9/19/2008 - Mount Mansfield, including The Adam's Apple, The Chin, The Nose, and all the little whiskers and pimples along the way. Up via Long Trail, across to The Nose, down via Auto Road, Nosedive and Hazelton Trail. 7+ miles, 3200+ feet.
Well I guess I am continuing on to the NE67. I'm 49/67 of the way done after one trip! And I'm 20% of the way through the VT 4Ks. I labored with the decision over where to go today. The weather was fantastic, I had a day I could afford to take off from work, and with soccer games both days, hiking wouldn't happen this weekend. Amanda begged me to take her along, even offering to miss a day of school. I guess she got bit good on Jackson. Too bad
Unlike NH trailheads, the Long Trail is not marked. The parking "lot" is a pull-off 150' past the actual trail, which is about 1/8 past the Stowe Ski Area Gondola. If you get to the town line with Cambridge, or the double yellow line vanishes (or you end up driving where you feel you should be hiking) you've gone too far. The Long Trail goes up quickly, with two flatter sections which show as switchbacks on the map. There are long stretches of ledge from the half-way point on up, and from these sections occasional glimpses back towards Smuggler's Notch and forward to The Chin and the The Adam's Apple. At 3650' sits Taft Lodge, at the junction of The Long Trail, Hellgate Brook Cutoff, and Profanity (the least exposed route.) I continued up The Long Trail to Eagle Pass where I left my pack and ran the 0.1 miles to the summit of The Adam's Apple. Hikers were visible climbing The Chin and I watched for a few minutes before dropping back to the col, grabbing my pack, and attacking The Chin.
The Chin ascends from Eagle Pass beginning with a chimney, and then following the edge of the ridge. While not unsafe or even unnerving, there isn't a lot of margin for error in some spots. Amanda would have loved this section as she really enjoys the scrambling part of hiking. I stopped a few times to enjoy the views and was correct in my assumption that The Adam's Apple wouldn't be visible from the summit of The Chin. After gaining most of the final 350' or so in the first 0.15 miles, the last 0.15 miles are much-less steep. I could see quite a crowd on the summit. When I arrived I found myself among a fifth-and-sixth grade field trip. I don't remember going any place fun in elementary school, and certainly not to any mountains.
After eating my lunch, in peace and quiet (the kids all left just in time), I decided to cross the ridge to The Nose and come down across the ski area. It was crisp, cool, sunny, with almost no wind (and no bugs!) While descending, I turned around and figured out where the school trip had disappeared to -- down Sunset Ridge. I could see people spread out pretty much the entire length of the ridge where it was above treeline. Looking ahead again, a cliff-like bump sits right in the trail. OK, the trail goes to the west side (right in the photo) but I rock-hopped up to the top and found a benchmark. Turns out there were 5 or so along the ridge today.
I should mention that while on top of Vermont's highest point, I could see west to the Adirondacks (left, 55 miles+ away) which contain Mount Marcy, New York State's high point, and to the east the Whites (right, 75 miles+ away) which of course is home to New Hampshire's highest point on Mount Washington. Despite very clear blue skies above, there was still some moisture close to the ground preventing ultra-clear views. Not that I am complaining, far from it, I was glad to be enjoying myself someplace completely new.
The towers got closer and closer until finally I came to the auto road and the Mount Mansfield Visitor's Center. From here I continued on the Long Trail until it joined the maintenance road up to the array of communications equipment on The Nose. Around the far side, I found a few tiny cairns and some faint blue blazes which lead up over the top of The Nose, including the remains of another benchmark. The faint blue blazes continue down the steep cliff face and back to the visitor center. From here, I turned right down the auto road until it comes to the first ski trail on the left, called (appropriately) Nosedive. Following Nosedive to the Hazleton Trail was as easy as following the obvious footpath through the freshly-mowed grass. Ski season is coming!
The Hazleton Trail cuts across a few more ski trails and a dozen or so very small brooks, or trickles. It's steep, rocky, rooty and eroded up high, but towards the bottom it is perhaps over-maintained. I say this because there are two three-step rock steps along a nearly flat section in the last quarter mile, along with half a dozen high-end water bars. The Hazelton Trail dumps you out where the ski trails all converge before reaching the gondola. A 10-minute road walk from the gondola out to route 108 and back to the trail head and I'm back at the car.
