hikersinger
Member
Took advantage of a day off to head into the woods of Vermont for the first time, on my way toward finishing the New England 100 highest. Started with Pico (3957') and Killington (4241'), heading in from Sherburne Pass on Route 4 and returning to the same point.
Conditions were favorable: clear skies, chilly but little wind except on the open summits. Microspikes did the job well the entire trip. Snow depth ranged from 1-2" at the base, to 3-4 on the summits. The ski trail sections had isolated drifts up to several inches, no big deal. The mountains were not yet open for business, but they had snowmaking machines running in full gear. Temperatures were in the mid-20s at the base, and single-digits with around 20mph winds at the summits (wild guesses!).
Monday, November 25, 2013
Heading out solo on this hike, and not having hiked in Vermont before, I wasn't sure what to expect. But the trails were all very well-maintained and marked, thanks to the Green Mountain Club. No cars in the lot opposite the Inn at Long Trail, so I wondered if I'd ever see anyone. I never did, though I did encounter tracks that seemed fresh along the Long Trail approaching Cooper Lodge, and I did hear a voice ahead of me on my way up the steep spur trail to Killington peak. I suspect he/they hiked up and down Bucklin to Killington for a day hike.
Overall this was an easy hike, relatively easy grades except for the Killington spur trail, which while very short was quite steep leading from Cooper Lodge to the summit. It was pretty cool to cross through and travel along ski trails on both Pico and Killington. In the case of Pico, I was afforded the summit, with its towers, ski lift, and summit buildings, to myself as the place hadn't opened yet. Kind of eerie with all the snow up there in broad daylight, yet no one on it -- an alpine ghost town sort-of feel.
I knew I would be hiking out in the dark since I had a very late start at 12:20pm. At 12 miles with a book time of about 7:20 (per Mohamed Ellozy), I knew I would be in the dark at least a couple hours. But being solo, and with snow never as deep as a few inches, I was able to move pretty fast, and was back at the car by 6:30pm.
Spent some time at both cabins along the way. First, Pico Camp lies right along the Sherburne Pass Trail, and has a spur trail leading from its entrance up to the summit of Pico and its towers and ski area features (0.4mi). The shelter features comfortable room for eight with a thin table, all in one room. There are three glass-paned windows along one side and a real rustic feel. The log book had entries through a couple days before so it seems relatively popular.
Cooper Lodge lies at the base of the Killington summit. It's slightly larger and sleeps 12 comfortably. Similar layout with a couple windows looking out toward an opening in the trees. Also quite rustic. Almost couldn't find the pen for the log book, but did retrieve it from the floor.
The summit of Killington was quite cold and very windy. Could only manage a few pictures, with a break in-between for my nearly frost-bite fingers. Would like to have stayed longer to explore the summit, but I'll go back some day.
To be honest, I did really book it on the return from Cooper Lodge to the Sherburne Pass Trail head. I had hiked in the dark before, but not more than perhaps an hour at most, and always with someone. A person had written in one of the log books that there were bears in the area, and I didn't know if they were generally in hibernation yet or not, so that freaked me out a bit. At one point, one of my poles fell out of my pack and hit the back of my leg, and I let out a massive yell. Let's just say I developed a bit more character on this hike.
Awesome hike, great trails, fun shelters along the way. All in all a perfect way to spend a late November day.
Conditions were favorable: clear skies, chilly but little wind except on the open summits. Microspikes did the job well the entire trip. Snow depth ranged from 1-2" at the base, to 3-4 on the summits. The ski trail sections had isolated drifts up to several inches, no big deal. The mountains were not yet open for business, but they had snowmaking machines running in full gear. Temperatures were in the mid-20s at the base, and single-digits with around 20mph winds at the summits (wild guesses!).
Monday, November 25, 2013
- 12:20pm Sherburne Pass Trail to Pico Camp (2.7mi)
- 1:30pm Pico Link spur trail to Pico Peak and back (0.8mi)
- 2:10pm Continue along Sherburn Pass Trail to Jungle Junction, the intersection with the Long and Appalachian Trails (0.4mi)
- 2:20pm South on Long Trail/AT to Cooper Lodge (2.5mi)
- 3:30pm Killington spur trail to Killington Peak and back (0.4mi)
- 4:08pm North on Long Trail/AT back to Jungle Junction (2.5mi)
- 5:06pm Sherburne Pass Trail back to Sherburne Pass (3.1mi)
- 6:30pm end
Heading out solo on this hike, and not having hiked in Vermont before, I wasn't sure what to expect. But the trails were all very well-maintained and marked, thanks to the Green Mountain Club. No cars in the lot opposite the Inn at Long Trail, so I wondered if I'd ever see anyone. I never did, though I did encounter tracks that seemed fresh along the Long Trail approaching Cooper Lodge, and I did hear a voice ahead of me on my way up the steep spur trail to Killington peak. I suspect he/they hiked up and down Bucklin to Killington for a day hike.
Overall this was an easy hike, relatively easy grades except for the Killington spur trail, which while very short was quite steep leading from Cooper Lodge to the summit. It was pretty cool to cross through and travel along ski trails on both Pico and Killington. In the case of Pico, I was afforded the summit, with its towers, ski lift, and summit buildings, to myself as the place hadn't opened yet. Kind of eerie with all the snow up there in broad daylight, yet no one on it -- an alpine ghost town sort-of feel.
I knew I would be hiking out in the dark since I had a very late start at 12:20pm. At 12 miles with a book time of about 7:20 (per Mohamed Ellozy), I knew I would be in the dark at least a couple hours. But being solo, and with snow never as deep as a few inches, I was able to move pretty fast, and was back at the car by 6:30pm.
Spent some time at both cabins along the way. First, Pico Camp lies right along the Sherburne Pass Trail, and has a spur trail leading from its entrance up to the summit of Pico and its towers and ski area features (0.4mi). The shelter features comfortable room for eight with a thin table, all in one room. There are three glass-paned windows along one side and a real rustic feel. The log book had entries through a couple days before so it seems relatively popular.
Cooper Lodge lies at the base of the Killington summit. It's slightly larger and sleeps 12 comfortably. Similar layout with a couple windows looking out toward an opening in the trees. Also quite rustic. Almost couldn't find the pen for the log book, but did retrieve it from the floor.
The summit of Killington was quite cold and very windy. Could only manage a few pictures, with a break in-between for my nearly frost-bite fingers. Would like to have stayed longer to explore the summit, but I'll go back some day.
To be honest, I did really book it on the return from Cooper Lodge to the Sherburne Pass Trail head. I had hiked in the dark before, but not more than perhaps an hour at most, and always with someone. A person had written in one of the log books that there were bears in the area, and I didn't know if they were generally in hibernation yet or not, so that freaked me out a bit. At one point, one of my poles fell out of my pack and hit the back of my leg, and I let out a massive yell. Let's just say I developed a bit more character on this hike.
Awesome hike, great trails, fun shelters along the way. All in all a perfect way to spend a late November day.
Last edited:
