BIGEarl
Well-known member
July 11, 2010: Vermont Double Hit & Run, Camels Hump, Killington
Trails: Camels Hump: Monroe Trail, Long Trail
Killington: Bucklin Trail, Long Trail, Killington Spur
Summits: Camels Hump, Killington
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Hiking with Sue is always a treat, but this day was a little more special than usual. There were a number of “firsts” on this day. Our first “first” was our hike area. Except for a few miles in Massachusetts when we hiked an end-to-end on the Wapack Trail, all of our hike-miles together have been in New Hampshire. We’re branching out.
Our normal hike day is Saturday. When school is in session, Sue teaches Sunday school which leaves only Saturday as a possible hike day. Lucky for me, Sue usually gives me her Saturdays for hiking. When there is no Sunday school we have some flexibility in our hike schedule but Sue has a very early work day and a late finish on Sunday makes Monday a real test. All during the days leading up to the weekend, the weather forecasts for Saturday seemed to indicate bad conditions for New Hampshire and Vermont were likely. Since there is no Sunday school right now we made the change to a Sunday hike.
For quite a while (well over a year) Sue has been looking at a visit to Vermont to hike the last of the Four Thousand Footers there. Camels Hump and Killington were the remaining targets; two targets and two trips. Sue decided this year was the year to take care of the loose end. In planning our July and August hiking Sue suggested we consider hiking one in July and one in August, or possibly both in August. We spent some time looking at each hike and realized both were relatively small making the long drive a little unattractive for just one. After working on the logistics for the day we found a Double Hit & Run would be an interesting approach. An early start was needed but we were confident a return to Nashua at a reasonably early time was possible. In addition, I try very hard to avoid days where the drive time exceeds the hike time; by going with a Double Hit & Run we have more hike time than drive time. We’re still going to miss Sue’s three-peak minimum, oh well – maybe next time we’ll hit four and average things out.
The day had a Crazy Early start with us meeting at the Exit 6 Park & Ride at ~2:00am. We quickly transferred Sue’s things and took off for Vermont. The drive to our first target was expected to be around 3.0 to 3.5 hours, plus any needed stops along the way. As we made our way to our first target daylight slowly arrived. We got off I-89 at the Waterbury exit and started looking for a final civilized pit stop before the hike. That’s a quiet area early on a Sunday morning and we ended up in Montpelier before finding a door that wasn’t locked. Now we’re ready to hike. We headed back to Waterbury and on to Camels Hump State Park. On the final drive we had two small deer crossing the road out of a corn field in front of us; bulk up little ones, the season starts in a few months.
At the trailhead there were only two other vehicles and it appeared both had been there overnight. We grabbed our things and set off for Camels Hump. The plan was to hike a round trip by way of Monroe Trail and Long Trail. It looked like the quickest up and down, plus time is always a concern on Hit & Run combinations. On the way in we made a stop at the memorial to the military aircraft that was lost along with most of its crew in a crash near the summit of Camels Hump years ago. Soon we were on our climb.
Monroe Trail is a terrific hike. Most of the distance is in a beautiful hardwood forest. The trail is in great shape and very well maintained. In fact, on our return hike we came upon a person doing maintenance on water bars. There are a few small muddy pits and other wet areas where streams cross the trail but everything is easy to get through. We reached the first milestone along the way, the junction with Dean Trail. I made a quick check and found we were right on plan and having a great hike. After quick refreshment we were back into the climb. Not long after the trail junction we turned north and started a slightly steeper climb. The hiking books I read described this hike as strenuous but it seemed like a very pleasant, moderate hike to us as we continued to look for something steep.
We passed through the next trails junction with Alpine Trail and kept headed to the Long Trail on a moderate climb. As we approached the junction with the Long Trail we finally found ourselves on a section of trail with the steepness and roughness we were expecting. The final ~.5 to the summit was a good climb. Just below the summit we met two other hikers headed north on the Long Trail.
