Camel's Hump - VT

I knew I was going to hike today.  The weather was forecasted at a high of 75^oF and partly cloudy.  My biggest problem was deciding where to go.  It would be nice to hike in the Adirondacks, maybe a day trip to the Whites?, or how about one of the mountains in VT closer to where I live?  So I mulled this over while I made myself a breakfast sandwich and jammed out to my Gorillaz Pandora station.  Feel Good, Inc. came on, and I knew: “City’s breaking down on a camel’s back”.  Camel’s Hump!  It had been about three years since my last hike (Tim and I had plans in late March/early April, but car issues thwarted them).

Camel’s Hump is one of the most popular hikes in Vermont.  The trailheads are only a short ways off of Route 2, the road running right along Interstate 89.  The Monroe Trail and Burrows Trail are both rather easy and can be done by most any skill level.  I decided to hike something a bit different and took the Long Trail via Monroe Trail and Dean Trail.  Total, this hike was about 8 miles.

It started with the casual hike through the woods on the Monroe Trail for about a mile and a half.  Other than woods, there is not very much scenery on this trail.  On the Dean Trail, there were a few rivers that I crossed and a few open swamps with views of some of the surrounding mountains.  It wasn’t until the Long Trial that the intensity of the hike picked up.  The Long Trail passed over a few of the smaller mountains to the south of Camel’s Hump.  All the while, you can see the southern cliffs of Camel’s Hump’s summit looming large in the distance.  On a few occasions, I caught myself thinking ‘How on God’s green Earth am I getting up THERE!?!’  I pushed through and got to the brutal final push: about 800 feet in half a mile.

I got to the summit at a perfect time.  There were some clouds in the distance, but nothing too ominous.  Just a short while before I summated, it looked as though there were clouds swarming the summit.  On the way down, it got really cloudy for the better part of an hour. 

 

Open area off Dean's Trail

Camel's Hump from the Long Trail

I have to get up there!?!

Mansfield in the distance

At the summit of Camel's Hump

My summit buddy!

This guy wanted to hike down with me

My summit beer this hike was Otter Creek Copper Ale.  For whatever reason, I was not a huge fan (sorry Otter Creek!).  It tasted like a brown ale but not as sweet and caramel-ly.  Oh well.  I’d still drink another one.

  

On my last post, my sister thought it would be a good idea to rate the hikes on a few different areas.  The scale is 1-5 with 1 being the worst, 5 being the best (NOTE: Beer does not factor into overall).  I will also include my two previous 4000’ hikes:

Tripyramids

            Views – 2.5 (Some beautiful views from the slides, but nothing at the summits)

            Time – 5 (Two 4000’ in one hike and I was back before dinner)

            Difficulty – 4.5 (VERY steep)

            Beer – 4 (Samuel Adam’s Rebel IPA)

            Overall – 4 (A very fun hike, but the lack of views detracts from its greatness)

Mount Ellen

            Views – 2 (Looking down a ski lift)

            Time – 4 (Maybe I was running, but it only took a few hours)

            Difficulty – 2 (No areas of real challenge)

            Beer – 4.5 (Magic Hat #9)

            Overall – 3.5 (Probably a one-and-done hike.  Mediocre views with none to the west)

Camel’s Hump

            Views – 4.5 (Lake Champlain, the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains, even the Whites!)

            Time – 3.5 (Some instances of “are we there yet?”)

            Difficulty – 4 (Long Trail was grueling.  Monroe is a 2)

            Beer – 3 (Otter Creek Copper Ale)

            Overall – 4.5 (Great views, good fun, decent beer though)

I hope you have been enjoying my updates.  Maybe you have a question about one of my hikes, an idea about how I could improve this blog, want to leave words of encouragement, or want to hike with me some time?  If you have any comments, feel free to leave post them!

Mount Ellen - VT

I woke up this morning to the sun glaring through the window onto my face.  It was 6:30 on my Saturday Part 2.  Instead of turning over and falling back to sleep, I decided to do something productive and fun, and since I’m writing a new post, you can probably guess what that something was. 

This hike was special for a few reasons.  First, it marked my first solo hike.  On the past Saturday, a few of my friends were in Burlington, so I went to visit them after work.  One of my friends, Sam, and I had a conversation while watching the sunset about hiking.  During this conversation, I brought up my frustration with working the weekend shift: nobody else is free to hike with me.  To this, Sam suggested hiking solo, something I had never thought of doing.  So I followed her suggestion and made it back in one piece!  The other special feature of this hike was my new backpack.  It has more back support and is not ripped at the seams from overuse.

Anyway, I decided to climb Mount Ellen.  I remember hiking it once through the wilderness program at SMC and remembered it being forgettable, ironically enough, but I had to hike it for the Northeast 115.

The Jerusalem Trail was difficult to find.  I even had to ask for directions (yes, I know!  A male stopped for assistance).  At least I had some Led Zeppelin to enjoy on my radio.  It turns out the road sign I was looking for was buried in the middle of a spruce tree.  It turns out that finding the trail was the hardest part of this hike.

It starts with a gradual, about one foot elevation gain for every five feet hiked for close to 2 miles.  Before you merge with the Long Trail after 2.7 miles, the Jerusalem Trail gets a tad bit steeper, but nothing daunting in the slightest.  After merging with the Long Trail, it becomes a 1.6 mile scamper up and down, never gaining or losing more than a few hundred feet at a time.  All the while, there is a thick canopy overhead and minimal views on either side.  Occasionally there is a break in the brush and you can see a bit better, but nothing too spectacular.  Finally, the trail comes to Sugarbush, a ski resort on Mount Ellen.  From here, you can get the best views on the trail.  Unfortunately, there is a chairlift disrupting the view, but it can make for some “artistic” photographs.

My hiking buddy

Ellen about a mile away

At the summit of Mount Ellen

This is not the summit of Mount Ellen.  I REPEAT: The chairlift is not the summit of Mount Ellen.  The Long Trail continues on south, and within 50 feet of entering the woods again, I noticed a cairn that I assumed to be the summit (the trail descends shortly thereafter).

I stayed on the chairlift area for a solid half hour to soak in the views, sun, and a Magic Hat #9.  Their “not quite Pale Ale” is a delicious distinctive tasting beer.  Not very hoppy at all, it has hints of fruit.  Regardless of its flavor, it is delicious and crisp: perfect for the summit of a 4000’ mountain.

A Side Hike - Mount Philo

Just because a mountain is not on the Northeast 115 list doesn't mean I cannot and should not hike it.  On a whim, my friends Jon, Sarah, and I went for a hike on the little bump called Mount Philo.  Jon had to work in the afternoon, so there was not enough time to do a bigger hike.  After I had my 5000 mile tune up for my car, I drove down to Burlington to pick them up and we drove down for a quick afternoon hike.

Mount Philo is the perfect family hike.  It is steep enough where you can work up a sweat but are never really exhausted.  The trail is long enough so you feel as though you have accomplished something when you reach the top but still have enough energy to motor around the rather substantial summit area.  The summit area has a campground, some Adirondack chairs and benches, and a beautiful view facing the Adirondacks over Lake Champlain.  The only drawback of Mount Philo is the fee to enter (only $3/person).  Other than that, it is a great little hike for all ages and all skill levels.  Unfortunately, since this trip was spur of the moment, I forgot to grab my camera, so there aren't any pictures.

Now, my favorite part of the hike is the proximity to my favorite brewery: Fiddlehead.  Since this was a quick hike and we had a time limit, I decided not to bring a beer to the peak for my typical hiking beer.  Rather, we stopped by Fiddlehead and sampled some of their brews on tap.  Since they rotate what they brew, what I sampled will probably be different from what is available when you stop by.  That being said, their flagship IPA is delicious.  It has been a while since I last had a pint of it, so it is hard to describe the taste on memory alone.  I suppose you will have to swing by and see what it's all about for yourself!

