Mt Ellen (NE#51), (VT#3)

The previous weekend I had planned to hike Mt Abraham and Mt Ellen via the Battell Trail and the Long Trail. Conditions came together that kept me a mile away from Ellen and turning around. A storm on Friday meant the most logical day would be Sunday 2/9/2022. This would give me Saturday to deal with storm clean up and do other domestic chores. I also thought I would have a better chance of encountering broken out trails on the Jerusalem and Long Trails.

I got up at 3:15 am and was driving by 4:15. I watched the outside temperature on my dash as I drove. Just north of Rutland VT, about 40 minutes from the trailhead, the reading was -12. It rose steadily to -5 when I arrived just before 7 am. From the looks of the trailhead, it was going to be snowshoes all day. I packed my microspikes away, put on my gaiters, and buckled my snowshoes on. I had been having problems with my water freezing early on these cold hikes. I tried filling my Nalgene bottles with warm water but it would get cold on the long drive. I tried a new tactic. I had lost a glove on Mt Chocorua a couple weeks earlier leaving me with a single very warm glove. I stuffed the water bottle in the glove and put it on my dash where the heat could get to it for the entire drive. The water was very warm when I arrived and didn’t freeze until I was well on my way back to my car. I also keep a backup Nalgene deep in my pack wrapped in my spare puffer coat that never freezes.

I warmed up quickly as I made it over the snow bank to the Jerusalem Trail. There appeared to be a set of single out and back snowshoe tracks. This was going to make for smooth, decent paced hiking. I covered the first very gradually inclining mile quickly. The trail was lined on both sides by maple sap lines tapping into every maple tree I could see. Venturing off trail here would not be wise as these lines would be constant obstacles. At the one mile mark I decided to stop and take off my top layer. I think the temperature was probably around zero. The remaining three layers would be fine. I crawled on all fours beneath a web of sap lines to stay the on the trail. It gradually became more steep as I passed the 2 mile mark. At 2.7 miles the trailbreaker that came before me decided to turn around. The snow at the trailhead was about a foot deep. I had noticed it deepening as I hiked and now I would say it was at a consistent two feet deep. Breaking trail from here was going to be a lot of work but doable.

As I assumed my new trail breaking duties, the ascent began to get a bit steeper and the snow deeper. The trail was not easy to find with various routes appearing in the snow. At about 3 miles the trail became very steep. I was considering how to handle the situation. The snow was averaging 2.5′ deep with drifts over 3.5′. As the trail got steeper I found myself pushing through waist deep snow. I was unable to get my snowshoes consistently to the surface. I was taking frequent breaks to not only rest but also to consult my GPS to ensure I was relatively close to the trail. I decided that I would push on to the Jerusalem/Long Trail junction. Once there I would assess the condition of the Long Trail and decide if I turn back or push on another couple miles to the summit of Mt Ellen.

I did finally make my way to the trail junction. The Long Trail was indeed NOT broken out. But being higher on a ridge the wind had compacted the snow better, for the most part. There was still about 1.5 feet of powder and drifts to 2.5 feet. But this was easy compared to what the upper sections on the Jerusalem trail had just thrown at me. I decided to make the attempt to get to the top of Mt Ellen.

Making my way along the high wooded ridge was slow. In the beginning, there were faint traces of previous hikers. These tracks were covered by 1.5 feet of powder. The drifts were deep, but I was able to follow the trail for the most part. Then the tracks went away. The white blazes marking the Long Trail became very infrequent and I actually didn’t see any at all for many very long stretches. This again made me rely upon my GPS to tell me where I was in relation to the trail. A middle section of the ridge was completely untraversed. There were several very challenging spots where the trail went very sharply up for short runs. Other sections made me consider taking my snowshoes off or crawling with them on. I then came upon a section as I neared the ski are and the summit that was wide and packed. This was such relief. I soon found myself on a glade ski trail, still in the woods. I then came to an opening where I joined a groomed ski trail. This trail brought me past a running chair lift and many skiers. I could now see the summit with a quad chair lift not running. I made my way along this steep run to the top of Mt Ellen.

Once at the top I found a sheltered spot out of the wind to take a break, have a snack and rest a little. I then looked around for the actual trail. Failing to find it and having little interest in looking much harder, I retraced my steps back down the ski trail to the glade I came in on. From there I found the Long Trail and was on my way out.

The trip down was smooth and much less difficult. I think I did it in about 2 hours. The slowest parts were those on the steeps of the Jerusalem Trail. Very difficult to get solid footing in the deep snow. When this happens, the snowshoes become skis and you just ride it out. Pretty common to fall in those scenarios. Plenty of soft snow to land in but getting back up can be challenging!

I have never had a strong opinion about post holing. I do now. In the amount to time I was gone to the summit, someone had bare booted a big chunk, out and back, of the lower section of the Jerusalem Trail. This caused large holes and very uneven surfaces. Some hikers bare boot, some snowshoe. I do dare say that the bare booter would not have ventured out on the train IF snowshoers had not broken the trail. It really made what I was looking forward to as an easy walk out much more difficult than it had to be.

All in all, it was a great day! Probably one of the most strenuous days I’ve spent on the trail.

Miles	Elev Gain	Time
11	3026	6.25 Hours