Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Sonya) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Sonya) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: o-o Loop

Distance: 4.62 miles

Elevation: 1,191 feet

Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Great Blue Hill Summits

The Hike 

First hike in a minute! I hadn't been hiking much partially because this just happens in the fall with my schedule, but also because any time that I would hike during the week I've been going on dates - which I guess is a net positive, but I'm tired! This day was also Rosh Hashanah - I was supposed to hike Mt. Monadnock with a coworker, but she bailed (I wasn't surprised). Plus, it was raining up in New Hampshire. I ended up sleeping in and going for the Skyline lap. Sarah also texted me about doing a single day Pemi Loop? Is she crazy? (yes, she is, and now I can't stop thinking about it). It was a breezy 65 degrees! I had to pee at the parking lot already but there was a big group forming, so I blasted off. 

The smell of the woods brought me back to life right away - I missed it. I climbed up Eliot Path and crossed the road - I noticed some new graffiti in the little hollow before the road. It felt like a summer morning as I continued up to the summit of Great Blue Hills. There were trucks at the gravel path getting ready to do something with one of the communication towers. I continued up and over Wolcott Hill, where there was a wonderful breeze in Downtown Crossing. More wonderful breezes were to be felt on Hancock, and then I saw three horses at the stables on Hillside Street! They were in seperate enclosures as folks worked on the stables.

I was again humbled by Houghton, but also less humbled than usual. It was a little buggy between the two streams, and I passed the large group of parking lot people at the sharp turn just before the headwall push. I was fighting for air, but not totally gassed at that last climb, and had to lengthen my hike slightly due to the gravel path being closed for the communication tower work. I hit the top and descended via the ski trails - I am so excited for ski season.

Step-by-Step

- Start hike from Trailside Museum parking on Eliot Path (red dots).

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle. 

- At next jct., turn left onto Summit Road.

- At next jct., turn right onto spur trail to Summit.

- Hike around observatory building clockwise.

- Follow gravel path to Skyline Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- Descend summit towards Skyline Trail South.

- Turn left onto Skyline Trail, and then right onto Skyline Trail North.

- At Hillside St., turn right onto Hillside St.

- After stables, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- Follow Skyline Trail South to Eliot Circle.

- At Eliot Circle, turn left.

- At gravel path (same as before), turn right to summit Great Blue Hill.

- From summit, descend to ski area.

- Follow Patriots and Sonya down.

- Near bottom turn on Sonya, turn right back onto Eliot Path.

- Retrace steps to parking lot.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Burns Hill Loop (2x) (Westford Conservation Trust)

Burns Hill Loop (2x) (Westford Conservation Trust)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 2.64 miles

Elevation: 381 feet

Time: 55 minutes
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike 

Now for something completely different! I enjoyed the Grassy Pond loop from last week, but it was time to try a new trail in Westford. This one I tried last week, but didn't see a parking lot. A friend said to just park on the residential road, so I did! Burns Hill Conservation Area within the Westford Conservation Trust. I went in with my normal clothes on since it was a neighborhood and I didn't feel comfortable changing. The entry path was a little overgrown, but it had a sign and a hard-to-read kiosk. Thankfully, it was super nice out!

The trail crossed a stone wall and continued on, with a few old woods roads around. The trail then crossed a pleasant power cut with a large swampy area on the left (which I would latern learn is the "Heron Roostery," and on the right were rolling hills. After the power cut, the loop officially began.

I turned left and followed the semi-regular but faded yellow blazes, which meandered through the woods. The trail eventually dipped to a rocky low point where there were a good amount of gnats buzzing about, and the trail here was a little tricky to follow. There were some narrow boardwalks and then a ferny area with yellowing birches - probably still due to the drought. The trail crossed another stone wall and then zig zagged up Burns Hill, which had a bench at the "summit" (pretty inconsequential). The loop turns left here, but more trails are on the right.

The trail followed the spine of the ridge back down and then turned sharply with the sound of I-495 present for company. I meandered some more, passing another seasonably wet spot (dry on this day), and noticed a sign for the "Heron Rookery" down a side trail - I had to take it! It led me to a viewpoint of the swampy area that I saw from the power cut - no herons to be seen, though. Lots of beaver evidence!

