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Mendon & Killington 12-2-06
Ah, the infamous Mendon bushwhack. This was my last VT peak on the New England Hundred Highest list to conquer. The trailhead for the route I took is right next to the Bucklin Trail trailhead (AKA the back way up Killington) which I was familiar with from another Killington hike a few months ago. Only difference is you followed the gated logging road. The old logging road is in amazingly good shape. You will go by a small cabin along the way (which was inhabited when I passed believe it or not) after a while you will come to a fork with a cairn, go right (even though its down hill, no I am not talking about the catamount ski trail right turn don't follow that!). This will bring you to the first crossing. continue up the trail. you will make two more crossings of that brook, then pass over a section of land then make another crossing before heading into the hairpin turn sections. there are two cairns in the hairpin turn region (there apparently used to be three, but the middle cairn is apparently gone). I chose to start at the formerly 3rd now 2nd cairn (with a metal contained next to it). I took a waypoint marking with my GPS and proceeded bushwhack up to the 3500 or so contour then turn due west. I reached an opening chock full of blow downs. this was a nightmare to whack through. About in the middle I heard a large crashing noise like a bulldozer running through all the dead sticks and blown downs. I hid for fear that it might be a hungry bear, but now even though I did not see it I am very confident it was a Moose (lots of fresh moose tracks very nearby). I could see Mendon peak from the blow down regions and took a bearing and went directly at it. Once I got out of the blow downs it was easy and I was able to hook onto a herd path up to E Mendon then to W Mendon. Views from the uncut top were spectacular, more so from the smaller E Mendon than W. On my way back to E Mendon from W I encountered another moose which was black in the back half, and brown in the front. It was moving with great speed through the woods. I followed the Herd path until it petered out of existence. I bush whacked NE to the 3400 contour which I followed back to the logging road. With Killington in plain site (its very prominent even at 3400') I chose to head for the top instead of my car 9it was only 2:00 too so I had time!) I followed the old logging road towards the long trail. It brought me most of the way to the LT but after a while it petered out into a foot path which was heavily cleared with a chainsaw. this herd path brought me to the LT without any bushwhack at all (I lucked out, I had no idea if I would make it to the LT or not without a bush whack). I proceeded to Killington summit where it was amazingly cold and windy. The views were excellent! Also they were making snow on the trails so I got an awesome view of that too. I followed the trail east to the chairlifts and restaurant. after speaking with the Russian/East European lift operator briefly I found that the restaurant was closed. I took a video of the snow guns and was on my way back to the summit. I proceeded westward down Bucklin trail back to my car completing the loop! I finished mere minutes before it was too dark to go unaided by a flashlight. Click Here for the Hike Map
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