king tut
New member
I did a little walk and snowshoe thru the Vermont backcountry today. It was very nice. I went over to Smuggler's Notch and parked at the end of rte 108. From there it was a walk of about a mile or so up the icy road to the top of the notch. I had actually never been up to Smuggler's Notch before about 2 weeks ago, but it is a lovely little mountain notch that got its name from smuggler's who moved goods to and fro Canada. Anyhoo, very nice, check out the history channel if you want more info on that.
From the top of the notch there is a trail that goes over to Sterling Pond. That was my main destination this day. A couple hundred feet into the hike, the trail became a bit icy, so I decided to do a bushwack on my snowshoes and follow the trail that was made by some backcountry skiiers. The trail was good but rather steep, probably 30-40 degrees in most spots. I had just some snowshoes and no poles, so traction was kind of an issue, but also kind of fun. Throwing in the chance of sliding quite a ways downhill while snowshoeing adds to the excitement! So after a while, I connected to the Long Trail. I had no clue where the heck I was. But luckily, I came out on a ski trail.
So I went up the ski trail and saw a lift w/ some signs. SO where the heck on Smugg's was I?? After studying the sign, I determined that i was indeed on top of a ....Stowe mt???? Whoops. I went up the trail a little more and had a great lookout to Mt Mansfield. I realized that I was on Sterling Mt, not the real Stowe, but the peak across the valley.
So then I headed onto the backcountry ski trail and in .4 mile I arrived at Sterling Pond. It was very nice, 50 degreees outside and nice sunshine. I saw some ski lifts to my left and decided to go check them out. I looked at some signs upon entering the ski valley, and indeed I was back in Smuggler's Notch!!! I was very elated, and from there I took the ski trails back down to the bottom of the Mt, and back to rte 108.
The moral of the story? Who needs good maps when you have no clue where the heck you are. Just keep walking and you will end up somewhere.
Some pics up on shutterbook... make that Parazz. Who picked that name?
From the top of the notch there is a trail that goes over to Sterling Pond. That was my main destination this day. A couple hundred feet into the hike, the trail became a bit icy, so I decided to do a bushwack on my snowshoes and follow the trail that was made by some backcountry skiiers. The trail was good but rather steep, probably 30-40 degrees in most spots. I had just some snowshoes and no poles, so traction was kind of an issue, but also kind of fun. Throwing in the chance of sliding quite a ways downhill while snowshoeing adds to the excitement! So after a while, I connected to the Long Trail. I had no clue where the heck I was. But luckily, I came out on a ski trail.
So I went up the ski trail and saw a lift w/ some signs. SO where the heck on Smugg's was I?? After studying the sign, I determined that i was indeed on top of a ....Stowe mt???? Whoops. I went up the trail a little more and had a great lookout to Mt Mansfield. I realized that I was on Sterling Mt, not the real Stowe, but the peak across the valley. So then I headed onto the backcountry ski trail and in .4 mile I arrived at Sterling Pond. It was very nice, 50 degreees outside and nice sunshine. I saw some ski lifts to my left and decided to go check them out. I looked at some signs upon entering the ski valley, and indeed I was back in Smuggler's Notch!!! I was very elated, and from there I took the ski trails back down to the bottom of the Mt, and back to rte 108.
The moral of the story? Who needs good maps when you have no clue where the heck you are. Just keep walking and you will end up somewhere.
Some pics up on shutterbook... make that Parazz. Who picked that name?
