After some confusion about the meeting place (Google maps now points to Hogback Road instead of Rt 15 for the Johnson LT parking) and who’s coming (meetup messages and notifications were not working properly), three of us met a bit after 8:30 at the Long Trail parking area on Rt 15 in Johnson and took one car up to the top of Smugglers Notch. It was a pleasantly warm day with mixed sun and clouds as we started up Sterling Pond trail around 9:15. We reached Sterling Pond around 10, where we spent a few minutes talking to Mark, the GMC caretaker, and then continued on to reach the Madonna summit around 10:50. We continued on past the Hagerman Lookout and reached Chilcoot Pass around 11:30. After this we started seeing a few blowdowns that could use some chainsaw work. The ones between Chilcoot Pass and Whiteface Shelter were easy enough to get under or around, but there was some significant detouring around some between Whiteface and Bear Hollow. We got to Whiteface Shelter around 12:45 where we talked to a through hiker, and started seeing the first of many kids and adults from Vermont Academy doing a hike from Rt 15 to Beaver Meadow. After a steep climb we reached the Whiteface (aka Sterling) summit around 1:30, and continued on the reach Bear Hollow Shelter around 3:15. We finished up with the long walk along logging roads and a short stretch of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail to reach the Rt 15 parking area around 4:25. Total hike around 12 miles and 2900 feet of cumulative elevation gain. Participants: Nancy Kahn, John Effinger, David Hathaway (leader). Photos: John and David.