The Best Kept Secret on Mount Mansfield

I'm guessing there were as many people on Mount Mansfield Sunday as there were on Church Street in Burlington.

OK, so maybe not Church Street, but surely Bank Street.

The Hikeu Adventure Guides have been considering adoption of the Hell Brook trail on Mount Mansfield. This adoption program is run by the Green Mountain Club and is a very important part of their mission to "protect and maintain the Long Trail system". What does it mean to adopt a trail? Well, we will be responsible for maintaining and improving that particular trail.

We had never actually hiked the entire Hell Brook trail before. There was that failed attempt in 2003, but we turned back when a friend of ours had had enough of Hell Brook! So before committing to something as important as adoption, we decided to take a stroll up Mansfield on the only ascent trail rated as "extremely difficult" by the GMC.
The hike up Hell Brook was indeed extremely difficult and not to be taken lightly. Pretty much straight up most of the way, with lots of lose rocks, exposed roots, water running down the trail...but absolutely beautiful. Now your probably thinking how on earth could this trail be the best kept secret on Mount Mansfield? Well it's not. The secret on Mount Mansfield is the Adam's Apple, which is just a short 0.1 mile jog off the Hell Brook trail.

As you can see, this mini-summit is exposed and offers spectacular 270 degree views. What happens in the other 90 degrees? Well, that is where we could see the steady line of people either climbing up to the summit of Mansfield on the Long Trail, climbing down off the summit or milling about the summit.
We sat on our own private summit, ate lunch, watched 3 hawks spiral high on the thermals and dive back down, took a nice long siesta and marveled at all the people "over there". Sure, a few people passed by as we enjoyed our rock, but the contrast between the peace and serenity of the Adam's Apple and the fair-like atmosphere on the Mansfield summit was amazing; no one calling out on their cell phone to report their amazing where abouts, no dogs on the loose trampling the fragile alpine vegetation.

After such a wonderful experience, we decided to go ahead and adopt Hell Brook. Hopefully someone hasn't already grabbed it!

By the way, if your looking for more Vermont Long Trail secrets to enhance your hiking and backpacking experience be sure to contact Hikeu. We pride ourselves on creating the perfect itinerary and trip for your perfect Vermont outing.
Fall is the perfect time to get out and hike in the Green Mountains. Cool air, warm sunshine and NO Bugs! If your looking for the perfect day away from the office, consider a "team-building" hike with Hikeu. Just like playing hooky, but you return to the office the next day ready to tackle that project head-on!