Ascutney Mountain

Part two of our three-part Vermont Travelogue takes to Ascutney Mount, near the White River.

The maps of the mountain promised several trails, with a few ways to the top. The mileage indicators were, 2-3 miles. What one has to take into account though is how much climbing you have to do. There was a lot, some of it rather steep.

About twenty minutes in we came across this grotto, which seemed like something out of Tolkein.

Here’s F., to show you the scale of that rock in the mid-ground.

The forest in July is a wonderland of mushrooms, dozens of varieties, all over the place. Here are some of the more striking ones, they’re about six inches tall.

About an hour up, we came to the highest waterfall on the mountain, measuring something like 70 feet. From here, I’m standing at the edge (well, not at the edge, a respectful distance from it) looking up the rocky creek bed.

I shimmied closer to the edge, held my arm out over the edge and snapped off a few random frames looking down. Here’s the best of them.

A half hour or so later we decided that, with the weather threatening the way it was, we ought to get back down and try plan B. Just as we were hitting the parking lot the rain started. We drove around, got some lunch, and this time took the main park road up to the top. Along the way we stopped to eat our sandwiches and enjoy the view of New Hampshire.

It’s always exciting to be looking down at the clouds.