Wheeler Peak and Visc-Northeast Kingdom

View from the road of Wheeler Peak




The day after my moonlit hike on Cardigan, I took a trip back to some old college stomping grounds, the northeast kingdom of VT, to check out a small, yet very rugged peak near Lake Willoughby....Wheeler Peak. The pic above was prob one of my favorite views from the mtn, looking over to the lake, mtns, and having it mixed with the northern VT countryside.

The hike itself was pretty short, but quite steep, with a couple of short scrambles that I needed to stash the poles away for...still the climbing itself reminded me of Welch and Dickey, so it was very doable.

some wonderful hardwoods near the start


and then....there was a rock


View across to Hardscrabble Mtn....note the wind mills


lookin down a steeper section


Mt Pisgah (with the slides) and the side of Mt Hor..Lake Willoughby is hidden


Such a rugged little peak


Looking over to Burke Mtn




a sense of scale


cont in a min

and visc....

After playing on Wheeler Peak, we took a short trip over to Moose mtn, to check out a small viewpoint of Wheeler Pond.

This is a view to Moose Mtn from Wheeler Peak


It was a short, moderate hike to the small viewpoint, but I wasn't really that impressed. Still, it was a good place to relax for a good 30 min or so.


After this, we headed back into Lyndonville the scenic way...checking out some vistas along country back roads....I think if I had to live in VT, I'd live up there. Its gorgeous.

Who needs hiking when you can drive and see views? Upper right, you can see a hazy view of the whites...to the left, Burke Mtn




country road...take me home


how about some cloud shots?






I guess its time to turn around!


...but not before one more sneak a view


I tell ya, its different up there...in the Kingdom. It brought back memories, checking out the scenery, and going to my old college later in the day as well. Overall, it was an amazing hiking weekend for me, filled with new experiences.

Nice!

I love Wheeler. All of those mountains are great -- Hor, Pisgah, Haystack, Bald -- some terrific half-day hikes all around there.

Where did you go to school, LSC? Sterling?

mirabela said:

Nice!

I love Wheeler. All of those mountains are great -- Hor, Pisgah, Haystack, Bald -- some terrific half-day hikes all around there.

Where did you go to school, LSC? Sterling?

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I went to LSC, just for a couple years. But I feel like I keep in touch with more friends from there, than I did for 3 more years down a Plymouth State. Interesting, if you ask me....

And I agree, Wheeler was really neat. Almost no hiking is involved to get to the fun part...I like that.

grouseking

Wheeler Peak is a great little scramble. A friend and I climbed it and Bald Mtn. one day last week when I was back in the Northeast Kingdom for a visit -- spent most of my life there & folks still live there -- so enjoyed reliving the day through your photos.

Seeing the windmills on Hardscrabble Mtn. was a real surprise. Admit that I'm still conflicted about this...

Did you get to see/hear the peregrine falcons?

Stinkyfeet said:

Seeing the windmills on Hardscrabble Mtn. was a real surprise. Admit that I'm still conflicted about this...

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I have had the same internal conflict about hilltop windmills but I have resolved in my mind that the relatively small amount of MWs generated by these eyesores for such big environmental/visual impact doesn't make them worth it, especially in the name of "green". They call them "wind farms", I call them "wind factories" - all that is missing is the smoke.

I encountered the view of the same windfarm for the first time just yesterday when I was out for a run; personally, I think we have to view this as just the beginning of accepting the downside cost of our own energy use here at home. It's not like we don't turn the lights on here in the north country. West Virginia, Iraq, Fukushima, etc. were all beautiful once. Moreover, it's not like this is pristine original wilderness or anything. Every one of these hills was bald until the bottom fell out of the potash business, and then bald again until it didn't profit to farm sheep on them, and then bald again as soon as some big trees grew back, etc. It's been a working landscape for more than 200 years.

mirabela said:

I encountered the view of the same windfarm for the first time just yesterday when I was out for a run; personally, I think we have to view this as just the beginning of accepting the downside cost of our own energy use here at home. It's not like we don't turn the lights on here in the north country. West Virginia, Iraq, Fukushima, etc. were all beautiful once. Moreover, it's not like this is pristine original wilderness or anything. Every one of these hills was bald until the bottom fell out of the potash business, and then bald again until it didn't profit to farm sheep on them, and then bald again as soon as some big trees grew back, etc. It's been a working landscape for more than 200 years.

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Excellent reply. You have captured my views exactly.

Great photos and report, Grouseking.

Of all those peaks up there, Bald is my favorite! The view from the tower is pretty great. Pisgah was my first "real hike" in grade school....3rd or 4th grade, maybe?

grouseking said:

I tell ya, its different up there...in the Kingdom.

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mirabela said:

I encountered the view of the same windfarm for the first time just yesterday when I was out for a run; personally, I think we have to view this as just the beginning of accepting the downside cost of our own energy use here at home. It's not like we don't turn the lights on here in the north country. West Virginia, Iraq, Fukushima, etc. were all beautiful once. Moreover, it's not like this is pristine original wilderness or anything. Every one of these hills was bald until the bottom fell out of the potash business, and then bald again until it didn't profit to farm sheep on them, and then bald again as soon as some big trees grew back, etc. It's been a working landscape for more than 200 years.

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Dr. Dasypodidae said:

Excellent reply. You have captured my views exactly.

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Phil, excellent report, and excellent thread!! The NEK of VT is a truly special place in New England! I've done several hikes there, and simply love it!
And, I'd also like to add that I echo Dr. D's response to Mirabela's reply!

Stinkyfeet said:

Did you get to see/hear the peregrine falcons?

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I didn't see or hear any falcons, though when I was on Holts Ledge in Lyme earlier this summer, I definitely heard them..really neat!!


And to the discussion about the wind mills....yea, its kind of an eyesore, but I get its significance. I wouldn't mind getting a closer look at some of those sometime, though I assume its all private property. We checked out Hardscrabble Mtn rd that afternoon (the narrow dirt rd in one of my pics) and attempted to go up another dirt rd to the left, but there was a no trespassing sign. Either a rich family, or the wind mills....

The mills are pretty close to the Sheffield Town Forest, and there are a few trails that go thru it, so I may try to head up there sometime to see if there are any closer views.

Thanks for the comments everyone!!