| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Mansfield (The Chin), VT |
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 | Trails: |
Sunset Ridge Trail, Eagle Cut Trail, CCC Road, Long Trail, Halfway House Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, September 16, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Underhill State Park parking lots less than half full. $4 day use parking fee. Pay attendant at office cabin or leave cash in the envelopes at the office door. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridges intact, no unabridged water, some streams were near dry, some were running. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Not enough or fresh enough blazes on Halfway House Trail.
Blazes could use repainting painting in places.
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Several happy dogs. One hiker said he had to lift his sheepdog a couple places on the Sunset Ridge Trail |
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 | Bugs: |
Some mosquitoes, more so on the Halfway House Trail. Did not use head net or repellent.
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 | Lost and Found: |
2 empty pint plastic water bottles. No other litter seen. |
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 | Comments: |
Friday, September 16
Mt Mansfield, highest point in Vermont and highest point in Green Mountains.
Leaves not quite changing color yet, with a few exceptions. A few colored leaves had fallen on trails.
Took gravel entrance road to the Underhill State Park parking lot on the west side of Mt. Mansfield. Paid $4 day use fee (put the receipt on car dash) and parked in the smaller upper lot. Lots were less than half full early in the morning. Paid fee in person inside the attendants cabin office or if attendant is not there, pay using and envelope/receipt provided on the office door and put envelop in slot.
Temperatures had dipped into the high 40s over night, but got up to about high 50s-low 60s by later in the day. Nearly clear conditions with good long distance visibility.
Took CCC Road at the gate (to the left of the upper parking lot) to the Sunset Ridge Trail trailhead. Signed in/out at trail register located at the trailhead. Took the Sunset Ridge Trail (rating is difficult on map). In a couple locations I used hands and knees to scramble over rocks. This trail has some sections of slab (ledge) and could be slippery in places if wet. At intersection with the Long Trail turned north to the Mt Mansfield Summit (called the "Chin"). There is a round metal USGS summit marker bonded to rock, but no other summit sign. There was a helpful young female summit steward there from 9am to 5pm. She pointed out the following mountains which where clearly visible from the summit- The Northern and Southern Presidential Range in NH including Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison; Camel's Hump and Killington in VT; the Adirondacks in NY including Whiteface, Marcy, and Algonquin. There were a lot of people on the summit and along the summit ridge at mid day, perhaps about 100. Then took the Long Trail south along the Mt. Mansfield summit ridge. The trail to the southern Mansfield peak, The "Forehead" has been closed for years (since 1997) due to FCC Radio Frequency radiation safety regulations for the radio and TV transmission antennas. I took the gravel service road to the transmitter building which is a as close as you can reasonably get to the antenna towers. Then turned back north on the Long Trail to the Halfway House Trail for the descent (rating is Very Difficult on map). This trail was hazardous in some places with wet tilted slab, some with slippery slime on the slab. Saw NO One at all on the Half Way House trail over its full length- it looks little used judging from its condition. Then took CCC Road back to the parking lot. Throughout the hike, especially in the afternoon, I heard the nearby Vermont National Guard Camp Ethan Allen located in Jericho, VT (it borders Underhil, VT) firing range in use. Sounded like 3 types of sounds- artillery, Browning M2 machine guns (a slow cyclic rate of fire), and M16 or a variant rifles (a high cyclic rate of fire). The sounds seemed to intrigue some of the other hikers who speculated what the sounds might be. |
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 | Name: |
sota |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-09-17 |
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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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