Target: 43.020553, -73.066551
Type: Random
State: Vermont

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I arrived in the Green Mountains late in the afternoon. I had chosen a developed campground for the first night, since I didn’t know what to expect. The campsite was reasonably private and had the usual picnic table, fire ring, and grille. Nothing fancy, but better than a motel.

I decided on a random spot because the highpoint is a ski resort, and I don’t know enough about the Forest to have an opinion on what is worth doing. Most of the online suggestions seemed pretty crowded, whereas my software chose a place that looked, at least, to be out of the way.

I was up early the next day and headed down towards my random spot. The map showed some roads and trails heading in the general direction I wanted to be so I started following them. Kelly Stand Road took me to an unmarked forest service road, which weirdly had mileages posted to distant locations even though the road appeared to end just a couple of miles down. I would soon understand why, and benefit greatly from it.

The FS road had a few turnouts for camping, complete with fire rings. I drove to the end of the end and saw the start of a trail, then headed back to the last campsite. Anxious to get moving I packed some water and lunch, then headed to the trailhead. There was a sign stating that snowmobiles were allowed in the winter months and I realized that the mileage signs were for them! There was nothing on my map to suggest that these trails were significant, but I guessed that they probably covered much more ground than they showed.

I set off in the general direction of my random spot. There were some branchings and I just followed the most likely option for a while. The forest was subtly different than what I’d been seeing further south. Sugar maples and beeches shared space with fir trees which dropped their needles down my collar every time I pushed them aside. The undergrowth was interspersed with boulders that had a rounded glacial appearance, and the abundant water was either boggy or flowed gently through high rocky beds.

I eventually reached a point where the map showed a trail branching off towards my random spot, but there was no trail, or even suggestion of a trail that matched. I chose a likely direction and set off to bushwhack.

The trees weren’t very thick and I made good time. There was a creek between me and the spot, but I guess, correctly, that it would be pretty low this time of year. The banks, however, were high and it took some work to get down, but was well worth it. This was the perfect place to be on a late summer day. The sun dappled the scene as it broke unevenly through the leaves. The water burbled and splashed amongst the boulders. And the high banks kept the rest of the world at bay, capturing this sinuous peace in its walls.

I wanted to see what was ahead so I kept moving, but decided to spend some time at the creek on my way back. My spot wasn’t far ahead and turned out to be a fairly nondescript piece of forest, as expected. I took a moment to catalogue it in my head, then turned back.

Reaching the creek I decided to spend some time wandering along it. The boulders were thick enough that I could easily make my way without getting wet. I came across a deep pool with a flat rock at its edge, perfect for sitting. There just happened to be a break in the foliage and the sun was shining strongly down bringing welcome warmth. I spent almost two hours reading, contemplating, and just enjoying being there.

I gambled that the trail had continued in the same general direction as I left it and carried on downstream. I figured it had to cross at some point and I would pick it up then. I was right, and had an easy walk back to camp.

I knew from the map that the Long Trail was only a few miles away and while I was hiking and comparing the actual trail to the map I worked up the idea that the snowmobile track might take me to an old trail that would take me to the ridge where the LT runs. The next day I decided to give it a try.

Not sure what to expect I set off early again. The first part worked out as planned, but when I got to where the trail cutoff should have been, I saw nothing but forest. After exploring the area for a while to be sure I wasn’t missing anything I decided there was nothing for it but bushwhacking up the mountain. It was steep and the undergrowth thick in places, but free of thorns, rhododendrons, and other pace destroying obstructions. I made good time and about three quarters of the way up I pushed through a patch of low firs and found myself on another wide, if overgrown, snowmobile trail.

Continuing uphill it knew that I was getting close to the Long, but seemed to parallel it for a while, then turned the wrong way. I backtracked and bushwhacked again until I came on a narrow cut. Looking closely both ways I spotted a white Appalachian Trail blaze and knew I’d found my goal (the AT uses the Long Trail in this section).

After carefully studying the place where I’d joined the trail so that I could find my way back I took off to the south. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I knew there was a shelter somewhere up ahead and Goddard Mountain a ways further on. I settled into a nice pace and enjoyed being alone in the northern mountains.

I came on the Kid Gore shelter in due course and decided to have lunch and fill my water bottles. The views were somewhat restricted, but there was a long range tunnel through the trees, capped by white clouds in a blue, blue sky. Idly flipping through the trail register showed very light traffic this year. an AT hiker I had talked to on my way in to the Forest on the first day mentioned that only a quarter of the usual number were expected to finish the trail this year. The closing of Smoky Mountains NP in May was a crucial impediment to most attempts, and only those who went home and waited to start again heading southbound from Katahdin in July had any chance of making it.

I continued on the Goddard and found an old fire tower at the summit as well as the convergence of several snowmobile trails. I climbed the tower to see if I could tell if any went in the direction I was going, but it was impossible with the thick tree cover. The wind was strong and icy at the top and I didn’t stay long, despite the incredible 360 degree views.

Backtracking, I made my way to and through the bushwhack and back to the trail I had stumbled over on the way up. I decided to follow it a ways and see where it would take me. As luck would have it, this turned out to the be the very trail that I had abandoned to go up the first mountain of the day! I was back at camp in late afternoon with a perfect fourteen mile day under my belt.

I had planned to spend another day in the Forest, but my Jeep was having issues and I decided to get it to the shop before making the long drive home. With another great weekend in a beautiful National Forest complete, I headed out.