Camels Hump (NE#52), (VT#4)

I had been watching the weather for a few days. The previous weekend I had cancelled this very plan. I don’t always expect blue skies and bright sun but I do try to balance that desire with getting out there as much as possible. Ideally I would have gone up Saturday but a winter storm changed the plans to Sunday. I didn’t get my usual 4:00 am start but I believe I was on the road by just after 5:00. The drive from Keene to Burlington VT is a very boring one with 95% of it being interstate. Yes, I could have gone up via route 7 but that is much longer and I wanted to take advantage of the morning weather on Camels Hump. I arrived at the Burrows Trail trailhead at around 7:30. I took off my top layer leaving my base, mid and mid weight top because it was around 10 degrees with little wind. A peek at the trail revealed a nicely packed path, at least at the bottom, so I put my micro spikes on and headed out.

As most trails do, Burrows Trail was gradual to start. The sun was rising over the shoulder of a ridge to my right. The air was crisp but I could feel the sun warming my cheek. I always love the sound of my spikes on the cold dry snow. There is a soft crunch with each step. Its strangely satisfying. I walked on for about a mile and a half at a reasonable incline. The forest slowly started to become more evergreen. Deep fresh snow blanketed the branches. Its a sight I experience often but it never gets old. It never looks the same.

The trail was beginning to become more steep. The forest grew to be more mixed hard and soft woods. Areas were glade like, not very dense with trees. It was very pretty. The prevailing wind through here is evident as the snow has accumulated and stuck to one side of all the trees. Everything was very still, very quiet. I was making excellent time which is never a goal. It was just one of those days where it felt right. I reached a clearing which my map indicated is where the short summit spur broke off from the main trail. I took this opportunity to add a layer for the summit. The wind had increased a bit at this point so I opted to add a wind breaker with a hood. I got my pack back on and started for the summit.

The summit spur wound through some more dense forest before breaking out onto on an open ridge. It was one of the most beautiful sections of trail I’ve ever been on. The frozen snow covered scrub trees, the packed trail and the exposed ridge to my right. Magical. I walked along this ridge, blown away by the view. The ridge gave way to a short forested section. It was quite steep here. The wind had increased to probably 15-20 mph. I could hear the summit long before I could see any exposure. The trees began to part and give way to expansive views to the north.

From this view point I turned right, southerly. The gradual incline to the summit was bound on the right by exposed ledge. To my left was wide open ridge with expansive views.

The temperature had remained pretty consistent as I went up. With the increased wind I suspect the wind chill was around 0 degrees. My wind breaker was just enough to stay comfortable. I got a few summit pictures and headed back for tree line. I looked forward to traversing that beautiful ridge that I can only compare to Mt Carrigain and signal ridge in NH (not quite as good, but comparable).

I cant wait to return to Camels Hump. I have gotten a few recommendations for trails that provide better views all the way up. Its a beautiful mountain and not a very difficult winter hike. Even if I had needed snow shoes there were no really challenging or steep sections. Highly recommended!

Miles	Elev Gain	Time
5.5	2675	3 hours