Back on the loop, I took a second lap since I had plenty of time. I got a little sweatier than expected, but I was just happy to be out and about. My brain was mostly off for lap two, and soon enough I was back at the car! I didn't see a single other human - I will definitely be back!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike at Burns Hill trailhead.

- Cross power cut, turn right at loop split.

- Follow loop two times with optional visit to Heron Roostery.

- When complete, return via power cut.

Burns Hill Map

Photo Album

Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Sonya) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Sonya) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: o-o Loop

Distance: 4.45 miles

Elevation: 1,198 feet

Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Great Blue Hill Summits

The Hike 

First after school hike of the year! I had a wonderfully easy drive, but I did smash my hand on my car door (to be clear, ON my car door, not in my car door), and it hurt... wildly bad? Hmm. It was a super nice day out - overcast at 72 degrees. The air felt dry in the parking lot, but got super humid halfway up - I'm guessing from the recent rain and the flatter area just holds water better. There were some early fall colors on the Eliot Path, but I'm pretty sure they were still just from the drought. I passed one guy who was moving slowly and he said "you'r elike a jet and I'm a single prop," which was very funny. I was also VERY sweaty. 

There were locked porta potties up top, which excited then disappointed me - I've always throught the top just needs porta potties and a water fountain! They're redoing the spur path to Skyline, so it is now closed. I had to descend via the gravel path closer to where the Skyline dips to MA-138. Along Eliot Circle, I noticed some sticks in the ground that read "edge trail" - which I assume meant that the sticks were marking where the eventual edge of the trail would be once work is done. 

On my way down Skyline North, the pines were smelling wonderfully. An older gentleman passed me while running in a polo and jeans as I noticed the blue blazes had been recently touched-up. I took a quick potty break on Hemenway and soon enough I was on Hillside Street - with my whole "trying to date again" thing going on, I have a LOT to think about!

I had my most successful Houghton Hill climb in a while (still flirted with death, but I was feeling stronger than usual). I think I felt so good because I hadn't hiked in a little bit and the horrible warm humidity of summer had finally subsided. Further down the trail, the streams were basically dry and there were a comical amount of mushrooms in that seasonally wet spot between the two streams. 

I also felt pretty strong going up the headwall back to Great Blue Hill, and I enjoyed the smell of wet dirt on my final push - it smelled like fall. I hit the summit and descended via Sonya, which had shockingly clear views from Wachusett, along the entire Wapack Range, and of course, Mt. Monadnock. 

Step-by-Step

- Start hike from Trailside Museum parking on Eliot Path (red dots).

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle. 

- At next jct., turn left onto Summit Road.

- At next jct., turn right onto spur trail to Summit.

- Hike around observatory building clockwise.

- Follow gravel path to Skyline Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- Descend summit towards Skyline Trail South.

- Turn left onto Skyline Trail, and then right onto Skyline Trail North.

- At Hillside St., turn right onto Hillside St.

- After stables, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- Follow Skyline Trail South to Eliot Circle.

- At Eliot Circle, turn left.

- At gravel path (same as before), turn right to summit Great Blue Hill.

- From summit, descend to ski area.

- Follow Patriots and Sonya down.

- Near bottom turn on Sonya, turn right back onto Eliot Path.

- Retrace steps to parking lot.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

St. Moritz, Ski Jump, Indian Camp, Sawcut Notch (Blue Hills Reservation)

St. Moritz, Ski Jump, Indian Camp, Sawcut Notch (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Tracing Loop

Distance: 5.54 miles

Elevation: 384 feet

Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

'Twas the morning after a late-night wedding, I was a bit hungover, and due to attempting to find love in this world, I was also feeling a bit anxious - definitely time for a hike! This would be my first tracing hike in a WHILE. I decided to tackle some of the Quincy sections of the Blue Hills - with the main goal finishing up the St. Moritz Ponds area and getting over to the power/gas plant (whichever it is). It was a WARM 78 degrees and I was met at the trailhead with a MASSIVE (30+ people) foraging group.

I started by hiking around the Shea Rink and past the abandoned ball fields. The St. Moritz Ponds were mostly lily pads and it smelled very much like "lake." I had to swim upstream against the foragers, which was frustrating. When I crossed the bridge on Minichiello Path I noticed the water level was about two feet below the wood, which is in stark contrast to when it was flooded last spring (or two springs ago? time is weird!). 

