This hike up Belvidere was via the Forester’s Trail. Second in our Side-to-Side Series. Most people ask me: what’s a Side-to-Side? Well, some of us aspire to hike the complete Long Trail. I’ve done that so my next goal (among others) is to hike all the side trails that connect to the Long Trail. And Forester’s Trail in Lowell serves the purpose.

Weather in most of Northwest Vermont was rainy and just plain yucky, but a heavy wet snow had blanketed the northeastern hills of Vermont. We made first tracks in the heavy stuff. (Thanks to the big burly fellas who volunteered to do this!) Lots of stream crossings made this otherwise easy trail slightly challenging.

Once we arrived in the alpine zone, the blue blazes disappeared under the heavy snow-encrusted spruce. But as another well-healed peak bagger once told me when scaling Belvidere from the other side: “As long as you’re heading up hill, you’ll get to the peak.” So we tarried on, took a couple of false paths, almost lost Gie in a spruce trap, finally making it to the top. Success! No casualties and everyone had a good time.

Participants: Ken Austin, Rachel Moulton, Dot Myer, Gie Lee, Patrick Burke, Linda Evans (trip leader)