Mad Townie
New member
Gathering 9.5 was my chance to climb my 3 remaining 4Ks in VT and also another gig for the Bluffs--but trying to cram too much into one weekend turned out not to be such a good idea, so I chose the closest hike, Killington. Besides, the Patties were playing on Sunday at 4:30!
So we set out in a light rain on Saturday morning from the Brewers Corner trailhead, headed for Killington Peak on the Bucklin Trail. Four climbers, with 12 legs among us.
While Abster and I stuck to the trail and tried not to go back and forth too many times, Jelsi and Tuscany (the 2 golden retrievers, and owners of 8 of the collective legs) were in their element and were bounding with joy! They'd race up the trail, explore the woods a little, then run back to check on us 2-legged slowpokes.
The trail at lower elevations was mostly clear, with a few spots of ice here and there. Wood surfaces were a bit glazed, but not too badly at that point. We strolled along, enjoying the misty woods and the easy walk. Soon after we left the stream the trail began to climb moderately, and icy and snowy spots became more common. Still, the surface was pretty easy for walking. Abster was kind enough to adjust her pace to my slower one, and even kinder to comment later that it was just the right pace.
At one point we noted that Tuscany was standing to the right of the trail, looking uphill and to the right attentively. Shortly thereafter we came to a spot where one of the many old logging roads crossed the trail and discovered the reason for his inquisitiveness. We met a gentleman who was out looking for shed moose antlers. He knew those woods very well, and we chatted amicably for a bit before continuing on our respective ways. By this time the rain had changed to a very light dusting of snow which soon stopped altogether.
The forest had been open hardwoods, almost exclusively at first, until we gained some elevation. Then it began changing over to hemlock and fir, and later some spruce. Although it didn't seem that we were nearing the summit, we soon arrived at the cabin/shelter, just below where the Long Trail/AT crosses the Bucklin Trail. We stopped there for a brief rest and some lunch, then continued on our way.
After we crossed the AT the trail began to steepen, and the ice became thicker and the footing more treacherous. Rather than stop to don our traction devices, we decided just to be careful for the brief climb (crawl?) to the summit. We soon topped out and stood on my #56. The breeze was a bit stronger and chillier there, but really not bad at all. It was time for the traditional photo op of "Climber with Dogs."
We ducked down behind the summit rocks (after "admiring" the towers and buildings nearby), had another snack and put on crampons and Stabilicers for the walk down. And that's what it was--now that our feet had secure purchase on the ice we simply walked down the part we had crawled up earlier.
Arriving at the cabin, we saw a couple snowboards and a pair of skis outside, and since we knew that Bubba, cbcbd and KenG were coming up the same trail to ski down, I raised my voice and made "threatening" comments about people from New York State. Well, it turned out to be 3 kids who had come over from the ski hill and stopped by for, well, let's just call it a break. I quickly apologized and we headed down the trail, keeping our traction devices on since the trail was still snowy and a bit icy at that point.
We soon met the 3 VFTTers, who were heading up toting their downhill gear. Stopping to chat a bit, we removed our crampons and Stabilicers to facilitate the remaining walk on a trail that was becoming more bare. The temperatures had dropped some during the day, and the wooden bridges and bog bridges were glazed over just enough to make us take care. The woods were still deep in fog, creating an ethereal atmosphere for our walk. In no time we were back at the car, and the 2 wet and happy dogs jumped into the back for the ride home.
After cleaning up we headed over to Unfrozen Caveman's place, arriving just in time to get a bit of dinner before the Bluffs' music started. We played for about 2 hours, but that, as they say, is "a whole other trip" report.
A few photos here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/557096890nxnXzY
So we set out in a light rain on Saturday morning from the Brewers Corner trailhead, headed for Killington Peak on the Bucklin Trail. Four climbers, with 12 legs among us.
While Abster and I stuck to the trail and tried not to go back and forth too many times, Jelsi and Tuscany (the 2 golden retrievers, and owners of 8 of the collective legs) were in their element and were bounding with joy! They'd race up the trail, explore the woods a little, then run back to check on us 2-legged slowpokes.The trail at lower elevations was mostly clear, with a few spots of ice here and there. Wood surfaces were a bit glazed, but not too badly at that point. We strolled along, enjoying the misty woods and the easy walk. Soon after we left the stream the trail began to climb moderately, and icy and snowy spots became more common. Still, the surface was pretty easy for walking. Abster was kind enough to adjust her pace to my slower one, and even kinder to comment later that it was just the right pace.
At one point we noted that Tuscany was standing to the right of the trail, looking uphill and to the right attentively. Shortly thereafter we came to a spot where one of the many old logging roads crossed the trail and discovered the reason for his inquisitiveness. We met a gentleman who was out looking for shed moose antlers. He knew those woods very well, and we chatted amicably for a bit before continuing on our respective ways. By this time the rain had changed to a very light dusting of snow which soon stopped altogether.
The forest had been open hardwoods, almost exclusively at first, until we gained some elevation. Then it began changing over to hemlock and fir, and later some spruce. Although it didn't seem that we were nearing the summit, we soon arrived at the cabin/shelter, just below where the Long Trail/AT crosses the Bucklin Trail. We stopped there for a brief rest and some lunch, then continued on our way.
After we crossed the AT the trail began to steepen, and the ice became thicker and the footing more treacherous. Rather than stop to don our traction devices, we decided just to be careful for the brief climb (crawl?) to the summit. We soon topped out and stood on my #56. The breeze was a bit stronger and chillier there, but really not bad at all. It was time for the traditional photo op of "Climber with Dogs."
We ducked down behind the summit rocks (after "admiring" the towers and buildings nearby), had another snack and put on crampons and Stabilicers for the walk down. And that's what it was--now that our feet had secure purchase on the ice we simply walked down the part we had crawled up earlier.
Arriving at the cabin, we saw a couple snowboards and a pair of skis outside, and since we knew that Bubba, cbcbd and KenG were coming up the same trail to ski down, I raised my voice and made "threatening" comments about people from New York State. Well, it turned out to be 3 kids who had come over from the ski hill and stopped by for, well, let's just call it a break.
I quickly apologized and we headed down the trail, keeping our traction devices on since the trail was still snowy and a bit icy at that point. We soon met the 3 VFTTers, who were heading up toting their downhill gear. Stopping to chat a bit, we removed our crampons and Stabilicers to facilitate the remaining walk on a trail that was becoming more bare. The temperatures had dropped some during the day, and the wooden bridges and bog bridges were glazed over just enough to make us take care. The woods were still deep in fog, creating an ethereal atmosphere for our walk. In no time we were back at the car, and the 2 wet and happy dogs jumped into the back for the ride home.
After cleaning up we headed over to Unfrozen Caveman's place, arriving just in time to get a bit of dinner before the Bluffs' music started. We played for about 2 hours, but that, as they say, is "a whole other trip" report.
A few photos here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/557096890nxnXzY
