Bucklin Trail()

This was a real tough one, due a solid 8-12 inches of fresh snow the night before. Combine that with a few inches from a few days prior, and more up high including drifts, and I had to break out anywhere from 8-18 inches of snow, solo. Slow and steady was the name of today's game. Cooper Lodge is the place for pot in winter, I guess. Solid smell coming from the place on my way up, and stopped in on my way down to find a couple older guys clearly enjoying some of the stuff. All were Killington skiers/snowboarders. I thought I was to be the only hiker that day, but about a mile down I came upon a younger woman and her dog. The dog had indicated he was done climbing, and after a few questions/answers, the woman decided it best to descend. By her request I hiked out with them, some good lessons learned; I've learned many along the way myself! With a mile to go we came upon another young woman with her own dog, a spunky one who proceeded to chew a very young tree into a few pieces. The first woman gained additional knowledge, as the other dog had awesome boots and a special coat on (the earlier dog had neither). So the trail is broken out pretty well, at least for now. At least several more inches forecast for later in the week, so there'll be plenty of chance to get in on the trail-breaking action! 62 of Winter 67. This completes the Vermont 4Ks in winter for me, leaving five in Maine: Old Speck, Abraham, Spaulding, Bigelow West, and Bigelow Avery.

This was my first attempt to ski in to where the trail got steep and hike from there. It went pretty well but I didn’t have enough time to make the peak. Will try again another day.