My 2nd (Mount Ellen) and 3rd (Mount Abraham) Vermont 4,000 footers!

Wendy signed up for a two-day conference in Burlington, Vermont. I like driving with her, and I want to start climbing the five 4000 footers in Vermont:


Since I did the shorter hike yesterday, today is the long hike - Mount Ellen (4,083 feet) and Mount Abraham (4,006 feet) [16 miles round trip]:


It took less than an hour to get to the trailhead (Jerusalem Trail) on Jim Dwire Rd:

I'm getting tired of these DIRT ROADS in Vermont:


Once again, the first section of the Trail is a nice moderate hike:

but after the first mile, the next 1.4 is "more upward", hitting The Long Trail after 2.4 miles.

I always thought they were called the "Green Mountains" because of trees, but I now believe it is because of the MOSS EVERYWHERE!:



And, of course, the view is just as good today as it was yesterday:


You hike 2 miles on The Long Trail before getting to the (wooded) summit of Mount Ellen - But get some GREAT VIEWS on the way:




At some point, the Trail breaks out of the woods:

with more great views along the way:


Just before getting to Mount Abraham, there is a short path to an airplane crash site (June 28, 1973 - the pilot survived):


The summit of Mount Abraham is pretty cool:




I then just retraced my steps 5.6 miles back The Long Trail:



After my hike (ended at 6), I passed 3 hikers down at the bottom of Jim Dwire Road. I said HI (we had passed each other on The Long Trail) and started down Jerusalem Road. After a hundred yards, I turned around and went back to them - they had parked at the other trailhead. I didn't ask what they thought they were going to do - I just said "Put your stuff in the trunk and get in." Drove down-and-around the mountains, and up ANOTHER DIRT ROAD to drop them off at their car. On the way back down, I went alongside a BEAUTIFUL stream/river (Cota Brook) alongside Lincoln Gap Road:



I took off my shoes and socks, and put my feet in the water - ahhhhh. Isn't that a nice, surprising way to end the day!!

Thank You God for a GREAT DAY! 16.13 miles in 7 hours 33 minutes, with an elevation gain of 3,381 feet!



Friday, June 24, 2016
left Wendy in Burlington at 9:30 - 10:30 at the trailhead
16.13 miles -- hiking (7 hours 33 minutes)
ribs at Texas Roadhouse in a mall for dinner! (Wendy pickup at 9)

um, I don't remember the albums I listened to, but the bar at Texas Roadhouse had at least ten tvs, showing at least six different (sports) shows!!

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Art Museums and National Parks (on May 2, 2016 I finished a 4-day trip to NJ-PA-VA-DC)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/