Mount Equinox
- Rourke edited by Andrea
- Jul 19, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2021
Hello everyone! I hope everyone is safe and is staying healthy, over this confusing time being at home. My family and I have been going outside a lot lately, we've been going on hikes, bike rides, and just walking around town. Last week my dad and I decided we were ready to hike Mount Equinox which is around 2,900 feet and 6.3 miles round-trip, it is the second highest peak in Vermont so this hike would be a tough one. On the day of the hike my dad and I woke up early, had a filling breakfast, packed up with snacks and water and headed out, pretending we would never see my mom again (she wasn't amused). My dad and I were familiar with the first part of the hike since it is an area we hike a lot. My dad and I have been planning out this hike for a little while so we knew what we would be up against, we knew that the first mile would be mostly flat with little incline but after it would be going up straight until the final half a mile. We started off at a steady pace to save energy for later and then after the first mile the challenge began. The ascent started getting very steep, the elevation gain goes up rapidly in these 2.5 miles. As we climbed the mountain I noticed something, the temperature dropped and it wasn't as buggy, which was great since we didn't have to swat away insects every 2 seconds! We went on walking taking small steps because of the steep incline and the rocks. We walked on until we got up to what I like to call the Mystical Forest. This part of the hike is long but is beautiful, as we were walking the sun would peer through the trees and a cool breeze would hit us and wherever we walked hundreds of (beautiful) moths would fly around us which was super cool and the forest would create an ethereal ambience. We continued to walked until we heard voices, we had reached the summit! We walked the final few meters and then as we emerged from the forest the we arrived at a stunning view of the valley below, it was fantastic! After our well-deserved break and a visit to the visitor center we decided it was time to head down. Going down a mountain is much easier than going up, however the problem going down is the day after I am always so sore! As we were going back to the main trail we found a gravestone for a dog named Barbo, he was sadly killed by a hunter in 1953.
Going up took us around two hours and going down it took us around one hour and a half. We went through some steep parts and then some flat paths that we savored as we descended down the mountain, and then after almost 4 hours of being on the mountain I started to see very familiar things like the turn to go to the lake and the path that we went on so many times. Then the final stretch of the hike and we were finished, ready to head home for some ice cream!
Overall Mount Equinox hike is a lovely hike, it is steep but the views are breathtaking! Mount Equinox is a hard but rewarding hike to do with your family or just by yourself, if you like quiet you are sure to like this since there are not usually many people. If you don't want to hike you can drive your car up the mountain to see the view. Overall rating: 8/10
-Rourke Lee
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