Hiking in the White Mountains: Camel's Hump

Date of Hikes: 7/5 & 7/6/15

Long Trail:11.7 miles (3,325 feet elevation gained)
Sunset Ridge Trail: 5.5 miles (2,540 feet elevation gained)
Monroe Trail: 6.5 miles (2,585 feet elevation gained)

Trip Report:
- On Sunday Whitney and I packed up the Jeep and headed to Vermont for two days to hike the remaining four peaks that Whitney had left on the New England 67 highest peak list. Our goal for Sunday was an easy out and back of Abraham and Ellen. The hardest part of the day was probably the steep last few tenths of a mile drive up to Lincoln Gap to the Long Trail parking lot!
- It's a pretty short hike to Mount Abraham, under 2.5 miles and in the woods until the top. There are no steep stretches along this entire route, although there is a significant amount of mud, which is why Whitney refers to the state as Vermud!
- I was in pretty rough shape hiking wise, I was still less than forty-eight hours out from my 46 mile Hut to Hut run and my knee and hip acted up and were aching. I tried to hike as careful as possible to not injure myself.
- Abraham's summit has the best views along this section of the ridge. Unfortunately, it's a very crowded peak so we didn't stay too long on the way through. Just below the summit is a herd path that leads to a crashed cessna plane from 1973. The pilot of the plane was trying to navigate through low visibility and hit the side of the mountain, he lived but a lot of the plane is still laying there in the woods just off the Long Trail.
- From Abraham to Ellen the trail travels along the ridge in the woods with a few gradual up and downs. It passes over Sugarbush ski area and some of the tops of a few lifts. It was a very hazy day so unfortunately we couldn't see the Adirondacks to the west or the Whites to the east but still we had some decent views from the top of the ski slopes and the outlooks along the way. Mount Ellen's summit is just a small cairn in the woods but there is a ski lift just north of it where we took a break,
- From Mount Ellen we retraced our steps back over to Lincoln Gap. We took a break on a nice ledge away from the crowds on Mount Abraham before descending the final couple of mile back to the Jeep. It was an interesting last few miles back to the car, I got extremely sick and Whitney rolled her ankle, ouch squared!
- Once back at the Jeep we drove over to Underhill State Park and spent the night at a campsite. It was such a nice little spot to camp and since it was Sunday it was relatively quiet. We had a fire going and relaxed before calling it a night.
- On Monday we walked from our campsite to the Sunset Ridge Trail. Previously I had hiked Mount Mansfield from the eastern side up the Long Trail, which was pretty steep and not fun until the last scramble section between the 'Chin' and 'Apple'.
- The Sunset Ridge Trail definitely is the way yo go up to the summit, after an easy mile or so hike through the woods the trail climbs up the western exposed arm of the mountain where there are great views all the way up.
- We made it to the summit by 9am and watched the clouds come rolling in and out above and below us. It was pretty quiet on the summit, only a few other hikers around, later on the summit would be a mob scene so it was nice to be up on the summit early in the morning.
- On the descent we originally were going to take the Laura Cowles Trail, but with my knee and hip issue we descended the same way. I didn't mind missing out on the Laura Cowles Trail because it is steep and rugged with no views, where the Sunset Ridge Trail is much more enjoyable descent down the rock slab, plus you have the killer views.
- Once back in the woods we started running into dozens of hikers heading up, we were so happy we beat the crowds and were able to hike up to the summit when it was quiet and peaceful along the trails, another perfectly timed hike for us!
- Next we headed over to the Monroe Trailhead to hike Camel's Hump Mountain for Whitney's finish.
We started around noon and had a pretty easy hike up to the summit. The Monroe Trail is in the woods the whole way and like every other trail we hiked over the past day it has easy to moderate grades and decent footing. Camel's Hump is a bald summit with 360 degree views. There were other hikers up there but it wasn't too crowded and we were able to find a nice spot to sit down and relax for awhile before heading down.
- It was a great peak for Whitney to finish on and she really enjoyed it. I'm happy I got to be there for another hiking goal that she accomplished. Over the past two years I've been lucky enough to hike with here as she finished her first round of the the New Hampshire 48 on Owl's Head, her A.T. thru hike finish on Baxter Peak, and her winter finish on Wildcat A Peak. Pretty impressive hiking she's done over the past two years, you deserve all the praise that goes along with everything you've done, way to go!!!

