The section of AT from Rt9 at Bennington to Killington is my favorite in the north so far. The trail traverses several wilderness areas and I pretty much stayed away from civilization for 5 days. Not even cell service! The AT shares the same trail bed as Vermont's old Long Trail for over 100 miles through the Green Mountain National Forest. The AT is noticeably more primitive: less blazing and blowdown removal, in places fairly tricky to follow.
The AT gets considerably more rugged with a lot of ups and downs. There are several big climbs to peaks just under 4000' which I haven't seen since central VA. Beautiful country.
One of the highlights of this section is the view from Stratton Mt. Firetower. Fortunately I hit it on a clear day. At this location Benton McKaye is storied to have formulated the idea for the AT.
Among the higher peaks in this region are Glastenbury, Mt Stratton, Mt Bromley, and Peru Peak. I noticed above 3000' that the forest changes to a sub-alpine mix of spruce and a rich mix of mosses and ferns. I love the elfin trails through the green.
1 comment:
Very cool story about the fire tower! I know how much you love to climb those! :)
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