May 19 – Spruce Mountain Trail

The weather forecast for the next few days looks kind of bad so even though we were tired we decided to head out again while it was still nice. Today’s forecast did call for rain but only after around 2 pm. It didn’t actually start until around 5, when we had long been safely back in the RV.

A book about hiking in Vermont had recommended this trail as a good moderate “family” hike. I think my kids would not have been happy doing this one. In total it is 7.5 km and about a 1200 foot change in elevation, or in more dramatic terms it is like going up and down a 120 storey building with rocky uneven stairs.

Here is our target.

And a zoom to the fire tower barely visible at the top.

The map of the trail.

Here is the elevation profile of the trail. As you can see it was a nice smooth gradual rise. Only near the very top did it get steep and we got out of breath and were heard saying ”Are we there yet?”.

The bottom 2/3 was nice and wide.

Our target off in the distance behind the trees.

Then it got rocky for what seemed like an eternity on the way up but much shorter on the way down.

Then we got to this huge boulder called a “glacial erratic” that was dropped by the glaciers.

With some interesting little caves.

Strangely just after this the trail changed to walking on what looked like bedrock.

Finally made it.

Unfortunately this is the only view Jennie got as there was no way she was going up the tower above the tree line.

We sat and had lunch before I went up the tower.

Up I go. Heights usually don’t bother me but this was a bit scary. Thankfully it was not windy so no rocking.

Back on terra firma we checked out what looked like the foundation to the fire watcher’s house.

Time to head back down.

Back in the RV the rains came.