Silverfox
New member
After a few of us, Ellen, Mary, and myself, finished the NE67 on Hamelin back in August the plan was made to have Claude, our stalwart hiking partner to get the Vermont peaks which he had missed the previous year..
Conveniently I had a time share week booked at Smuggs and this figured into our plans and saved several hours of driving..the plan was set....
Sunday, Sandy, Claude, Ellen and myself left the Meredith area at zero dark thirty and our caravan reached the Gondola parking lot at Stowe at 9:00 am...needing Camel's Hump and Mansfield for claude's finish we opted for the ridge on this postcard perfect day.. we ascended via the Haselton/Noze dive route..This is a steep and rough in places footbed that gains elevation in a hurry. Once out on the ski trail at around 3300 feet the what were scattered views become far reaching..the long rocky ridge of mansfield, the craggy cleft of Smuggler's Notch..really spectacular...the climb up Noze dive truely black diamond..very steep and unrelenting..a patch of ice here and there added to the challange..Once on the Tote Road we started breathing again and had more time to soak in the ridge after ridge after ridge views..as the auto road curls around the sharp promintary of the Nose a few cars passed us on the way down ..shaking their heads at us as we plodded alond..Now obviously we were shaking our heads and a little tongue wagging as well...why ride when you can walk
..After chatting with the caretakers for a bit we headed across the ridge via the Long Trail..now the excellent views opened up to New York with lake champlain in the foreground..the trail has several minor ups and downs with many different angles towards views both local and far..The sun was directly over our shoulders..while decending the little hump called frenchman's Pile my concentration ebbed a bit and i stepped on what i though was a rock but was indeed my shadow..ouch..no serious harm done but certainly woke me up
The final climb to the Chin went quickly..putting Claude out front Peak Fever set in and we made record time to the summit..spellbinding view here..ridge after ridge in all directions..we couldn't see Sabrina on the Bonds but good vibes were felt..the Presi's stood out whitecapped in the distance...After conferring with the GMC steward for a bit we took his advice and descended via the profanity Trail..he opted there was less ice and while there was some we all made it down this very steep route without traction aid..Once off the ledges below Taft Lodge the Long Trail, while steep, offers pretty nice footing and the lingering foliage glowed yellow in the bright sunlight...
The trip through the Notch..via car..worthy of a visit in its own right with the windy snakey road curving around massive boulders and chunks of rock..they closed the notch on tuesday because of snow..we were happy to cut through this way today as it saved a lot of miles..
After condo checkin and nice hot showers we enjoyed beef and brews at the mountain pub..very nice..except for the end of the red Sox run a fine evening....
the advantage of being in Vermont already was evident in the morning as we arrived at the Couching Lion Farm parking lot at 8:00 am...Taking the Forestry..(Munroe) trail we marveled at the good footbed and constant steady grade..there were 2 small spots of mud until we reached about 3200 feet where there started to be a bit of ice on some of the ledges..again, easily navigable there was no need for traction..suddenly we were at the Camel's Hump clearing and just moments away from a great moment in mountianeering history..The Hump looms over the clearing here..it looks pretty rugged we were up for the task and set Claude out in front...quite a bit of ice on this section but here were enough rocks and roots to make the climb unscathed..not as clear today..a bit of haze to the west and south but NH still looked pretty clear..After the final little scramble Claude broke into a big smile and took his peak..2 weeks after finishing his 4th round of NH48 with a Bonds traverse he conquers the NE 67 on Camels Hump..Excellent..pictures and congratulations all around..It took Claude..aka Silent Sam.., age 67, less than 2 years to get his 67..hiking typically once a week and never in winter though I have been trying to get him out there.. a tough sell..Kudos
We took out time on the descent..I did anyway abit sore from fall on mansfield yesterday..there were pretty good views through the leafless trees of the Allens and distant ridges..Again, this is a great trailbed..a beautiful walk in the woods with old stone walls ..nice little bridges over the brooks..all good..I bid goodbye to my friends at the parking lot as they headed back to Nh and me to Smuggs..we were rewarded with a close up moose sighting just out of the parking lot which was pretty cool..
Tuesday was a day of rest and just as well..rain and gradually mixed snowshowers carried over through the night and most of the day wednsday coating everything with a layer of fresh white snow..always so exciting to watch it falling ..i never get tired of snow..well maybe last march and took a nice hike up the ski trails to cloud line on Sterling....
Thursday dawned clear and perfect and my plan was Big Jay..years ago i did the long trail and bagged many peaks as the long Trail basically goes over them...Little did i know in my later peakbagging life that there were nearby the trail mountains "needed"..Big Jay, Mendon..sigh..if only I had known..Driving up into Jay pass I was impressed with the remoteness of theplace..snow got more and more pronounced and by the time I reached the pass there was a solid layer of crusty wet snow that had frozen in the colder morning temps..While I had my spikes I didn't have my A game this day and went about 1/2 mile up the trail and turned around..my legs were stiff..couldn't get the breathing right..there was no one around..it just wasn't my day to climb and then attempt the..what i hear is very easy..bushwack over to big Jay..oh well..the mountians will always be there...On the way back to Smuggs I stopped at several Long Trail crossings and took the snowless and somewhat short hike to Prospect rock which offers a huge view for the effort involved...
