John took a week off from work so we could finish the 100 Highest mountains that we needed in Vermont. We spent three nights at Emerald Lake State Park located near Dorset. It’s a mixed bag when spending more than a night in one place: I love stringing up the lights in the tent, which seems silly to do for one night, but it can make it a really aggravating experience when your camping neighbors are less than ideal (more on that later…)
Saturday, July 2, 2022: Our first full day we met a friend at the Stratton Mountain trail head. It had rained overnight and the forest was misty and green; the sky threatened more rain, but nothing came of it. The hike itself was easy and quick. There was no view from the tower at the summit because of fog and clouds, but we took pictures anyway. On the descent we received word from an AT through hiker that there had been a black bear with a couple cubs near the trail. We hiked on in silence in the hope of seeing them for ourselves but were disappointed.
Same day, different hike: Dorset Mountain. The three of us drove to the start of the herd path, which actually turned out to be a clearly marked trail that wasn’t a bushwhack at all. The air was heavy with humidity, and the steady climb made me sticky and uncomfortable, but the woods were beautiful with lots of green ferns. When we got to the ridge it got trickier: there were herd paths in multiple directions that were not showing up on the All Trails app. We guessed and kept taking the left trail when this happened. There wasn’t anything super special about the summit of Dorset, though there was a canister for us to sign into.
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Adventuring with Mel and John 