| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Ellen, Mt. Abraham (attempt), VT |
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 | Trails: |
Jerusalem Trail, Long Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 9, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We planed to car shuttle for the Mt Abraham to Mt Ellen traverse. We parked a couple of cars at Jerusalem Trail near Mt. Ellen, our end point, and drove another couple of cars to Battell Trailhead off Elder Hill Rd. As we drove along Elder Hill Rd, we came to an abrupt stop where a snowplow obviously stopped plowing any further on the road and plowed the snow in the middle of the road to block any further progress. My gps indicated it was another 1.7 miles to the trailhead. I hadn't read anywhere that this road would be unplowed and it was very disappointing. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easily hop over any water crossings |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some blowdowns to maneuver over/under |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
As indicated above, my friends and I had planned to do a Mt Abraham to Mt Ellen traverse but we had to change our plans once we discovered that the road to the Battell Trailhead up to Mt Abraham was not plowed for ~1.7 miles to the trailhead. Not knowing whether or not Battell Trail was broken, we decided to go back to the Jerusalem Trailhead and start the hike up to Mt Ellen and then to Mt Abraham as an out-and-back hike which would be a 16 mile hike vs a 11 mile traverse. Jerusalem Trail was broken but required the use of snowshoes. Once we reached the junction with the Long Trail, the trail flattened out with some small up and down climbs along the ridge. Although the ridge was somewhat sheltered with trees, we still felt the cold winds come through. The rime ice on the evergreens were beautiful as we threaded the sometimes narrow trail along the ridge. We came to a clearing and made a right up to the ski lift and Mt Ellen summit. It was cloudy in the morning so we didn't have any views from the summit although we did get some views on the ascent. We continued on the Long Trail on the ridge toward Mt Abraham for a short while but the trail hadn't been broken. The trail was not visible but our gps helped keep us on track. Snow depth varied from a few inches to 1 foot+. As my extremities got very cold, the task of breaking trail for 3.7 miles from Mt Ellen to Mt Abraham on the ridge and then retracing the steps back did not seem wise in the cold (-2F windchill forecast at the summit). So I decided to go back down and have a nice, hot lunch instead. We hiked 8.4 miles round trip to Mt Ellen and it was a nice winter hike although it was disappointing not to be able to do the traverse as planned. I was told later that the Battell Trail was broken, so we could've done the road walk on Elder Hill Rd for about 2 miles and done the traverse. |
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 | Name: |
Christine C |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-12-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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