Heading up the Long Trail from Lincoln Gap

After an easy mile and a half we pass by the Battell Shelter, which sits in a nice hard woods forest just under a mile below the summit

Mount Abraham Summit

Just past the summit of Mount Abraham is the plane crash site from 1973

Between Mount Abraham and Lincoln the Long Trail passes over Lil' Abe!

View from Mount Lincoln, north to Mount Ellen (top). South to Mont Abraham (bottom)

The long Trail passes over the top of the Sugarbush ski area. It makes for some nice views and heads through an area of many different tiny and colorful flowers

The Long Trail along the ridge

Looking down at the ski slopes from one of the outlooks along the way

Holt Hollow is a muddy stretch about a mile before the viewless summit of Mount Ellen

Heading back south along the Long Trail

Signs along the way

Ski area stuff along the way

The colorful flowers that were found along the ski area sections

Route for the day, click here for details

Early morning on the Sunset Ridge Trail

The Sunset Ridge Trail starts off over nice terrain and stays that way until just before popping out on the ledges

Whitney taking in the views!

Motoring her way up the Sunset Ridge Trail :)

The last mile of the hike up to the summit is over open ledges, definitely the trail to hike up to the top of Mount Mansfield

Views from the top!

Heading back down the Sunset Ridge Trail

Whitney signs us out and we hike back down to Underhill State Park

Signs along the way

The Sunset Ridge Trail is really well maintained and has foot bridges over ever water crossing!

Route for the day, click here for details

Next up, Camels Hump. Hiking up the Monroe Trail

Congratulations, Whitney AKA Tip-Toe!! :)

Memorial for the bomber plane that crashed into Camels Hump

Memorial info

Signs spotted along the way

Route for the day, click here for details

Date of Hikes 6/7/14 & 6/8/14

Abraham & Ellen: Long Trail: 11.25 (3,500 feet elevation gained)
Killington: Ski Slopes: 4.7 miles (1,675 feet elevation gained)
Camel's Hump: Monroe Trail: 6.5 (2,550 feet elevation gained)
Mansfield: Long Trail, Hazelton Trail: 6.2 (2,900 feet elevation gained)

Trip Report:
- On Saturday I headed to the Green Mountains to start chipping away at the dozen or so New England 67 highest peaks as well as the North East 115. I have only hiked Mount Mansfield in Vermont so I was excited to see what the Green Mountains had to offer.
- My first stop was Lincoln Gap where I would hook onto the Long Trail north over Mount Abraham to Mount Ellen and back to Lincoln Gap. The drive to Vermont was pretty easy, 93 north to 89 north, then back roads, some nice, some gnarly and then up the steep Lincoln Gap Road. The last two miles up this road to the gap was excessively steep, steepest road I've been on yet!
- The hike itself was not what I expected. The trail had decent footing and was never steep. It was a gradual ascent up to Mount Abraham. I thought the peak of Abraham would be bigger and more open but it still had really good views west to New York and east to New Hampshire.
- The summit of Abraham is about 2.5 miles north of Lincoln Gap, from here the trail follows the ridge for 3.0 miles or so over the peaks of Lincoln, Nancy Hanks, and Cutts Peak before heading up to the next 4,000 footer, Mount Ellen. The walk has minor ups and downs and the elevation always stays between 3,700 to just below 4,000 feet.
- The trail every mile or so popped out at a ski lift for the Sugar Bush ski area. Since almost all of the trail was in the woods, this was a welcome surprise and offered some views. I made it to the summit of Mount Ellen, marked by a small cairn in the woods and some pray flags around 10:30ish. Just north of the summit is another ski lift that had the best views of the day. The sky was a little hazy in the mid morning so I couldn't make out the White Mountains but I could make out the Dix Range, Great Range, Rocky Peak Ridge, and Mount Whiteface in the Adirondacks. Oh, how I miss the Daks!
- The hike back went well enough that I decided to head south and hike Killington Peak. I didn't feel like hiking in the woods so I drove over to the ski area and just hiked up one of the ski trails. It was a nice change of pace and the sky was a vivid blue with puffy clouds floating by making the hike up enjoyable. The gondola rides stopped at 2:30ish so when I reached the summit there were only hikers up there. The final stretch from the ski slope to just beneath the summit is a bunch of stairs, it looks like they stole the specs right from that staircase you have to walk up on the final stretch to Mount Washington's summit once topping out of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail!
- Views from the top where pretty good, there's Little Killington peak and Pico Peak on each side. The summit has a tower and a bunch of satellite dishes, the tower was closed off so I couldn't get in it.
- The hike down the slopes went pretty fast and was really enjoyable. I made it back to the car before 4pm, not a bad day hiking in the Green Mountains!

