So, a couple of my friends from Portland, ME have released a couple of new videos and coming up in May will be releasing their first EP. Exciting stuff. I really like their music and I thought I would share it everyone here. Check them out… their website is here –> The Other Bones.

Yesterday was Easter and what better way to celebrate than to go for a hike. My friend Ben and his wife Chrissa have recently had some car problems and were currently without a car. So, after a short trip into Burlington to pick them up we turned around and made our way towards the town of Stowe. Our objectives were The Pinnacle and Hunger Mountain… because, with the whole day in front of us, one hike just wasn’t enough. It probably should be mentioned that the Pinnacle and Hunger Mountain can be done in one hike by linking the two using the skyline trail. However, because we only had the one vehicle, we decided to do them both as out-and-backs.

The Pinnacle and Hunger Mountain are part of the Worcester Range which includes Hogback Mountain, White Rock Mountain, and Worcester Mountain. They are located in between the towns of Waterbury and Stowe east of Rt 100. Additional information about hiking these two peaks can be found here – Hunger Mountain, The Pinnacle.

The Pinnacle was a great warm up in the morning. From the parking lot to the top was a little over 1.5 miles and a gain of ~1200 feet. At no point did the trail ever feel very steep and in many places there were very well built stone steps making upward progress quite enjoyable. Near the top we encountered some snow, but nothing significant and no ice. The view from the top was pretty good and I would definitely recommend this hike if you don’t have a lot of time or don’t want something too complicated or adventurous. 

Ben on top of the Pinnacle

Ben on heading back down into the woods…

Chrissa making her way down one of the longer stone staircases…

While our hike up the Pinnacle was quite nice and fun… our experience on Hunger Mountain was less enjoyable. Now, it wasn’t the hike’s fault. We weren’t as prepared as we could have been and as it was our choice to do this early in the season we should have expected the ice. Anyway, Hunger Mountain is another really great hike here in VT. Its almost exactly 2 miles from the parking lot to the top and you gain ~2200 feet. Again, I did not feel that this was an overly strenuous hike. Everything was really well marked and the trail was in great shape. Our only real issue came a little over a mile into the hike… ICE! 

Picture this… water flowing and cascading down over rocky steps and ledges… now freeze it and dust it with snow just incase it wasn’t slick enough. This is what we ran into. However, I think the real issue was that the trail cleared up pretty good right after our first encounter sort of lulling us into a false sense of security and teasing us to keep going… and we did. Eventually we were so close to the top that the idea of turning around seemed ridiculous. Eventually, we did make it after some slow and deliberate hiking. When we arrived at the top we found it to be quite cold and windy and beautiful. Unfortunately, we did not stick around for too long as it was cold and we knew we were going to have a long hike out. 

The way down was probably the worst part of the hike. It’s always harder to go down something than it is to go up. It’s harder to control your speed and you tend to “fall” down the trail with every step as opposed to placing your foot on the ground. When it’s icy this becomes problematic. Fortunately, no one got hurt but I do think we all intend on going out and purchasing some micro spikes for hiking at this time of year. That little bit of additional traction on the icy bits would have made all the difference and would have increased the safety level immensely. 

I’m definitely going to have to go back, and maybe next time we will use the Skyline trail to link the two peaks together. Till then enjoy some of the pics from the trip.

Later.

Ben and Chrissa taking a minute to put on their shells near the top of Hunger Mountain…

Looking south off the peak towards White Rock Mountain…

Ben and Chrissa cruising the last little bit back down to the car…

So, it was the last day of March and here in Vermont it was a Saturday and there was very little snow left… perfect day for a hike. Fortunately I have started making some friends here in the Northeast and my friend Andy was kind enough to invite me along on a full day adventure to the Northeast Kingdom. We all met up at 8:30 at Andy’s friend Neil’s place (7 in all) picked two cars that looked reliable and headed off to Jeffersonville for a nice breakfast. Once all fueled up we continued our journey north and east… hence the Northeast Kingdom. 

Our objective was Mt. Pisgah. It’s not the tallest, hardest, or anything-est as far as I know, but it is quite beautiful. The scene is very fjord-like and there are a couple of lookouts that feel a little bit like diving boards in that you’re out over the edge of the cliff with views that are just amazing. The hike itself was only 4 miles round trip, but considering the amount of driving required and the fact that this hike is more of an excuse to tour some of the breweries up this way it was just about right as it allowed us to stop a few times, grab dinner, and still be home in time for the second of the two semi-final NCAA BBall games. 

