Connie was coming from Lebanon, NH and David (and Bailey) were coming from Underhill VT, so we met at the Glencliff Trail trailhead at around 8:30. Weather was overcast and cool, but the rains held off. We set out at a good pace climbing the steep and in some places slippery Glen cliff trail, and reached the summit around 11:30, where we had lunch.

The summit was pretty much in the clouds, though we got a few brief glimpses of the nearby peaks and slopes as pockets of clearer air blew in and out. There were also a surprising number of people (probably over 20) at the top.

We opted not to take the Benton trail down, as originally planned, both to get back a little earlier (David had a concert he was trying to make that evening) and because the guidebook says there is a stream crossing at the bottom of it that is difficult in high water, and it had been been raining a lot in the last week. So we took the Carriage Trail down instead, and then took the Hurricane Trail back to Glencliff. The Carriage Trail was wide, gradual, and easy (heavily switchbacked), but the Hurricane Trail looked like it needed some maintenance, with many blowdowns and several quite wet sections. The sun came out occasionally as we descended.

We got back to the cars a little after 2:30, for a total hike time of about 6 hours and a toral distance of about 11 miles.

Trip leader: David Hathaway with Connie Johnson, Bailey Greene (loyal dog)