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!

A Dog's Life!

Vermont is a beautiful place anytime of the year, but summer...ahh, the warm days and cool nights. The flowers and birds and summer night sounds. And you have never seen green until you visit Verd mont (the name given to the state back in the summer of 1761) My friends in Ireland may say their country rivals Vermont in greenery, and they may be right, but you can't get a guided Hikeu hike in Ireland...not yet at least :)

This is how my elderly Golden Retriever Cassandra likes to stay cool in the summer. Her pool is her latest obsession. I fill it with fresh cool water every warm day, throw in a couple of rocks for her to "hunt" and she is a happy, happy girl. Her daughter, Maggie gets quickly bored with about anything, so after a couple of dips she is off to whine at the door to come back in. But not Cass, when she gets tired she just lies down and enjoys the coolness of the water.

She will be my role model for when I get old.

If I headed up Camel's Hump with her today she would go as far as she could and then lie down. She wouldn't be sad or disappointed in her performance. She would just be happy she got to go hiking with Mom.
There is no destination for Cassi, only the joy of the journey.

The last time Cass was on Camel's Hump she had to be carried out the last 1/2 mile because her back end was cramping. Do you think for one minute she felt bad about herself? Nope. She was perched atop Reid's shoulders smiling (I swear she was) and feeling quite loved and cared for.
There is no pride for Cassi, only the peace love will always provide.

I wanna grow old just like my girl Cassi.

Hikeu Leads Effort to clean up the Lamoille River

The Hikeu Adventure Guide basecamp is located just outside of the little village of Fairfax, Vermont. We love it here because it is quiet and peaceful. Fairfax boasts its own newspaper, The Fairfax News . The town even has it's very own Grandpa in Henry Raymond (who lived in the Hikeu basecamp back in the 60's) whose website http://www.vtgrandpa.com/ is visited by many people every day; those of us that are living locally and those who moved away for one reason or another, keep a finger on the pulse of Fairfax through Henry's website.

Last summer the Fairfax Park & Recreation department started to build a beautiful little park, nature trail and bike path in town. More work has gone into the area this summer, which now has inviting benches and picnic tables; ball fields, trash receptacles,and poop bag dispensers. A real gem for a small Vermont town.

So guess where my girls (two beautiful Golden Retrievers) like to walk? Well, not exactly on the trail or path. If they have their way, they head for the Lamoille River the first chance they get. As long as we follow, they are content to wade the entire length of the park in the river. No big deal when the water isn't too high, but the problem is all the stuff that has been thrown into the river over the years; bikes, tires, car pieces and parts, even a lawn mower. Our river is not exactly a model for Leave No Trace...not yet at least!

Hikeu is now on a mission to rally the other members of the Fairfax Business and Professional Association (FBPA) to help us clean up the Lamoille in the area of the park. The Park & Rec department has already agreed to pay for any recycling costs, so we have momentum. We are targeting July 22nd as River Clean-up Day in Fairfax.

Stay-tuned for a full report on just how much stuff really lies at the bottom of the Lamoille in Fairfax Vermont!

802 Music Video

This post has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with hiking, backpacking or The Long Trail, but it says a whole lot about Vermont!
We live in paradise up here. Come check it out!