McRat
New member
It is good to be embraced by the sweet tyranny of the lists again.
I can't tell you the confusion and analysis paralysis that came with deciding which peak to go for after completing the NH48. I have gone with friends on their peakbagging journeys, and came to envy them for having a clear and narrowing set of objectives.
So it was that I submitted to the bug again and invested myself in the NEHHs. Heck why stop at 67? Collect them all!
A surprise hiking day landed in my lap, and Vermont was calling me. I decided to go for Pico Peak and Killington. After all the drives to the WMNF it felt odd taking the turn onto I-89.
Hikerfast and I started up the trail around 11:00, and immediately the charms of the Green Mountains were upon me. The trail is nicely graded, well maintained, and well - amazingly green.
The trip up the Sherburne trail moves quick, but will still heat you up well until it crosses the slopes, and loops around the mountain to Pico cabin.
The trip went pretty quick as Bob and I discussed my many variations of how it should be pronounced. He says 'Pike-o', I say 'Peek-o'. Either way it seems redundant since 'pico' is the Spanish word for peak anyways. I settled on 'Pico Pico' (Pronounced Pike-o Peek-o).
The trip up the spur to pico of Pico Pico is a bit steeper, but under a half mile with several partial views along the way. The morning fog had begun to fade and we enjoyed some nice cooling breezes at the chairlift and the humble summit cairn.
Back at the cabin we continued our way towards Killington. This section of the trail might be a trail runners dream. While it has it's minor ups and downs, they are mostly low grades and it seems like the longest, relatively flattest miles at elevation I've ever been on.
After a while, Bob started to bonk a bit and decided to rest a spell while I went to tag Killington. After the cabin I noticed I had gone off the AT and begun blue blazing. A smart person would use this moment to look at the map, but I decided to backtrack and got back on the white blazed path.
Somewhere around 2-3 tenths of a mile along, I noticed that the trail seemed much flatter than it should be. A group was heading the other way and I asked, "How much farther to Killington?"
They weren't quite sure of the exact distance, but they did know the correct direction. One of the group looked familiar, and sure enough turned out to be Trailbiscuit from VFTT and someone whose name has been lost in the cluttered attick of memory. We exchanged a few words and headed back to the junction.
The spur is short with the final half requiring some scrambling. The views that emerge here make stopping to catch your breath worthwhile. I asked some hikers coming down if the restaurant was open and if they served beer. Having been assured access to a cold brew, I needed no other breaks to power me to the summit.
The summit had a couple of hikers and a large group of people dressed too well for hiking courtesy of the gondola. After enjoying the view, I went to check it out and fulfill the promise of a cold one. I paid $5 for a 16oz can of Bud. While my inner Scotsman forbid the purchase of a second beer, I enjoyed that one to the fullest possible. I can honestly say, Budweiser has never tasted better. I grabbed a sandwich for Bob and headed back.
I met up with him halfway up the Killington Spur and we had dinner outside the cabin chatting with an amiable hiker from Connecticut.
Though the walk was fairly flat, it felt like a long day and the race against the sun confirmed it. We walked along at a fairly quick clip. On tired legs the small turns, twists and undulations of the trail made me feel like I was walking a bit drunk. I was sure I was not drunk. I even took a couple of sips of single-malt from Bob just to test the theory.
We made it back to the cabin, and began the descent to route 4. Around this time, Bob began sharing his more religious side. I must say I heard the Lord's name dozens of times, usually with words that I can't type here. Perhaps I simply can't interpret people speaking in tongues.
None-the-less, Bob trudged on in religious fervor - he's not the sort of fellow prone to suffer silently. Soon we could hear the passing cars and emerged at the trailhead just before headlamps would be required.
A beautiful new state for hiking, 2 new peaks, and a great final day of summer. Bring on autumn!
NE4K 49/67
NEHH 53/100
I can't tell you the confusion and analysis paralysis that came with deciding which peak to go for after completing the NH48. I have gone with friends on their peakbagging journeys, and came to envy them for having a clear and narrowing set of objectives.
So it was that I submitted to the bug again and invested myself in the NEHHs. Heck why stop at 67? Collect them all!
A surprise hiking day landed in my lap, and Vermont was calling me. I decided to go for Pico Peak and Killington. After all the drives to the WMNF it felt odd taking the turn onto I-89.
Hikerfast and I started up the trail around 11:00, and immediately the charms of the Green Mountains were upon me. The trail is nicely graded, well maintained, and well - amazingly green.
The trip up the Sherburne trail moves quick, but will still heat you up well until it crosses the slopes, and loops around the mountain to Pico cabin.
The trip went pretty quick as Bob and I discussed my many variations of how it should be pronounced. He says 'Pike-o', I say 'Peek-o'. Either way it seems redundant since 'pico' is the Spanish word for peak anyways. I settled on 'Pico Pico' (Pronounced Pike-o Peek-o).
The trip up the spur to pico of Pico Pico is a bit steeper, but under a half mile with several partial views along the way. The morning fog had begun to fade and we enjoyed some nice cooling breezes at the chairlift and the humble summit cairn.
Back at the cabin we continued our way towards Killington. This section of the trail might be a trail runners dream. While it has it's minor ups and downs, they are mostly low grades and it seems like the longest, relatively flattest miles at elevation I've ever been on.
After a while, Bob started to bonk a bit and decided to rest a spell while I went to tag Killington. After the cabin I noticed I had gone off the AT and begun blue blazing. A smart person would use this moment to look at the map, but I decided to backtrack and got back on the white blazed path.
Somewhere around 2-3 tenths of a mile along, I noticed that the trail seemed much flatter than it should be. A group was heading the other way and I asked, "How much farther to Killington?"
They weren't quite sure of the exact distance, but they did know the correct direction. One of the group looked familiar, and sure enough turned out to be Trailbiscuit from VFTT and someone whose name has been lost in the cluttered attick of memory. We exchanged a few words and headed back to the junction.
The spur is short with the final half requiring some scrambling. The views that emerge here make stopping to catch your breath worthwhile. I asked some hikers coming down if the restaurant was open and if they served beer. Having been assured access to a cold brew, I needed no other breaks to power me to the summit.
The summit had a couple of hikers and a large group of people dressed too well for hiking courtesy of the gondola. After enjoying the view, I went to check it out and fulfill the promise of a cold one. I paid $5 for a 16oz can of Bud. While my inner Scotsman forbid the purchase of a second beer, I enjoyed that one to the fullest possible. I can honestly say, Budweiser has never tasted better. I grabbed a sandwich for Bob and headed back.
I met up with him halfway up the Killington Spur and we had dinner outside the cabin chatting with an amiable hiker from Connecticut.
Though the walk was fairly flat, it felt like a long day and the race against the sun confirmed it. We walked along at a fairly quick clip. On tired legs the small turns, twists and undulations of the trail made me feel like I was walking a bit drunk. I was sure I was not drunk. I even took a couple of sips of single-malt from Bob just to test the theory.
We made it back to the cabin, and began the descent to route 4. Around this time, Bob began sharing his more religious side. I must say I heard the Lord's name dozens of times, usually with words that I can't type here. Perhaps I simply can't interpret people speaking in tongues.
None-the-less, Bob trudged on in religious fervor - he's not the sort of fellow prone to suffer silently. Soon we could hear the passing cars and emerged at the trailhead just before headlamps would be required.
A beautiful new state for hiking, 2 new peaks, and a great final day of summer. Bring on autumn!
NE4K 49/67
NEHH 53/100
