Mt. Mansfield, VT, 4th Time's a Charm

Finally made it on the 4th attempt. The first two attempts were made from the east and the Route 108 Long Trail trailhead. Both times we got into the col between the Chin and the Adams Apple and had to turn around. The third time we set out from the west and up the sunset Ridge Trail. It was 30 degrees fahrenheit and sunny when we left the car. By the time we were a quarter mile from the summit it was below zero and blowing like stink. I did not want my dog to go up onto the summit so we turned around.

Thus, I had been sitting on this New England Hundred Highest List since August of 2010 when I finished Goose Eye (#99). On Friday night on a whim I said I am going to do it tomorrow (I was looking at the NOAA website). The parking at the Route 108 "Road Closed Winter gate was all taken, so I pulled into the Stowe parking area and there was loads open down near the road which was where I wanted to be anyway. I tried to shortcut the Long Trail that makes a long switchback near the trailhead, but this was a mistake as the snow was very deep here. Heading up the trail was well tracked out but for my money wearing Tubbs Flex Alps (or MSR's) is the only way to travel in this type of terrain. I passed a number of folks in microspikes that were having a tough time with post-holing and steep icy sections.

I soon met up with a young gazelle coming down who said he had left early in the morning, got to Taft Lodge, went right and ended up on the Adam's Apple but could not make it through the spruce traps (he stated that one had taken him 10 minutes to escape) So he headed down to Taft Lodge again and headed up the Profanity trail which was not broken out but he made it to the summit. I mentioned that I was thinking of stepping off the Long Trail and onto the ski slopes, going to the top of the gondola, and taking the off piste trail to the summit. He said that sounded like a real good idea to him.

The plan was set. The cloud deck was at about 3000 feet. Above this the visibility was only 100-200', with a fine icy mist falling, just right to ice up the glasses in a minute or so. I made the summit without collision with any skiers. Saw no one above the gondola. The skiers trail is not visible above about 4000' feet and I am glad I had GPS because the visibility was so poor above the gondola that I got onto the Sunset Trail for about 400' as I was coming down.