Out Doors
by Elizabeth Bassett

Beloved Hikes

So I asked around, “What is your favorite fall hike?”
Frances Foster replied. “I love the hike up Mansfield that starts just past Maple Leaf Farm off of Stevensville Road in Underhill.” Take the Butler Lodge Trail to the lodge. A trail junction offers a choice to the left, the Wampahoofus Trail, rated very difficult, or the moderate Rock Garden Trail. They both lead to Maple Ridge Trail where you will turn left, down the mountain. This trail changes names to the Frost Trail, when the CCC Road comes in from the right (north). The Frost Trail returns to the parking area.
Frances says, “This is a favorite hike because it has a variety of scenery and forest habitats, from conifers to birches, as well as some incredible rock formations. You pass through crevices and a rock cave on the Wampahoofus Trail. It also crosses a smallish chasm—many dogs don’t like this hike as there is some climbing involved and jumping over the gap”

Snake Mountain in Addison is one of the best for nudging kids to a first summit. Round-trip distance is three miles, and the elevation gain is 900 feet. If you’re hiking with young children, consider stocking up with M&Ms to dot the trail. The vista and expansive summit of Snake make it a great picnic spot. Hawks and turkey vultures swoop on thermal currents; the Champlain Valley, Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks spread before you.

Eddie Krasnow says, “Once the snow flies, Hunger Mountain is as nice a hike as anywhere in Vermont. It’s about 90 minutes up with amazing 360-degree views. In winter, wear crampons or snowshoes.”
The elevation of the bald, south summit is 3,539 feet; trails climb 2.2 miles from Waterbury Center (ascent 2,290 feet) or 2.8 miles from Middlesex (ascent 1,900 feet).
Hunger is part of the Worcester Range, a series of mountains connected by the 9.2-mile Skyline Trail. From Hunger the trail successively crosses Hogback Mountain, with a detour to Stowe Pinnacle, and Worcester Mountain. Each of these summits, with its own access trail, makes a good day hike with expansive summit views. The Worcester Mountain trailhead is in Worcester and thus farther from Charlotte. Stowe Pinnacle is heavily traveled as its trail is shorter with less elevation gain: 1.4-miles, ascent 1,520 feet. The trailhead is in Stowe.

I recently hiked the Haselton Trail straight up Mt. Mansfield. There aren’t too many things that have gotten easier during my last decade, but I remembered this hike as more difficult. My previous ascent was in mid-summer, so perhaps heat and humidity shape my memory. Or perhaps our feet fairly flew last week as we were hiking with the bride of the day! Jean was getting married at the base of Mt. Mansfield in the afternoon and thought that a hike with the girls would be the perfect start to the day (it was!). The trail climbs steadily 1.6 miles, including a final, very steep stretch on the Nose Dive ski trail, to the Toll Road. It’s an easy 0.5-mile stroll up the Toll Road to the Summit Station on the Long Trail. From the nearby Tundra Walk the Champlain Valley stretches below. Elevation gain is about 2,200 feet.
From the summit you can buy a ride down in the gondola or descend on foot on some combination of the Toll Road, a work road, ski trails or the Haselton Trail. Do make sure to come down the same side of the mountain you climbed up!

Itty, bitty legs make even Mt. Philo feel like Everest. I recall a preschool outing in the days of Charlotte’s Red Balloon, when, with prodigious encouragement, a class of three-year-olds walked to the top for the first time. Since the Red Balloon had a sugar-free policy, you can be sure no M&Ms were used in this exercise. It’s certainly best for small fry (and grown-ups) to try this without car traffic, either before 10 a.m. or in the off-season. Round-trip by road, 1.75 miles. Elevation gain 600 feet.

For longer, stronger legs, consider hiking from Gap to Gap: Appalachian to Lincoln. Pam Darling reports on a recent expedition: “We had two groups. One group started at the top of the App Gap, and the second group drove to Lincoln Gap to begin hiking. Our plan was to meet somewhere in the middle! The hike is 11.6 miles, moderate hiking with a few technical climbs along the way and a tricky descent down the top part of Mt. Abe. We had a blast. A fast-paced group finished in five and a half hours with four stops enroute. Lots of beautiful vistas along the ridge. You pass the top of the Mad River single and double chairs on General Stark Mountain and Castlerock and Sugarbush North ski areas on Mt. Ellen. We had lunch on Mt. Ellen and then pushed onward, over Nancy Hanks and Lincoln Peaks to Mt. Abraham and then to Lincoln Gap. The terrain is moderately easy up and down; just a walk in the park!”
Pam’s favorite hike is close to home. “Right here in our back yard, my favorite hike is Mt. Philo because I can walk out my door to the trails. I have a 40-minute trail running route that takes me to the top for a look at the lake and back down through the campground where many mornings I am greeted by the smells of camp fires and breakfast cooking. A great way to start the day!”

A trip to the Adirondacks adds time but changes the mood and scenery. The Adirondacks feel wild, and yet the trails endure many footfalls each year as hoards of hikers migrate north from the New York metropolitan area. I recently added a new destination to the repertoire, Round Mountain. The trail departs from the same parking area in Keene Valley as the Stimson Trail to Noonmark, but offers a slightly lower and quieter summit. Great 360-degree views!
Don’t forget the basics: a pack with first aid kit, warm clothes, guidebook, map and more food and water than you think you need. Keep your eyes open for surprises -- bears, moose or maybe the mythical Wampahoofus.
Many thanks to fellow hikers for their contributions. Take a hike! Get Out-Doors!