The idea was to hike Mansfield's Chin and Camel's Hump on Thur, Abraham and Ellen on Fri, and Killington on Sat. 2/3 I guess can still be considered a success.
Day 1
We started on the Long Trail south bound from Rt. 108 at just after 5:30. The trail was pretty gradual with plenty of switch backs, but still damp from the previous days thunderstorms. The rocks were different than the granite that we were used to in ME and NH. More layered like, like shale. Also, they always seemed to be angled downwards, and much more smooth. Even when wet, the soles of our shoes normally seem to grip the rocks well, but not here. Everything just seemed slippery, so we had to hike up with a little more caution than normal.
We reached the Taft Lodge (1.7 mi) around 7 and took a short break. About half of those that stayed were LT hikers, and the other half were out for a few days. From here, we could see the Chin well.
The fun part of the trip began about half way from the lodge to the summit.
The kids LOVE to hike up ledges and scramble through boulders. This short section provided some of this, plus had some pretty incredible views. We could see the summit building from Stowe Ski Area, which of course the kids now want to visit. We reached the summit a few minutes before 8, just in time to give my wife her wake up call. Other than the hikers at the lodge and the couple from Florida in the parking lot what was also starting early, we had not seen a soul on the trail, and had the summit to ourselves. Always a treat, and one of the few reasons I like to start early.
We stayed for about twenty or so minutes, enough time to grab a drink and a bite to eat. I had hoped that we could see Lake Champlain from the summit, but it was fully covered by fog.
Descending was also fun....
From the sign at the alpine zone to the car, we were constantly crossing paths with other hikers. We stopped again at the lodge for a few minutes, then continued. We reached the car at just after 9:30.
We began hiking the Burrows trail around 11:30. Would have been ALOT earlier, but of course, I kept getting lost.
From the parking lot sign to the summit, the trails were CROWDED! Plus, it was hot and the air was quite still. I am used to starting around 6:00, where we have our elevation and are in the windy and cool areas when it gets hot (another reason for starting early). The trail began almost like bike trail. The kids kept talking about bringing their bikes "next time." The 2.1 mile trail was also quite gradual until the half way point when it began a moderate climb with tight switchbacks. EVERYTHING was dry along this route. This area may not have been hit with the same rains that Mansfield was. The trail became gradual and then flat as it neared its end where it connected with the Long Trail. There is a pretty decent clearing at the trail junction.
This .3 mile section of the trail to the summit is quite rocky but also quite gradual. We now had our first views, which were quite nice. At the summit, it was, of course, crowded.
Due to overcrowding on the summit, HOT, and lack of a breeze, we only hung out on the summit for about ten minutes or so. This would have been MUCH nicer about six hours earlier. The descent was quick and uneventful. We reached the car around 2:30, then drove to find a place to take a well needed bath.
On the way to the Lincoln Gap road, we found it. Bartlett Falls (aka Bristol Falls) in Bristol. On a hot summers day, you can't miss it. The falls were visible from the Lincoln Road, and cars lined the right side. This was obviously a popular spot, and for good reason. Just below the falls lies a pool that is contained by the gorge. The gravel bottom emerald pool is deep enough so that jumpers from the 20 or so foot cliffs could barely touch the bottom after jumping. People with ages ranging from much younger than my own kids to well older than my parents were constantly jumping into the pool. Kids my sons age were lining up to do front flips from the ledges that overhung the pool. Absolutely incredible.
For a better description of the falls, here's a link....It is well worth the stop.
http://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?name=Bartlett Falls
One cool thing about the falls is that the falls are created by an overhanging ledge. Because of this, there is space behind the falls that is tall enough so that when I walk into it, I have to slightly duck. A small crowd of people at the same time can fit. This was a popular spot for my two, because they could sit on the ledge and slide directly under falls. Talk about cool.....
Video of Amanda saying "I LOVE YOU MOM" at Bartlett Falls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7XJH97uNOM
We spent hours here on both, the first and second day. For the rest of the trip and the 4 hour ride home, this spot was a constant subject of conversation.
Day 2
The next morning, we began hiking from the Lincoln Gap (LT nobo) at aprox 6.
The trail that climbs along a ridge was also gradual with a lot of ups and downs. At Battell Shelter lies 1.7 miles into the trail.
The summit was .9 miles from the shelter. We reached the summit at 7:55, in time for Jessica's wake up call.
One thing that was pretty awesome about our view was the clouds. The range runs from south to north. When facing the south, there was no fog from on the west side of the range. The range itself held back the fog almost perfectly. Everything to the east of the range was covered in a cloud about a thousand feet below us. Looking strait to the east, the cloud stretched as far as the eye could see. It was quite a sight to see. Once again though, we could not see Lake Champlain....
Video From Abraham's Summit....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA-aYAl24So
The trail from Abraham to Ellen (3.7 mi) is quite incredible. As much as I love to snowboard, I really don't like seeing ski areas on our hikes. The kids LOVE it though, so we make a point to check them out.
