Breadloaf Mountain (3,835′) and Mount Wilson (3,745′)

The first hike back of the year is always tough. Winter seems to be, for most people, a time of hibernation. I’d fallen victim to it for years, turning into a hermit with the shortening days and wanting to stay inside until the sun started creeping out for longer after daylight saving’s time. This winter, between my farm and horse training jobs, I felt more fit and prepared than I ever had coming into the spring season.

We chose a more moderate hike for our first outing of the year to get back into the swing of things. With Vermont’s mud season hopefully wrapping up around Memorial Day Weekend, we hit a section of the Long Trail just outside of Waterbury around 8 am on Saturday heading north. The first two miles of the day were on the Skylight Pond trail up to those official white blazes. The climbs were fairly gradual and we hit a good pace right off the bat, the trail rolling along through serene hardwood forest. Weather forecasts called for rain around noon, so between the looming showers and this section being pretty remote, we were the only ones on trail that day.

After about 3 miles, the woods turned to spruce and a short while later, we made it to the covered summit of Breadloaf Mountain. There were a few views peering through the trees, but nothing substantial - this wasn’t expected, sometimes the hike isn’t about the view at the top but simply enjoying some time taking in the natural world. We continued on another 1.1 miles to Wilson while dodging piles of moose droppings, avoiding stepping on frogs hopping out from under our feet, and counting vibrant orange northeastern newts as they appeared on this misty day - I believe we found around 24 of them along our 11 mile total journey. It was a day of exploration and feeling like a kid again, taking moments to look at the little things.

Heading back around 10:30 am, the rain came sprinkling down. We stopped at the Emily Proctor shelter for an early lunch and to throw on our rain gear, moving forward through the striking green tunnel and making it back to the truck by 12:30. I learned I really do enjoy hiking in the rain and maybe I’m in better shape than I give myself credit for, not to be undone by the pints of crème brûlée ice cream-turned-melted milkshakes on the hour and a half long drive back to my mom’s place.

NH 3/48
New England 8/67
New England 12 and 13/100 Highest
Northeast 10/115

Killington Peak (4,229')

A quick trip up to visit my mom for Labor Day weekend meant poking around for something to do right in her theoretical backyard. My grandfather was born in West Rutland and eventually made his way back semi-permanently to build a vacation home in Clarendon in the early 1970s with Killington ski resorts right around 20 mins away. While I’ve never been skiing (definitely someday!), my mom had hit the slopes there dozens of times. No one in my family, however, had ever hiked up it. I somehow convinced my mom it would be a good idea to come with me.

We started around 9:30 am up the Bucklin trail, the sloping first 2 miles were misleading for what was to come as it was straight up from there. As we climbed, the trail conjoined with a grassy summer ski path - I’m not sure if the lack of roots and rocks made the ascent easier or harder, but it was a welcome change of pace as we began to see the cascading green and lots of familiar places like VT Rt. 4 and Killington village. Nearing the top, there’s a wooden stairway up to where the trail meets the gondola where visitors can take a ride to the restaurant and tourism center around a third of a mile down from the actual summit which is only accessible by a rocky spur trail.

It was a windy, chilly bluebird day and it meant so much to be able to share it with my mom. We spent around 20 minutes at the top admiring the near 360°, wishing the fire tower was still accessible to climb up and smiling over the fact that this was my mom’s first ever four thousand footer. She didn’t need to check off any lists, but I could tell the trip meant a lot to her too. I’m so thankful to have her as a mom - she has inspired and fostered my independence, love of the outdoors, and so many other positive qualities I’ve found in myself. We exchanged pictures and spoke with a few other hikers, then headed back towards the lodge and back down to the parking lot. That night, we cooked veggie burgers out on the grill and raised a pint of The Shed Mountain Ale by the fire pit - it doesn’t get much better than that.

NH 0/48
New England 2/67
New England 2/100 Highest
Northeast 3/115