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.

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

Photos: Sheri Larsen