Haven't posted a trip report in a while, so here ya go 
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I had today off from everything, and decided to head to VT and bag NE4K #53. Well, that didn't happen.
To get to the Jerusalem Trail trailhead, I had to drive up and over a 2,370 ft. mountain pass called Appalachian Gap. Via VT route 17. It started out in decent condition, but steadily got worse as I approached Mad River Glen ski area. Once I passed that, VT 17 was very poorly plowed- perhaps not at all. From the ski area, I never did above 15 MPH (speed limit was 30). Near the top, I slowed down to 5 MPH. Eventually, my wheels kept spinning, but my car didn't move forward an inch . At this point, I gave up. Turned around and headed into town to decide what my back-up hike would be. My hike for the day turned out to be 3,957 ft. Pico Peak, which is on the New England Hundred Highest list.
DISCLAIMER: Under good road conditions, my car can cross App Gap from either side no problem. Crossed it from the west last week after I bagged Mt. Abraham .
Pico Peak was one of the easiest "big" mountains I've hiked- the elevation gain was modest and spread out over almost three miles. In the beginning, I climbed to within sight of one of Pico's lower ski slopes, and then from there, I switched back up the mountainside at easy grades to a ski trail. I didn't know where the Sherburne Pass Trail went from there, so I walked around a bit and eventually found it.
From where the trail re-entered the woods, it hugged the mountainside all the way to Pico Camp, a cabin/tentsite area 0.4 mi from the summit of Pico Peak and 0.4 miles from the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail. The cabin, IMO, was the best part of the hike, since the summit was littered with buildings and communications towers. Would make a great place to spend a night. After taking a breather in the cabin for a bit, I headed up the Pico Spur, which ascended the mountainside, steeply at times, to the summit area, which was full of buildings, chairlifts, and skiers. From there, I headed for the summit proper, walking all around to make sure I set foot on the highest point (I'm really OCD about making sure I hit the true summit of anything). Once I was satisfied, I headed back to the cabin for "lunch" and then descended back to Sherburne Pass.
This was a short one- 5.8 miles roundtrip with around 1,800 to 1,900 feet of gain, but it was better than heading home having hiked nothing. The summit was meh, but the cabin was very nice, and I found some solitude there .
Here's a video from the hike: https://youtu.be/w2p75NDkqxY
.I had today off from everything, and decided to head to VT and bag NE4K #53. Well, that didn't happen.
To get to the Jerusalem Trail trailhead, I had to drive up and over a 2,370 ft. mountain pass called Appalachian Gap. Via VT route 17. It started out in decent condition, but steadily got worse as I approached Mad River Glen ski area. Once I passed that, VT 17 was very poorly plowed- perhaps not at all. From the ski area, I never did above 15 MPH (speed limit was 30). Near the top, I slowed down to 5 MPH. Eventually, my wheels kept spinning, but my car didn't move forward an inch
. At this point, I gave up. Turned around and headed into town to decide what my back-up hike would be. My hike for the day turned out to be 3,957 ft. Pico Peak, which is on the New England Hundred Highest list.DISCLAIMER: Under good road conditions, my car can cross App Gap from either side no problem. Crossed it from the west last week after I bagged Mt. Abraham
.Pico Peak was one of the easiest "big" mountains I've hiked- the elevation gain was modest and spread out over almost three miles. In the beginning, I climbed to within sight of one of Pico's lower ski slopes, and then from there, I switched back up the mountainside at easy grades to a ski trail. I didn't know where the Sherburne Pass Trail went from there, so I walked around a bit and eventually found it.
From where the trail re-entered the woods, it hugged the mountainside all the way to Pico Camp, a cabin/tentsite area 0.4 mi from the summit of Pico Peak and 0.4 miles from the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail. The cabin, IMO, was the best part of the hike, since the summit was littered with buildings and communications towers. Would make a great place to spend a night. After taking a breather in the cabin for a bit, I headed up the Pico Spur, which ascended the mountainside, steeply at times, to the summit area, which was full of buildings, chairlifts, and skiers. From there, I headed for the summit proper, walking all around to make sure I set foot on the highest point (I'm really OCD about making sure I hit the true summit of anything). Once I was satisfied, I headed back to the cabin for "lunch" and then descended back to Sherburne Pass.
This was a short one- 5.8 miles roundtrip with around 1,800 to 1,900 feet of gain, but it was better than heading home having hiked nothing. The summit was meh, but the cabin was very nice, and I found some solitude there
.Here's a video from the hike: https://youtu.be/w2p75NDkqxY
