Roxi
Active member
I had four peaks left on my very arbitrary “to do before summer ends” list, and was looking forward to exploring them this weekend.
The Prelude - Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak
Given that Larry and I planned a ridge hike along a section of the Long Trail for Sunday, I wanted something short and easy on Saturday, that still felt like a nice workout, but left enough energy for the next day. I recalled Grouseking’s description of hiking Sandwich Dome and reread his, Amstony’s and Paradox’s TRs of that peak when they each did it in July (thanks guys!). I took Grouseking’s advice and went up the Drakes Brook Trail. What a treat! Beautiful, gentle, and accompanied by the music of running water, it was delightful! 3.2 miles later, I connected with the Sandwich Mtn Trail, and very shortly after that I took the 0.2 mile spur trail to Jennings Peak. The vftt were stunning and definitely worth the short excursion. Being solar-powered, I soaked up the sun’s rays on one of its ledges savoring the views while snacking on grapes. Jennings Peak is a gem in its own right; I understand why this peak is on the 52WAV list, it certainly deserves to be!
Back to the main trail, and a short mile or so later, I arrived on Sandwich Dome, and looked out over Waterville Valley at a panorama of what I think was Mt. Tecumseh, the Osceolas, and the Tripyramids. Beautiful! A little chilly and breezy up top, I put on my fleece jacket and ate a peanut butter and homemade apple cider jelly sandwich (how could I not have a sandwich on Sandwich?). Amstony, was it you who said that Sandwich Dome may be the easiest of the NEHH? I think you’re right! After lunch, I headed back down the Sandwich Mtn trail to the parking lot, bypassing the Drakes Brook trail. Shorter, but steeper and rockier, I was glad the Sandwich Mtn trail was dry as I think it could be very slippery when wet. A good workout of slightly over 8 miles, in slightly over 4 hours, I still had energy to burn the next day.
The Main Event - VT’s Mts. Abraham and Ellen
Sunday morning Larry and I headed to Montpelier where we had a wonderful breakfast at the Coffee Corner (I highly recommend the Eggs Florentine!). After breakfast we headed south following a bicycle race on Rt 100 from about Waitsfield, past Warren, until we turned off for Lincoln Gap. Anyone know which bike race this was? Since Larry and I both bicycle, we could appreciate the sight of two riders up front trying to make a “breakaway” while the “peloton” pursued them. At 20 miles an hour, they were pedaling hard up those hills (while we crawled in the car behind them). Lucky for them they didn’t have to cycle up to Lincoln Gap! That road is like a mini-Washington, especially near the top. We found what may have been the last parking spot, and set foot on the Long Trail heading north at a little past 10:30, a late start, but we had all day and lots of daylight. We opted for a longer out and back hike rather than spotting a car to do a traverse as that way we’d only have to drive one car, save gas, and get to talk as we traveled.
The weather was sunny, the temps were perfect, and the only bugs present were flies that hovered near the ground, but did not bother us. I had read Poison Ivy’s description of this part of the Long Trail (thank you!), remembered that it sounded like a lot of fun, and then promptly forgot all the details.
For some stupid reason I had in my head that we were starting on the ridge, and therefore this would be a relatively flat hike, and it was AFTER we got up to Mt. Abraham. The first 1.7 miles had more ups than downs. We passed the Battell Trail followed by the shelter. The next 0.9 mile of the trail climbed more steeply, went over rocky ledges, and eventually deposited us onto the summit of Mt. Abraham. This mtn has by far some of the most beautiful 360 degree views! To the south we saw ski areas (Killington?), to the east were NH and long ridges of mtns, to the north were Camel Hump and Mt. Mansfield, and to the west was a mural of the Champlain Valley laid before us, its beautiful lake, and the ADKS in the background. The child within me shouted, “Wow!!! Look at that!!!” The views from Mt. Abraham were far reaching and easily rival any views in NH, including those from Isolation, Carrigain, Garfield, Jefferson, and Franconia Ridge. I was amazed! We savored the expansive views, ate some grapes, and continued northward.
We passed over Little Abe (you’d never know it if it weren’t for the sign), ate some chocolate on Lincoln, and continued on. The ridge was mostly flat with some ups and down particularly before and after Abraham and Lincoln. Despite that, at one point I realized I was feeling pretty tired and wondered whether I’d have the energy to hike back from Ellen once I got there. Larry was very understanding since I had hiked the day before and said he’d go along with whatever I chose to do. But in the end, I thought about how happy I’d feel completing both peaks, and that idea (combined with how stubborn I am) made the decision to continue on. On the way back I was just as tired in the same location, so it really made no difference!
On the way to Mt. Ellen, we met a group of women who told us we were “not too far” from Mt. Ellen. Larry and I then tried to rank order that phrase with others we’ve heard/said. We decided that “not too far” fit in like this:
almost there
pretty close
soon
not too far
a little ways
a ways to go
you’re asking this question way too soon!
“Soon” we arrived at Cutt’s peak which had some nice views toward the east, and “not too far” from there we arrived at Mt. Ellen’s wooded peak. 100 feet north of that was the top of a ski lift area which offered more views. We enjoyed having reached our destination and savored the views while eating lunch, and talking about burger and brews vs. pizza and brews for dinner. Larry and I can talk about food for HOURS!
The entire return trip from Mt. Ellen seemed to take less time, except of course for the last two miles which always seem to take longer on a hike no matter what. We were still surprised, however, when we arrived back at the car at 5:15 which meant that we had managed to hike 13 miles in 6 3/4 hours including breaks. Exhausted, but feeling content, we stopped back in Montpelier for a wonderful dinner at the Main St. Grill and Tavern (which is run by NECI). I ordered a burger medium rare, and Larry had fish and chips. The burger and fish were both cooked to PERFECTION! The Wolvara (sp?) ale wasn’t bad either! A fitting end to a long, excellent, and delicious day!
The Prelude - Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak
Given that Larry and I planned a ridge hike along a section of the Long Trail for Sunday, I wanted something short and easy on Saturday, that still felt like a nice workout, but left enough energy for the next day. I recalled Grouseking’s description of hiking Sandwich Dome and reread his, Amstony’s and Paradox’s TRs of that peak when they each did it in July (thanks guys!). I took Grouseking’s advice and went up the Drakes Brook Trail. What a treat! Beautiful, gentle, and accompanied by the music of running water, it was delightful! 3.2 miles later, I connected with the Sandwich Mtn Trail, and very shortly after that I took the 0.2 mile spur trail to Jennings Peak. The vftt were stunning and definitely worth the short excursion. Being solar-powered, I soaked up the sun’s rays on one of its ledges savoring the views while snacking on grapes. Jennings Peak is a gem in its own right; I understand why this peak is on the 52WAV list, it certainly deserves to be!
Back to the main trail, and a short mile or so later, I arrived on Sandwich Dome, and looked out over Waterville Valley at a panorama of what I think was Mt. Tecumseh, the Osceolas, and the Tripyramids. Beautiful! A little chilly and breezy up top, I put on my fleece jacket and ate a peanut butter and homemade apple cider jelly sandwich (how could I not have a sandwich on Sandwich?). Amstony, was it you who said that Sandwich Dome may be the easiest of the NEHH? I think you’re right! After lunch, I headed back down the Sandwich Mtn trail to the parking lot, bypassing the Drakes Brook trail. Shorter, but steeper and rockier, I was glad the Sandwich Mtn trail was dry as I think it could be very slippery when wet. A good workout of slightly over 8 miles, in slightly over 4 hours, I still had energy to burn the next day.
