Whitcomb Outing Club
Hikes to Burnt Rock

TAKING ADVANTAGE For many, the endless snows of the 2007-8 winter are merely oppressive, but the Burgos family of Bethel is taking pleasure in the opportunities for outdoor recreation. Here Susan, Peter and Tom Burgos approach the top of Burnt Rock Mountain south of Camel's Hump, after a snowshoe trip led by Whitcomb teacher Eric Hastings, who took the photo from the summit.

The adventure started before the Whitcomb High School Outing Club even reached the trailhead. The snow covered interstate to Middlesex made it prudent to drive at fifty to fifty-five miles an hour. Conditions worsened after turning off Route 100. Not a single vehicle had traveled the last, unplowed mile of dirt road in the Big Basin, so it was good that the fresh snow from Saturday night was dry and fluffy. Eight inches of wet stuff would have been tough to navigate.

The group headed to Burnt Rock on Sunday morning included Peter Burgos, his parents, Tom and Susan, and the club advisor, Mr. Hastings. On the trail, the next obstacle of the day was Hedgehog Brook. As the days are getting longer, the sun is getting stronger, and that means the brooks are beginning to open up again. The party stepped a bit gingerly, but single digit temperatures overnight helped stiffen the ice, and everyone crossed without incident. During a winter when snowstorms seem to be almost daily events, it was no surprise for the hikers to find themselves snowshoeing through knee deep snow at times, but light and fluffy as it was, it wasn’t terribly hard work—mostly, with a clearing, blue sky overhead, it was just a day when the woods were both peaceful and beautiful.

After scrambling up the steep ascent to the Long Trail and scrambling again up the ledges to the high point, everyone reached the windpacked and drifted snow of Burnt Rock. This is an open area of ledge and dwarf spruces with views of the Adirondacks to the west, the White Mountains to the east, the Green Mountains south all the way to Killington Peak, and Camels Hump to the north. After sighting Big Slide Mountain in the Dacks and watching Camels Hump appear from behind a fast moving cloud, everyone descended to a protected ledge below and just east of the Rock to eat lunch. The trip back to the car was easy on the packed trail. After setting out at a little after eight a.m., the group was driving down the Big Basin road (now plowed), headed for home shortly before two p.m. with the warm feeling that comes from—yes, being out of the cold!—but also exercising hard, eating well, and seeing the world from a mountain top.