Last Wednesday was the first day of summer, and in a fit of nothing better to do, I decided to once again hike up Bald Mountain, but this time to spend the night. Wife was away visiting family, and I hadn’t been on the trails for a while. Besides, this was the perfect excuse to continue testing the backpacking equipment- I hadn’t tried the sleeping gear yet. Since there’s a shelter on the summit, I wouldn’t have to test the backpacking tent I’ve yet to purchase.

This was the third time up that hill. Located between East Charleston and Westmore, its summit is a bit over 3300 feet. Reportedly, years ago the summit was bare, but now it is well forested, with no real views except from the fire tower. Some of the finest views in New England can be had from its top. My last trip up was in July 2022; here’s the trail report and photos from that trip.

I arrived at the trailhead around 3PM, and had the parking lot to myself. As usual I decided to ascend the Long Pond Trail. Some guides rate this trail as “hard”, but I struggle with that. There is a steep start to the trail along an old fire road; perhaps a half mile or so until you arrive at an open area, which may have been the original parking area for the trail? There the trail heads off into the woods.

For roughly the next mile, Long Pond Trail is downright easy. Very wide and not too steep at all. A nice walk, even with a 27 lb load on your back. I am intentionally carrying heavier loads than normal during these conditioning and testing hikes. When I engage on some real overnight trips, I hope to keep the weight at 20 lbs or less.

There was a bit of mud along the way, but nothing that couldn’t be easily avoided or rock-hopped. The fourth “bridge” up from the trailhead suffered some damage over the winter, but was still very usable.

The last half mile to the top is steep, with the grade consistently 25-30%. But the trail is well done, with stone steps where needed and no scrambles. It’s a good workout, but overall the trail is more “moderate” than “hard”, in my opinion. After about an hour and twenty minutes of hiking I reached the top and surveyed the evening’s accommodations.

There was nobody else up there, and as it was getting late in the day the chances seemed good I’d have the place to myself. After resting for a few minutes, I checked around the shelter area, and found nothing to be concerned with, except the proliferation of dog crap. People need to do a better job of cleaning up after their critters.

It was breezy, but not breezy enough to keep the bugs down. There were some, but not swarming, and not biting. Inside the cabin, there were none, and the space was quite clean. That shelter can comfortably house four persons, and in a pinch easily double that using the table top and floor space. Being the only customer for the evening, I selected my spot and set up the bedroll.

My plan was to head up the fire tower and get some photos and video of the sunset, and if I woke up early enough to do the same at sunrise. I spent the time waiting for sunset enjoying the homemade chicken salad wrap I’d brought along for dinner and watching the birds flit about. After dinner I gathered up the rest of the food and trash, placed it in a water-resistant bag and hung it where the critters hopefully wouldn’t be able to reach. There are critters large and small up here, and I did not want unannounced guests wandering into the shelter looking for a snack. On the way up I saw bear tracks in one of the mud patches.

As sunset approached I headed up the tower, and was not disappointed. Here’s a short video of it, featuring Lake Memphremagog to the right of the frame along with the northern end of the Green Mountains, including Jay Peak. It was quite windy up there.

Once dark, there wasn’t much left to do except call it a night. Part of me was dreading this, for it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve slept on anything other than a bed. It was bad enough back in the olden dark ages when sleeping bags were meh and all one had between the bag and the hard surface below was a foam mat at best- I did not know what to expect.

Oh my, have things changed. Last March I purchased an REI Trailmade 20 sleeping bag and Helix air mattress. The Helix was incredible! Not only was it easy for the old lungs to inflate, when lying on it, whether on my back or side, nowhere did the cushion bottom out and place me in contact with the platform below. Simply amazing. The sleeping bag was also very comfortable; perfect for summer weather.

I slept like a baby, waking as planned at 0430 in order to catch the sunrise. When I opened the door of the shelter into the false dawn, there was a large snowshoe hare sitting 20 feet away. He looked at me, and I at him for about 10 seconds, and then the bunny hopped off into the brush.

The wind had died out overnight, and the air was quite still as I humped it up the tower once again. There wasn’t much of a wait for the sunrise, and here it is.

The only thing left to do before heading down the hill was to have some breakfast and pack up. Here’s where the first and only fail of the trip occurred. My old gas burner did not fit the newer gas tank I had bought awhile ago. So, no hot coffee for me. I munched down a protein bar and made a note to research stoves once home.

It did not take long to reload the backpack, and soon enough I was on the way down the hill, packing out everything I brought in, plus some trash left by disappointing people. The trail was clear and quiet on the way out.

The round trip totaled 4.5 miles with elevation gain of 1457 feet. It took about the same time to descend as it did going up the day before. Once back at the Jeep I loaded everything in and headed for home, arriving before 8AM.

Thanks for stopping by- if you enjoy reading these accounts please consider making my day by liking and subscribing to the blog.