I hiked the network of trails between the Murphy Path and Pipe Line, got SWEATING from the humidity, and eventually began to follow the green blazes across Wampatuck Road and then Indian Camp Path. There was an occasional breeze that would slightly bring me back to life, but I was not feeling my best! Once on the far side of the Quincy area, I found a least a bajillion mushrooms - the foragers were missing out!

I wiggled my way over to the power/gas plant - the usually horribly wet spot was bone dry! There were folks working at the plant, which was awkward, but we paid no mind to each other as I hiked on by. I passed by some enthusiastic golfers, who scared the life out of me, passed a few people in Sawcut Notch, and got my one and only bug bite near the Old Furnace Brook Path. 

Once back in the St. Moritz area, naturally I found myself trapped behind the foragers again. I took the Firepit Path back to aovid them, and still ended up getting stuck behind them at the very end - boo!

My hike ended, I went home and showered, but I was still feeling extremely anxious about the dating game and love life and probably being 30 years old, so I had what I call "my great crashout" - I walked to Target, bought a journal and many pens, and continued to walk to the Arboretum and wrote for HOURS. It unfortunately felt very good and helped me 1) clear my head, 2) start to sort out my feelings, and 3) kind of look for insights and connections to other times I've felt this way. It's annoying when self-care works!

Step-by-Step

- Part at Shea Memorial Rink.

- Walk to other side of Rink and start hike on path.

- At jct., continue onto Winter Carnival Path.

- At terminus, continue onto Minichiello Path.

- At Pipe Line, continue onto Ski Jump Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Murphy Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Pipe Line.

- After 4205, turn right onto Obbatinewat Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Murphy Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Ski Jump Path.

- At 4205, turn right onto Pipe Line.

- At 4202, turn right onto Murphy Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Obbatinewat Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Pipe Line.

- Cross Wampatuck Road, continue on Pipe Line.

- At 4135, turn right onto Indian Camp Path.

- At 4091, turn left onto Crags Foot Path.

- At 4066, turn right onto Pipe Line.

- At terminus, turn left onto Sawcut Notch Path.

- Cross Wampatuck Road, continue onto Skyline Trail.

- At jct. after 4220, turn right onto Firepit Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Minichiello Path.

- Follow green blazes back to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Grassy Pond Lifecourse & Trail (Westford Conservation Trust)

Grassy Pond Lifecourse & Trail (Westford Conservation Trust)

Hike Type: Figure 8 Loop with Spurs

Distance: 1.57 miles

Elevation: 36 feet

Time: 33 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025

The Hike

Time for something completely different! I simply needed SOMETHING to do between the end of my school day and marching band, so I drove out to Westford in search for that something... I tried a few parks/trailheads I saw on Google and AllTrails, and after some strikeouts (either due to no parking lots or grown-in trails), I landed at Grassy Pond. I couldn't find much information about it online, and the trailhead kiosk didn't have much either, so it was time to wander!

It looked like there was a main trail around the pond and two bonus loops with a few extra spurs to roads. I decided to hike around the pond in the clockwise direction - which had wonderfully soft pine-needle footing. Most of this loop is also a "lifecourse" trail with different exercise stations scattered about. At the far end of the pond, I took the bonus loop, which kind of turned it into a figure-8. There were a couple spur paths to roads that I also took, just to keep moving. 

I passed an old white pine tree (labeled as such) and saw one person with his dogs - I was grateful to only see one person on my little excusion. I eventually did find an online map which showed fewer spur paths than were actually on the trail. I passed a really neat mushroom, continued past the parking lot, and then hit the lifecourse loop before returning to my car. It wasn't a very active hike, but it was nice to move my body! I would come back!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike from parking lot around Grassy Pond traveling clockwise.

- Trail joins the Lifecourse Trail, continue straight.

- At second jct., turn left to do upper loop.

- Hike spurs to roads.

- On original loop trail, continue traveling clockwise around pond.

- At the parking area, continue to travel clockwise, repeating some trail.

- When Lifecourse Trail joins, turn sharply left.

- Follow Lifecourse Trail back to car.

Map of Grassy Pond

Photo Album

North, Middle, & South Tripyramid via Livermore South (White Mountain National Forest)

North, Middle, & South Tripyramid via Livermore South (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 11.16 miles

Elevation: 2,956 feet

Time: 4 hours, 57 minutes (4 hours, 32 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: New Hampshire 4000-Footers, 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Terrifying 25

The Hike

Final hike of my summer and Labor Day weekend! Emma was in full recovery mode and I had to make my way back to Boston, so I decided as a part of my "Farewell Tour" to hike the Tripyramids again, but this time via the slides! I had said I didn't want to tackle the slides by myself, but I was feeling pretty confident in my strength and... confidence. I was out the door at 3:20am from Emma's apartment in northern Vermont and started my journey down "south." I passed a fun amount of animals on my drive - three red foxes, a raccoon, a skunk, and possibly a fisher (it was dark and noodle-like). I stopped at the rest area just before crossing into New Hampshire to pee and someone... left a gift... NEXT to the toilet seat. Bummer! I continued on through Franconia Notch and then christened the Dunkin Donuts in Lincoln (of course I got breakfast there, too), and made it to the Livermore South Trailhead just before 6:00am. I initially panicked because I didn't realize it was a day-use fee area, but thankfully they had installed a solar credit card payment kiosk thing. There was one other car and two large privys. It was a chilly 45 degrees out with some yellowing birches (likely because of the draught, not fall), and it was soon time to start my adventure!

[6:09am - Livermore Trail]

Similar to Owl's Head, this hike would be a lot of flat hiking followed by a comical ascent up a slide. The Livermore Trail is a wide, open road with lots of signage for hiking and cross-country skiing/mountain biking. I was chilly!

[6:13am - Livermore Trail/Leaves Forest Protection Area]

[6:16am - Livermore Trail/Greely Ponds Trail jct.]

The trail left the Forest Protection Area of the parking lot and passed an open area with many criss-crossing trails for Waterville Valley - Livermore Trail was the main one. The trail crossed a bridge, passed the Greely Ponds Trail junction, and continued it's gentle meander through the woods - I was almost hoping for some elevation gain to warm myself up! I crossed another bridge over what I believe was the Mad River, and then passed a series of trails I didn't even know existed!

[6:20am - Livermore Trail/Boulder Path jct.]

[6:23am - Livermore Trail/Big Pines Path jct.]

[6:28am - Livermore Trail/Kettle's Path jct.]

First, I passed the Boulder Path, and then after a short ascent, the Big Pines Path. I put a mental pin into the Big Pines Path, which appeared to be a short trail that led to some big pines along the river - if I had energy after my hike I wanted to take a side trip. I enjoyed the reddening (is that a word?) of the giant hobblebush leaves as the Livermore Trail passed the Kettles Path, which was just about 1.0 mile into the hike. The squirrels were extra crazy this morning - basically assaulting me with acorns and other tree nuts. 

[6:45am - Livermore Trail/Norway Rapids Trail jct.]

The road turned, gained some elevation past a clearing on the right, and passed the Norway Rapids Trail (possibly in this order, possibly in a different order, who's to say!). Somewhere in that sequence of events I also finally took off my fleece and had a quick potty break. There was another bridge crossing and I found myself feeling grateful for the wide road because there were no spider webs, but also lamenting the wide road because it was pretty boring. I did pass some nice tree-bound mossy boulders, at least!

[6:52am - Livermore Trail/XC Ski & Mtn. Bike Trails jct.]

I passed a junction with some XC Ski & Mountain Biking Trails. This is where I was starting to feel like I was making progress - only 1.4 miles to the north end of the Mt. Tripyramid Trail! The reputation aside, I was very glad to be getting the longer, boring stretch over with first. The trail followed a nice stream now, with some cascades and a waterhing hole on the left. The road was beginning to narrow (from basically two-lanes to a single lane with grass now), and there were incredibly restricted tree views - the kind that let's you know that there are, in fact, mountains around, but nothing more than that. The road continued to climb pretty easily until the south junction of the Mt. Tripyramid Trail.

[7:00am - Livermore Trail/Mt. Tripyramid Trail (south) jct.]

From the junction, the sign read 2.2 miles to the summit of North Tripyramid, which was crazy considering I'd barely gained any elevation. The whole loop back to this point would be a nice 5.9 miles. I could see the Sandwich Range Wilderness sign down the south trail, just past a water crossing, but I was continuing on Livermore Trail to the north junction for the fun to really begin!

The road felt less-traveled after this point (but still very much a well-traveled road) and I could just begin to make out the peaks through the trees. There was a little washout and then a meadowy clearing on the left - I'm guessing an old logging camp? The road began to climb more moderately, which truly was welcomed as it meant I would have to climb that much less on the slide (which was already going to be PLENTY of climbing). Soon enough, it was time!

[7:20am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail (north)]

I did a quick break at the north Mt. Tripyramid Trail junction. It looked like Livermore Road used to continue straight, but the Livermore Trail turned left for Scaur Ridge. The Mt. Tripyramid Trail turned right. I swapped out my Nalgenes, took a couple hits of pistachios, and I was off!

[7:25am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Sandwich Range Wilderness]

The Mt. Tripyramid Trail dipped slightly to cross a brook and then entered the Sandwich Range Wilderness. It was nice to be on a footpath trail now versus an old, gravel road - even if it meant I was now eating spiderwebs. The trail climbed at easy to moderate grades while paralleling the brook and swimming through patches of hobblebush with just one confusing section. I was feeling concerned that I still hadn't climbed much... I then passed a dry drainage that I thought could actually be the base of the slide, but just a little bit further down the trail is where I turned right and was CLEARLY at the base of the slide... here we go!

[7:40am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Base of Slide]

I was nervous but mostly excited to tackle this climb. It IMMEDIATELY became steep, but fun! I caught up to one strange person who just kind of looked at me, and that was it for people for a while! The more I climbed/scrambled, the more views behind began to appear, and they were truly wonderful. The "trail" was delightfully dry, and sometimes there was a gravelly trail to the left of the slide proper - not sure which is "official."

The views continued to increase, first towards Osceola, which was just beautiufl to see. My notes read: "this shit is crazy" - I had a few spots where I felt nervous, but I would just turn off the fight or flight and be intentional about my hand and foot placements. 

Views over towards Mt. Tecumseh and Waterville Valley began to appear as my adrenaline was pumping. I was really having fun! I just wish there were ANY blazes or cairns, but I guess that's part of the beauty of being in a wilderness area. I could also now see Moosilauke behind Osceola. It was really cool to see the entire Osceola complex in it's entirety. 

I passed a super faded blaze and then hit a woodsy stretch - I made the decision here to save my summit beverage until I was back on Livermore Trail becuase this was wild, and even though I knew the south slide would be easier, I didn't want to tempt fate. Once back on the slabs, the view was yet again even more incredible. The Kinsmans and Franconias were now added to the vista, along with part of Mt. Carrigain. It was also such a perfectly beautiful day, too. I was simply in awe. It was also fun to be hiking these mountains in a DRASTICALLY different fashion than the last time (when I did Pine Bend-Sabbaday). 

Higher up again, I could now see the Presidential Range with crystal clear skies - just amazing! I did begin to have a bit less fun near the top, as the "trail" conditions pivoted from slabs to a loose, gravelley mess. Thankfully, it wasn't as steep (still very steep) and any slips were stopped by a solid rock. I wouldn't want to be below anybody, though.

[8:22am - Mt. Tripyramid Trial/Top of Slide]

The Mt. Tripyramid Trail continued to a cairn at the tree line - I did it! This was a really nice moment for me, as this was a trail I was scared to do for a long time. It was seriously fun and only a little terrifying - I would absolutely come back on a day as nice as this one! From here, the trail turned left into the woods and continued to steeply climb. 

[8:28am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Pine Bend Brook jct.]

This stretch was more reminiscent of the Pine Bend Brook Trail's final push, which made complete sense. I FINALLY found the sun just before the junction with Pine Bend Brook Trail, and boy did the sun feel amazing. There were a few flies buzzing about, but they were leaving me alone. I hit the junction, turned right, and was soon at the top of North Tripyramid!

[8:32am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/North Tripyramid Summit]

I stopped at the top for a water break and to wring out my shirt, which was well inundated with sweat. The viewpoint was basically grown-in, but I could make out Mt. Passaconaway and other smaller peaks, kind of. I wasn't hungry for my breakfast sandwich yet, so I continued on. 

The Mt. Tripyramid and Pine Bend Brook Trails were coinciding now and descended steeply. I was medium chilly now, but I was okay as long as I kept my pace up. The woods on this ridge were absolutely beautiful, even through a few well-maintained blowdown patches. There were now a criminal amount of flies, but thankfully they continued to leave me alone. 

[8:42am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Sabbaday Brook Trail jct.]

I was soon at the junction with the Sabbaday Brook Trail, which also served as the terminus of the Pine Bend Brook Trail. I continued on the Mt. Tripyramid Trail up to the middle peak, which had my legs burning (in fairness, I was also moving quickly). 

[8:52am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Middle Tripyramid Summit]

I made it to the top of Middle Tripyramid, was talking to myself, and naturally spooked a guy who was lounging in his hammock... whoops! I didn't stick around for long on the middle peak, partially because there was a person, partially because the views felt even more grown-in than the last time I was up here, and partially because I had summit fever for the south peak!

There was an initial scramble on the descent and then the trail mellowed out in more beautiful woods. The trail meandered along the ridge and contined to descent with tree views ahead to the south peak. The col between the middle and south peaks was a little grown-in, but the footbed was easy to follow. There was a wildly strong scent of urine as I left the col - a bear? moose? human? unsure - and then the climb went right from moderate to steep. 

[9:06am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/South Tripyramid Summit]

I passed a really excellent "peek-a-view" back to Middle Tripyramid on the climb, followed by some more tree views to both North and Middle. The climb up to the south peak was the easiest of the three (naturally), and the summit was just a wooded ridge - super pretty though! The summit was either along the ridge or where the trail turns at the end of the ridge - there were little cairns in both places and a little peek-a-view to Mt. Whiteface and the Sleepers.

After turning right, the trail officially begins to descend. There was a little peek-a-view to Mt. Whiteface and the Sleepers. The initial descent wasn't too bad but it quickly became more steep and eroded. Soon, the trees open up to the top of the south slide and there's a great views of Sandwich Mountain and Jennings Peak ahead, and a bit further down I caught a glimpse on the right over to Waterville Valley ski area. 

[9:18am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Kate Sleeper Trail jct.]

Behind were the Belknaps and Lake Winnipesauke, and I could also make out Welch-Dickey. Just a beautiful, unique view! The Kate Sleeper Trail turns left partway down the upper slide, and then the rest of the slide was... unpleasant. Super rocky and gravelley. I looked at rock the wrong way and it fell at least 50 feet! This upper stretch soon dips back into the woods, but the fun is not over yet! It slightly opens up again before diagonally crossing a confusing slab with smaller views, and then it opens up to another great view of Sandwich Mountain with brutal footing. The trail passed a decently large boulder that looked ready to roll at the next big rain, too. 

The trail narrowed and then opened yet again, offering the best view of the Mt. Tecumseh complex. It looked like at some point someone may have tried to lay down rock steps, but it was pretty eroded away at this point. The trail eventually descended back into the woods, maintaining the steep pitch, but with more sufferable footing, which led to a walking break, which was actually the end of the slide! Horray!

It was a DREAM to be back hiking on stable dirt again! Even the rockier areas felt amazing - such a treat! I collected many spiderwebs in this stretch, but it was worth it to be moving quickly again. Eventually, the trail neared a brook and crossed a lovely stream with many cascades down below on the left. The last bit of trail did feel a bit never-ending, but again, it was so much nicer on the legs. The trail continued to cross a few streams/drainages and undulated about, my achilles were mad but my extensors were good, and eventually, I saw the sign! 

[10:15am - Mt. Tripyramid Trail/Departs Sandwich Range Wilderness]

[10:16am - Livermore Trail]

I left the Sandwich Range Wilderness, crossed a brook, and continued onto the Livermore Trail, enjoying a sandwich and a Sun Cruiser - I was feeling good and accomplished! I began to pass many, many people once on the Livermore Trail. I was thrilled to be civilized hiking, as it was a nice way to pass time on this less-exciting bit of trail. I passed at least 20 people, one of which was loudly listening to conservative talk-radio, which was... interesting. 

[10:26am - Livermore Trail/XC Ski & Mtn. Bike Trails jct.]

[10:33am - Livermore Trail/Norway Rapids Trail jct.]

[10:48am - Livermore Trail/Kettle's Path jct.]

[10:53am - Livermore Trail/Big Pines Path jct.]

[10:55am - Livermore Trail/Boulder Path jct.]

[10:58am - Livermore Trail/Greely Ponds Trail jct.]

I passed the long series of side paths over the course of a half hour. I opted to skip all the side paths as my legs were tired and I was starting to get the Sunday Scaries (even though it was a Monday). I was delighted at how un-busy it was for Labor Day, even if I was more or less swimming upstream. There was a 0.1% uphill grade at one point which felt like gravity doubled, but besides that, the reutrn was quick and easy. There were many birds flying around after the Greely Ponds Junction.

[11:01am - Livermore Trail/Departs Forest Protection Area]

[11:06am - End of Hike]

Soon enough, I was deparing the Forest Protection Area and back at the parking lot, which was only half full now! I had an expectedly painful drive home, but the weekend was more than worth it!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Livermore Trail from south parking lot.

- At jct., turn right onto Mt. Tripyramid Trail (northern end).

- Climb the North Slide, summit North, Middle, and South Tripyramids, and descend South Tripyramid.

- At terminus, turn left onto Livermore Trail.

- Return to car.

Photo Album

Camel's Hump via Monroe & Alpine Trails (Camel's Hump State Park)

Camel's Hump via Monroe & Alpine Trails (Camel's Hump State Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 7.40 miles

Elevation: 2,657 feet

Time: 5 hours, 32 minutes (4 hours, 17 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: Vermont 4000-Footers, Long Trail Side-to-Side, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Emma and I planned to hike Camel's Hump yesterday, but Vermont decided to rain instead! We spent yesterday in Burlington and pushed Camel's Hump to this last day of August. We had a wedding way over in Newport, VT later that day, so we decided to get up nice and early to leave time for a nap later on. The alarms went off at 3:45am and we made it to the trailhead just before 5:00am. There were two other cars and it was a wonderful 50 degrees out. We could hear an owl and I christened the porta potty! Poor Emma had a wild gas/poop cramp that simply would not pass, hopefully some hiking would help loosen things up!

[5:07am - Start of Hike]

We started our hike by walking to the upper parking lot (closer to the trail - we didn't know it existed!) with our headlamps on. 

[5:10am - Monroe Trail]

Once in the woods, we soon signed the trail register and began our hike on the Monroe Trail. The beginning of the hike was super chill with the faintest light through the trees. The trail easily climbed until the 0.5 mile mark, when it began to moderate, but never to a ridiculous grade. The climbs were alternated with walking breaks, which was lovely. We hiked over three bridges and Emma's gas bubble would NOT budge. We did worry it could have been appendicitis, but thankfully she had a bar of service and her bubble was on the wrong side of her abdomen. 

[5:56am - Monroe Trail/Dean Trail jct.]

More light was beginning to shine through the trees as we arrived at the junction with the Dean Trail - the proposed end of our lollipop loop. A few minutes later at about 6:00am on the dot, the birds started to wake up, and our headlamps came off a few minutes after that (a few more minutes later, Emma finally farted! I already had a point in fart baseball, but I was happy for her). 

We continued to hike and approached a daunting headwall, thankfull the trail never really tackled it too aggressively. There was a slight breeze through the trees, which was just lovely. There were golden, foggy clouds overhead as we began to climb, passing one wet scramble. We were moving slow because of Emma's gas bubble that unfortunately was still hurting her. There were a few views through the trees, which helped energize us!

The trail crossed, followed, and crossed a mossy stream in a really beautiful area before making a sharp turn and climbing more aggressively on some wet slabs (we think this brought us to the top of the headwall we saw before). The trail turned again and soon brought us to a large junction with the Alpine Trail!

[6:59am - Monroe/Alpine Trail jct.]

We did a sit, bathroom, and snack break at this junction. Emma was not feeling great, so we made the decision to alter our route. We originally planned to follow the Alpine Trail northbound to the Long Trail southbound, eventually returning on the Dean Trail. Now, we would turn onto the Alpine Trail southbound and do a much smaller loop over the summit, returning on the Monroe Trail. We enjoyed our leftover pizza as we joked about how crazy it would be if she actually had a burst appendix (spoiler alert, she did not). 