All photos: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/567213189PxijVy
Tim
Well I guess I am continuing on to the NE67. I'm 49/67 of the way done after one trip! And I'm 20% of the way through the VT 4Ks. I labored with the decision over where to go today. The weather was fantastic, I had a day I could afford to take off from work, and with soccer games both days, hiking wouldn't happen this weekend. Amanda begged me to take her along, even offering to miss a day of school. I guess she got bit good on Jackson. Too bad
Unlike NH trailheads, the Long Trail is not marked. The parking "lot" is a pull-off 150' past the actual trail, which is about 1/8 past the Stowe Ski Area Gondola. If you get to the town line with Cambridge, or the double yellow line vanishes (or you end up driving where you feel you should be hiking) you've gone too far. The Long Trail goes up quickly, with two flatter sections which show as switchbacks on the map. There are long stretches of ledge from the half-way point on up, and from these sections occasional glimpses back towards Smuggler's Notch and forward to The Chin and the The Adam's Apple. At 3650' sits Taft Lodge, at the junction of The Long Trail, Hellgate Brook Cutoff, and Profanity (the least exposed route.) I continued up The Long Trail to Eagle Pass where I left my pack and ran the 0.1 miles to the summit of The Adam's Apple. Hikers were visible climbing The Chin and I watched for a few minutes before dropping back to the col, grabbing my pack, and attacking The Chin.
The Chin ascends from Eagle Pass beginning with a chimney, and then following the edge of the ridge. While not unsafe or even unnerving, there isn't a lot of margin for error in some spots. Amanda would have loved this section as she really enjoys the scrambling part of hiking. I stopped a few times to enjoy the views and was correct in my assumption that The Adam's Apple wouldn't be visible from the summit of The Chin. After gaining most of the final 350' or so in the first 0.15 miles, the last 0.15 miles are much-less steep. I could see quite a crowd on the summit. When I arrived I found myself among a fifth-and-sixth grade field trip. I don't remember going any place fun in elementary school, and certainly not to any mountains.
After eating my lunch, in peace and quiet (the kids all left just in time), I decided to cross the ridge to The Nose and come down across the ski area. It was crisp, cool, sunny, with almost no wind (and no bugs!) While descending, I turned around and figured out where the school trip had disappeared to -- down Sunset Ridge. I could see people spread out pretty much the entire length of the ridge where it was above treeline. Looking ahead again, a cliff-like bump sits right in the trail. OK, the trail goes to the west side (right in the photo) but I rock-hopped up to the top and found a benchmark. Turns out there were 5 or so along the ridge today.
I should mention that while on top of Vermont's highest point, I could see west to the Adirondacks (left, 55 miles+ away) which contain Mount Marcy, New York State's high point, and to the east the Whites (right, 75 miles+ away) which of course is home to New Hampshire's highest point on Mount Washington. Despite very clear blue skies above, there was still some moisture close to the ground preventing ultra-clear views. Not that I am complaining, far from it, I was glad to be enjoying myself someplace completely new.
The towers got closer and closer until finally I came to the auto road and the Mount Mansfield Visitor's Center. From here I continued on the Long Trail until it joined the maintenance road up to the array of communications equipment on The Nose. Around the far side, I found a few tiny cairns and some faint blue blazes which lead up over the top of The Nose, including the remains of another benchmark. The faint blue blazes continue down the steep cliff face and back to the visitor center. From here, I turned right down the auto road until it comes to the first ski trail on the left, called (appropriately) Nosedive. Following Nosedive to the Hazleton Trail was as easy as following the obvious footpath through the freshly-mowed grass. Ski season is coming!
The Hazleton Trail cuts across a few more ski trails and a dozen or so very small brooks, or trickles. It's steep, rocky, rooty and eroded up high, but towards the bottom it is perhaps over-maintained. I say this because there are two three-step rock steps along a nearly flat section in the last quarter mile, along with half a dozen high-end water bars. The Hazelton Trail dumps you out where the ski trails all converge before reaching the gondola. A 10-minute road walk from the gondola out to route 108 and back to the trail head and I'm back at the car.
All photos: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/567213189PxijVy
Tim
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