7/1-7/8 AT in Western Maine
I am doing a 7-day trip on the AT in Western Maine. I would welcome other experienced backpackers and/or their friends, to join me for all or part of the trip. Daily mileage varies from 7 to 11 miles per day. Limited to 4, including me. Difficult backpack. Group limit 4. Ben Gordesky, bengordesky@burlingtontelelcom.net or 355-3049.
7/1 (Sun) Mansfield Ridge
From Underhill State Park we’ll head up Sunset Ridge to the Mansfield Chin (summit), then follow the ridge to the Forehead and return via Maple Ridge and the CCC road. Difficult hike. Moderate pace. 9 miles. 2600′ elevation gain. David Hathaway, david.hathaway.78@gmail.com or 899-9982. We’ll be starting at 8 AM, a little earlier than I usually do, to get ahead of the heat of the day. Bring plenty of water, a hat, and sunscreen! Contact leader for meeting location.
Note: A Salomon representative will be joining us and will have some hiking shoes people can try if they are interested (a subset of what can be found at https://www.salomon.com/us/men/hiking-shoes and https://www.salomon.com/us/women/hiking-shoes). Get there a little early if you want to look at what he has to offer.
7/7 (Sat) Bird Monitoring in Delta Park
A bird monitoring walk for Delta Park, the birding hotspot for Chittenden County. We will track what species are present and submit the data to eBird.org for citizen science. We’ll met at 8:30 at the Delta Park parking area at the end of Windemere Way in Colchester (past the fishing access) , and should be done around 10. Easy hike / walk. Leisurely pace. 1 miles. Julianna Tyson, americorps@wvpd.org or (978) 994-0482.
7/8 (Sun) Burnt Rock Mountain
Starting from the trailhead on Big Basin Road in Fayston, we hike up Hedgehog Brook Trail for 2 miles until we reach the Long Trail. From there, we hike north on the Long Trail for 0.6 miles to the summit of Burnt Rock Mountain. After lunch on the top, we return the same way we came up. Estimated hiking time is 3.5 – 3.75 hours, including lunch. Note: This hike requires going up a couple of steep stairs/ladders on Hedgehog Brook Trail and several scrambles on the Long Trail to the summit. It’s not a hike for folks that have problems with heights. Moderate hike. Moderate pace. 5.2 miles. 2000′ elevation gain. Group limit 10. Contact leader by 7/6. Sheri Larsen, larsen007@aol.com or 878-6828.
7/13 (Fri) Lincoln Gap to Appalachian Gap
We’ll carpool from Burlington to Appalachian Gap to drop off car(s) and proceed to Lincoln Gap. This a wonderful all-day ridgewalk along the Long Trail with our initial ascent up to Mt. Abraham. From here north, the trail continues ascending and descending several 4000′ peaks with 360 degree views. Bring your binocs and a fun attitude for this all day hike. Ideally we’d like to begin hiking @ 8:30 from Lincoln Gap. Difficult hike. Moderate pace. 12.3 miles. 2100′ elevation gain. Contact leader by 7/27. Pete Saile, 658-0912.
7/15 (Sun) Waterbury Reservoir Paddle
Enjoy a two to three hour paddle on the Waterbury Reservoir near Waterbury Center. We will access the reservoir via the boat launch at the dam, from the less-used access off Little River Road and Rt. 2. Contact trip leader for meet-up time and directions (but please take note: this outings leader is not an early riser!). This is an enjoyable paddle on flat water with a swimming option at its conclusion. Easy paddle. Group limit 8. Ted Albers, ted@ted-albers.net.
7/22 (Sun) Mansfield Forehead – Cancelled
Cancelled due to iffy weather and weekend road closures making access difficult.
We’ll start from Stevensville Road trailhead, head up Butler Lodge trail, then take Wampahoofus and Maple Ridge up to the Forehead. On the return, we’ll take Maple Ridge, then Rock Garden back over to Butler Lodge trail and down. We may reverse the loop depending on which way promises to be the most fun! Moderate-difficult hike. Moderate pace. 6.2 miles. 2600′ elevation gain. Jill George, jillghiker@gmail.com.
