Mt Ellen is a 4000-footer in Vermont that’s positioned on the Lengthy Path and on the high of the Sugarbush ski resort. I led a Inexperienced Mountain Membership hike to it with three different skilled winter hikers on Saturday, finishing the 8-mile out-and-back in 6 hours. There was lots of snow, and I doubt I might have discovered the Lengthy Path (ever attempt to discover white blazes in winter?) or damaged path to the summit on my own.
Mt Ellen might be the least climbed winter summit of the 5 Vermont 4000-footers, which additionally embrace Killington Peak, Mt Mansfield, Camels Hump, and Mt Abraham. There are two methods to method the summit, each through the Lengthy Path, from the north and the south. We took the southerly route, climbing the Jerusalem Path to the ridge after which following the Lengthy Path south. We wore snowshoes for your entire hike, whereas our path crampons got here alongside for the trip.
Following the Lengthy Path north was touch-and-go. The path hall is tough to discern as a result of the bushes alongside it are closely laden with snow, blocking a transparent line of sight. The snow depth is excessive sufficient that the bushes’ boughs, that are usually over your head, are at face or chest peak, so you must duck or slide below them, all of the whereas making an attempt to keep away from getting snow down the again of your neck.
Fortunately, we had been joined on this hike by Ken, who has intensive expertise mountain climbing and backcountry snowboarding as much as Ellen by the identical route. His familiarity was an enormous asset for our route discovering. Whereas I’ve hiked your entire Lengthy Path beforehand, the final time I’d been on Ellen or the path to its quick north or south was in 2008, so you would say my native expertise was a bit of rusty. Regardless, every little thing seems very totally different on the Lengthy Path in winter, and three-season experiences are so much much less useful than you’d anticipate.
Mt Ellen is located on the high of the Sugarbush ski resort, which had a 116″ base, having grown 10″ simply that week. As we approached the height, we encountered an growing variety of backcountry skiers who had been reducing new trails via the woods. That is probably fairly hazardous as a result of they’re not anticipating slow-moving snowshers to be in the way in which. Whereas we prevented an incident, we additionally misplaced the Lengthy Path amid the maze of tracks surrounding us within the woods. Moderately than attempt each (GPS isn’t particular sufficient to select the best route), we opted to hike to the ski slope after which comply with it to the summit.
Sugarbush, like many ski resorts, has guidelines for uphill journey however gives hikers a free cross to take action. Sadly, the principles and trails the place uphill journey is permitted are very obscure as a result of the paths referenced are resort-specific and never listed on any mountain climbing maps. I hadn’t deliberate for this contingency as a result of I didn’t anticipate to lose the Lengthy Path. However I’ll look into it earlier than subsequent month, after I’m scheduled to guide the identical hike up Mt Ellen once more (I’m gridding the Vermont 4000-footers).
Ken knew the way in which, so we adopted him up the ski slope, hugging the best boundary to keep away from being run over by downhill skiers and snowboarders. We needed to climb a surprisingly lengthy distance, all the way in which to the second ski raise. There, on the best, was a brief path resulting in the official Mt Ellen summit. We had a fast break and determined to attempt to comply with the official Lengthy Path from the summit again to the place we received sidetracked by the maze of backcountry ski trails.
On the climb up the ski slope, we’d seen an indication indicating the Lengthy Path on the best. So we hiked downhill up to now and butt-slid down the facet of the ski slope to the path as a result of the snow overlaying the doorway was so deep. We tried following it, however couldn’t discover the path, even with our Avenza GPS apps.
Moderately than plow ahead in what might have been a compromising bushwhack, we backtracked to the ski path and hiked down it once more, with the intention of retracing our steps. Ski Patrol did cease us, however understood our predicament and really helpful that we take a left onto the Exterminator Path, which might convey us again to the Lengthy Path decrease down the height. That labored very effectively, and we had a straight 4-mile shot again to the trailhead, retracing our steps from the morning.
