Flagpole Hill in May

Hike Date: Monday, May 12th
Hike Distance: 2.5 miles (round-trip, GPS)
Time on the trail: 2hrs
Trail Conditions: clear & dry, very little mud
Parking: at the intersection of Taylor Valley Road and Chelsea Road

Parking sign on the tree at the large intersection pointing the way to Flagpole Hill.  The trail follows Chelsea Road for 100 feet before entering the woods on the right.

Fresh blazing (2013) thanks to The Mountain School trail adopters.

The trail follows an old logging road before turning into right the woods.

Vernal pools beside the trail ... drying up quickly.

The trail passes along the edge of an old clearcut with evidence of wind damage but the trail is clear. A nice easy walk to the north is parallel, and eventually through, a stonewall.

Spring flowers were out taking advantage of sunlight reaching the forest floor.  I'm no expert (corrections welcome) but the list included: coltsfoot

Bloodroot

Spring beauty

Red trillium

Trout lily

and common blue violets

At 1-mile the trail reaches a signpost and junction - Flagpole Hill is to the left and uphill.

The top of Flagpole Hill with the new (2013) single-post kiosk.  This is the western terminus of the CRT.

There are semi-obstructed views from the top looking both east and west.  With a little walking around, views of distant peaks include Camel's Hump, Mount Moosilauke, and Mount Cube to the east.  Sunday Mountain is the middle, rounded peak in front of Mount Cube.  Both are traversed by the CRT with the south summit of Cube 36-miles away by trail.

Signs of Spring

New information on trail kiosks including the kiosk on Lake Morey Road in Fairlee (the 3.3-mile trail section to Bald Top Mountain).

Trails are drying out fast but you can still find mud especially at higher elevations (ex. to Mount Cube, 2,909-ft) and in low lying areas including this stretch headed east towards Parker Rd from Vershire Center Rd in Vershire.  (Vershire work site for National Trails Day on the CRT, Saturday, June 7th.) (Overall, trails are in good shape - please refer to the Spring Hiking Guidelines for the CRT.)

Parking areas are open and clear with the exception of the driveway off of Vershire Center Rd accessing the trailhead to Patterson Mountain (as of 5/12/14).  The landowner is working to fix erosion issues and the driveway should be open soon.

Adopters have been out checking on trail conditions and viewing spring flowers.  A joint RTA / Green Mountain Club "O"-section hike traversed Sunday Mountain in Orford on Saturday, May 3rd.  (Another National Trails Day "4 Towns, 4 Work Events on the CRT" work site).

Unfortunately, spring also means it is tick season.
Always a good idea to do your best to prevent tick bites.

Students from Rivendell will be out on the trail exploring local history and searching for amphibians.  This summer will include 2-weeks of the Rivendell Student Trail Crew, the CRT Summer Hiking Challenge, and as well as family hikes on the trail ~ stay tuned.

Bald Top Mountain

Hike Date: Thursday, February 20th
Hike Distance: 3.5 miles (round-trip, GPS)
Time on the trail: 2hrs 33mins
Trail Conditions: packed snow on trail, deep snow off trail
Parking: along roadway (north of trailhead access and across the road, please don't block the VAST trail)

A hike to Bald Top Mountain from Bloodbrook Rd is great each season and this is especially true in winter.   The hike began on Bloodbrook Rd heading east from the gate now buried in snow.

The kiosk heading to Bald Top Mountain is dedicated to Allen Avery.

The VAST signage and blue blaze of the CRT.

Farm view from the trail.

The trail turns left and heads up from the shared VAST trail at 0.4 miles (marked by a CRT sign) ... easy walking on the snowmobile tracks.

The trail had been recently broken but there was still more than enough snow.

View to the SW, and Lake Fairlee, from a beautiful section of the trail with a high tree canopy.

Trail turned to the right and climbs a short distance to the summit (1.7 miles).  The trail was unbroken and the snow was deep (24+ inches) so snowshoes and poles were needed.

Views are largely to the north and northeast and include Black Mountain (left), the Kinsman Range (middle, more distant), and Mount Moosilauke (right).

Long views to the NE including the Connecticut River Valley.

View back to the summit after breaking trail and enjoying the sun and warmer temps.

Trail Notes: the lower section of trail in the Brushwood Forest (West Fairlee) will be logged this summer limiting trail access - watch for updates.  The removal of invasive trees (Buckthorn) will hopefully continue on the summit opening up views to the east.