Hikes to Try: Recap of Spring 2021 Hikes in Vermont

As usual, I'm busy poking my nose into the woods. Here's a recap of what I found or revisited in Vermont this spring. Happy hiking! --Paul William

White Rocks talus field

​Featured Stories: 
Bushwhacking the Talus: White Rocks Mountain & the Ice Beds

PEAK BRIEFS (in no particular order):​

---

A mountain gone to the dogs. So called “Dog Mountain” and the associated Dog Chapel and Angel Dog Monument (a golden, winged beagle somewhat reminiscent to the cartoon superhero Underdog) with in-house dog art gallery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont are a wonky slice of Vermontarcana. The chapel and trails are dedicated to canine lovers and the views from the hilly fields along the trail system make for a nice jaunt. 2.0RT or longer. ​

---

A hill with a little bit of the Devil in it. Devil’s Hill (2,050') is the latest addition to the extensive network of trails on state land in the Northeast Kingdom’s Groton State Forest. The peak likely got its name for hatefully having cliffs on two sides. There’s a sweet view northerly and westerly of the wilderness of the state forest from an open ledge near the summit, and a narrower view southerly down toward Martin Pond. The road to the trailhead out of Peacham, VT is about as narrow as they make them; expect to back up a long way if you bump into an oncoming car. Longer jaunts down to huge Peacham Bog can also be made from this point. 1.7RT​

---

Trespassing, courtesy of AllTrails.com. We can't tell you the name of this sweet little hike or mountain, because we probably should not have been there (but didn't know it till near the end of the hike). We found it on AllTrails.com; the hike looked like it started at a river near a road we were familiar with but we had to bushwhack across the river to get to the start of the trail. Later, we found out that the hike actually "starts" way up a private driveway and the trail system passes through the backyard! We tactfully bushwhacked around the house and took note. This illustrates one of the persistant problems with AllTrails.com. It's like having high intelligence: it allows you to end up in situations that normal people wouldn't get stuck in. 

---

It's a traditional Scottish name, it doesn't mean you've got tin stuck in your mouth. Tinmouth Mountain, located in the interestingly-named town of the same name, is part of the Taconic Range, the oldest part of the Appalachians. There's a halfway decent view of the Green Mountains and White Rocks from a ledgey area part way up where the trail ends but there are plans to extend the trail system further up the mountain (2,835 summit), perhaps to the other side where the town maintains a community cabin. It's a sweet short and steep hike in its current manifestation, but not something you'd drive hours to visit by itself. If you're in the vicinity of nearby Killington for a Long Trail or NE4K hike and have some spare time to fill, it's worth a jaunt. 2.3RT

---