Last weekend I joined an AMC group for a weekend in northern Vermont. On Saturday we hiked the Monroe Skyline from Ellen to Abraham, and on Sunday we climbed to the top of Vermont on the Mansfield Chin. This was the weekend after the one I spent in the Catskills with a GMC group.
My microspikes had been slipping in the Catskills, so in between these trips I sharpened them with a file and a vise. It only took about a half an hour, and the improvement in gripability was noticeable.
Unlike Connecticut, there was little snow in Vermont, at least in the low elevations. Up higher it was white, but the trails were all hard packed. On Saturday we were on microspikes almost all day, and on Sunday we were on crampons most of the day, and microspikes for most of the remainder. We brought snowshoes Saturday, but never used them, so we just left them behind one Sunday.
We were myself, Pam, who was the only one I knew before this trip, Pete, at whose place we spent the night, Theresa, Mike, and Alison.
Saturday, 6 Feb. 2016: Ellen, Nancy Hanks, Lincoln, and Abraham
On Saturday we went up the Jerusalem Trail, south along the Long Trail over Ellen, Nancy Hanks, Lincoln, and Abraham, and out the Battell Trail. We drove to Battell Trail first for the car spot, and while putting my pack into a trunk for the trip to the other trailhead, my glasses popped out of the webbing. Those of you who read my Catskill trip report on ROT or ADKHP know that I lost my glasses on Twin Mtn. and spent at least 20 minutes fruitlessly searching for them, finally giving up and driving home with my reading glasses. Apparently they were stuck in my pack all along.
On Jerusalem Trail we crossed some sugaring tubes down low, and soon came to the very steep icy part. Before long we got to the Long Trail and headed south. There was some trail confusion in parts, matching what I remembered from doing this area in the opposite direction during my through hike. Soon after getting to the ski area we reached the summit. There's no longer a sign there, but there is a cairn.
Going south along the ridge we kept coming to ski areas, and for a little while were hiking along a ski run. There were some views under altostratus clouds, especially at the ski areas, where there were cleared areas.
Somewhere along there Mike realized that he had left his car key in someone's car at the Jerusalem Trailhead, even though his and my cars were the two cars at Battell Trailhead. So I gave my keys to Pete, after confirming that he could drive a standard transmission, and he and Mike hurried ahead to drive from Battell to Jerusalem and back before the rest of us got there.
After Abraham the exposed rocky areas were sheets of ice, which we were able to go around without too much problem. When the rest of us got down to the trailhead, Pete and Mike were back, and we were all set to go.
Sunday, 7 Feb. 2016: Mansfield (the Chin)
On Sunday we went up Mansfield from the west. We drove up Mountain Road to a parking area, and then walked up the rest of it (since it was too icy there to be safely driven) up to Underhill State Park. Then we took the CC Road, and some shortcuts, to Sunset Ridge Road. There we switched from microspikes to crampons. There were a few very tricky spots even with the crampons, but we all made it. Pete, who was guiding us, had done this hike many times in the past, and knew exactly what was coming up when. He was also valuable in finding the trail, which, once we got above the treeline, was not obvious.
There were almost no views on Sunday, and what little views we had came late. For most of the hike we were hiking inside a stratus cloud. It was stark, forbidding, and beautiful. When we got to the Long Trail it was just a short hike north to the Chin, which is the Vermont high point. Then we turned around and came back down. Just as we were about to drop below the treeline things started opening up a bit.
Many thanks to Pam for posting an invitation to this trip on Facebook, to Pete for hosting us at his condo, and to everyone else for joining me in finding a little winter in Vermont.
Ellen, Abraham, and Mansfield are numbers 31-33 (out of 115) in my project to redo the Northeast 111 in my 60s. Also, even though I'm not actively pursuing the winter 67 list, they're precisely the Vermont 4Ks I hadn't yet done in winter.
Here are the pictures for the Monroe Skyline (Saturday).
