Mt. Moosalamoo Hike

On Saturday, October 10th , we met up at the trailhead for Silver Lake and the Falls of Lana off of Rt. 53.  It was chilly and still drizzling when we got there.  Initially it was George, Phil and I, but we knew Dave was coming up from MA for the day and we waited an hour for him (knowing he does come when he signs up for hikes).  At 10:30AM we started out, despite the fact that Dave still hadn't shown up.  We headed up to the Falls of Lana, where there was an overhang to view the falls from above, but no good view of it.  We continued along the Aunt Jennie Trail, where we quickly came to a point where a bridge over Sucker Brook had washed out and hadn't been replaced.  We crossed the brook and proceeded up to the junction with the Rattlesnake and Aunt Jennie Trails.  We stayed on the Aunt Jennie Trail, which is the most direct route to Rattlesnake Point.  It was moderately steep in sections, but we took several breaks along the way, so that we could all stick together.  We reached the Rattlesnake Cliffs, which is at the end of a spur trail, shortly before noon and took in the views of Branbury State Park and Dunmore Lake below.  It was still overcast, but warming up.  We then continued on to summit Mt. Moosalamoo via the Oak Ridge Trail.  This trail is an easy walk through the woods on its way up with an additional elevation gain of appoximately 1000 feet.  About half way up the trail we finally ran into Dave.  He had passed us while we were on the cliffs and had already summited Moosalamoo and was returning.  After the usual introductions, we all continued up to the summit (2659') and had lunch.  It was almost 1:30PM and the skies were just starting to breakup and the sun was shining through.  After the break we returned via the same route back to the cliffs, since Dave had missed these on the way up.  Since it had cleared, there were now views from the trail westward to the Adirondacks and to the peaks eastward along the Long Trail.  After a suitable break on the cliffs we continued back down...this time descending via the Rattlesnake Trail.  Back at the Sucker Brook crossing we decided to take the trail along the northern side of the brook to get a better look at the falls.  This was part narrow ledge and part short scrambles in spots.  From this side there were beautiful views of the main portions of the falls.  A short distance from here there were also minor cliffs, where we met up with folks rock climbing.  This spot also provided nice views over the park and lake below.  The trail continued down to the Branbury State Park campground, where I was staying.  From here it was a short walk south along the road back to the cars.  We reached the cars at around 5PM.  Phil and Dave had previous commitments, so they took off.  George and I went back to clean up.  That evening we met up with Chris and Don, who were joining us for the rest of the weekend and went up to Middlebury for dinner (Two Brothers Tavern).

It turned out to be a fantastic day, despite a little unsettled weather at the start of the day.  Thanks to George, Phil and Dave for joining me.

Join me for this 5.8 mile loop hike, which will begin with viewing the Falls of Lana at the beginning of the Aunt Jennie Trail.  The falls are a tiered waterfalls which drops 100 feet through a narrow gorge.  The trail then proceeds to Rattlesnake Point on it's way to the summit of Mt. Moosalamoo (2589') via the Oak Ridge Trail.  There are spectacular views of Silver Lake and Lake Dunmore from the cliffs and fine views from the summit of Mt. Moosalamoo to the surrounding wilderness (particularly to the east and south).  The return is via the Oak Ridge and Rattlesnake Cliff Trails.  The elevation gain is approximately 1870 feet.  Trivia:  Moosalamoo means "trails of the moose".

Trailhead:  The Trailhead is in the Town of Salisbury on Route 53 in a paved parking lot, prominently marked for Silver Lake and Falls of Lana.  There is a day use fee of $3.

What to Bring:  Typical fall hiking gear should be appropriate:  shorts or convertible hiking pants, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks and a windbreaker/raingear (just in case).  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water.  Optionally, pack bug repellent and sunscreen and anything else that you may require. 

Afterwards:  We should be completed with the hike by 4-5PM.  If there is sufficient interest, we'll cap the day off with dinner/drinks in the area afterwards.

NOTE:  Contact me, if you're interested in camping on Friday/Saturday/Sunday, as I will be staying at Branbury State Park (http://www.vtstateparks.com/index.cfm).  I will be happy to try and coordinate.  This may be handy if you're also planning on doing Bread Loaf/Wilson and Snake Mtn hikes with me over the Columbus Day Weekend.