Brief trail description:

From Rte. 17 (Appalachian Gap) , proceed South on LT to Stark’s Nest which is the ski hut atop the single chair lift @ Mad River Glen Ski Area.

Proceed South on LT, taking the main ski trail down to Mad River Glen base area. Car parked here, 1 @ App Gap.

Trip Write Up:

Singer songwriter Beth Orton has a song titled “Concrete Sky” and Friday the 13th dawned just that. Actually, I stepped out on the porch Thursday night around 2130 to check on the weather and it was drizzling steadily – not to “rain on our parade” for tomorrow mornings’ hike, I thought.

We assembled behind the Sheraton and then headed down through Huntington. App Gap was in and out of the clouds. We placed a car @ MRG and started hiking about 10:00 AM. A steady breeze blew at the gap and it was good to get into the lee side of the mountain.

Views were quite clear as we ascended Stark Mtn. A bit of new snow was sticking mostly to the North side, and a nice contrast to the blue sky and distant views. The views looking North from just in front of Theron Dean shelter were spectacular!!! The Hump, and Burnt Rock, were due North, with the Wooster Range and Stowe Pinnacle very prominent to the NE, which made for a nice H20 stop and rest.

We regrouped @ Stark’s Nest for lunch and were treated to wonderful views in all directions. Very prominent directly South is Mt. Ellen, with the ski trails of Sugarbush North showing up clearly. The Adirondacks were a bit hazy, but we could make out Dix, Whiteface and Giant. Stark’s Nest has a new metal roof and a new deck courtesy of Mad River Glen. This hut is actually maintained mostly by MRG folks, but is conveniently open and welcome for hikers. It’s clean and dry so it can be a very welcome sight in inclement weather.

Eating lunch, Deb Lane said “hey, here comes someone”……..and it was then that the 7th hiker (Linda Evans) came striding along. Yes, I had forgotten to pick her up @ Richmond Park & Ride. She promises to come on another of my hikes only if I pacified her with homemade beer!! Regardless, Linda brought out a batch of Welsh Cakes, which were made with currants and truly to die for. Anyone who was anyone certainly tried 1 and what a perfect addition to lunch (both Linda and the cakes!). We took a picture and slowly made our way down.

I’m thinking maybe I’ll call my Friday hikes the “Friday Women’s Hikes”, since I usually only get women to join in (not that I’m complaining!!). It was a great group and we had fun.

Participants – Linda Evans, Carol Hignite, Deb Lane, Rachel Moulton, Carmen Twombley, Patti Williams, Pete Saile