buckyball1
New member
After what seemed an eternal 3 week hiatus from the woods, I continued with my silly "all day" outings and left Orrington at 1 AM yesterday to head to VT. The drive was long, ground fog a problem, roadside deer sightings too frequent for my taste, but at least traffic/construction delays were at a minimum . 
The "trailhead" for Cold Hollow is on route 109 between Belvidere and Belvidere Center, just west of where Rattling Brook crosses the road on a sharp curve. Look for a dirt road which is gated just off the main road. Compared to a lot of hikes I've done recently, the specific line of approach to Cold Hollow doesn't seem to be too crucial (see Nate, PB, Pierre). Starting about 650AM and with temps in the 20s, I chose to follow the logging road for about 12-14 minutes to a hight of about 1550-1600' before cutting for the 2250' "knob" at the end of the ridge. The "older" part of the road described in PBs report which sticks closer to the brook is now pretty overgrown and i see no reason you'd want to go that way. Swinging into the woods from the logging road you'll find moderately steep, but relatively easy going all the way to a flattish, somewhat open knob where the "ridge" changes direction. I think you might follow the road further than i did and hit the ridge "beyond" the knob, but it looked as if the terrain was steeper there. At the knob, swing almost due north and follow the ridge to the summit (about a mile). The area around the knob is a bit more "complex" than it looks on the topo, but the going is easy and the direction is generally "up". There is a sizable cliff to be bypassed (either side works) just after the knob and 2 ledges to be surmounted when you near the top-boggy here and there, but no bad blowdown or fir. I had occasional good views from the somewhat defoliated route. If you're on the top, the glass jar tied to a tree will be obvious. There are more "local" entries than hikers and the last name was Nate from June of this year. Another fairly easy VT wack and some good interaction with the local populace--i'm growing to enjoy N. VT hiking.
Then it was off to Stowe (yuck )--traffic jams, too many "entitled" folk, a crowded parking area. YMMV, and i don't mean to offend, but I just don't care much for the "scene" when i hike in Southernish NH or VT. I went up the Stowe Pinnacle Trail from the small parking lot on Upper Hollow Rd. A pretty good, if muddy trail until you hit Snow Pinnacle, then a more narrow, less used, rooty, rocky, "VT muddy" path to the ridge. When i hit the ridge, I swung south toward Mt Hunger and hit 4? bumps, the second of which (about 50 feet off to the east of the trail) i thought was the high point (the third bump was also about the same height?)--some nice views here and there. It was a bit of a staggering descent over slippery rocks.roots as i'd been pushing really hard all day-then home after a 20 hour day
the hikes were for my mom and my friend Gary who hiked with me years ago- a bittersweet day
jim
The "trailhead" for Cold Hollow is on route 109 between Belvidere and Belvidere Center, just west of where Rattling Brook crosses the road on a sharp curve. Look for a dirt road which is gated just off the main road. Compared to a lot of hikes I've done recently, the specific line of approach to Cold Hollow doesn't seem to be too crucial (see Nate, PB, Pierre). Starting about 650AM and with temps in the 20s, I chose to follow the logging road for about 12-14 minutes to a hight of about 1550-1600' before cutting for the 2250' "knob" at the end of the ridge. The "older" part of the road described in PBs report which sticks closer to the brook is now pretty overgrown and i see no reason you'd want to go that way. Swinging into the woods from the logging road you'll find moderately steep, but relatively easy going all the way to a flattish, somewhat open knob where the "ridge" changes direction. I think you might follow the road further than i did and hit the ridge "beyond" the knob, but it looked as if the terrain was steeper there. At the knob, swing almost due north and follow the ridge to the summit (about a mile). The area around the knob is a bit more "complex" than it looks on the topo, but the going is easy and the direction is generally "up". There is a sizable cliff to be bypassed (either side works) just after the knob and 2 ledges to be surmounted when you near the top-boggy here and there, but no bad blowdown or fir. I had occasional good views from the somewhat defoliated route. If you're on the top, the glass jar tied to a tree will be obvious. There are more "local" entries than hikers and the last name was Nate from June of this year. Another fairly easy VT wack and some good interaction with the local populace--i'm growing to enjoy N. VT hiking.
Then it was off to Stowe (yuck
)--traffic jams, too many "entitled" folk, a crowded parking area. YMMV, and i don't mean to offend, but I just don't care much for the "scene" when i hike in Southernish NH or VT. I went up the Stowe Pinnacle Trail from the small parking lot on Upper Hollow Rd. A pretty good, if muddy trail until you hit Snow Pinnacle, then a more narrow, less used, rooty, rocky, "VT muddy" path to the ridge. When i hit the ridge, I swung south toward Mt Hunger and hit 4? bumps, the second of which (about 50 feet off to the east of the trail) i thought was the high point (the third bump was also about the same height?)--some nice views here and there. It was a bit of a staggering descent over slippery rocks.roots as i'd been pushing really hard all day-then home after a 20 hour daythe hikes were for my mom and my friend Gary who hiked with me years ago- a bittersweet day
jim
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