Bradford Dayhike & Dine #17! This month’s edition took place on the north side of Okemo Mountain in Ludlow, VT. I left home at around 1000 and used I-89 and I-91 (listened to audiobooks on the way) to drove to the Hartland Park & Ride (arrived at 1030). The rest of the group of 15 assembled by means of carpools set up for Park & Rides on I-91 in Bradford, Thetford and Hartland - they arrived at the last location at 1045. Consolidating further, we rode the rest of the way with our fearless leader, Jared. We used VT-131, VT-103 and VT-100 to get to Ludlow - the roads had all been repaired since my visit in early October. After driving all the way through town, we located the parking lot for the Healdville Trail. By 1145, all of the cars had reached the trailhead and we started up the mountain. It was chilly (30s), windy and overcast but the effort required for subsequent 1900 foot ascent warmed up my body pretty quickly. Still, I wore gloves and earmuffs for most of the hike. The trail was well maintained and I was surprised not to find a lot of mud. There was plenty of ice, though… Our group spread out pretty quickly but we mostly had the whole mountain to ourselves (only a few people passed us all day). There weren’t a lot of views until we got near the top of the mountain but then we were treated to a 360 panorama from the top of the (icy) old fire tower at the summit. We could see all the nearby mountains in NH and VT - some folks even claimed to see some of the ADK High Peaks. Ludlow (and the surrounding valley) were plainly visible, along with two different lifts for the Okemo Ski Resort. We’d seen (manmade) snow on some of the runs while driving but, unfortunately, none was close to our location. It was much colder at the ~3300 elevation and, soon after we’d all had our chance to climb the tower, it started to snow/sleet. We checked out one nearby chair lift but it wasn’t working. By that point, everyone else was ready to head straight down to the cars. Figuring I’d come this far and wasn’t yet tired, however, I took a (solo) detour to see another nearby lift and was treated to even better views of the town below. I could have walked farther to the main chairlift area but, instead, headed downhill. Before long, I caught up to the rest of the group and finished with them. The snow increased before we were done hiking (1600) but everyone was able to stay warm and avoid falls on the slippery rocks. Usually, we have gone to lunch after our hikes but the late hour meant it was nearly dark and closer to dinner time. For this reason, more than half the group departed early, rather than joining us for a meal at Killarney’s Irish Pub. It was their loss… The food was good and I enjoyed the beer (Rutland Red) and conversation. We wrapped up our time at the restaurant by 1730 and, after I caught a ride back to Hartland (VT-100, VT-103 and VT-131), I was driving Nessie again by 1815. I used I-91 to get back to Hanover (listened to audiobooks on the way) and made it to my condo by 1900. Overall, it was a great day on the trail, filled with awesome Upper Valley camaraderie. The cherry on top was the delicious food at another fine venue. Once again, we had Dayhike & Dine success!
