My friend Neil (hikeswithkat--I believe) and I have been leading a series of weekend section hikes with the AMC over the past couple of years, and on Saturday, November 9, 2013, we hiked our final section, from Rte 108 in Smuggler's Notch, Stowe, up to Rte. 15.
Smuggler's Notch was closed to traffic, and it was very icy. The trailhead north is not obvious if you haven't been there before. One walks into a picnic area with tables and little stone fireplaces scattered about, and there is an outhouse building. The trail sign is somewhat hidden down the hill on the other side of the bathroom building. While there was no snow on the Rte 15 side where we spotted a car, Smuggler's Notch had snow and ice on the ground, and we could gear the snow machines hard at work on the slopes across from us.
There is a stream crossing immediately at the start. It was not high, but not causal either. I am somewhat surprised there isn't a small bridge there. The trail ascends gently, and we quickly put on microspikes and kept them on for the rest of the day until we passed the final shelter heading out. The trail is generally in good condition, although it would benefit from more blazes and fresh paint on the existing ones. Fortunately, there were tracks ahead of us from some recent hikers, and without them, we would have struggled in parts getting up to the ridge line.
We talked that we wouldn't see anyone else that day, but wrong we were! Just prior to reaching the ski slopes, we encountered three young gents through hiking southward! Given Sunday's forecast of rain and snow, getting over Mansfield and Camel's Hump could be interesting. We later were passed by a group of young hikers from Burlington also heading north. One was wearing Five Fingers running shoes, and handled the trail remarkably well in them, although since they were camping at one of the shelters, I suspect his feet were cold that night, if not while on the trail.
The trail is in generally good condition, although there were a number of blowdowns in the northernmost six miles, and again, while the northern end had new blazes, the entire stretch could benefit from more of them. We managed to get out before dark, and once one is on the dirt road, it's an easy walk, but now that winter is approaching and it's getting dark early, there were stretches where we knew where to go because we could see the foot tracks made by the three coming the other way, but had it been dark and we were moving by headlamps without the benefit of tracks on the trail, there were numerous spots where we could been left in a rather bad spot due to the lack of blazes.
Hiking the Long Trail has been wonderful, and if you haven't tried it yet, it makes for a fun adventure. It's very wet, most of the time, and you have to enjoy the company you are with, because large chunks of it are viewless hikes through the woods, but if the Whites are starting to feel a bit too familiar, do give the LT a try.
All the best,
Brian
Smuggler's Notch was closed to traffic, and it was very icy. The trailhead north is not obvious if you haven't been there before. One walks into a picnic area with tables and little stone fireplaces scattered about, and there is an outhouse building. The trail sign is somewhat hidden down the hill on the other side of the bathroom building. While there was no snow on the Rte 15 side where we spotted a car, Smuggler's Notch had snow and ice on the ground, and we could gear the snow machines hard at work on the slopes across from us.
There is a stream crossing immediately at the start. It was not high, but not causal either. I am somewhat surprised there isn't a small bridge there. The trail ascends gently, and we quickly put on microspikes and kept them on for the rest of the day until we passed the final shelter heading out. The trail is generally in good condition, although it would benefit from more blazes and fresh paint on the existing ones. Fortunately, there were tracks ahead of us from some recent hikers, and without them, we would have struggled in parts getting up to the ridge line.
We talked that we wouldn't see anyone else that day, but wrong we were! Just prior to reaching the ski slopes, we encountered three young gents through hiking southward! Given Sunday's forecast of rain and snow, getting over Mansfield and Camel's Hump could be interesting. We later were passed by a group of young hikers from Burlington also heading north. One was wearing Five Fingers running shoes, and handled the trail remarkably well in them, although since they were camping at one of the shelters, I suspect his feet were cold that night, if not while on the trail.
The trail is in generally good condition, although there were a number of blowdowns in the northernmost six miles, and again, while the northern end had new blazes, the entire stretch could benefit from more of them. We managed to get out before dark, and once one is on the dirt road, it's an easy walk, but now that winter is approaching and it's getting dark early, there were stretches where we knew where to go because we could see the foot tracks made by the three coming the other way, but had it been dark and we were moving by headlamps without the benefit of tracks on the trail, there were numerous spots where we could been left in a rather bad spot due to the lack of blazes.
Hiking the Long Trail has been wonderful, and if you haven't tried it yet, it makes for a fun adventure. It's very wet, most of the time, and you have to enjoy the company you are with, because large chunks of it are viewless hikes through the woods, but if the Whites are starting to feel a bit too familiar, do give the LT a try.
All the best,
Brian
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