2/12/2012, Taylor Lodge
Holly and Tam Tam met David at the Underhill Center commuter lot at
8:30, and we all drove to the Stevensville trailhead in David’s car.
It was a very cold (close to 0 F) and overcast morning. We got on the
trail by about 8:50. The trail was well packed, so no snowshoes were
needed. Tam Tam’s winter equipment was pretty marginal, but with some
toe warmers in her shoes and hand warmers in her gloves she managed to
stay warm enough. Holly and Tam Tam used traction (micro spikes and
Yaktrax), while David carried snowshoes and micro spikes, but used
neither. We held a pretty fast pace for the whole hike. The wind
started picking up a bit as we reached the beaver ponds, and we were
all bundled up with our faces at least partly covered from there to
Taylor Lodge and all the way back. We stopped for a brief early lunch
at Taylor Lodge, but the cold weather didn’t make sitting still much
fun, so we started back pretty quickly. We got back to the car at
about 11:20, making the whole hike a short 2 and half hours.
Trip leader: David Hathaway
1/28/2012 Hopkins Mtn.
When I have signed up for GMC lead hikes across the pond (meaning the Adirondacks), I never know what kind of a number it will attract. In looking at past sign-in sheets, I think I am “stuck” with the # 10….Giant via the Ridge Trail in October 2008 10 people were on the outing, then Gothics and Pyramid in May of 2009, 10 were on that trip. And for this latest hike, Hopkins Mtn., I struck it rich with 10 again!
Anyway, the VTers met the NYers a bit past 9 am at the trailhead. (Another couple arrived at the trailhead just as we were headed out and I have to think they must have been shocked to see other cars there, esp. from VT. This is a little used trail and an alternate to Giant but not a popular one.) The forecast was due to be low 30s in the valley and overcast. We headed out about 9:20 am and right off the bat encountered a lot of ice. It pretty much was this way the entire trail. This truly was the only negative the whole day except that due to a back injury, Mike was not able to summit, but enjoyed his time in Keene Valley while waiting for us. The best part was everyone had some kind of grippers on their feet, either spikes or crampons. I do not see how anyone could have made it up (or down) without something. Either a serious injury would have occurred or it would have been incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, all bones and attitudes stayed in tact the entire trip!
Temps were warm all day to the point when we hit the summit, you almost did not need to “layer up”. The sun was shining brightly and the view was clear – a true bonus based on the forecast of clouds! The Noonmark Diner in Keene Valley was a must stop for eats and 9 of us were able to make this part of the trip. And it is Dad’s birthday on Wednesday, so a piece of cake and a candle were in order for him while most of the rest of us enjoyed their famous pies!
All in all, a super day! Thanks to Dad for joining us, as well as cousin Jason and his friends from the Albany area!
Trip leader: Robynn Albert
Photo Credit: Wolfgang Hokenmaier
Trekkers: Bob Albert, Jeremy Kassel, Michael Seereiter, Jason Farrell, Paul Demers, Jeff Wehrwein, Wolfgang Hokenmaier, Lynda Hutchins, Larry Gagne, Eric Hanson
1/14/2012 Mt. Ellen Trip Report
Well, the first thing I will say about Saturday is it was darn cold! There were several originally signed for the outing, and with the dip in temps, came a decrease in original numbers. We ended up being four for the day, meeting at the Hinesburg P & R. Off to the Jerusalem Trailhead where the Breadloaf section was also meeting for their outing that day, same trail but to the lodge. Having just received a dumping of the fresh white stuff the night before made for nice and fluffy snow conditions. I would say we were breaking between 6″ to 2′ of snow at any given time, the higher amount being the drifts. We lost the trail several times, even before getting to the LT. Not a well marked trail in some spots, but it is so fun to lose the trail temporarily! I love searching for the blazes; when we lost them, we spread out and found them all pretty quick. You could not stand around more than a few seconds at any given time. But when we veered to the lodge, it actually felt warm in there. The Breadloaf section was just a few minutes behind us arriving at the lodge, so we chatted with their group of five for a few minutes, then headed to the summit. Just a few minutes there and back down. The sun was now streaming through the woods at day’s end, bringing with it blue sky which was so pretty against the winter white. A good day overall. The Breadloaf folks were the only ones we saw the whole day except for the few folks getting off the chairlift! Trip Leader: Robynn Albert; Shoers: Richard Dabal, Bill Wooden and Tim Welsh. Photos: Tim Welsh.
1/8/2012 Mount Mansfield Loop from Underhill State Park
Wolfgang Hokenmaier’s qualifications as trip leader were challenged right in the parking lot by both participants, Jeff Wehrwein and Phil Hazen, for two apparently obvious reasons:
A) He had never heard of Microspikes before, and
B) He had the trip all backwards, as the descent should be via Maple Ridge instead of Sunset Ridge.
The route change was accepted, along with Wolfgang’s almost certain slippery faith on the mountain, and off we went.
The weather was warmer (relatively speaking) than last year’s uncompleted attempt of the same hike, so this time there would be no turning back. Plus, the small group was determined to give Phil Hazen the maximum training effect before his impending departure to conquer South America’s highest.
It turned out to be cold enough, with temperatures in the single digits and a howling wind along the summit ridge. But it was also beautiful to see some “real winter” with all of the Champlain Valley lower elevations still snow-less. We used Lower Teardrop instead of the CCC-Road on the final descent, a nice and easy shortcut to the lower elevation winter parking lot.
Phil Hazen with “Flat Stanley”, Jeff Wehrwein and trip leader Wolfgang Hokenmaier
1/1/2012 – January 1st 2012 – Burrows Trail on Camels Hump
The forecast had the potential to be somewhat bleak – cloudy and foggy – but at least it was not supposed to rain or be really cold. So, off we went as one of the first groups up Burrows Trail on Camels Hump for 2012, going up in the fog. The trail was hard-packed, and no one carried snowshoes. Everyone used micro-spikes, or a close relative of such, as their foot gripper. As we approached the ‘hut clearing’, the sky was suddenly bright above us, and that continued to the summit. The summit was totally clear, but everything below about 3800’ was covered in clouds. While we were on the top, some of the neighboring areas also started to clear, and Sheri took a picture of the icy Camels Hump summit with a ‘fog-fall’ along the ridgeline to the south. This picture was published on the front page of the Burlington Free Press a few days later. The thermometer near the summit said that the mid-day temperature was 30 degrees, really warm for Camels Hump summit on January 1. Everyone made it back to the parking lot about three hours (or a bit more) from when we started up. It was a great hike to start 2012. 16 participants – Phil Hazen, Kathy Adams, Kim Farone, Mike Rosner, Mary Keenan, Robynn Albert, Scott Springer, Lynda Hutchins, Ursula McVeigh, Bill Moore, Peggy Faucher, Marc Faucher, Bernie Tolmie, Beth Tolmie, Sheri Larsen, Leader: Richard Larsen
Here are Sheri Larsen’s great photos!
