We all expected winter conditions for this trip, but our expectations were definitely exceeded!  With plenty of snow, and the temperature in the teens on Friday night, we all bundled up before getting into our bags around 1am at the lean-to.Early in the day Saturday, we were warned of the ice further up the mountain by two day-hikers, but we proceeded despite their recommendations.

We weren’t the only ones to summit that day though!  Another group of 4, with dogs, were there at the same time so we took photos for each other and then hurried down as quickly as possible.  There was a 40-50mph sustained wind (we estimated) that was buffeting us all across the top of the mountain.  Eventually, we found the path down on the other side, despite the wind, snow and ice.

That night we stayed at a tent site, and were able to gather wood and eventually put together a pretty nice fire!  It rained during the night, but we were just happy it was overnight and not while we were hiking.The next day was we hiked back up the mountain until we met the trail to take back down to the car at the trailhead.  The rain we got at our site came down as wet snow further up the mountain.  All of us were very happy to take our wet boots off at the car after trudging through the wet snow, and mud near the trailhead.  Next time we will all make sure to leave a backup pair of shoes in the car though!

Also – next time we are in Waterbury, VT we will stop at Ben & Jerry’s to get the ice cream we earned!

• Friday
  • Duxbury Rd Trailhead – Bamforth Ridge Shelter
• Saturday
  • Bamforth Ridge Shelterr – Summit – Dean Trail – Hump Brook Tent Area
• Sunday
  • Hump Brook Tent Area – Monroe Trail – Alpine Trail – Duxbury Rd Trailhead

I would definitely love to go back and hike these trails again.  The long trail certainly didn’t disappoint – the trail builders must have been aiming to take the most challenging route, which involved some fun but very unexpected sections (a bit sketchy due to the conditions at the time).