have climbed two mountains totalling 2,900 ft of climbing and descending.