My plan for friday was Belvidere, not on any lists but at 3360 one of the best views in the Greens and one of my favorite old haunts..I missed the trail head at first but eventually found the parking lot...very remote..three ladies and their dogs headed out as I was getting ready..all decked out in blaze orange they were..squirrel season one of them said with a laugh...Occaisionally i caught sight of orange on the trail in front of me but it is amazing what a five minute start will do..I caught up with them just shy of the summit.. We took the long Trail to the Foresters Trail..very good footing to around 25oo feet where a bit of mud ice and slippery ledges became somewhat of an issue but no serious ice to the last scramble to the summit.. The views there are somewhat overgrown in a couple of directions, the old cabin of my youth just a pile of semi organized rock..still the views from the ledges spectacular with Jay looming to the north..mansfield and the ridges beyond to the south..Many mountians in NY and NH show from here..the White lived up to their name..the ladies climbed to the top of the tower..I bravely made it to the second level before vertigo set in..soon other hikers arrived and it was great to see so many folks on this great summit during the week..
I said my good byes and dragged myself away from the views and friendship..this is a great trail for musing..once past the upper ledges the footing is excellent..the woods are open..just a terrific woods hike ..I had wanted to get a few milesin on the Long Trail this year..my dad, who passed peacefully earlier this year, had brought my brother and I here almost 50 years ago and we had done several trips and many miles together until he passed the baton to us..I first "finished" the longTrail in 1980..section hiking..taking my time..I did many sections several times with different friends or solo..up to 10 days at a time...we used to carry 45-50 pounds routinely..and count on using the sheltersmaybe it was the bud and dinty moore.....
This short time in Vermont covered alot of bases..helping Silent Sam get his 67..oh, Ellen got her second Vermont round, Sandy her first,. and a bit of time reflecting..walking where I had walked a long time ago..pretty cool and comforting to be on Prospect Rock..or belvidere MT....kind of like good comfort food..meatloaf perhaps...maybe this winter for Big Jay and Mendon..somehow Ithink the mountains will be there....
a bit of a ramble..sorry..but a good week
a few pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverfox777/sets/72157608367318511/
Conveniently I had a time share week booked at Smuggs and this figured into our plans and saved several hours of driving..the plan was set....
Sunday, Sandy, Claude, Ellen and myself left the Meredith area at zero dark thirty and our caravan reached the Gondola parking lot at Stowe at 9:00 am...needing Camel's Hump and Mansfield for claude's finish we opted for the ridge on this postcard perfect day.. we ascended via the Haselton/Noze dive route..This is a steep and rough in places footbed that gains elevation in a hurry. Once out on the ski trail at around 3300 feet the what were scattered views become far reaching..the long rocky ridge of mansfield, the craggy cleft of Smuggler's Notch..really spectacular...the climb up Noze dive truely black diamond..very steep and unrelenting..a patch of ice here and there added to the challange..Once on the Tote Road we started breathing again and had more time to soak in the ridge after ridge after ridge views..as the auto road curls around the sharp promintary of the Nose a few cars passed us on the way down ..shaking their heads at us as we plodded alond..Now obviously we were shaking our heads and a little tongue wagging as well...why ride when you can walk
..After chatting with the caretakers for a bit we headed across the ridge via the Long Trail..now the excellent views opened up to New York with lake champlain in the foreground..the trail has several minor ups and downs with many different angles towards views both local and far..The sun was directly over our shoulders..while decending the little hump called frenchman's Pile my concentration ebbed a bit and i stepped on what i though was a rock but was indeed my shadow..ouch..no serious harm done but certainly woke me upThe final climb to the Chin went quickly..putting Claude out front Peak Fever set in and we made record time to the summit..spellbinding view here..ridge after ridge in all directions..we couldn't see Sabrina on the Bonds but good vibes were felt..the Presi's stood out whitecapped in the distance...After conferring with the GMC steward for a bit we took his advice and descended via the profanity Trail..he opted there was less ice and while there was some we all made it down this very steep route without traction aid..Once off the ledges below Taft Lodge the Long Trail, while steep, offers pretty nice footing and the lingering foliage glowed yellow in the bright sunlight...
The trip through the Notch..via car..worthy of a visit in its own right with the windy snakey road curving around massive boulders and chunks of rock..they closed the notch on tuesday because of snow..we were happy to cut through this way today as it saved a lot of miles..
