Warren, VT (USA)

With the weather forecast looking great again, I left my condo this morning (0830) without a concrete plan.  I knew one thing, though, I wanted some Long Trail miles and some paddling!  Theorizing that one of the ski resorts south of Waterbury might have lifts running up to the LT ridge, I fueled up (and made a quick stop at Shaw's) at Irving in West Lebanon (0845) and headed towards Sugarbush Resort.  My route was essentially the same as the one I use to reach Middlebury (I-89 to VT-107, VT 12, Camp Brook Road and Bethel Mountain Road) but I never got on VT-125.  Instead, I stayed on VT-100 and weaved my way (winding roads) to the town of Warren.  After I arrived at the Lincoln Peak Village (1030), I was relieved to find that the resort was, indeed, running one of their lifts - whew.  After wandering around near the Clay Brook Hotel, I finally found guest services and bought a ticket.  I got geared up and (after more walking) headed to the Super Bravo Express Quad, which was waiting to take me up to Allyn's Lodge (three quarters of the way up the mountain).  It was a wonderful day (clear skies and temps in the low 70s) and I really enjoyed my ride (1100 to 1110).  After getting off the lift, I followed a gravel road ("Jester" Trail) towards the summit.  The sun was bright and the trail was steep enough to make it slow going.  Also, I made one wrong turn so wasted a bunch of mileage and stamina - dang...  Still, I passed a few other folks who were likely trying to visit the platform on Lincoln Peak.  Since I'd already been up there, I made a beeline for the Long Trail and headed NOBO.  By that point, I'd already logged about two miles of walking just since I'd arrived!  Hoping the extra steps wouldn't be costly, I decided to try to hike all the way to Mount Ellen, one of Vermont's 4K Peaks (4083 feet) - this meant that I was looking at almost six miles round trip before I'd be back at Lincoln Peak.  Fortunately, there was a nice breeze and some shade on the ridge and the only frustration I had to contend with was the PUDs.  Even though my FarOut app was showing "level", there were a series of false summits and LOTS of rocks (grrrr).  I made steady progress and avoided lots of mud - bonus: sometimes, there were some beautiful views of (in order from West to East) the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain, the Greens to the north, the Connecticut River and the Whites (I think I even saw Moosilauke) - wow!  Unlike many, many of my hikes over the years, today was not a day for seeking solitude - I probably encountered 30 people who were transiting south.  Thankfully, most were in good spirits and geared up for a long hike so we were all on the same page, vibe wise.  Highlights of the section included: watching gliders being towed and released in the skies above, summiting Nancy Hanks Peak (the third "Lincoln-related" summit I've crossed on the Long Trail), passing over Castlerock (3812 feet) and finally (after several PUDs that made me think I was there) reaching the top of Mount Ellen.  There wasn't any view at the summit of the latter peak (just a cairn) but I found the top of one of Sugarbush's lifts in a big clearing a bit farther to the north.  I ate a snack there and chatted with some folks who had climbed up from the Mad River Valley (about five miles to the north).  The views in this area were a bit subdued, either because of incoming overcast or because of smoke from the Canadian wildfires - I was glad I'd already seen my awesome vistas...  Backtracking seemed like it took less time, possibly because the general trend was downhill, but I still tried to take it easy in an attempt to avoid knee or heel pain.  I saw fewer people on the way back (10) but I never really felt like I was by myself on the trail...  Just before I reached Lincoln Peak again, I noticed a "short cut" that would allow me to walk up one of the ski runs ("Paradise"?) and I decided to say goodbye to the rocks, roots and mud I'd been "enjoying" all day.  Once I reached the access road I'd used to climb up from Allyn's Lodge, I retraced my steps back to the area near the chairlift.  By that point, I'd already walked about 9.5 miles and was ready for a break.  I'd been told there would be live music and beer when I returned and the rumor proved correct.  The staff ended up charging me for two beers (1530) but I never realized this until I got home (they used a digital receipt - (I did wonder why the beer cost so much but figured that was because of the venue).  Oh well, I only needed one anyway...  Taking advantage of the lift again, I rode in style to the base lodge and explored a bit before I headed back to my car and left the Resort (1615).  One of the staff members at Sugarbush had told me about a place to kayak called Blueberry Lake - it was located near the town of Warren (a short drive) and I took advantage of my route through there to get some snacks at the Warren Store (1630).  Without cell signal, I still managed to find the boat launch area because there were SO MANY CARS.  At that point, though, I was committed and (grudgingly) carried Tequila Sunrise for about 100 yards to the water's edge.  Starting at 1645, I paddled for 90 minutes (two complete circuits, counterclockwise, and exploring adjacent creeks and islands) in the pleasant little lake.  There were a lot of birds, a beaver, beautiful views and LOTS of people.  The best way to sum up my experience with other humans on the water today was that they seemed to be heavily fueled up with alcohol - it was not a quiet day of kayaking...  Wrapping up my day on the water at 1815 (after 4.5 miles), it took me a bit of time to load my kayak and then try to find my way back to VT-100 (no cell signal).  Eventually, though, I was on my way (backtrack route from the morning).  I reached home - exhausted - at 1945 but then loaded up my car with boxes and took them to the storage unit.  Finally back at home (2100), I finally felt like I could relax.  It was a wonderful day in the Green Mountain State!  Long Trail Today = 2.9 miles / LT Total = 141.9 miles