Bald Mountain Hike

On Saturday, October 16th, seven of us (Christopher, Christian, Rich, Rich's cousin Kim, Philip, Tom and myself) met up in Bennington, VT at 9AM.  We met up at the Bennington Square Shopping Plaza for convenience and because the trailhead had very limited parking.  It was overcast, cold and was misty, but there were clearer skys to the west, so we piled into 2 cars and headed down the road to the trailhead.  The White Rocks Trailhead was just a pull-off along the North Branch Street Extension.  The trailhead was also only marked by a small sign and blue blazes on the telephone pole here.  We got organized and set off around 9:15.  The trail follows a dirt road for a very short distance before turning into the woods.  It emerged from the woods to pass under the new Rt. 7 by-pass, which is under construction and then re-entered the woods, where it followed old logging roads.  The trail was well-marked and proceeded at a moderate grade.  It also crossed a couple of minor streams, as the trail entered the Glastenbury Wilderness Area.  As the trail climbed, we eventually emerged out onto an open area, known as White Rocks.  This was a minor slide area, which provided views back to Bennington.  We stopped here for a little bit before continuing on.  The trail ascends further up some more minor open rock slides before emerging onto an open false summit.  The trail then proceeded into the woods where the trail meanders up and down through the woods until it finally came to the junction with the Bear Wallow Trail.  There would have probably been an obscured view from here, except for the fact that there were still low lying cloud cover.  This was now the West Ridge Trail and it was only another 0.1 mile to the summit.  We arrived on the summit at about 12:10PM.  Bald Mountain is no longer bald, as the summit was mostly treed.  Here we enjoyed lunch at a nearby campsite.  It was a little raw weatherwise with a short spirt of snow/light rain mix.  After about a half hour and taking our summit group photo, we headed back down via the same trail.  If it had been nicer, there was supposedly an open ledge a little beyond the summit with views northward...but since it was so clouded over we didn't even bother.  On the way down it was again very social and easy going, taking several breaks along the way.  We got back to our cars at about 3PM and headed back to the shopping plaza, where we had left the other cars.  Afterwards most of us drove downtown to the Madison Brewery Company for drinks and a light meal (Tom and Christopher took off and did not join us, opting to head home instead).

Despite the clouds, which prevented much of the views, it was a nice day out with a great group.  It was very enjoyable and I thank everyone for coming out and doing the hike despite the less than perfect weather.

Join me for this 8.2 mile hike to White Rocks and the summit of Bald Mountain (2857').  We'll utilize the Bald Mountain Trail in Bennington, VT for both the ascend and return.  This is a local favorite, which provides for views into the surrounding area along with views into the Taconics and Green Mountains.  The trail follows initially old woods roads, then crosses several brooks and rockslides.  The elevation gain is approximately 2160'.  Trailhead:  From Route 7, take Kocher Drive, which is just north of downtown Bennington, east.  We'll meet up at the Bennington Square Shopping Plaza (there should be a Radio Shack, Payless Shoes, Olympia Sports and KMart in this plaza).  Look for a grey Hyundai Elantra.  I'll be in the lower portion of the lot farthest from the stores and near the entrance.  We'll carpool up to the trailhead off of the North Branch Street Extension (limited parking here).   What to Bring:  Typical fall hiking gear should be appropriate:  shorts or convertible hiking pants, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks and a windbreaker/rain gear (just in case).  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water (2-l minimum is recommended).  Optionally, pack bug repellent and sunscreen and anything else you may require for a day hike.  Afterwards:  We should be completed with the hike by 4-5 PM.  If there is sufficient interest, we'll cap the day off with dinner/drinks in the area afterwards.