Guiding Camel’s Hump in VT

On Friday we brought returning guest, Brian, an accomplished boxer from New York, on a snowmobile to Caps Ridge Trail for a Mt Jefferson summit attempt. Weather and other factors stood in the way of an actual summit, but he got to fight another bout Sunday, this time with Redline Guide Álvaro Marques in his corner. And this time against a new contender: one of Vermont’s five 4000-footers. Specifically, Camel’s Hump (4081-feet). Álvaro provided this summary of the match. And in this corner… ding!

We started around 8:30am. Temperatures were in the upper teens with winds blowing hard all morning. It was also snowing a bit, a few flurries at the beginning then later picking up, enough falling and being blown to cover the trail in places. The trail’s base was snow packed enough for microspikes [but snowshoes were carried]. This was Brian’s first time doing Burrows Trail in the winter, which he seemed to enjoy. We had stops to eat, drink, and for other self-care. Once we get to the clearing we drank some more, had a bit of salty food and electrolytes. At this point we started going up the last stretch by the alpine area sign — see photo, inset — and were immediately slammed by heavy wind gusts, strong enough for us to lose balance. Brian did not feel comfortable continuing [acrophobia wins again] even with the offer of a shortrope option. He had hiked to the summit in the past, in the summer, and felt that today, due to the lack of views coupled with the strong winds, he decided he was good. —Álvaro

 
We understand. It is these reservations, this respect for the mountains, this understanding of what nature can dish out, and this conservativeness which keeps us alive and healthy so we can hike another day.

Well done team. Kept it safe and enjoyable like it’s supposed to be.