- Sunday was a continuation of Saturday, perfect temps with big puffy clouds floating in by the afternoon. In the morning I drove over to Camel's Hump Road to the Monroe Trailhead to meet up with Erin for a quick hike up Vermont's third highest peak, Camel's Hump. Erin, who recently moved to Vermont would be hiking her first 4,000 footer in New England. She's an avid mountain biker and trail runner having biked and ran in Colorado and Utah.
- We set off just after 8:30 a.m. and hiked at a good pace enjoying the mostly quiet trails up to the summit. Camel's Hump is an extremely popular peak which see a lot of foot traffic on the weekend. If you want to beat the crowds up to the summit get on the trail early!
- Just like Saturday, I was surprised at the easy grade and decent footing. Closer to the top the trail got a little more rugged with some slab and rocks but 75% of the trail was easy on the feet.
- It was an enjoyable hike up to the summit as Erin and I chatted away. As we approached the summit we started running into more and more hikers, and more and more dogs, I think it was bring your dog to Camel's Hump day as we saw well over a dozen dogs during the hike.
- Camel's Hump summit is a bald summit with 360 degree views. Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks were in view to the West, Mount Mansfield to the North, Ellen and Lincoln to the South, and views of the White Mountains to the east. It was hazy out so the Whites were not well visible.
- There was no wind on the summit, and unfortunately with the warm temperatures that brought an onslaught of numerous annoying bugs driving us back down into the trees after a short break.
- The hike down was filled with lots of people and many happy dogs hiking up. The lower portion of the trail passes through a nice birch forest which we both agreed would make for some pretty stellar hiking in foliage season.
- We made it back to the trailhead at 11:30, which was now, along with the lower lot jammed packed. It was a quick and fun morning hike and it was great to meet Erin and talk about running, hiking, and biking. I picked up some tips about running from her which will definitely help me with my seven hour Pemi Loop goal!
- As I headed back to jump on 89 south for the long drive home I had a decision to make. Do I go home and cut the grass or do I just drive over the highway and keep heading north to Stowe for an afternoon hike up Mount Mansfield. Mount Mansfield it was!
- I jumped onto the Long Trail south around 12:30ish. The Long Trail up to the ridge doesn't mess around, it starts gaining elevation quickly as it's a steep trail. I was a little slower than usual gaining the ridge but once I hit the Adam's Apple / Chin Col and saw the views I felt much better and zoomed up the exposed slab section on the way to the summit. The summit was crowded as usual but I found a place off to the side to relax and refuel. From the summit I continued south on the Long Trail over to the auto road, which I walked for about five minutes before hooking onto the ski slopes and the Haselton Trail.
- I ended up jumping off the trail and taking the ski trails down before the final third of a mile road walk back to the car.
- It ended up being a really great day in the Green Mountains. The drive home via 89 was really enjoyable and scenic, while the drive along 93 through NH, MA, and then 95 in RI was smooth sailing the whole way. I made it home just in time for the first pitch of the Red Sox game, not a bad end to a great weekend!

Lincoln Gap

Long Trail heading up to Mount Abraham

Mini-me cairns

View southwest from the ledges below Mount Abraham

Looking west to the Adirondack High Peaks in New York

A little ski trail just north of Lincoln Peak

The long Trail along the ridge was a pleasant walk in the woods for the most part

Ski trails for Sugarbush ski area (I think)

Sugarbush ski lift

Final stretch to Mount Ellen

The wooded summit of Mount Ellen

Just north of the summit is a ski lift with great views

Sugarbush ski lift on Mount Ellen

Looking north to Camel's Hump and Mount Mansfield

In the afternoon some big puffy clouds started floating in!

The Dix Range of the Adirondacks

Mount Whiteface in the Adirondacks

Heading back south on the Long Trail near Nancy Hanks Peak

Old weathered sign around Mount Lincoln

Sugarbush ski slopes below Mount Lincoln

Mount Abraham from the Lincoln observation deck

Heading into the Alpine Zone on Mount Abraham

View to the southwest from Mount Abraham

View to the north from Abraham

Long Trail south bound

Rock slab ledges below Mount Abraham

Golden Retriever on the Long Trail!

Privy

Long trail lean-to just north of Lincoln Gap, this is where I left a message in a note pad for my thru-hiker friend, unfortunately she's an A.T. hiker, and this section of the Long Trail is not on the A.T. Stupid me!