The Vermont 4ks

[sierra]

Me and my trusted companion Shay aka the Boy Wonder went to Vermont to climb the 5 4000 footers last week.
1. Camels Hump- Burrows trail, just an ugly unpleasing route, it is easy, the long trail section .3 is a lot nicer. The summit is beautiful.
2. Mansfield- Sunset ridge out and back. Just a magnificent route on a fantastic mountain. We were socked in the whole day, but the geography of the mountain and the quality of the trail, more than made up for it.
3. Killington Peak-The Bucklin trail. Just a fantastic trail up through a beautiful valley. The last .3 to the summit is a doozy, the summit is nice, but the tower and antenna don't really help.
4. Mt. Ellen- The Jerusalem trail. A very nice trail that ascends at comfortable grades, many birch trees and an interesting mixed forest. The Long trail section along the ridge is a bit rough, but nice overall. The summit is wooded, but the ski area provides very nice views. Did it during hurricane Lee, it was breezy.
5. Mt. Abraham via Lincoln Gap and the Long trail. Theis is a fairly short, but beautiful and enjoyable route. Has some thought provoking slabs, but it's never hard and the summit is one of the best next to Mansfield. Felt like fall and it was cool enough for light gloves and a jacket on top. Excellent vistas of the countryside. Did an out and back in 3 hours.

Vermont is very nice and its residents are as well. Once I got the lay of the roads, it's pretty easy to navigate. I really enjoyed these peaks, and it was a nice get away without going too far. I did each peak on its own, skipped a day here and there to rest my dog. Logged just under 1400 miles of driving and slept at home each night. I will repeat Mansfield for sure on a nice day.

 

[Rhody Seth]

Time for me to start to think about doing these. Maybe a backpacking trip to grab 'em all?

 

[sierra]

Time for me to start to think about doing these. Maybe a backpacking trip to grab 'em all?

I believe the Long trail traverses the entire range and hits every 4k, I seem to be on it a lot. There are people and I ran into two different parties that do all 5 in one day. I know Ellen and Abraham are often combined and the shelter going up Abraham was really nice (Battell?). It would make a nice trip for sure. On the way to Killington, the Long trail headquarters is right off the main road, might be a good resource if you need one.

 

[dace]

I believe the Long trail traverses the entire range and hits every 4k, I seem to be on it a lot.

This is correct (I guess technically the LT doesn't summit Killington but it's close enough) and it's just over 100 miles from Killington to 108/Barnes camp in Stowe. Would definitely be a great highlight reel trip for someone who didn't have time to do the whole LT.

 

[DavidG]

I believe the Long trail traverses the entire range and hits every 4k, I seem to be on it a lot. There are people and I ran into two different parties that do all 5 in one day. I know Ellen and Abraham are often combined and the shelter going up Abraham was really nice (Battell?). It would make a nice trip for sure. On the way to Killington, the Long trail headquarters is right off the main road, might be a good resource if you need one.

GMC headquarters is on Rte 100 in Waterbury on tge way to Mansfield.

 

[Grey J]

I climbed Mansfield a very long time ago and also Pico Peak in VT. Don't remember much about either one unfortunately. It was before I kept track of my climbs so that was probably early 70s. I also did Ascutney as well with an Explorer group that I was leading at the time. I used to ski at Killington back in those days and always liked Vermont. It's great that you had the time to dedicate a week to do these hikes with your dog. Go Shay!

 

[TEO]

For Camels Hump, the best route, if you have all day, is to ascend Bamforth Ridge, descend the LT South to the Alpine Garden Trail and take the AGT back to Bamforth Ridge. The second best is probably up Forest City and down the Burrows.

Hiking all six VT4k'ers in a day is a big day and hard on the knees. Add on the Adams Apple for another county highpoint.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

Time for me to start to think about doing these. Maybe a backpacking trip to grab 'em all?

Don't forget to grab Mendon and Pico for your other lists.