[7:12am - Alpine Trail (south)]

The Alpine Trail was much narrower than the Monroe Trail, but it was a welcome change. I thought it was going to climb pretty aggressively, but it was incredibly manageable. We even saw some ghost pipes! We were only a little disappointed to skip the other half of the Alpine Trail, as there were supposed to be views and a plane crash but...

[7:33am - Alpine Trail/Plane wreckage]

As it turned out, the plane crash was actually on this bit of the Alpine Trail! It was clear as day - just off-trail as the Alpine Trail made a sharp right turn and began to climb. It looked like all that was left of the wreckage was a wing, and it was impressive! The collest plane wreck I've ever seen still remains to be the one near Mt. Success, but this was cool! A herd path continued uphill to rejoin the Monroe Trail (not more plane parts).

The Alpine Trail got a little more rugged the further up we went and we caught a pretty neat view of the hump of Camel's Hump poking over the trees (and through the summit fog, which was will pretty prevalent). We hiked underneath a cool overhanging rock/cliff, and to our surprise and delight, were soon on the Long Trail for our final push!

[7:48am - Long Trail (north)]

Things got fun once on the Long Trail! The trail's character immeditely changed as it simultaneously entered into the Alpine Zone. Footing was very rocky and damp due to the summit fog, but overall grip was solid. We could only kind of see a semblance of the view down below - we were otherwise pretty socked-in. 

Sure, we were bummed to not have any views, but it was cool to see the rugged rock formations through the fog. It was decently windly, but nothing too problematic, and there was one slab that was a little more slippery than the rest. The Long Trail briefly dipped back into the woods before the final push, which was fully above the trees with rocks and string marking the trail. 

At this point, I took off past Emma due to my usual case of summit fever (I could also argue I wanted to get nice photos of her summiting!). There were a few more soft glances at the possibility of a view, but we were pretty much solidly in the clouds, which was FINE. The sun WAS shining, which felt wonderful. Soon enough, we found the two USGS discs up top, and began our celebration!

[8:05am - Camel's Hump Summit]

Of course, climbing any mountain is worth celebrating, but I was especially excited to had climbed this once becuase it completed my Vermont 4000-Footers! We celebrated by hiking up with mini bottles of prosecco and plastic champagne flutes, which was just fun. There was one other couple at the summit - they either illegally camped at the summit or hiked up for sunrise with their tent for shelter. Only issue with them was that they started playing music on their bluetooth speaker after 20ish minutes, which was annoying. 

We had some more snacks and contemplated what on Earth was wrong with Emma's abdomen - could still be gas... maybe!

[8:52am - Long Trail (north)]

Around 8:45am, more and more people started arriving rather rapidly, so we decided to pack it up. The initail descent on the Long Trail was really pretty - even in the fog. We slowly descended into the trees, before descending more steeply to the Monroe Trail. It was my turn for a weird tummy, but I was thinking I'd survive (Emma was feeling a little better descending, but still not great). 

[9:03am - Monroe Trail]

[9:22am - Monroe Trail/Alpine Trail jct.]

[10:08am - Monroe Trail/Dean Trail jct.]

Our descent involved a lot of blabbering at each other and speculating what was wrong with her abdomen (it went through phases of pain). Emma took a solid fall on one of the slabs after the junction with the Alpine Trail, and we passed at least 50 people heading up to the summit on our descent (we couldn't fathom how they'd all fit at the top!). We had to PEE in our last mile, but didn't want to have to get off-trail to pee, so we both suffered, possibly a little too long.

[10:41am - End of Hike]

We started to get excited as the trail leveled out, and then we began to cross the bridges, and then we were back! I sent Emma to the bathroom while I signed us out, and then it was my turn. We had a quick change at the car in the FULL parking lot, and made our way back to her place for a shower, change, and then off to the wedding!

...which we never made it to. Emma was feeling BAD after her nap, so I politely encouraged her to go to the doctor. We spent a little over an hour there, and turns out she had a kidney infection caused by a prior UTI! And she climbed Camel's Hump! She's such a trooper. Instead of  going to the wedding, we got dinner, got Legos, and went home (which I was NOT mad about!)

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Monroe Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Alpine Trail (south).

- At terminus, turn right onto Long Trail (north).

- Summit Camel's Hump.

- Continue on Long Trail (north).

- At jct., turn right onto Monroe Trail.

- Follow Monroe Trail back to car.

Map of Camel's Hump State Park

Photo Album