I am so glad Kevin tried to invite me on his trip to Vermont.. again. Apparently I overlooked/missed a text during one of his previous trips to Vermont to collect another New England 67 summits. We completed plans to meet early for one of the nicer days on this holiday weekend to avoid some of the expected crowds. I almost regret deciding to meet at 3:15 AM, but after we were done, seeing the full parking and line of cars nearly .5 mile down the road made me feel better. This was a fun 10 mile loop including the features of the Mt Manfield ridge.
I’ll let the photos do the talking. The GPS track is attached below as well, if wanted.
Coming in from the west we stop to catch the sun glow behind Mt MansfieldSome mileage details from the kiosk at the ranger cabin. We took Sunset Ridge up and Maple Ridge down with a side trip to the Adams AppleThe Sunset Ridge Trail headMt Mansfield kioskSome Indian pipe/ghost flower on the way up. It was slightly past its primeOne of the early views through the trees on the way upOn the west side, it was still dim causing a blurry pic of KevinWe took a quick side trip to see a rock. I look at this as a .2 mile side trip. Kevin accurately accounts for the return trip.A large fracture resulted in a chunk pivoting out from the wallI’m sure folks have tried to scale up thereTrees getting shorter opening up views west. The horizon showing New York’s AdirondacksKevin about a climb some ledge between the scrubThe views are coming, looking south-southwestWhere’s Waldo?A look toward the chin of Mt Mansfield. The sunlight warming up but not yet over the ridgeWe catch the sun cresting the ridgeKevin, it’s not in focusSun glare over the krumholtzFragile arctic vegetation abound, careful where you stepA bit of under cast settling in Jeffersonville, VTCairn along the Sunset Ridge TrailI snapped a few shots here, I liked the angle and framingKevin, the conqueror, looking toward the northThe sun creeping into the scenePensive Kevin ponders the cairn strucureThe backlighting from the sun makes him look cut and paste into this sceneI don’t know what the ridge to the north of Sunset Ridge is , but it sure looked interesting.Sneaking a peek into the gulfCircling around the base of the chin cone taking care to avoid fragile vegetationMotion selfie. Hands in pockets for warmth, it was just above 40 degrees for much of the morning3.1 miles done, almost up the cone of the chin. The tip of this post is pointing to the Adirondacks Great Range (I believe).Some fresh bog boards over the wet land leading to the trail up the coneThe west chin(in view) was closed off from exploringLooking at Stowe Ski resort areaA couple sits on the summit marker, while Kevin works to capture a pic marking his accomplishmentSummit puddlesJust before 0900, the sun still low to get good shots eastStarting our trip ‘down’ to the Adam’s Apple, the bare’ish summit behind KevinA 15-20 foot chimney climb. There were some steep tricky spots along this descent, and subsequent ascentAlmost thereFrom the Adam’s Apple, looking back at the chin(we just came from) across the rest of the ridge, with Vermont’s other high peaks in the distance. Perhaps all 5 in viewReturning back, south on the Long Trail, back up the steeps to the chinKevin working his way up. Another couple just aheadA few spots with some drops nearbyKevin looking back over the Adam’s AppleBack on the summit, looking west over the west chinThe ridge walk aheadYes, we’re covering a brief stretch of the Long TrailI believe this is one of the ‘lips’Looking south, passing the junction of Halfway House Trail. One of the options to return to the car. We were doing well and continued along the ridgeA glimpse of the noseA couple utility road crossings up topThe visitor center, along with drive up lot educates those in the rare vegetation in these partsI donated a bit less than the suggested amountA few bits in the centerFlora and fauna of the alpine areaThe visitor center could use a makeoverContinuing on the utility roadA brief cut of trailLarge communications building on top of the noseThe trail closed at the top of the roadLooking back to the chin, where we came fromLooking down toward the forehead with the other high peaks in viewJust off the utility road, we pick up the Long Trail againThe forehead is open summit, like much of the range. The bypass can be used to keep you protectedMore amazing views over Lake Champlain and into New YorkThe forehead summit and where we part from the Long TrailRemain cautious of the fragile plant lifeWonder which forehead is larger, think I wonA woman hiked up with her dachshund in her backpack. Here she is enjoying the views before heading downKevin starting the descent on Maple Ridge trail. This turned out to be quite steep with some ledgey scramblesI was looking at my phone, Kevin woke me up to the trail aheadKevin slithering down this crack and across the slab. Follow the blue trail markersUp, down, in, out of the woods. The Maple Ridge Trail meanders its way down the ledge ridgeSnapping one of the steep ledge sections. The woman, with dachshun in tow, photobombedJust commit! About a 3 foot span over a 6-8 foot dropMore slab, careful navigation with decent tractionContinuing up, over, around, and downCrossing some flats across the ridge to the other side before dropping down againStill on our descent, Kevin turns and says “Who put this rock in our way?”1.1 miles from the forehead, still making our way down the slabby scrambles. About .7 more of Maple Ridge trail before a walk on the CCC road. Another 2.5 miles the car.The Maple Ridge trail turned out to be fun. Ended in the woods with some lush greens. The majority of the trail was ledge, including in the lower woods.The CCC road is not what we expected. Looks like a long carriage/rail trailDeep green mosses cover this controlled fallsA cut in the trees open to a view westReturning to the kiosk, from the other sideClose enough to make a side trip. My first trip to the Ben and Jerry’s Factory. We didn’t tour, but did partake in a scoop
