Equinox - 9/10/6

[Tom Rankin]

After a great day on Tom for Flags, we decided to head back towards home, and pick up the last peak Laurie needs for her NEHH in Vermont, Equinox.

The hike didn't start till Noon, but that was fine, as it was quite cool in the morning, and we needed to slowly wake up as we drove.

I brought my nice, big, heavy camera, but forgot the memory card!

Oh well, we have memories in our heads! It was a beautiful day and we hiked slowly up the 3000'+ elevation gain from the Seminary to the summit. There is a great spring, (marked with a short side trail), that we stopped at on the way up. Mmmmm!

Just before the summit, there is an unmarked 4 way junction. The blue blazing suddenly stops and so we decided to follow the rule of 'UP'!. The trail was a little spotty here, but it led to a small building with a fence around it. From here, I remembered how to get to the summit. It was very straight forward. 2 Hawks were diving and swooping in this small clearing, so we watched in awe for a few minutes!

The summit area is filled with a variety of gadgets, including the Hotel, a LARGE tower, and several smaller ones. Gone, alas, was the infamous Coke machine, but Robohiker still stood guard!

The views were great! We could see Graylock, and the ADKs, as well as numerous mountains in the Greens. There were several tourists on top, and a few climbers who had come up before us. We had a nice time chatting, as we admired the views. The wind was almost calm, which was good, because although it was sunny, the temps were around 45!

As we descended we met a man who recognized my VFTT shirt. He is a member here, and he was finishing his 2nd round of the NEHH! Wow! Way to go! Sorry, I couldn't remember your name, but congrats!

The walk down was much quicker than the walk up! It was 2 1/4 hours up, and 1 1/4 hours down. We actually felt pretty good when we finished.

On a recommendation from fellow hikers, we finished the day off with some Brews and the Madison Pub in Bennington!

 

[Chip]

Congratulations to Laurie ! That's excellent.

My crew had just enough energy on Sunday to do the 2 mile loop in Flume Gorge and lunch at Truants.
Coffee and water for me on Sunday !

 

[Jay H]

Just before the summit, there is an unmarked 4 way junction.

I think I remember this junction. I certainly remember the fenced in building/tower thing.

Too bad the soda machine is gone. It was there when I was up there and also in winter. Did you feed Robohiker?

Jay

 

[Tom Rankin]

Too bad the soda machine is gone. It was there when I was up there and also in winter. Did you feed Robohiker?

No, but a kid asked me for a quarter, and I told him I didn't have one because it would have been too much extra weight!

 

[una_dogger]

Congrats, Laurie!!!!

 

[Lovetohike]

Tom,
The summit area of Equinox is, as you described, a mixed bag. Nice views but lots of unnatural stuff. I almost always make a quick stop there, then head straight north along the very short summit ridge for about 1/4 mile or so to "Lookout point" (or is it "rock"). You go past a gravestone for a dog, Mr. Barbo (I think). But at the poiint there is a terrific view to the east, with the whole Manchester area and beyond spreading out before you, and, I'm usually the only one there. Then on the way back, you can veer off to the left onto a vaguely blazed trail that intersects with the summit trail in 1/3 mile or so.

And congrats to Laurie on her progress!

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Equinox does have nice views. I need to return some time.

I brought my nice, big, heavy camera, but forgot the memory card!

Interesting, I was out hiking on Friday. About halfway on the drive to the trailhead I realize I had forgotten to retrieve a roll of film from the frig. I am kicking and telling myself. "Dummy, if I had I converted to digital by now, I could not make these retro mistakes." And it certainly was not the first time I had done that. There really is no cure for some things.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Equinox does have nice views. I need to return some time.

Interesting, I was out hiking on Friday. About halfway on the drive to the trailhead I realize I had forgotten to retrieve a roll of film from the frig. I am kicking and telling myself. "Dummy, if I had I converted to digital by now, I could not make these retro mistakes." And it certainly was not the first time I had done that. There really is no cure for some things.

There is a cable I could use to offload my pictures to my PC, but I never use it, because the newer reader I have is *MUCH* faster. Oh well.....