| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Killington Peak, Pico Peak, VT |
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 | Trails: |
Bucklin Trail, bushwhack, Long Trail, bushwhack, ski trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 24, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked one car at the end (Shelburne Pass Trail parking) and then drove to Bucklin Trail parking. Both lots were well plowed. |
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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: |
There were no issues - there are wood bridges over the significant crossings and snow bridges still over the smaller ones. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There were a few blowdowns along the way that were too big for the folding saw I had with me. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any dogs out on the trails but didn't see anything that would likely be a problem. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing lost. Nothing found. |
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 | Comments: |
The plan was to use the Bucklin and Long Trails to hit Killington and then follow the Long Trail over to Pico before heading down to Shelburne Pass. We found the trail already broken out so we were happy - it seems like we have done a lot of trail breaking over the past couple months so it was nice to be able to take advantage of someone else's work. We followed the prints until the Mendon Peak bushwhack cut-off where the broken trail left the Bucklin Trail and started towards Mendon (Bucklin from here was unbroken). The goal was Killington and another Hundred Highest - so we figured we would follow the tracks to see where they went. If it was Mendon and then over to Killington we would skip Pico. Not sure if the people that laid the tracks decided to skip Mendon or were just lost but after a little bit they corrected their course and worked back to the Bucklin / Long Trail Junction. Instead of going up the steep and deep connector trail to Killington we worked our way around the summit cone using the snowed-in stairs to get to the top. Much easier. We managed to lose the Long Trail pretty soon after the Bucklin Junction so we set a course to Snowden Peak and just traveled through the unbroken snow in the open woods using the "path of least resistance". We popped out just after the peak between a set of white blazes.
When we got to the Pico-Killington Connector Ski Trail we went left (the trail to Pico Camp continues straight across ski trail) but instead of taking the left (at the blue arrow) and climbing the steep and deep hiking trail we stayed on the ski trails and worked our way around to the summit. We did take the hiking trail back down to the Connector Ski Trail and were glad we didn't try to come up it. Once we hit the Connector Ski Trail we decided to forgo any more route finding in unbroken snow so instead of heading down to Shelburne Pass via Pico Camp we stayed on the ski trail and went to Killington for some waffles. We knew we would be able to take the shuttle back to Pico and do a 1/2 mile road walk to our car. What we didn't know is that the shuttle (Diamond Express Route) will stop wherever you want to drop you off - they stopped right at the trailhead lot. |
|
 | Name: |
Michael & Monica |
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 | E-Mail: |
akafuzzjones@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-03-25 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/104272382/ |
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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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