Another awesome day, one of the best yet. I was the first camper up at the Hump Brook tenting Area and on my way before 7:30 am. Mentally tough to have to hike .8 mile on a side trail to get back to the LT. By far the longest side trail that I have taken to reach a shelter or camping spot.
View of Camel's Hump
By 8:00 am I was on the trail and ascending the “Hump.” I reached the summit at about 9:40 am and was in awe of the amazing 360° view of the major peaks of the northeast. You could see Whiteface and Marcy to the west; Sugarbush, Abraham, and Killington to the south; Franconia and Washington to the east; and Mansfield, Belvidere, and Owls Head (in Canada) to the north. By far the best spot on the journey (so far). I really appreciate the fact that Camel’s Hump is owned by the state and protected from the ski industry that has built on so many of the high peaks in Vermont. I stayed on top of Camel’s Hump for about an hour. The trek down was not that steep but seemed to go on forever.
Camel's Hump Summit
I reached River Road in Jonesville at about 3:00 pm. It is a three-mile road hike into Jonesville. When I arrived I went to the general store and got a roast beef sub and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Triple Caramel Chunk for dinner. Real food sure hit the spot. I then hiked up to Duck Brook Shelter, 1.7 miles north of Jonesville. No cooking tonight! The water source at this shelter is a beautiful brook with a waterfall, looks like a nice place to go for a swim. I thought that I had the shelter to myself, but a group of five from Wisconsin who I had chatted with this morning on the Hump pulled in really late. In every way, a very fine day.
Hiked 12.8 miles today.