After condo checkin and nice hot showers we enjoyed beef and brews at the mountain pub..very nice..except for the end of the red Sox run a fine evening....
the advantage of being in Vermont already was evident in the morning as we arrived at the Couching Lion Farm parking lot at 8:00 am...Taking the Forestry..(Munroe) trail we marveled at the good footbed and constant steady grade..there were 2 small spots of mud until we reached about 3200 feet where there started to be a bit of ice on some of the ledges..again, easily navigable there was no need for traction..suddenly we were at the Camel's Hump clearing and just moments away from a great moment in mountianeering history..The Hump looms over the clearing here..it looks pretty rugged we were up for the task and set Claude out in front...quite a bit of ice on this section but here were enough rocks and roots to make the climb unscathed..not as clear today..a bit of haze to the west and south but NH still looked pretty clear..After the final little scramble Claude broke into a big smile and took his peak..2 weeks after finishing his 4th round of NH48 with a Bonds traverse he conquers the NE 67 on Camels Hump..Excellent..pictures and congratulations all around..It took Claude..aka Silent Sam.., age 67, less than 2 years to get his 67..hiking typically once a week and never in winter though I have been trying to get him out there.. a tough sell..Kudos
We took out time on the descent..I did anyway abit sore from fall on mansfield yesterday..there were pretty good views through the leafless trees of the Allens and distant ridges..Again, this is a great trailbed..a beautiful walk in the woods with old stone walls ..nice little bridges over the brooks..all good..I bid goodbye to my friends at the parking lot as they headed back to Nh and me to Smuggs..we were rewarded with a close up moose sighting just out of the parking lot which was pretty cool..
Tuesday was a day of rest and just as well..rain and gradually mixed snowshowers carried over through the night and most of the day wednsday coating everything with a layer of fresh white snow..always so exciting to watch it falling ..i never get tired of snow..well maybe last march
and took a nice hike up the ski trails to cloud line on Sterling....Thursday dawned clear and perfect and my plan was Big Jay..years ago i did the long trail and bagged many peaks as the long Trail basically goes over them...Little did i know in my later peakbagging life that there were nearby the trail mountains "needed"..Big Jay, Mendon..sigh..if only I had known..Driving up into Jay pass I was impressed with the remoteness of theplace..snow got more and more pronounced and by the time I reached the pass there was a solid layer of crusty wet snow that had frozen in the colder morning temps..While I had my spikes I didn't have my A game this day and went about 1/2 mile up the trail and turned around..my legs were stiff..couldn't get the breathing right..there was no one around..it just wasn't my day to climb and then attempt the..what i hear is very easy..bushwack over to big Jay..oh well..the mountians will always be there...On the way back to Smuggs I stopped at several Long Trail crossings and took the snowless and somewhat short hike to Prospect rock which offers a huge view for the effort involved...
My plan for friday was Belvidere, not on any lists but at 3360 one of the best views in the Greens and one of my favorite old haunts..I missed the trail head at first but eventually found the parking lot...very remote..three ladies and their dogs headed out as I was getting ready..all decked out in blaze orange they were..squirrel season one of them said with a laugh...Occaisionally i caught sight of orange on the trail in front of me but it is amazing what a five minute start will do..I caught up with them just shy of the summit.. We took the long Trail to the Foresters Trail..very good footing to around 25oo feet where a bit of mud ice and slippery ledges became somewhat of an issue but no serious ice to the last scramble to the summit.. The views there are somewhat overgrown in a couple of directions, the old cabin of my youth just a pile of semi organized rock..still the views from the ledges spectacular with Jay looming to the north..mansfield and the ridges beyond to the south..Many mountians in NY and NH show from here..the White lived up to their name..the ladies climbed to the top of the tower..I bravely made it to the second level before vertigo set in..soon other hikers arrived and it was great to see so many folks on this great summit during the week..
I said my good byes and dragged myself away from the views and friendship..this is a great trail for musing..once past the upper ledges the footing is excellent..the woods are open..just a terrific woods hike ..I had wanted to get a few milesin on the Long Trail this year..my dad, who passed peacefully earlier this year, had brought my brother and I here almost 50 years ago and we had done several trips and many miles together until he passed the baton to us..I first "finished" the longTrail in 1980..section hiking..taking my time..I did many sections several times with different friends or solo..up to 10 days at a time...we used to carry 45-50 pounds routinely..and count on using the shelters
maybe it was the bud and dinty moore.....This short time in Vermont covered alot of bases..helping Silent Sam get his 67..oh, Ellen got her second Vermont round, Sandy her first,. and a bit of time reflecting..walking where I had walked a long time ago..pretty cool and comforting to be on Prospect Rock..or belvidere MT....kind of like good comfort food..meatloaf perhaps...maybe this winter for Big Jay and Mendon..somehow Ithink the mountains will be there....
a bit of a ramble..sorry..but a good week
a few pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverfox777/sets/72157608367318511/
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