Here are the pictures for Mansfield (Sunday).
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 33/115 (25/67, 8/46, 0/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 39/48; NEHH 81/100
LT NB 2009
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
My microspikes had been slipping in the Catskills, so in between these trips I sharpened them with a file and a vise. It only took about a half an hour, and the improvement in gripability was noticeable.
Unlike Connecticut, there was little snow in Vermont, at least in the low elevations. Up higher it was white, but the trails were all hard packed. On Saturday we were on microspikes almost all day, and on Sunday we were on crampons most of the day, and microspikes for most of the remainder. We brought snowshoes Saturday, but never used them, so we just left them behind one Sunday.
We were myself, Pam, who was the only one I knew before this trip, Pete, at whose place we spent the night, Theresa, Mike, and Alison.
Saturday, 6 Feb. 2016: Ellen, Nancy Hanks, Lincoln, and Abraham
On Saturday we went up the Jerusalem Trail, south along the Long Trail over Ellen, Nancy Hanks, Lincoln, and Abraham, and out the Battell Trail. We drove to Battell Trail first for the car spot, and while putting my pack into a trunk for the trip to the other trailhead, my glasses popped out of the webbing. Those of you who read my Catskill trip report on ROT or ADKHP know that I lost my glasses on Twin Mtn. and spent at least 20 minutes fruitlessly searching for them, finally giving up and driving home with my reading glasses. Apparently they were stuck in my pack all along.
On Jerusalem Trail we crossed some sugaring tubes down low, and soon came to the very steep icy part. Before long we got to the Long Trail and headed south. There was some trail confusion in parts, matching what I remembered from doing this area in the opposite direction during my through hike. Soon after getting to the ski area we reached the summit. There's no longer a sign there, but there is a cairn.
Going south along the ridge we kept coming to ski areas, and for a little while were hiking along a ski run. There were some views under altostratus clouds, especially at the ski areas, where there were cleared areas.
Somewhere along there Mike realized that he had left his car key in someone's car at the Jerusalem Trailhead, even though his and my cars were the two cars at Battell Trailhead. So I gave my keys to Pete, after confirming that he could drive a standard transmission, and he and Mike hurried ahead to drive from Battell to Jerusalem and back before the rest of us got there.
After Abraham the exposed rocky areas were sheets of ice, which we were able to go around without too much problem. When the rest of us got down to the trailhead, Pete and Mike were back, and we were all set to go.
Sunday, 7 Feb. 2016: Mansfield (the Chin)
On Sunday we went up Mansfield from the west. We drove up Mountain Road to a parking area, and then walked up the rest of it (since it was too icy there to be safely driven) up to Underhill State Park. Then we took the CC Road, and some shortcuts, to Sunset Ridge Road. There we switched from microspikes to crampons. There were a few very tricky spots even with the crampons, but we all made it. Pete, who was guiding us, had done this hike many times in the past, and knew exactly what was coming up when. He was also valuable in finding the trail, which, once we got above the treeline, was not obvious.
There were almost no views on Sunday, and what little views we had came late. For most of the hike we were hiking inside a stratus cloud. It was stark, forbidding, and beautiful. When we got to the Long Trail it was just a short hike north to the Chin, which is the Vermont high point. Then we turned around and came back down. Just as we were about to drop below the treeline things started opening up a bit.
Many thanks to Pam for posting an invitation to this trip on Facebook, to Pete for hosting us at his condo, and to everyone else for joining me in finding a little winter in Vermont.
Ellen, Abraham, and Mansfield are numbers 31-33 (out of 115) in my project to redo the Northeast 111 in my 60s. Also, even though I'm not actively pursuing the winter 67 list, they're precisely the Vermont 4Ks I hadn't yet done in winter.
Here are the pictures for the Monroe Skyline (Saturday).
Here are the pictures for Mansfield (Sunday).
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 33/115 (25/67, 8/46, 0/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 39/48; NEHH 81/100
LT NB 2009
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