From Lincoln's summit with Little Abe and Abraham in the distance:
Heaven's Gate Triple (Sugarbush) from Lincoln's summit:
The trail from Lincoln to Ellen reminded me a lot of the Twinway Trail as it runs across Zealand Ridge. Lots of small ups and downs with pine needles under the feet most of the time. We took quite a few breaks along the way, stopping to at the summit warming huts and taking shots of the ski area. The summit of Ellen is wooded and is marked with a foot and a half tall cairn. A post that may have once held a summit sign sticks out of the top of the cairn.
Just beyond and just below the summit the LT crosses to the clearing where the top of the summit quad is (Sugarbush)
Because it was not obvious that what we came across was the summit, I called my wife and asked her to check Sugarbush's trail map, and asked her if the ski trails that we were looking at were from the top. The climb to the peak was so gradual that something just didn't feel right (like Zealand, but no short rock scrambles).
For a 13 mile hike, this was about as easy as you can get, especially for bagging 2 4's. We reached the car by 1:45, in time for lunch and another 4 hour swim at Bartlett Falls.
Day 3
Jessica informed me of Killington's hour by hour forecast the night before. The original plan was to hike up the Bucklin Trail, but the forecast called for a high chance of thunderstorms starting at about 11. She called the ski area, and they said that people are allowed to hike up their trails to the summit, and that the shortest and most difficult trail was strait up the K1 Gondola. I LOVE KILLINGTON SKI AREA, so I knew exactly what she was talking about. Plan B became our course. We arrived at 5:30 and was ready to hike by 6. Jessica was told that the hiking trails were well marked. There were plenty of hiker signs, each with a large letter and an arrow pointing in the direction. These would be incredibly helpful, as long as you had a map saying what trail E and S were. This didn't matter because our plan was to hike strait under the gondola. When we started on the path under the gondola, there was a sing that said something like "No Bikes Beyond This Point", and above it had a hiker sign with a big red slashed circle. WTF???? I guess they dont want hikers hiking under it now. We began going up one of the small trails, maybe C or S, whatever, but it went away from the direction of the gondola. Who knows where it could lead or how long. We could not find a map anywhere. I even took a peak in a trash can to see if someone had thrown one away. Jessica said that the ticket window opens at 10. Once again, WTF???? That's when I threw in the towel and figured that we would hike it, Plan A, on another day.
Overall, the trip was INCREDIBLE. The GMC and anyone else that works on these trails deserve a lot of credit. They were well taken care of. VT is such a nice state to drive through (and get lost in multiple times) with an amazing amount of farm land. The more you experience, the more plans and ideas change. The bucket list now includes the 270 or so mile Long Trail. I would LOVE to see the whole state.....
Photos from the trip....http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580681485yiQEab
Day 1
We started on the Long Trail south bound from Rt. 108 at just after 5:30. The trail was pretty gradual with plenty of switch backs, but still damp from the previous days thunderstorms. The rocks were different than the granite that we were used to in ME and NH. More layered like, like shale. Also, they always seemed to be angled downwards, and much more smooth. Even when wet, the soles of our shoes normally seem to grip the rocks well, but not here. Everything just seemed slippery, so we had to hike up with a little more caution than normal.
We reached the Taft Lodge (1.7 mi) around 7 and took a short break. About half of those that stayed were LT hikers, and the other half were out for a few days. From here, we could see the Chin well.
The fun part of the trip began about half way from the lodge to the summit.
The kids LOVE to hike up ledges and scramble through boulders. This short section provided some of this, plus had some pretty incredible views. We could see the summit building from Stowe Ski Area, which of course the kids now want to visit. We reached the summit a few minutes before 8, just in time to give my wife her wake up call. Other than the hikers at the lodge and the couple from Florida in the parking lot what was also starting early, we had not seen a soul on the trail, and had the summit to ourselves. Always a treat, and one of the few reasons I like to start early.
We stayed for about twenty or so minutes, enough time to grab a drink and a bite to eat. I had hoped that we could see Lake Champlain from the summit, but it was fully covered by fog.
Descending was also fun....
From the sign at the alpine zone to the car, we were constantly crossing paths with other hikers. We stopped again at the lodge for a few minutes, then continued. We reached the car at just after 9:30.
We began hiking the Burrows trail around 11:30. Would have been ALOT earlier, but of course, I kept getting lost.
From the parking lot sign to the summit, the trails were CROWDED! Plus, it was hot and the air was quite still. I am used to starting around 6:00, where we have our elevation and are in the windy and cool areas when it gets hot (another reason for starting early). The trail began almost like bike trail. The kids kept talking about bringing their bikes "next time." The 2.1 mile trail was also quite gradual until the half way point when it began a moderate climb with tight switchbacks. EVERYTHING was dry along this route. This area may not have been hit with the same rains that Mansfield was. The trail became gradual and then flat as it neared its end where it connected with the Long Trail. There is a pretty decent clearing at the trail junction.
This .3 mile section of the trail to the summit is quite rocky but also quite gradual. We now had our first views, which were quite nice. At the summit, it was, of course, crowded.
