The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-15
VERMONT MOUNTAIN TRAILS.
Over camePs Hump and Mount Mans
field Pointed Out.

In "The Mountaineer" column OF the
Boston Transcript OF Saturday, febru-
airy 10, John Ritchie, ir., has the fol-
lowing to say about the trail through
the mountains of central Vermont:
"In local publication the tlreen
Mountain club has made note of the
work accomplished by its members and
sections during the past season. The
Mansfield and Stowe sections have
worked together and the net result is
continuous trail from the top OF Cam
el's Hump over Mansfield and down into
Smuggler's Notch, more than twenty
five miles in all The Camel's Hump
club has already the regular trail from
the railway to the summit and in adj
dition there is new trail from Bolton,
from which in the opposite direction
the new path leads to the top Of Mans
field To Camels Hump the trail is
fcm and one-half miles long, and at
three-quarters Of the way up habitabe
lumber camp affords shelter and an OPP
portunity to remain over night. At Boil
ton the two trails are separated by the
Ninoosli river and the ferry across In
small boat is one of the varieties of
the tramp.
Leaving Bolton, the Mansfield trail first
makes Bolton mountain through woods
with outlook back at Camels Hump
1t is eight miles to the top Of Bolton
mountain, with two opportunities for
makes north down the slope OF the
mountain into Nebraska Motel, where
the Lake Mansfield Trout cluD has a
camp, at which the wayfarer may find
meal or nights lodging. Thence
the trail is west through the notch,
using an old abandoned stage road, and
AZ the height of land the route swings
again to the north, crossing Mt. Admiral
Clark pretty high up and presently at
tacking the long southern slope of Mans
field itself, coming out on the fore
head, whence it is but few minutes
drop over the lodges to the Summit
house. The distance here is -four miles.
At the house there is diversion to
TIE mountain regular carriage road,
which is followed down for long way,
path making off at length parallel
to the road into Smuggler's Notch. This
tail is the one cut by Justice Seneca
Hazelton this year and Is gift by
him to the club. It passes along the
ca tern side of the mountain under the
cliffs and taps the road into SmuggIer's
Notch. In a previous mention Of this
path, The Mountaineer had information
which seemed to locate this path in
another place. II was reported to be
from the Chin by direct drop to the
little Lake of the Clouds" and thence
to the Notch. This would seem to be
the logical solution of mountain way,
for already the well-worn path runs
along the top of Mansfield for its mile
or so of extent, and this ridge walk can
not fail to prove one of the delights of
a tramp here, while the scramble down
to the Match couple of thousand feet
below, is of the kind that always in
terests those who are out for the varied
pleasures of tramping. The Muntain-
eers suggests to the Vermonters this
as an alternative, and not without some
experience, for at least three little par
ties of the Appalachian Mountain club
in their trips to this splendid summit
have taken the facile descent along
the outlet of the tarn.
'It is interesting to learn that the
Green Mountain club has explored the
Cave of the Winds, little way be-
low the ridge in one of the ravines of
Mansfield. BY means of knotted ropes.
the members OF the party lowered them
selves to the floor of the cave, about
I20 feet. rather exciting scramble. |
Electric lanterns showed the cave to be
4 fissure in the rock in which one may
travel perhaps three hundred feet before |
the narrowing walls stop progress. In
height it is from a few feet to more
than thirty. This is one of the caves |
in which ice is to be found even in the |
middle of summer. Such caves are now |
known to be quite common in certain
portions of the country and hardly any
region in the northern states
is without an example of the phenome-
non There are a number of others in |
Vermont. half dozen in New Hamp- |
shire, a good many in New York, two /
Dr. three in Massachusetts and one or /
two in Connecticut. Such ones as this
IN Mansfield are generally considered to
be refrigerators which through fortu-
nate location and exposure preserve the
ee of winter into or even through the