Trip/Event Location: Wallingford, VTUS
Trip Leader(s):
Max # People: 12
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Join me for a spring hike through varied terrain on the Long Trail /Appalachian Trail near Rutland, VT. This is a mostly wooded hike with a few vistas west to the Valley of Vermont and south to
We will meet at the LT/AT parking lot on Vt. Rte 140 and carpool to the start. The parking lot is approx. 3 mi. east of U.S. Rte. 7 in Wallingford and 3 mi. west of Vt. Rte 103 in East Wallingford on the north side of the road and just east of the LT/AT crossing.
Considering the rainy forecast, we had a good turn out for the hike: Doug, George, Jim, and Stephen all showed up - against better judgement! Fortunately, the heavy rain came in the early morning hours, so we contended only with occasional light showers. In the afternoon, toward the end of the hike, rain stopped and clouds lifted. By the time we got to the restaurant, there were breaks of sun, and ironically, we were seated indoors for the best weather of the day. At least we avoided the thunderstorms that followed later in the evening. The weather precluded any nice views through the trees on this ridgeline hike. We did however get to experience the essence of the Green Mountains in springtime: wet, cool, and misty. Some of the wildflowers we spotted were painted trillium, purple trillium, wild columbine, and wild oats. We passed through prime deer and bear habitat, but saw neither. We did see red efts everywhere, a delightful diversion on the trail.
Considering the rainy forecast, we had a good turn out for the hike: Doug, George, Jim, and Stephen all showed up - against better judgement! Fortunately, the heavy rain came in the early morning hours, so we contended only with occasional light showers. In the afternoon, toward the end of the hike, rain stopped and clouds lifted. By the time we got to the restaurant, there were breaks of sun, and ironically, we were seated indoors for the best weather of the day. At least we avoided the thunderstorms that followed later in the evening.
The weather precluded any nice views through the trees on this ridgeline hike. We did however get to experience the essence of the Green Mountains in springtime: wet, cool, and misty. Some of the wildflowers we spotted were painted trillium, purple trillium, wild columbine, and wild oats. We passed through prime deer and bear habitat, but saw neither. We did see red efts everywhere, a delightful diversion on the trail.
We made good time on the hike, despite a leisurely pace, and finished in about four hours. We left the parking lot at 10:10a, arrived at the trailhead and started hiking at 10:30a. We arrived at the Minerva Hinchey Shelter around noon after 2.7mi. and took advantage of a break out of the rain to have some water and snacks. We were at Patch Hollow, a mile from the shelter, by 12:45p and two of us took another short break to see the beaver pond and old foundations of a former homestead. We reached the height of land on Bear Mt. at 1:15p and 4.2mi, then started a descent to a vista (and the first view of the day) at the Domed Ledge at 5.3 mi. From there, we continued an easy descent back to the parking lot where we had spotted cars, arriving just after 2:30p. Thanks guys for joining me on this wet hike and making it an enjoyable event.
Total distance: 6.3 miles
Total time: 4.0 hours
Total elevation gain: 1430 feet
- The Trip Has No Photos -
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate
