Spruce Mountain Hike

 Saturday October 9 dawned sunny and cool with just a few puffy clouds. Eight hikers met at the world famous P&H truck stop in Wells River Vermont to carpool to the trailhead in Plainfield VT. A ninth hiker, John O from Burlington, met us at the trailhead.

The Spruce Mountain trail starts out gentle but becomes increasingly steep towards the top. It evens out just before the summit, which is covered in trees, however has a tall fire tower from which anyone willing to climb the steep and shaky stairway can see a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. In fact you can see a good chunk of the state of Vermont as well as nearby peaks in New Hampshire.  The sky was clear and we had a good view from the tower off to the West towards the Green Mountains. Camels Hump, with its distinctive profile, was easy to spot. 

The fall foliage was just a bit past peak in Northern Vermont but still gorgeous nonetheless. 

A small cliff atop the mountain offers a sweeping vista of the hills in Groton State Forest and the peaks of the Western Whites beyond. It was where we had our lunch and reveled in the beauty surrounding us, despite numerous other hikers and small children running about... We tried not to let them disturb our serenity. 

The descent back to the parking lot was pleasant and uneventful. The trees in the woods just coming up to peak color. After the hike we all pretty much went our separate ways except for a few hikers staying at a nearby inn, where we had dinner and planned another hike in the hills of beautiful serene spectacular Vermont. 

Thanks to Chris H for organizing this Columbus Day hike in Vermont.

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Join me on a Columbus Day weekend hike up Spruce Mountain (2,959 feet). Spruce Mountain may lack elevation but makes up for it in great views. Spruce Mountain is located 12 miles east of Montpelier Vermont. The foliage in this part of Vermont hopefully should be still at peak. The hike is 4.5 miles round trip with 1,340 feet of vertical.  The hike offers several good lookouts on the way to the summt which contains a fire town with excellent views of northern and central Vermont and Western New Hampshire.  We plan on having lunch on the summit.

What to bring: Typical fall hiking gear should be appropuate: long pants or convertible hiking pants, good sturdy hiking boots, multiple layers of shirts (depending on condtions) and a windbreaker/rain gear (just in case). Also bring a lunch and plenty of water.

No dogs please on this hike.

NOTE: Serious weather will cancel this hike.