 

[sierra]

For Camels Hump, the best route, if you have all day, is to ascend Bamforth Ridge, descend the LT South to the Alpine Garden Trail and take the AGT back to Bamforth Ridge. The second best is probably up Forest City and down the Burrows.

Hiking all six VT4k'ers in a day is a big day and hard on the knees. Add on the Adams Apple for another county highpoint.

6? I thought there were 5.

 

[Frodo]

This was one fun day almost 20 years ago. IMO, hiking the VT 4K's are easier in winter (as long as the trails are broken out) than summer. Sorry for the old trip report!

 

[JoshandBaron]

6? I thought there were 5.

It's kind of like a Guyot situation. The peak fits the criteria but the powers that be don't care. Mansfield has 2 peaks that qualify, the other being the Nose.

 

[couloir007]

It's kind of like a Guyot situation. The peak fits the criteria but the powers that be don't care. Mansfield has 2 peaks that qualify, the other being the Nose.

This piqued my interest and I'm not sure it does. The ridge connecting Guyot to South Twin is close to 200', but it looks like it comes a hair under.

 

[JoshandBaron]

This piqued my interest and I'm not sure it does. The ridge connecting Guyot to South Twin is close to 200', but it looks like it comes a hair under.

That col is 220' according to the newest LIDAR data.

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2019-0...shires-famed-4000-footer-list-may-be-changing

 

[Grey J]

Thread drift alert. I've always been a big fan of Guyot and hope someday it gets included, but then I always thought the south summit of Guyot looked higher than the recognized north summit. I'm pretty sure this recent LIDAR data also proves that my eyeballs are mistaken.

 

[DayTrip]

That col is 220' according to the newest LIDAR data.

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2019-0...shires-famed-4000-footer-list-may-be-changing

Doesn't it have to be 200' in any direction? The articles says the col with South Twin is 220' but the other side was unknown so it may still not make the list. If you take a peak like Mt Clay the col with it and Jefferson is about 600' but it's only 100' or so with Washington. So it is highly dependent on topography.

I personally after seeing all the debates here about proximity and LIDAR and what not over the years would prefer to just go with the tradition established when the list was created. It adds consistency for the participants who complete it and common experiences for all. It's not like hiking is restricted to just lists. If you think something looks cool just go climb it.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Doesn't it have to be 200' in any direction? The articles says the col with South Twin is 220' but the other side was unknown so it may still not make the list. If you take a peak like Mt Clay the col with it and Jefferson is about 600' but it's only 100' or so with Washington. So it is highly dependent on topography.

I personally after seeing all the debates here about proximity and LIDAR and what not over the years would prefer to just go with the tradition established when the list was created. It adds consistency for the participants who complete it and common experiences for all. It's not like hiking is restricted to just lists. If you think something looks cool just go climb it.

The AMC has always cited the S Twin col as the issue, the map they used to make the original list showed the Bond col to have the prominence. I guess it also could have changed enough to no longer be compliant. Seeing as they refuse to acknowledge Washington's actual elevation, I wouldn't worry about them using facts instead of tradition.

 

[sierra]

The AMC has always cited the S Twin col as the issue, the map they used to make the original list showed the Bond col to have the prominence. I guess it also could have changed enough to no longer be compliant. Seeing as they refuse to acknowledge Washington's actual elevation, I wouldn't worry about them using facts instead of tradition.

Hence Mt. Tecumseh.

 

[TEO]

It's kind of like a Guyot situation. The peak fits the criteria but the powers that be don't care. Mansfield has 2 peaks that qualify, the other being the Nose.

Exactly. The Nose was first surveyed by the Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1875. Elevation: 4,062'. (PID: PG1699)
So, the Nose's optimistic prominence is 212' and its pessmistic prominence is 202'. However, it remains closed due to radiation exposure, and it also contains unprotected, fragile alpine flora.

The Green Mountain Club's Mt. Mansfield map in the Long Trail Guide had the correct elevation of the Nose from at least the 1966 edition through the 2000 reprint.