As we made our way up the final pitch to the summit Sue stopped and turned to me. She asked, “Do you know what we’re doing that we’ve never done before?” That’s an open-ended question that could head off in a number of directions but I knew Sue was serious. I thought and it never registered. After a while Sue explained. We have hiked together for over three years and visited hundreds of summits together. In that time we have never hiked a Four Thousand Footer that was a new summit to each of us, together. Neither of us had previously hiked Camels Hump and now we’re enjoying the peak for the first time, together. Nice – now it’s a party! We were already having a great day and this little detail just made it better. We wandered to the summit clearing, got our usual pictures, enjoyed the 360 degree views complete with undercast, greeted a couple other hikers that arrived while we were there, and soon set off for the trailhead and the rest of our day.
The hike back to the trailhead was quite different from the hike in. We met countless hikers headed up Monroe Trail. On our hike to the summit there were only three others but now the trail is packed. For a minute I thought we somehow ended up on Monadnock by mistake. There was enough space between the groups and enough on-trail courtesy to keep everything pleasant but the place that was earlier a nice piece of wilderness was now a high-traffic area. Our main objective was the trailhead and then to hit the highway for Killington. At the trailhead we found the two lots completely packed with vehicles; quite a change from early morning. We packed our things away and grabbed what would be our “lunch-on-the-run” and headed back out the way we came in.
I was hoping to gain time by trimming the drive times between locations. The run to Killington came in a little less than expected. Within a few minutes of our plan we were hiking the Bucklin Trail. The trail all of the way to the summit is terrific. The Green Mountain Club does a great job of taking care of these trails.
The first two miles of the hike to Killington are on a very mild grade gaining only 600 feet. From there, the trail starts to fight back. At the two-mile mark there is a right turn (actually a fork in the trail and we went right). From there to the summit it’s a short 1.5 miles but includes ~2000 feet in elevation. The humidity had really come up and so did the temperature. I have never seen perspiration pour from Sue as it was on this hike. We were both soaked but Sue was a big concern to me. I knew something was wrong. For the first time ever (another first) I found myself waiting for Sue. This can’t be good – but Sue assured me everything was okay. Our rest stops were frequent. Sue is very stubborn and very determined; together they make quite a combination. To the extent possible, Sue ignored the discomfort she was experiencing and pressed on for the summit.
We slowly made our way toward Killington. On the hike in there were a number of others headed back out from their day on the trails. A short distance below the Long Trail junction we met a couple. One was Alpino (VFTT) and he recognized us. We stopped to visit for a while. Alpino explained there was not a great amount of hiker traffic but the summit was a busy place from people that reached the summit via the ski lift. Soon we were back to our hikes. Our climb to the summit continued to be a real test. We reached the shelter below the summit of Killington and briefly paused. Sue looked up at the summit spur and seemed to gather everything there was in reserve. We started up for the final .2 miles and 350 feet to the summit. The Killington Summit Spur is generally steep and rough all of the way up but the footing is terrific. With Sue in the lead we completed the final climb.
We reached the summit ledge, Sue checked wind direction, and found a place to collapse in the breeze; off came her pack and she stretched out in the afternoon sun and breeze to recharge. Eventually, Sue was on her way back. We hadn’t planned to spend extra time on the summit and hoped to return to Nashua as early as possible. Under the circumstances the lounging on Killington was necessary. After nearly an hour we were ready for our hike back to the trailhead. Sue was in much better shape and my concern quieted down.
The hike back out was a quiet one. Once we passed the shelter, the trail provided a very easy and comfortable walk back to the lower elevation at the fork split, and then to the trailhead. We had only a couple brief stops along the way and were soon in a relatively empty trailhead lot packing our things and preparing for the drive back to Nashua.
Sue, you scared me a lot. I’m glad you know yourself as well as you do. In over three years of hiking together you have always been solid and strong in our hikes. I’m sorry you had a tough hike to Killington. As you pointed out; Killington – the name says it all.
Thanks for a great day with at least a couple really nice “firsts”. Take it easy on yourself this week and I’ll look at something less intense for Saturday (ya, right).
