I feel guilty. I haven't posted a blog post in two months. It's not that I haven't been hiking, but I've done a lot or repeats lately and I don't want to just re-post a hike solely to discuss changes in trail conditions. Leesa and I have done a lot of Adirondack High Peaks in the last couple months in order to make progress on her winter 46 list. They've been good hikes, but I've sufficed with a Facebook post here and there.
This weekend I ventured East into Vermont on Saturday for a short hike up Haystack Mountain in Pawlet. It was another repeat hike, but this time there was snow on the ground. I last climbed this peak on New Year's Day 2012 and there was no snow on the ground. It was a great afternoon hike after having climbed Mount Equinox in the AM.
It's been 6 years, so time for a re-visit and so the mountain in snow conditions. I had a 2 PM start, but the hike is only 3.3 miles round trip, so the late start was not a problem. As we were parking, another car pulled in and hopped out with a dog and started hiking.
I finished putting on my boots and snowshoes and Rev and I started out. We passed the woman and her dog Garcia after a short while. The woman didn't have her snowshoes (and she was wishing she had them). Her footing was less than ideal.
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| Haystack provides an imposing backdrop |
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| The beginning of the foot trail |
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| A profile view from the east |
Rev and I reach the summit in about 30 minutes. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. I took the opportunity to drink the hot chocolate that I had packed. I also snacked on some trail mix and gave Rev a few treats.
Garcia and her human showed up after a few minutes and we had a pleasant conversation. Rev and Garcia did the same. Afterwords they left and Rev and I stayed on the summit a little longer to enjoy the afternoon sun.
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| The summit of Haystack. |
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| Looking south. VT Route 30 down below. |
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| Looking east. |
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| Looking north to Middle Mountain and Pine Mountain, the other two sister peaks. |
It was easy to head down in the soft snow with snowshoes on. The gravel road and the bottom was mud, but the trail was fine in the snow.
This is a great little peak with fine views. The vertical gain is about a 1000'. A lot of bang for the buck and well worth 2-3 hours of your time. The parking is on Waite Hill Road in Pawlet. A small sign is on the north side where a narrow dirt road is the beginning of the hike until a foot trail veers off to the left.
Hike Stats:
Hike Distance 3.3 miles round trip
Hike Time: 2+ hours
Total Vertical Gain: ~1000'
