Mansfield is the highest peak in Vermont, a giant bulge that rises above the landscape in northern Vermont. If you look at it just so, it looks like the totem-pole profile of a man, lying on his side, complete with a prominent forehead, nose, chin and Adam's apple.
It is the "chin" that is the highest point, topping off at 4,393 feet.
Tony and I were joined by a colleague of mine, who for the purposes of this trip report, will be known as "il Papa," and we decided to take what can be considered the classic hike to this peak: up a trail called Sunset Ridge. It's so named because it is supposed to be breathtaking to be on while the sun is setting.
Yet again, the toughest part of the hike was getting to the trailhead. We're still used to New Hampshire where the signs are plentiful and the guidebooks give the smallest of details that help with trip planning. This time, we ended up having to ask a US Army soldier, out for a run on her cross-country ski-type roller blades, how to get to Underhill State Park.
We turned around and finally found it. At the front gate, we paid the range a nominal fee for parking, and got ready to head up the trail.
This is a wonderful hike because it doesn't take long _ maybe an hour _ to break above treeline. And once your out of the scrub, it's absolutely breathtaking the panoramic views you get from this trail: Lake Champlain, the Daks _ what's that sound we hear? Are those some more peaks calling our names??? _ to the west. As you gaze up to the ridge, you spot a plethora of antennae that grace the top of Mansfield's "nose."
The rocky ledge that takes you up Mansfield's western shoulder and then along the spiny "face" is steep but not technical. This is a cardio workout. It's nice to have the handy excuse of awesome views to stop and catch your breath!
Then once on top of the summit, you can see the White Mountains to the east: the presidential range, the Franconia range, Moosilauke (the westernmost of the New Hampshire 4Ks). The famed Long Trail cuts a ribbon along the ridge, and you can spy Ellen and Abraham and Camel's Hump, three of Vermont's five 4Ks to the south.
Go To Page: 1 2