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Camels Hump: Monroe Trail, Long Trail
Killington: Bucklin Trail, Long Trail, Killington Spur
Summits: Camels Hump, Killington
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Hiking with Sue is always a treat, but this day was a little more special than usual. There were a number of “firsts” on this day. Our first “first” was our hike area. Except for a few miles in Massachusetts when we hiked an end-to-end on the Wapack Trail, all of our hike-miles together have been in New Hampshire. We’re branching out.
Our normal hike day is Saturday. When school is in session, Sue teaches Sunday school which leaves only Saturday as a possible hike day. Lucky for me, Sue usually gives me her Saturdays for hiking. When there is no Sunday school we have some flexibility in our hike schedule but Sue has a very early work day and a late finish on Sunday makes Monday a real test. All during the days leading up to the weekend, the weather forecasts for Saturday seemed to indicate bad conditions for New Hampshire and Vermont were likely. Since there is no Sunday school right now we made the change to a Sunday hike.
For quite a while (well over a year) Sue has been looking at a visit to Vermont to hike the last of the Four Thousand Footers there. Camels Hump and Killington were the remaining targets; two targets and two trips. Sue decided this year was the year to take care of the loose end. In planning our July and August hiking Sue suggested we consider hiking one in July and one in August, or possibly both in August. We spent some time looking at each hike and realized both were relatively small making the long drive a little unattractive for just one. After working on the logistics for the day we found a Double Hit & Run would be an interesting approach. An early start was needed but we were confident a return to Nashua at a reasonably early time was possible. In addition, I try very hard to avoid days where the drive time exceeds the hike time; by going with a Double Hit & Run we have more hike time than drive time. We’re still going to miss Sue’s three-peak minimum, oh well – maybe next time we’ll hit four and average things out.
The day had a Crazy Early start with us meeting at the Exit 6 Park & Ride at ~2:00am. We quickly transferred Sue’s things and took off for Vermont. The drive to our first target was expected to be around 3.0 to 3.5 hours, plus any needed stops along the way. As we made our way to our first target daylight slowly arrived. We got off I-89 at the Waterbury exit and started looking for a final civilized pit stop before the hike. That’s a quiet area early on a Sunday morning and we ended up in Montpelier before finding a door that wasn’t locked. Now we’re ready to hike. We headed back to Waterbury and on to Camels Hump State Park. On the final drive we had two small deer crossing the road out of a corn field in front of us; bulk up little ones, the season starts in a few months.
At the trailhead there were only two other vehicles and it appeared both had been there overnight. We grabbed our things and set off for Camels Hump. The plan was to hike a round trip by way of Monroe Trail and Long Trail. It looked like the quickest up and down, plus time is always a concern on Hit & Run combinations. On the way in we made a stop at the memorial to the military aircraft that was lost along with most of its crew in a crash near the summit of Camels Hump years ago. Soon we were on our climb.
Monroe Trail is a terrific hike. Most of the distance is in a beautiful hardwood forest. The trail is in great shape and very well maintained. In fact, on our return hike we came upon a person doing maintenance on water bars. There are a few small muddy pits and other wet areas where streams cross the trail but everything is easy to get through. We reached the first milestone along the way, the junction with Dean Trail. I made a quick check and found we were right on plan and having a great hike. After quick refreshment we were back into the climb. Not long after the trail junction we turned north and started a slightly steeper climb. The hiking books I read described this hike as strenuous but it seemed like a very pleasant, moderate hike to us as we continued to look for something steep.
We passed through the next trails junction with Alpine Trail and kept headed to the Long Trail on a moderate climb. As we approached the junction with the Long Trail we finally found ourselves on a section of trail with the steepness and roughness we were expecting. The final ~.5 to the summit was a good climb. Just below the summit we met two other hikers headed north on the Long Trail.
