Tim Seaver
Well-known member
Twas a gorgeous afternoon to zip up the Burrows Trail on Camels Hump. First - hats off to the spot-on forecast from the Weather Wizards at the Fairbanks Museum in St. J. Their "Eye On The Sky" forecast is, I think, the best place to get a good overview of the mountain forecast for NY,VT,and NH all in one glance. I rarely find fault with their 'casts.
Driving through Huntington at about 1:45 pm, I was delighted to see just a few wispy clouds dancing around the Hump's gleaming white summit cone.
Camels Hump from Huntington
Arriving at the TH, I was not shocked to see a lot full of cars. The atmosphere was festive, with all manner of outdoors-people playing in the woods. Skiers, snowshoers, boarders, and trail runners were all getting along famously. Best of all, the trail was packed quite well, the meager few inches that arrived recently being no match for the sheer amount of foot traffic this trail gets. So the snowshoes were left behind, going with Inov8 345's with a bunch of big screws instead.
The Burrows Trail is a thing of beauty for trail running in winter - steady grades for the most part, and no obstructions whatsoever ( a few low hanging branches today), just one big snowy ramp. The teaser views of the summit cone through the trees are great too. In about 50 minutes, I arrived at the junction with the Monroe Trail and put on some wind gear for the short hop to the summit.
Hikers at Le Junction
One the way to the top, looking back yielded some nice views of Mount Mansfield, still struggling to shed it's own cloud cap.
Frosty Trees and Mount Mansfield
Nearing the summit, one passes through the famous Le Forest du Penitent VBL, where an entire Girl Scout expedition froze on the spot in 1997, victims of a their cheap Chinese "Patagonia" knock-off VBL socks. A memorial marks the fateful spot where their rime encrusted forms still twist in the winter wind, as a warning to those who might sweat carelessly...
Le Forest du Penitent VBL
Then just a short grunt to the summit:
Summit Pitch
At the summit, now empty of fellow hikers, the wind was waning rapidly. Looking South down the LT:
Looking South
More Frozen Girl Scouts. Once a year Tibetan Monks make a pilgrimage here and crumble Savannah Smiles™ in milk at the site. It's really touching.
Yet More Frozen Girl Scouts
Back at the junction, some type of KKK event seemed to be getting underway, so I sprinted on down the trail.
KKK Alpine Meetup 2013
23 super-fun minutes of running like a loon down the trail, I was back at my rig, hoping to get one last look at the Hump's curvaceous form covered with freshies.
At the Richmond exit, I was given one:
Camels Hump from Richmond
That was a really fun afternoon! Highly recommend the Hump, from any direction - the trails are in super shape.
Driving through Huntington at about 1:45 pm, I was delighted to see just a few wispy clouds dancing around the Hump's gleaming white summit cone.
Camels Hump from Huntington
Arriving at the TH, I was not shocked to see a lot full of cars. The atmosphere was festive, with all manner of outdoors-people playing in the woods. Skiers, snowshoers, boarders, and trail runners were all getting along famously. Best of all, the trail was packed quite well, the meager few inches that arrived recently being no match for the sheer amount of foot traffic this trail gets. So the snowshoes were left behind, going with Inov8 345's with a bunch of big screws instead.
The Burrows Trail is a thing of beauty for trail running in winter - steady grades for the most part, and no obstructions whatsoever ( a few low hanging branches today), just one big snowy ramp. The teaser views of the summit cone through the trees are great too. In about 50 minutes, I arrived at the junction with the Monroe Trail and put on some wind gear for the short hop to the summit.
Hikers at Le Junction
One the way to the top, looking back yielded some nice views of Mount Mansfield, still struggling to shed it's own cloud cap.
Frosty Trees and Mount Mansfield
Nearing the summit, one passes through the famous Le Forest du Penitent VBL, where an entire Girl Scout expedition froze on the spot in 1997, victims of a their cheap Chinese "Patagonia" knock-off VBL socks. A memorial marks the fateful spot where their rime encrusted forms still twist in the winter wind, as a warning to those who might sweat carelessly...
Le Forest du Penitent VBL
Then just a short grunt to the summit:
Summit Pitch
At the summit, now empty of fellow hikers, the wind was waning rapidly. Looking South down the LT:
Looking South
More Frozen Girl Scouts. Once a year Tibetan Monks make a pilgrimage here and crumble Savannah Smiles™ in milk at the site. It's really touching.
Yet More Frozen Girl Scouts
Back at the junction, some type of KKK event seemed to be getting underway, so I sprinted on down the trail.
KKK Alpine Meetup 2013
23 super-fun minutes of running like a loon down the trail, I was back at my rig, hoping to get one last look at the Hump's curvaceous form covered with freshies.
At the Richmond exit, I was given one:
Camels Hump from Richmond
That was a really fun afternoon! Highly recommend the Hump, from any direction - the trails are in super shape.