All-in-all it was a great day with some great people. I will definitely be headed back up this way as the mountain biking trail map I saw on the wall at one of the breweries looked pretty awesome. I will definitely have to get back this way to explore a little more. 

Great hiking… a little wet in places, but not bad at all. 

Andy at the first of two lookouts on our hike…

Nearing the top of Mt. Pisgah. This is not the summit, but it is the highest point on the trail where you can see anything but trees. The peak is a little further on, but is completely tree covered an not overly spectacular. 

It was a beautifully clear day on top. In the distance you can see Camel’s Hump which is right around 50 miles away

Andy at the second of the two lookouts. This one is actually just on the other side of the summit by a few hundred yards… definitely worth the trip. 

Cruising down the last little bit of trail with thoughts of micro-brews dancing in our heads…

So, this is the last weekend of operations at Stowe. It’s sort of sad to see the place closing down, but if you look at the mountain it’s definitely time to stop thinking about skiing and start thinking about all the things you do when it’s gone. However, the end of the season means the end of season employee party is just around the corner. This coming Wednesday, all of the employees at Stowe are invited to the mountain for food, drink and some fun… the fun being a cardboard sled race on the slalom hill. 

Apparently, this is a big deal here at Stowe with some of the departments starting their planning and construction months ago. Since most of the people in our department were new, we just found out about the rules and decided to throw our hat into the ring. So, yesterday we idea day and today was construction day. We still need to paint and decorate, but hopefully that will happen this weekend. I don’t want to share too much today. But I’ll definitely post more after the party on Wednesday. 

Till then… 

Alexandra braiding some duct tape rope for our entry… 

Tashia working on the floor of our entry…

Things started to get a little crazy… and creepy

Tashia and Alexandra working to cover the bottom of our sled for maximum speed… FYI, over 360 yards of duct tape gave their lives for this project

So it’s been a strange spring here in the Northeast. We’ve had unseasonably warm temperatures, just destroying all of the previous records, and it’s been wreaking havoc on the snowpack. A couple of weeks ago we weren’t sure whether or not we’d make it to the official April 22nd close date… but know we’re not sure we’re going to make it to the end of March. As of today the Gondola only has one day left, and the entire operation on the Spruce side will be closed down on Monday. That only leaves the Four Runner Quad and the Lookout Double. 

The thing is… despite the conditions there’s still a lot of fun to be had out there on the slopes. When was the last time you could go skiing in shorts and a T-shirt and were too hot. Yeah… this doesn’t happen often. So, I’d say grab your shorts and your board or skis and get it while the gettin’s good. There’s probably only one week left and after that there’s nothing you can do but wait till next season. 

Later. 

Ski Patrol checking the depth of one of the ponds… no need to get out the life rings yet

Gate monitor Ben Turley enjoying the sun…

Not much left on Gondolier… 

Lookout  has also seen better days…

Here’s Liftline still looking pretty good. There are a couple of thin spots, but coverage is pretty good and the bumps are soft and the snow is good

After a long day there’s nothing like tailgating in the parking lot and enjoying the sun…

There’s something pretty cool about the Gondola here at Stowe Mountain… just perched there on the side of the mountain with the trails falling away and an almost constant veil of cloud cover hanging just out of reach. It’s a pretty neat location and the trails that it serves aren’t too bad either. 

Later.

Through My Window #4 comes to you from the amazingly incredible Four Runner Quad!! I have to say… If I’m going to be working outside this is where I want to be. The people that work here are cool, everything is setup to make my job easy, and I often have opportunities to get a run or two in. Today I was especially appreciative of the few runs I was allowed because it snowed most of the day and it was nice to be able to take advantage. 

Anyway… just another day working on the front lines at Stowe Mountain Resort.

This edition of Through My Window comes to you from the Mountain Triple Lift. The Mountain Triple is the ugly step sibling of the Four Runner Quad… it’s slower, serves less challenging and less total terrain, and doesn’t hold as many people. Because of this things can be pretty slow over this way, and many people only end up here because they got lost and don’t want to take on the short flat and slight incline necessary to get back to the Four Runner. But it’s outside and that’s not a bad thing. 

Later.

Here is the second installment of Through My Window coming to you alone and bored from the Gondola Ticket Window. At least today I got to read more of my book and catch up on some of the items in my RSS Feed. Not a hugely busy day, but it was nice out and because I got off early I did get to ski for bit.

Till the next time…