MOUNT MANSFIELD RIDGE WALK: 6/20/14

On the second day of our mini-vacation in Vermont we decided to take it easy and drive the Toll Road up Mt. Mansfield, then hike across the alpine ridge to the summit. It was windy and chilly but very clear with great visibility.

Before heading up onto the mountain we took a drive up Rt. 108 to craggy Smugglers Notch.

Wild cliffs on the Mansfield side of the notch, seen from the trailhead for Sterling Pond. The pond is a popular destination for a short hike, judging by the number of people we saw heading up.

Narrow and winding is an understatement concerning the road through Smugglers Notch.  Busses and tractor-trailers are not allowed.

Warning sign on the approach to Smugglers Cave.

The cave is a neat spot, and a must photo-op if in the area.

We followed a short path to a jutting ledge with a view over the north side of the notch.

Then we made the steep, winding 4.5 mile drive up the Toll Road to the parking area at the base of The Nose, with its imposing cliffs.

The Chin (highest summit) and Adams Apple from the top of the Toll Road.

We had lots of company on this relentlessly scenic section of the Long Trail. But unlike Mt. Washington, Toll Road riders still have to earn the summit a little bit with a 2.8 mile round trip hike.

After a brief stint in scrubby woods, the views were nearly continuous the rest of the way.

Looking back towards The Nose.

Nearly the entire walk across to The Chin was in the open.

Cotton grass in an alpine bog.

Looking south along the Green Mountains. Camel's Hump is the sharp peak left of center, with Bolton Mountain in front on the L.

On the eastern horizon: the Presidentials, Twin Range and Franconia Ridge.

Approaching The Chin.

There were several intriguing trails branching off on either side.

A rugged mountain!

The Adirondacks on the western horizon.

The final approach to the summit. The string is intended to keep hikers on the trail treadway and off of the fragile alpine vegetation.

A triangle on the summit presumably carved by the U.S. Coastal Survey in the 1870s.

No, it didn't "count" for Mt. Mansfield, but what a great little hike today!

Long Trail thru-hikers getting ready to head north to the Sterling Range.

Lake Champlain and the Adirondack High Peaks beyond the West Chin.

Looking down the Mansfield ridge.

The high point, looking north.

Peering down on trailless Bear Claw Ridge - cool name!

Sterling Pond and Madonna Peak.

Spectacular Sunset Ridge Trail, the route we'll take when we come back to climb Mansfield to count for Carol's New England 4Ks.

Great slogan.

View of Mansfield from the Toll Road.

CAMEL'S HUMP: 6/19/14

On the first day of an impromptu overnight getaway to the beautiful Green Mountains, Carol and I enjoyed a great day on what many consider Vermont's finest peak, the magnificent 4083-ft. Camel's Hump. After climbing up the Burrows Trail from the west - the shortest route to the Hump but still a good workout with 2300 ft. of elevation gain in 2.4 miles - we spent more than two hours taking in some of the best views in the Northeast.

The lower half of the Burrows Trail led through a typically gorgeous Vermont hardwood forest.

I admired this old leaning yellow birch.

From mile 1.5 to the ridgecrest at 2.1, the Burrows Trail is your typically steep, rocky, eroded, and relentless 4K climb.

From an old hut clearing on the ridgecrest, the rocky summit is in sight above. Here we turned right onto the legendary Long Trail.

An open stretch with sweeping views to the west.

A happy peakbagger at the summit.

Looking south to Mt. Ellen and the Mad River Glen and Sugarbush ski areas. Breadloaf and Wilson, two New England 100 Highest peaks in the Breadloaf Wilderness, are in back to the left.

Looking north to Bolton Mountain, Mt. Mansfield and beyond.

The Waterbury area and the Worcester Range.

My favorite vista from the Hump -- looking down the south spur to the Mt. Ethan Allen range, looking wild and pristine.

Mt. Ethan Allen (L) and Mt. Ira Allen (R), with Burnt Rock Mountain peering over in back.

It was a perfect day for hanging out on the expansive summit ledges. There were quite a few people - and dogs - coming and going, but there's room enough here for folks to spread out (taking care to "Do the Rock Walk" and not trample any fragile alpine vegetation).

Carol does a little exploring on the south side of the summit.

This outcrop displays the contorted folds of the mountain's metamorphic rock.

Looking east, broad-spreading Mt. Moosilauke is seen beyond the Signal Mountain Range, with Mt. Kineo and Carr Mountain to the R.

An impressive drop-off at the south cliffs.

Here there's an even better perspective on that great southern vista.

Looking down the valley ascended by the Burrows Trail.

The Adirondacks sprawl beyond Lake Champlain. I could pick out about 20 of the 46 High Peaks, plus about two dozen NH 4000-footers, and three others in the Greens.

A summit reference mark.

It was hard to leave the summit on such a glorious day.

Another look at the vast view to the north. Mt. Mansfield in the distance to the L. Ledgy Bamforth Ridge, the northern route of the Long Trail off Camel's Hump, is in the center.

Last looks before heading into the trees.

Zoom on Mt. Mansfield behind Bolton Mountain.

The Hump is a National Natural Landmark, and rightly so.

Mt. Ethan Allen from a field along Camel's Hump Road in Huntington. What a beautiful area!