The Tripyramids - NH

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at lunch break enjoying my peanut butter and jelly sandwich when I received a text from my friend Tim.  “If you’re not working Saturday, I was thinking of hiking the Tripyramids”, it said.  Unfortunately, I had to do some overtime that weekend.  He followed up with “Two of the 4000’ers in NH.  It’s an 11 mile hike with a section that is supposed to be one of the hardest in The Whites.  At one point it goes up 1200ft in 0.5 miles.”  Instantly, I knew that these were going to lead off my Northeast 115 adventures.

We got on our merry way Sunday, July 6, 2014 early in the morning.  The hike starts with a 3.6 mile casual stroll next to a river, but once you hit the trailhead, the intensity spikes.  After crossing the river, you start climbing steadily through some thick lower brush, and with a turn, you hit the north slide.  This is the section that Tim was talking about: 1200ft gained in 0.5 miles.  All the while, you have great views behind of Osceola and Tecumseh.  The north slide is not for the faint of heart.  To put the 1200ft gained in 0.5 miles into perspective, there were many occasions when Tim and I had to channel our inner Spider Man to move forward.  At one point, I grabbed a place on the trail for leverage and realized I was standing rather straight.  Although brutal, the ascent went rather quickly.  Once we reached the top of the slide, it was another 15 minutes or so of hiking up a trail until we reached the summit of North Tripyramid.  The summit area was rather small and, with a few other parties there, quite crowded, so Tim and I decided to mosey on over to the Middle Tripyramid summit.

After a short descent, a conversation about how badly the Red Sox are playing, and a quick climb, we found ourselves on the summit area of the second 4000' peak of the day.  This summit had slightly better views and wasn't nearly as crowded, so we decided to stop for lunch: the best tasting sandwich and some GORP.  Fully energized, we made our way to the south summit to start our final descent.

Similar to the north slide, the south slide was very steep.  However, the south slide was mostly gravel so traction was hard to come by.  Before too long, the trail leveled off and slowly worked its way back to the main trail.  Another 2.6 miles and we were back to the car and on our way home.  I would highly suggest following the same route Tim and I took (although there is a trail that goes around the north slide for those who are afraid of steepness).  The footing on the north slide was much better and not once was I afraid of slipping and/or falling.  That being said, if the weather is at all unfavorable, you should probably avoid the rock slides.  They become very slippery when wet and you are fully exposed to the elements.

Unfortunately, all of the summits are closed, but there are still lookouts and plenty of views from both of the slides:

 

North Tripyramid in the distance

The ascent

Tecumseh to the left and the Osceolas straight ahead

At the summit of North Tripyramid

At the summit of Middle Tripyramid

Overall, this was one of the most fun hikes I have completed.  When I hike a steep trail that forces me to use my hands, I almost forget that I am exhausted.  Even better, the loop trail provides two 4000’ summits and different scenery with every step.  The Tripyramids were definitely a great day hike.

Most impartant, this hike was brought to you by Samuel Adam’s Rebel IPA.  Rebel IPA is a West Coast IPA; 6.50% ABV.  I found this a very tasty, refreshing beer at the summit of Middle Tripyramid.  It was hoppy, but not aggressively so.  There were also some sweet notes of fruit that mixed in delightfully with the bitterness of the hops.  In short, would I drink it again?  Of course!

If you like what you read (or even if you don't), feel free to comment.  What would make the post better?  What was your favorite part?  What didn't you like in particular?  Again please let me know what would make my blog more interesting for my viewers.

Sparking a Life Goal

It all started about five years ago...

School was out for the summer, the weather was gorgeous, and what better way to enjoy freedom from school than a hike in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest?  The only problem was I was terribly out of shape, and the Falling Waters Trail on the Lincoln-Lafayette loop was relentless.  While I will spare the details, I could barely walk for the better part of a week afterwards.  However, this experience did not deter me from ever hiking again.  In fact, it (no pun intended) peaked my interest in taking better care of myself, and what better way than to hike more.

Since that day, I have hiked a handful more 4000' mountains.  Just a few weeks ago, I decided that in my life time I WILL hike the Northeast 115, 115 of the highest peaks in the the states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.  All but four of these mountains are 4000' above sea level.  This blog follows the ups and the downs of my adventures through the Northeast 115.