Hiking Mt. Pisgah - Not for the faint of heart
Since out last hike was merely a jaunt in the wood, we decided to go on a more adventurous hike. So, we went to Lake Willoughby, which looks like a fjord and lies in the town of Westmore, VT. Driving down route 5a took us along the eastern shore of Lake Willoughby and directly next to Mt. Pisgah. We found the trail head just south of the lake on the eastern side of the road. Parking here was easy, and if on the day you take this hike there are more people just park across the road by the Mt. Hor trail head and cross the road. You could always hike Mt. Hor if you like.
The trail is clearly marked and begins by going down. This is odd for most hikes we take since we tend to want to go up while we hike. As we entered the trees we saw a sign telling us to keep dogs on a leach. (Apparently spelling in not that important on this hike.) We then crossed a swampy pond by means of a boardwalk bridge. The trail continues on a relatively flat path through the wood. We finally begin our assent by means of a series of switchbacks that snake their way up the side of the mountain. If you are doing this and you are in shape this should be very easy for you; if you are not that fit then you will find this to be a difficult time. Do not give up. When we reached the top of this section we were rewarded with some vertigo. To our left was the cliff and one slip, trip, or fall could have sent us to our doom. Not to worry though, as we made our way we came across Pulpit Rock.
Pulpit Rock is an outcrop that peers out over Lake Willoughby. The view from Pulpit Rock is breathtaking; and if you are not careful, your last. This is not a place for those who have a fear of heights or vertigo or a fear of edges. If you are brave, and give a healthy respect to the edge, it is worth the risk.
From Pulpit Rock the trail gently and steadily heads up the mountain and backs away from the cliff. Now is the time for a check to see how well we were in shape and how we felt. Here the trail kept going up and up and up. We did make it and no one complained about being tired or out of breath. Yeah us! Eventually we came across a boulder that was split in two. Soon afterwards the trail leveled out a bit and we thought we were close to the top. This heightened out enthusiasm to reach the summit and see the view.
As we continued on our way we came to better understand why I say: "The mountain grows taller around every bend." We thought that the mountain summit was always out of reach and forever above our heads. It did not help that the trail closed in around you and there were plenty of times that we would brush past trees on both sides of the trail. What we came to realize latter was that the trail leads you around the side of the mountain and we reached the summit from the east and not the south.
Although here we could only see to the south and east. This meant that we saw Burke Mountain Ski Resort, the Connecticut River Valley, and the White Mountains beyond. We wanted to see Lake Willoughby, and to do this we had to continue our adventure. Here the trail heads across the top of Mt. Pisgah and over to the western side. Eventually we reached a sign that pointed us to a small outlook that, again, was breathtaking and possibly lethal. Respecting the edge, here we were aided by a group of Quebec ladies who sat closer to the edge enjoying the view, we peered out over Lake Willoughby.
This is definitely a hike that needs to be taken by those willing to perch themselves on a rock ledge and have a look around. The trail is a fairly easy hike with no scrambling up shear rock walls to get to the summit, and is dog friendly (so long as you put your dog on a leach).
Remember to have fun and that
The Mountain Grows Taller Around Every Bend In The Trail.
The trail is clearly marked and begins by going down. This is odd for most hikes we take since we tend to want to go up while we hike. As we entered the trees we saw a sign telling us to keep dogs on a leach. (Apparently spelling in not that important on this hike.) We then crossed a swampy pond by means of a boardwalk bridge. The trail continues on a relatively flat path through the wood. We finally begin our assent by means of a series of switchbacks that snake their way up the side of the mountain. If you are doing this and you are in shape this should be very easy for you; if you are not that fit then you will find this to be a difficult time. Do not give up. When we reached the top of this section we were rewarded with some vertigo. To our left was the cliff and one slip, trip, or fall could have sent us to our doom. Not to worry though, as we made our way we came across Pulpit Rock.
Pulpit Rock is an outcrop that peers out over Lake Willoughby. The view from Pulpit Rock is breathtaking; and if you are not careful, your last. This is not a place for those who have a fear of heights or vertigo or a fear of edges. If you are brave, and give a healthy respect to the edge, it is worth the risk.
From Pulpit Rock the trail gently and steadily heads up the mountain and backs away from the cliff. Now is the time for a check to see how well we were in shape and how we felt. Here the trail kept going up and up and up. We did make it and no one complained about being tired or out of breath. Yeah us! Eventually we came across a boulder that was split in two. Soon afterwards the trail leveled out a bit and we thought we were close to the top. This heightened out enthusiasm to reach the summit and see the view.
As we continued on our way we came to better understand why I say: "The mountain grows taller around every bend." We thought that the mountain summit was always out of reach and forever above our heads. It did not help that the trail closed in around you and there were plenty of times that we would brush past trees on both sides of the trail. What we came to realize latter was that the trail leads you around the side of the mountain and we reached the summit from the east and not the south.
Although here we could only see to the south and east. This meant that we saw Burke Mountain Ski Resort, the Connecticut River Valley, and the White Mountains beyond. We wanted to see Lake Willoughby, and to do this we had to continue our adventure. Here the trail heads across the top of Mt. Pisgah and over to the western side. Eventually we reached a sign that pointed us to a small outlook that, again, was breathtaking and possibly lethal. Respecting the edge, here we were aided by a group of Quebec ladies who sat closer to the edge enjoying the view, we peered out over Lake Willoughby.
This is definitely a hike that needs to be taken by those willing to perch themselves on a rock ledge and have a look around. The trail is a fairly easy hike with no scrambling up shear rock walls to get to the summit, and is dog friendly (so long as you put your dog on a leach).
Remember to have fun and that
The Mountain Grows Taller Around Every Bend In The Trail.
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