Vermont 4,000 footers

[Jim lombard]

Can anyone tell me if it's possible (for someone who's not an ultramarathoner) to hike all of the Vermont peaks above 4K in a long weekend? I've never been there to hike before and we're finishing NH next month on Mt Isolation.

Has anyone here done it?

 

[sapblatt]

VT 4ks

I am quite sure that this is doable...I thinkthat a long weekend is the usual time frame many use to hit them.
Ellen and Abraham can be done together (long day).
Camel's Hump and Mansfield are not too long (can both of these be done in one day?), and I do not think Killington is too tough.
Three, possibly four days is all it would take.

congrats on being near the end of the 48!!

 

[weatherman]

Sure!

There are 5: from south to north, Killington, Abraham, Ellen, Camel's Hump, and Mansfield. All in one big line, more or less, with roads in the valleys to the east and west, some that cross in the gaps between them, and another (Rt 100) connecting them all, more or less.

Abe and Ellen are on the same ridge, so doable together in a few hours if you have a spotted car. (sorry, mine's a solid color ) So, to complete your long weekend, that gives you one long, hard day (2 peaks) and one easy day (1 peak). While Camel's Hump and Mansfield are the closest together, they are also probably the "hardest" two of the bunch, though neither is that hard. Others may have opinions as to which to group together. Having 2 cars will make your life much, much easier. Sounds like a fun plan!

Weatherman

 

[David Metsky]

They've been done in a day, so it's certainly possible to do them in a weekend. It will involve a little logisitics, but the hikes themselves aren't that difficult. I like Camel's Hump from the Couching Lion farm, Mansfield from the Underhill side, a gap-to-gap ridgewalk for Ellen and Abraham, and Killington from the backside.

-dave-

 

[Dugan]

I thought I remembered that being Crouching Lion Farm. Isn't that the trailhead where there's a small graveyard that includes dogs? The reason I ask is that I remember a trailhead for a peak in VT where there was such a graveyard, and I thought I remembered it including a Great Pyrenees, but I've never remembered which peak it was.

 

[David Metsky]

Nope, it's "Couching Lion Farm" although you'll sometimes see it called "Crouching" by mistake.

Legend says that Samuel de Champlain's explorers thought the mountain looked like a resting lion and so called it le lion couchant, or "the couching lion." In 1798, Ira Allen referred to the mountain as Camel's Rump on a historical map. From that name, Zadock Thompson in 1830 called the mountain Camel's Hump.

From: http://gorp.away.com/gorp/publishers/countryman/hik_novt.htm

Don't know about the doggie gravestones.

-dave-

 

[sweeper]

I did the four upper ones in a weekend with plenty of time to do the 5th but had already done it.
I drove up and started on Mansfield before the gate opened on the west side, then did C's Hump also from the west side and then hiked up to Battell shelter the 1st day. The second day Abe and EL then back down the way I came. I was home, NH, in the early afternoon, and all weekend with a nasty stomach flu and a case of the runs. The only time I've started a hike that sick.

 

[bobandgeri]

We tend to agree with ARM. Enjoy them - they are wonderful hikes.

When you do Killington and Pico - grab Mendon at the same time in case you ever decide to do the Hundred Highest. The bushwhack to Mendon is short, but it really is not a bushwhack to the long trail - there is an un-maintain, well traveled trail almost all the way - see our trip report:
http://rbhayes.net/mendor.html

Camel's Hump is a half day hike, but take your time on Mansfield - make a day of it and do the Sunset trail from the Underhill Park side - there are bathrooms and picnic tables in the park.

Do a one way trip if you can when you hike Ellen and Abraham starting at the Lincoln Gap and ending at the Appalachian Gap by Mad River. If you only have one car, you can find taxi's to drop you off at the start.


Enjoy!

 

[Jim lombard]

Thanks Everybody,
I'm always amazed at the wealth of knowledge here. I don't get to Vermont very often unfortunately so I thought it would be a good idea to try and climb all of them. Great suggestions here, I'm looking forward to the hikes.

 

[Mike P.]

There is a dog grave marker on Equinox, one of the 100 Highest in VT. Mr. Barbo was the dog's name, unsure of his breed.

Killington from the North on the AT is about 12 miles RT from memrory but not too hard. I guess I'd go south to north so you finish on Camel's Hump & Mansfield perhaps watching the sunset (or at least low on the horizen) along the Sunset Ridge trail. (Unsure what kind of gate or no gate they have at Underhill but I'm hoping to get there next Friday (6/24) & can find out.

 

[carole]

Three of us (including 12 yr. old son) climbed them in 4 days but we stayed for 5 days because you can't miss Ben & Jerry's.

 

[Papa Bear]

There is a dog grave marker on Equinox, one of the 100 Highest in VT. Mr. Barbo was the dog's name, unsure of his breed.

Sad story. Apparently shot by a careless hunter.

 

[Dugan]

Should have known better than to doubt Mr. Metsky!

Can't have been Equinox that I've vaguely remembered because I've never been there. I've always thought it must've been one of the trail heads for Abraham, Ellen, Camels Hump, or Mansfield. I remember it caught my attention because there was something to do with Great Pyrenees, which was the breed of dog I had at the time.

 

[snoshoovt]

Vt 4's, Will Monroe

If you spot a car for the Abe-Ellen trip it's pretty easy to do those and Killington in a day, and Camels Hump and Mansfield the other day. A number of us have done these in 1 day, though it's dawn to dusk. At the Couching Lion trailhead to Camels Hump, behind the caretaker cabin is a graveyard with the graves of Will Monroe, his sister Katherine, and the dogs who each have stones I think. It's quite touching. -John