Mount Mansfield

Amie DB and I got back to the city late Sunday night from our Vermont weekend. It was a really good weekend, although our time there was way too short. As I mentioned, I hadn't been back in more than four years. It was pretty weird and wonderful at the same time. It was also strange how many memories that I didn't even realize I had came back. Freshman year experiences aside, Burlington may be my favorite place that I've ever lived. I'd honestly love to move back someday.

We got to Burlington late Friday night, slept there, and then drove on Saturday morning to Mount Mansfield. 

Thinking back, we were pretty dumb to have done so little research prior to hiking (e.g., what trail to take, where to park, etc.), but that definitely added to the adventure. With the help of some friendly park rangers we decided to take the Long Trail. 

We got on the trail and hiked through the thickest of fogs. It was actually kind of beautiful, but the whole time we worried that we'd get to the top to only see white. 

And then we reached the top... 

And although foggy, there were some views!

Voila!

And a "Subway"....? 

I love how we couldn't leave the city without finding one ;)

The top of the mountain was a ridge. 

And the ridge looked like a face. I was totally that person who turned my head sideways to look at the diagram... There were a couple routes down the mountain and we got a little stuck until we ended up following a father-son duo who were just as unsure as we were. The way we took down was so cool though.

After following the ridge for awhile, we ended up at the top of Stowe!

And hiked down the ski trails. Wow, were they steep! I ski all the time, but the resistance you get when you're hiking down as opposed to the sliding you get with skiing is so much greater. (Knees don't hate me!)


And here's another ski trail. And Amie DB. And the father-son duo I mentioned earlier.

And before we knew it we were at the bottom. We had to hike half a mile to the car from Stowe, but that was smooth sailing compared to any of what we'd hiked earlier. We settled ourselves in the car... me with a fruit and nut Cadbury chocolate bar, Amie DB with a few cider donuts, and drove back to Burlington.