As we made our way up the final pitch to the summit Sue stopped and turned to me. She asked, “Do you know what we’re doing that we’ve never done before?” That’s an open-ended question that could head off in a number of directions but I knew Sue was serious. I thought and it never registered. After a while Sue explained. We have hiked together for over three years and visited hundreds of summits together. In that time we have never hiked a Four Thousand Footer that was a new summit to each of us, together. Neither of us had previously hiked Camels Hump and now we’re enjoying the peak for the first time, together. Nice – now it’s a party! We were already having a great day and this little detail just made it better. We wandered to the summit clearing, got our usual pictures, enjoyed the 360 degree views complete with undercast, greeted a couple other hikers that arrived while we were there, and soon set off for the trailhead and the rest of our day.
The hike back to the trailhead was quite different from the hike in. We met countless hikers headed up Monroe Trail. On our hike to the summit there were only three others but now the trail is packed. For a minute I thought we somehow ended up on Monadnock by mistake. There was enough space between the groups and enough on-trail courtesy to keep everything pleasant but the place that was earlier a nice piece of wilderness was now a high-traffic area. Our main objective was the trailhead and then to hit the highway for Killington. At the trailhead we found the two lots completely packed with vehicles; quite a change from early morning. We packed our things away and grabbed what would be our “lunch-on-the-run” and headed back out the way we came in.
I was hoping to gain time by trimming the drive times between locations. The run to Killington came in a little less than expected. Within a few minutes of our plan we were hiking the Bucklin Trail. The trail all of the way to the summit is terrific. The Green Mountain Club does a great job of taking care of these trails.
The first two miles of the hike to Killington are on a very mild grade gaining only 600 feet. From there, the trail starts to fight back. At the two-mile mark there is a right turn (actually a fork in the trail and we went right). From there to the summit it’s a short 1.5 miles but includes ~2000 feet in elevation. The humidity had really come up and so did the temperature. I have never seen perspiration pour from Sue as it was on this hike. We were both soaked but Sue was a big concern to me. I knew something was wrong. For the first time ever (another first) I found myself waiting for Sue. This can’t be good – but Sue assured me everything was okay. Our rest stops were frequent. Sue is very stubborn and very determined; together they make quite a combination. To the extent possible, Sue ignored the discomfort she was experiencing and pressed on for the summit.
We slowly made our way toward Killington. On the hike in there were a number of others headed back out from their day on the trails. A short distance below the Long Trail junction we met a couple. One was Alpino (VFTT) and he recognized us. We stopped to visit for a while. Alpino explained there was not a great amount of hiker traffic but the summit was a busy place from people that reached the summit via the ski lift. Soon we were back to our hikes. Our climb to the summit continued to be a real test. We reached the shelter below the summit of Killington and briefly paused. Sue looked up at the summit spur and seemed to gather everything there was in reserve. We started up for the final .2 miles and 350 feet to the summit. The Killington Summit Spur is generally steep and rough all of the way up but the footing is terrific. With Sue in the lead we completed the final climb.
We reached the summit ledge, Sue checked wind direction, and found a place to collapse in the breeze; off came her pack and she stretched out in the afternoon sun and breeze to recharge. Eventually, Sue was on her way back. We hadn’t planned to spend extra time on the summit and hoped to return to Nashua as early as possible. Under the circumstances the lounging on Killington was necessary. After nearly an hour we were ready for our hike back to the trailhead. Sue was in much better shape and my concern quieted down.
The hike back out was a quiet one. Once we passed the shelter, the trail provided a very easy and comfortable walk back to the lower elevation at the fork split, and then to the trailhead. We had only a couple brief stops along the way and were soon in a relatively empty trailhead lot packing our things and preparing for the drive back to Nashua.
Sue, you scared me a lot. I’m glad you know yourself as well as you do. In over three years of hiking together you have always been solid and strong in our hikes. I’m sorry you had a tough hike to Killington. As you pointed out; Killington – the name says it all.
Thanks for a great day with at least a couple really nice “firsts”. Take it easy on yourself this week and I’ll look at something less intense for Saturday (ya, right).
Pictures will follow.