The Main Event - VT’s Mts. Abraham and Ellen
Sunday morning Larry and I headed to Montpelier where we had a wonderful breakfast at the Coffee Corner (I highly recommend the Eggs Florentine!). After breakfast we headed south following a bicycle race on Rt 100 from about Waitsfield, past Warren, until we turned off for Lincoln Gap. Anyone know which bike race this was? Since Larry and I both bicycle, we could appreciate the sight of two riders up front trying to make a “breakaway” while the “peloton” pursued them. At 20 miles an hour, they were pedaling hard up those hills (while we crawled in the car behind them). Lucky for them they didn’t have to cycle up to Lincoln Gap! That road is like a mini-Washington, especially near the top. We found what may have been the last parking spot, and set foot on the Long Trail heading north at a little past 10:30, a late start, but we had all day and lots of daylight. We opted for a longer out and back hike rather than spotting a car to do a traverse as that way we’d only have to drive one car, save gas, and get to talk as we traveled.
The weather was sunny, the temps were perfect, and the only bugs present were flies that hovered near the ground, but did not bother us. I had read Poison Ivy’s description of this part of the Long Trail (thank you!), remembered that it sounded like a lot of fun, and then promptly forgot all the details.
For some stupid reason I had in my head that we were starting on the ridge, and therefore this would be a relatively flat hike, and it was AFTER we got up to Mt. Abraham. The first 1.7 miles had more ups than downs. We passed the Battell Trail followed by the shelter. The next 0.9 mile of the trail climbed more steeply, went over rocky ledges, and eventually deposited us onto the summit of Mt. Abraham. This mtn has by far some of the most beautiful 360 degree views! To the south we saw ski areas (Killington?), to the east were NH and long ridges of mtns, to the north were Camel Hump and Mt. Mansfield, and to the west was a mural of the Champlain Valley laid before us, its beautiful lake, and the ADKS in the background. The child within me shouted, “Wow!!! Look at that!!!” The views from Mt. Abraham were far reaching and easily rival any views in NH, including those from Isolation, Carrigain, Garfield, Jefferson, and Franconia Ridge. I was amazed! We savored the expansive views, ate some grapes, and continued northward.We passed over Little Abe (you’d never know it if it weren’t for the sign), ate some chocolate on Lincoln, and continued on. The ridge was mostly flat with some ups and down particularly before and after Abraham and Lincoln. Despite that, at one point I realized I was feeling pretty tired and wondered whether I’d have the energy to hike back from Ellen once I got there. Larry was very understanding since I had hiked the day before and said he’d go along with whatever I chose to do. But in the end, I thought about how happy I’d feel completing both peaks, and that idea (combined with how stubborn I am) made the decision to continue on. On the way back I was just as tired in the same location, so it really made no difference!
On the way to Mt. Ellen, we met a group of women who told us we were “not too far” from Mt. Ellen. Larry and I then tried to rank order that phrase with others we’ve heard/said. We decided that “not too far” fit in like this:
almost there
pretty close
soon
not too far
a little ways
a ways to go
you’re asking this question way too soon!
“Soon” we arrived at Cutt’s peak which had some nice views toward the east, and “not too far” from there we arrived at Mt. Ellen’s wooded peak. 100 feet north of that was the top of a ski lift area which offered more views. We enjoyed having reached our destination and savored the views while eating lunch, and talking about burger and brews vs. pizza and brews for dinner. Larry and I can talk about food for HOURS!
The entire return trip from Mt. Ellen seemed to take less time, except of course for the last two miles which always seem to take longer on a hike no matter what. We were still surprised, however, when we arrived back at the car at 5:15 which meant that we had managed to hike 13 miles in 6 3/4 hours including breaks. Exhausted, but feeling content, we stopped back in Montpelier for a wonderful dinner at the Main St. Grill and Tavern (which is run by NECI). I ordered a burger medium rare, and Larry had fish and chips. The burger and fish were both cooked to PERFECTION! The Wolvara (sp?) ale wasn’t bad either!
A fitting end to a long, excellent, and delicious day!
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