Northern LT Mid NOV-??Weather/conditions

[garyhebert]

Well I went. but not exactly like I originally planned.

First I ran outta gas very late Friday nite, got a quick ride into Chester, but all the gas stations were closed, so instead of the Inn at LT I "got" to spend the nite at Meadow somethin or other Motel in Chester. Finally got refueled & on the way late the Sat morning. Decided to head up to Camel's hump and hike south from Duxbury Rd for just a couple days.

Hit the trail Sat nite ~6pm in pitch black, 20 degrees, 4-6" snow, and hiked up to Bamforth Ridge shelter for the nite. In the teens overnite. Slept in, and hit the trail ~0745am, again 20 degrees but no wind, crisp snow. Beautiful day for winter hiking.

Very slow goin, post holing in 8-10" untracked snow the rest of the way up the north side of the hump, took me almost 4 hours! Lost the trail multiple times.

No wind up top, but a little hazy.

WHAT a different hike down the other side, with a few folks up top having paved the way on multiple trails on the south side. No effort searching for or following the trail, easy walking, etc. Just ran down the hill.

Stayed out second nite at Montclair Glenn Lodge in similar conditions. Froze a 1 Liter water bottle & a 3 Liter Platypus solid! Had to melt snow in the am to parboil my 1 Liter bottle to melt the block of ice for water for the hike out.

Hiked out Aliss to Dean to Monroe Trail to the Ranger cabin and roadwalked out and back to the Duxbury Pkg lot. Again no wind, crisp snow, and a MUCH easier hike out over packed snow.

Not the distance hike I had planned, but still a fun experience.

Spent the rest of my time hittin gear shops in Mid Vt for snowshoe/crampon info; Stayed at the Hide Away in Waitsville. Good time.

Hopefully will have lightweight aggressive snowshoes for my next winter hike up a similar place. And possible lightweight crampons too.

Here's a couple pics...

FINALLY reached Bamforth Shelter Sat nite...
Bamforth Ridge Shelter Sun morning
Some trail pics and summit views on the way up and
Montclair Glenn Lodge

[Kerosene]

Northern Vermont on a cold, crisp, clear winter day is one of my all-time favorite memories.

[woodsy]

Nice pics!
I found some of the same circumstances on a recent snowy hike in Maine, where's the trail? no tracks to follow, blazes nowhere for some distance, no blazes anywhere above treeline(they are buried). It's a whole new ballgame come winter. What makes it even harder is if you've never been there before. Thanks for sharing your trip.

[Deadeye]

Nice trip! Really lucked out on the weather. I can picture a few dicey spots on Bamforth Ridge. With the blazes covered, I can just see you thinking "they didn't put the trail there, did they?"

[garyhebert]

Thank god for a few well placed cairns on the open ridges on the way up! Even they were snow covered but visible as small lumps. Give it another couple feet of snow and I'd be screwed!

Bought some snowshoes and headin back up, maybe to Mt Mansfield this weekend. My birthday is Sat. What better way to spend it!

[bmike]

mansfield will be fun.
which side you thinking?
they are buried in it now... esp after this past weekend.

i've only done it in late fall - when ice was just starting to muck things up in the rock cracks, puddles, and trickle crossings. last trip up it started snowing when we were on top - so 1/2 of us headed down the way we came up, the other half took the 'easy' way down the mountain road into stowe and had dinner at the lodge while waiting for the cars to come around. good fun.

first several times i winter hiked in vt i cursed the trail makers... white blazes? in snow country? even if they are 6-7 feet off the ground... you still can't see them, esp after a fresh snow!

[garyhebert]

How are the trails now? Snow packed or not? Hoping to get back up there Early January for a few days.

[bmike]

should be snow packed.
we've had some warmer temps and rain in burlington. not sure about the mountains though. in town we've lost some snow and it has been icy.

snow conditions at stowe look great
and from NWS

remember that long trail blazes are white...
and will probably be hard to spot if we get some new snow.

i've been thinking about nebraska notch or sterling pond. either would be a great winter hike, without having to deal with mountain tops and too much alpine and ice.

[Peaks]

How are the trails now? Snow packed or not? Hoping to get back up there Early January for a few days.

I skied part of the Catamount Trail near Bromley on December 21. At that time, the snow was really too soft and deep to ski. Snowshoes would have been better.

If you want updated conditions, look at websites like Views from the Top.

[NorthCountryWoods]

The rain hardened stuff up nice. Used crampons on Laraway Mountain this weekend.

Some fresh powder is falling right now.

[bmike]

Some fresh powder is falling right now.

here in b-ton too.
might have to sneak out tomorrow for a ski or shoe.
lovely out right now.

[bmike]

snowshoed in underhill on 1-1-08.
saw some skiers and snowboarders, a few snowshoers.


was planning to hike in to taylor lodge on the LT and the twin brook tent sites but the parking lot was packed and about 20 people were milling about - so i headed over to underhill and hiked in to the trailhead for sunset ridge...

great snow, blowy and cold. took the pup and had a great hike. debating on spending a night in a lean-to in underhill - close to the road if i need to bail out, short hike in but i can explore till dark, and with several to choose from i can pick one sheltered from the wind.

[greenm777]

does any one know if the wood stove @ spruce peak shelter out side of manchester,vt is still opperational? has any one been there recently?

[bmike]

does any one know if the wood stove @ spruce peak shelter out side of manchester,vt is still opperational? has any one been there recently?

might want to contact someone from the GMC.

maybe from the manchester section?

[Peaks]

does any one know if the wood stove @ spruce peak shelter out side of manchester,vt is still opperational? has any one been there recently?

Haven't wood stoves been taken out of all, if not most of the shelters?

[Minerva]

Haven't wood stoves been taken out of all, if not most of the shelters?

Most of the wood stoves and doors have been removed from the majority of Long Trail Shelters and Camps. The woodstove was still at Spruce Peak in August. Haven't been up to Corliss Camp in several years, but there was a an old Jotel stove there the last time I went thru.
MrsG