Due to overcrowding on the summit, HOT, and lack of a breeze, we only hung out on the summit for about ten minutes or so. This would have been MUCH nicer about six hours earlier. The descent was quick and uneventful. We reached the car around 2:30, then drove to find a place to take a well needed bath.
On the way to the Lincoln Gap road, we found it. Bartlett Falls (aka Bristol Falls) in Bristol. On a hot summers day, you can't miss it. The falls were visible from the Lincoln Road, and cars lined the right side. This was obviously a popular spot, and for good reason. Just below the falls lies a pool that is contained by the gorge. The gravel bottom emerald pool is deep enough so that jumpers from the 20 or so foot cliffs could barely touch the bottom after jumping. People with ages ranging from much younger than my own kids to well older than my parents were constantly jumping into the pool. Kids my sons age were lining up to do front flips from the ledges that overhung the pool. Absolutely incredible.
For a better description of the falls, here's a link....It is well worth the stop.
http://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?name=Bartlett Falls
One cool thing about the falls is that the falls are created by an overhanging ledge. Because of this, there is space behind the falls that is tall enough so that when I walk into it, I have to slightly duck. A small crowd of people at the same time can fit. This was a popular spot for my two, because they could sit on the ledge and slide directly under falls. Talk about cool.....
Video of Amanda saying "I LOVE YOU MOM" at Bartlett Falls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7XJH97uNOM
We spent hours here on both, the first and second day. For the rest of the trip and the 4 hour ride home, this spot was a constant subject of conversation.
Day 2
The next morning, we began hiking from the Lincoln Gap (LT nobo) at aprox 6.
The trail that climbs along a ridge was also gradual with a lot of ups and downs. At Battell Shelter lies 1.7 miles into the trail.
The summit was .9 miles from the shelter. We reached the summit at 7:55, in time for Jessica's wake up call.
One thing that was pretty awesome about our view was the clouds. The range runs from south to north. When facing the south, there was no fog from on the west side of the range. The range itself held back the fog almost perfectly. Everything to the east of the range was covered in a cloud about a thousand feet below us. Looking strait to the east, the cloud stretched as far as the eye could see. It was quite a sight to see. Once again though, we could not see Lake Champlain....
Video From Abraham's Summit....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA-aYAl24So
The trail from Abraham to Ellen (3.7 mi) is quite incredible. As much as I love to snowboard, I really don't like seeing ski areas on our hikes. The kids LOVE it though, so we make a point to check them out.
From Lincoln's summit with Little Abe and Abraham in the distance:
Heaven's Gate Triple (Sugarbush) from Lincoln's summit:
The trail from Lincoln to Ellen reminded me a lot of the Twinway Trail as it runs across Zealand Ridge. Lots of small ups and downs with pine needles under the feet most of the time. We took quite a few breaks along the way, stopping to at the summit warming huts and taking shots of the ski area. The summit of Ellen is wooded and is marked with a foot and a half tall cairn. A post that may have once held a summit sign sticks out of the top of the cairn.
Just beyond and just below the summit the LT crosses to the clearing where the top of the summit quad is (Sugarbush)
Because it was not obvious that what we came across was the summit, I called my wife and asked her to check Sugarbush's trail map, and asked her if the ski trails that we were looking at were from the top. The climb to the peak was so gradual that something just didn't feel right (like Zealand, but no short rock scrambles).
For a 13 mile hike, this was about as easy as you can get, especially for bagging 2 4's. We reached the car by 1:45, in time for lunch and another 4 hour swim at Bartlett Falls.
Day 3
Jessica informed me of Killington's hour by hour forecast the night before. The original plan was to hike up the Bucklin Trail, but the forecast called for a high chance of thunderstorms starting at about 11. She called the ski area, and they said that people are allowed to hike up their trails to the summit, and that the shortest and most difficult trail was strait up the K1 Gondola. I LOVE KILLINGTON SKI AREA, so I knew exactly what she was talking about. Plan B became our course. We arrived at 5:30 and was ready to hike by 6. Jessica was told that the hiking trails were well marked. There were plenty of hiker signs, each with a large letter and an arrow pointing in the direction. These would be incredibly helpful, as long as you had a map saying what trail E and S were. This didn't matter because our plan was to hike strait under the gondola. When we started on the path under the gondola, there was a sing that said something like "No Bikes Beyond This Point", and above it had a hiker sign with a big red slashed circle. WTF???? I guess they dont want hikers hiking under it now. We began going up one of the small trails, maybe C or S, whatever, but it went away from the direction of the gondola. Who knows where it could lead or how long. We could not find a map anywhere. I even took a peak in a trash can to see if someone had thrown one away. Jessica said that the ticket window opens at 10. Once again, WTF???? That's when I threw in the towel and figured that we would hike it, Plan A, on another day.
Overall, the trip was INCREDIBLE. The GMC and anyone else that works on these trails deserve a lot of credit. They were well taken care of. VT is such a nice state to drive through (and get lost in multiple times) with an amazing amount of farm land. The more you experience, the more plans and ideas change. The bucket list now includes the 270 or so mile Long Trail. I would LOVE to see the whole state.....
Photos from the trip....http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580681485yiQEab
Last edited:
