marysgirl
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- Feb 13, 2013
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I am happy to report that I did not get lost or hurt and I did get the canister!! (and I took down any yellow tape that may have been put up)
Started the day at the Killington Trailhead on Wheelerville Road in Mendon Vt., headed towards the metal gate to the logging roads, stayed left at the first fork. The herd path was just as obvious as always, I took the left with the red spray paint on the trees, then a right at the next fork. You lose all the elevation you just gained by staying left at the red spray paint but I avoided going over two water crossings... Just follow the herd path and the cairns, cross the last water crossing to a few blowdowns and the last uphill push to the switchbacks and the cairns. We stayed on the herdpath-switchbacks up to the "litter", the blue bin and rescue basket. But just before there (where there used to be a good sized cairn and someone took it down), about 50 feet before the litter, there is an obvious herd path which starts in the mud. We followed the herd path, which shows up really well at this time of year (but did not show up in June when the ferns were thick), all the way to the canister. The east peak has a small look out, stay to the right and go downhill just a tad, back up quickly, follow the path to another lookout, the path to the canister is on the right and lookout to the left. The herd path winds around to a small (maybe 6 foot) clearing and look to the right on a dead tree and there is the canister!! It is not a twist off, it just plops on there so use your muscles to pull it off (it was a pain)! The little pad was wet but we wrote in it with large smiles on our faces!! We double bagged and put it back in there. There is plenty of room for a new (dryer) book if you are going up! We turned around to all of the obvious herd paths and (same as last time) it wasn't all so obvious!! But we were patient and didn't panic and we found our way back out!! Back to the litter at the top of the herdpath/logging road and a fast and smiley way out!! If anyone finds a camoflage glove please leave it at the trailhead and let me know!!
Happy hiking!!
Started the day at the Killington Trailhead on Wheelerville Road in Mendon Vt., headed towards the metal gate to the logging roads, stayed left at the first fork. The herd path was just as obvious as always, I took the left with the red spray paint on the trees, then a right at the next fork. You lose all the elevation you just gained by staying left at the red spray paint but I avoided going over two water crossings... Just follow the herd path and the cairns, cross the last water crossing to a few blowdowns and the last uphill push to the switchbacks and the cairns. We stayed on the herdpath-switchbacks up to the "litter", the blue bin and rescue basket. But just before there (where there used to be a good sized cairn and someone took it down), about 50 feet before the litter, there is an obvious herd path which starts in the mud. We followed the herd path, which shows up really well at this time of year (but did not show up in June when the ferns were thick), all the way to the canister. The east peak has a small look out, stay to the right and go downhill just a tad, back up quickly, follow the path to another lookout, the path to the canister is on the right and lookout to the left. The herd path winds around to a small (maybe 6 foot) clearing and look to the right on a dead tree and there is the canister!! It is not a twist off, it just plops on there so use your muscles to pull it off (it was a pain)! The little pad was wet but we wrote in it with large smiles on our faces!! We double bagged and put it back in there. There is plenty of room for a new (dryer) book if you are going up! We turned around to all of the obvious herd paths and (same as last time) it wasn't all so obvious!! But we were patient and didn't panic and we found our way back out!! Back to the litter at the top of the herdpath/logging road and a fast and smiley way out!! If anyone finds a camoflage glove please leave it at the trailhead and let me know!!
Happy hiking!!
