Steve Steffy
Well-known member
Since everybody enjoys these write ups here's my latest from Vermont...
Well, this trip was not all it was cracked up to be. We fell way short on the plans and only managed to hit Camels Hump and Mt. Mansfield. The New Hampshire 48 are going to have to wait for another day. We summited Mansfield right at sunset. I could see some clouds starting to release their payload off towards Lake Champlain confirming the weather forecast from a solo hiker over on Camels Hump. We enjoyed as much as we could of the waning light and I figured we might get wet so we made our way back to the junction while we still had a bit of light left.
But I digress, we hit the Burrows Trail and started up Camels Hump at 08:30. I thought it was pretty straightforward. The trails were in good shape going up to the Hut Clearing junction. That's where the ice began.
We started up the trail and it wasn't long before we broke out the microspikes to make things easier going. That did the trick and made progress the last .3 mile a piece of cake. The summit proper was bare rock. We hung out for 20 minutes or so and admired the view west to the Adirondacks, east to the Whites, South to Ellen, Abraham and possibly Killington in the distance somewhere, then north to our next goal - Mt. Mansfield.
The hike back down seemed a bit muddier than going up, but we made pretty decent time on the descent. Then it was on to Mansfield via the Long Trail South.
Looking back we should have just went up on the western side of Mansfield. We had a heck of a time finding the trailhead on rt. 108. Though the ride through Smugglers Notch was nothing short of jaw dropping. Wow! There is currently no sign at the parking area. The only sign is inside the woodline, so you really have to be looking hard for it, even with the leaves down.
I don't know if Tori was just tired or what, but she seemed to think the trail just went straight up. I suppose it doesn't provide a lot of level ground, but I felt it was tolerable. With all of the leaves gone it was neat watching the cliffs get closer and closer as we ascended. We made it past the shelter and continued along before hitting the ice again at .3 mile from the summit. We dawned our 'spikes again and enjoyed the scramble up. The chimney was ice free, as were most of the tricky spots with exposure towards the top. That was a fun scramble, one of my favorites. Oh, the summit itself was also ice and snow free. And the view out over Champlain to the Adirondacks was something beyond what my camera was fully capable of capturing properly.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this trip report, the summit was short lived once we arrived. We made our way back to the junction and swapped out our spikes for headlights. It was not long before I started noticing light rain in my light. Then droplets on the rocks, then it just let loose and never stopped the rest of the way down.
So, we canceled the remaining climbs up in New Hampshire due to rain mostly. Tori doesn't like being cold and she gets chilled easily. She would have been miserable climbing if the rain continued the next day as the forecast predicted. So we just called it and headed back for Pennsylvania.
So that completes the NY and Vermont 4000 footers for me. I can't wait to get back to the Adirondacks and get some of those W's this winter. Hopefully, I can squeeze in some more in New Hampshire as well.
Here are times for those interested; we aren't speed hikers by any means, especially when it's dark and raining.
Camels Hump - 3 hours 26 minutes (08:30 Trailhead to Junction 09:53, Time at Summit 10:21-10:42)
Mt. Mansfield - 4 hours 15 minutes (14:04 Trailhead to Junction 15:48, Time at Summit 16:12-16:14)
Well, this trip was not all it was cracked up to be. We fell way short on the plans and only managed to hit Camels Hump and Mt. Mansfield. The New Hampshire 48 are going to have to wait for another day. We summited Mansfield right at sunset. I could see some clouds starting to release their payload off towards Lake Champlain confirming the weather forecast from a solo hiker over on Camels Hump. We enjoyed as much as we could of the waning light and I figured we might get wet so we made our way back to the junction while we still had a bit of light left.
But I digress, we hit the Burrows Trail and started up Camels Hump at 08:30. I thought it was pretty straightforward. The trails were in good shape going up to the Hut Clearing junction. That's where the ice began.
We started up the trail and it wasn't long before we broke out the microspikes to make things easier going. That did the trick and made progress the last .3 mile a piece of cake. The summit proper was bare rock. We hung out for 20 minutes or so and admired the view west to the Adirondacks, east to the Whites, South to Ellen, Abraham and possibly Killington in the distance somewhere, then north to our next goal - Mt. Mansfield.
The hike back down seemed a bit muddier than going up, but we made pretty decent time on the descent. Then it was on to Mansfield via the Long Trail South.
Looking back we should have just went up on the western side of Mansfield. We had a heck of a time finding the trailhead on rt. 108. Though the ride through Smugglers Notch was nothing short of jaw dropping. Wow! There is currently no sign at the parking area. The only sign is inside the woodline, so you really have to be looking hard for it, even with the leaves down.
I don't know if Tori was just tired or what, but she seemed to think the trail just went straight up. I suppose it doesn't provide a lot of level ground, but I felt it was tolerable. With all of the leaves gone it was neat watching the cliffs get closer and closer as we ascended. We made it past the shelter and continued along before hitting the ice again at .3 mile from the summit. We dawned our 'spikes again and enjoyed the scramble up. The chimney was ice free, as were most of the tricky spots with exposure towards the top. That was a fun scramble, one of my favorites. Oh, the summit itself was also ice and snow free. And the view out over Champlain to the Adirondacks was something beyond what my camera was fully capable of capturing properly.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this trip report, the summit was short lived once we arrived. We made our way back to the junction and swapped out our spikes for headlights. It was not long before I started noticing light rain in my light. Then droplets on the rocks, then it just let loose and never stopped the rest of the way down.
So, we canceled the remaining climbs up in New Hampshire due to rain mostly. Tori doesn't like being cold and she gets chilled easily. She would have been miserable climbing if the rain continued the next day as the forecast predicted. So we just called it and headed back for Pennsylvania.
So that completes the NY and Vermont 4000 footers for me. I can't wait to get back to the Adirondacks and get some of those W's this winter. Hopefully, I can squeeze in some more in New Hampshire as well.
Here are times for those interested; we aren't speed hikers by any means, especially when it's dark and raining.
Camels Hump - 3 hours 26 minutes (08:30 Trailhead to Junction 09:53, Time at Summit 10:21-10:42)
Mt. Mansfield - 4 hours 15 minutes (14:04 Trailhead to Junction 15:48, Time at Summit 16:12-16:14)
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