We packed up and left Burlington, headed over to the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. On the way we decided to do a quick hike on Camels Hump State Park while still in Vermont. It would end up being anything BUT a quick hike.
Parked out in parking area was a fancy Mercedes all-terrain vehicle which had traveled all over the world.
And then a nice little warning at the start of the trail.
2.4 miles seems reasonable, until you find out that it includes approximately 2000 feet of elevation rise and half of that rise occurs in the last half mile. Fortunately we didn't know that until we got to the last half mile. :) From the looks of the beginning of the trail, we figured maybe 2.5 to 3 hours ought to suffice.
Tina's totally drenched in deet to keep the ticks away.
A decorative pile of rocks made up by some of the fellow hikers.
With about a mile to go the trail got much more rockier and steeper to boot.
And then for the last half mile it just got to be a pure rock faced trail.
Tina struggling up the roughest part of the hike.
And then you're at the top ...
...and oh what a sight it offers.
The last 100 feet or so are all above the tree line offering a beautiful view in all directions. We were told by a local guide person who stays at the summit during the day to provide info to climbers that this was one of the rare days when there was little wind and no fog or clouds of any significance to interfere with the view.
And then it was back down the 2.4 mile trail to get to the car again. Total time of a little over 5 hours. According to Tina's fit-bit, the 4.8 miles of the trail actually took us closer to 8 miles to cover since we had to go from side to side on so many of the rock portions of the trail. Totally enjoyable, but we felt totally whipped by the time we got back to the car.