Hiking Mount Mansfield with an overnight stay at Taft Lodge
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- The first week in June, I go for Mount Mansfield. My original plan was to take the Sunset Ridge Trail. But then I came across a picture of Taft Lodge and decided it would be fun to spend the night.
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Chapters:
00:00 Hiking up
04:09 Reaching Taft Lodge
06:56 Steep Approach to Summit
12:05 Going Down Another Way and Falling
13:26 Taft Lodge overnight
17:31 Morning
Postscript: Unfortunately I hurt the inside area of my knee and I will not hike again until it feels adequately strong. I already have reservations coming up soon. I plan to go car camp with recuperation in mind.
#MountMansfield #NE67 #backpackingadventures
After my fall Sunday, minor by comparison, I will bring and have my hiking poles available. Keep conservation hikes in mind. I really enjoy your photography.
Thanks. Yes, me too. I will no longer debate with myself whether poles help or not. Even if they make me just a little more comfortable/safer, it's worth bringing them.
Hey Rachel thanks for the update. Look forward to your next adventure
Thanks! I am on the mend and acquiring some new camping gear. 😁
@@RachelWhelton New toys!!!!!
I want to be you when I'm older lol what a hike!
The mountain that took me out for the summer! Not fair.
After being home a few days my knee felt worse and mobility reduced to a poor condition.
I made a video about the recovery process.
Hi Rachel, Heidi and I met you at the 4000 footer awards ceremony. We have been wondering how you were doing after watching the Mansfield video. I know how it feels to get injured on a hike (I tore a tricep tendon from my right elbow 2 years ago - 2 surgeries before I could even be allowed to ride a bike). We are hoping your knee recovers soon and you are back doing what you enjoy!! Best wishes from Richard and Heidi!😍🌄🥾🏕
@@RichardH01075 Hi! Thanks for thinking of me. Wow, a tricep tear and surgery sounds rough. Walking around on crutches inspires people to tell me all their stories so I've been hearing a lot of injury/recovery stories lately. Partial MCL tear but no surgery required so I am just taking it slow. Almost off crutches now at home but if I go anywhere I need them. Physical therapy soon and the doctor says I'll be hiking by the end of summer. I'm working on a little video documenting the process. Hopefully I'll be able to do some easy car camping by August. For now I am happy for any small progress and time spent in the garden. Thanks again and hope your summer is going nicely. ☺
So sorry to hear that you’re out for a bit with an injury. Miss seeing your trips and sense of humour on trail. Sending you healing vibes! Even though you’re not out on trail now, you have time to dream and plan for the future knowing that you’ve inspired lots of people along the way!! 🥾⛰️Keep smiling!!
Thanks for the kind note. I am on crutches and doing the ice/compression/brace thing. My MRI is later this week. I'm lucky to be able to take a lot of rest right now, as during previous injuries I had a job and couldn't just lay down most of the day. It will be a while before I want to hike again but I am starting to look forward to some car camping and hopefully some kayaking. For now I'm enjoying following some ultra-trail races like Western States Endurance Run. Those athletes are amazing and the trails are cool.
Glad you made it down and hope your leg gets better soon.
That was quite a hike, really liked that long boardwalk. Not looking forward to the chimney or part above the lodge. Great pics from the lodge at night and early morning. Sky looked like it was in fire in morning through the trees. Thanks for sharing your NE67 journey with us!
Thanks 👍 It turned out to be quite the memorable experience. The biggest takeaway for me is to stop underestimating the benefit of "out-and-back" trails. If I could rewrite history, I'd take the steep trail back down again because it was a known entity, and dry. I learned a lot to help me on future hikes.
Such a great place to explore. Enjoyed watching your brilliant video. 👏👏
Thanks.
Hope you are recovering well. Wishing speedy recovery 👍🤞🙏
Thanks so much. I am mostly off the crutches now and starting physical therapy. I hope to camp in August!
Amazing effort for an amazing view! I hope your knee feels better soon! Thank you for sharing your adventure! 🥾🥾⛺️😎🥰🌸
Thanks so much! 😊 The knee is on the mend. I'll be in rocking chair mode for a while but still playing with the camera while I do it.
Hi Rachel hopefully MRI went ok and you're on the mend.
Thanks for checking in. My mom says I should just go ahead and make my "update" video now instead of waiting to be fully healed. I am off crutches now and starting physical therapy. Looking forward to some simple camping in a little while. I'll try to get the video up in the next few days. Meanwhile I am learning grilling techniques in my backyard. 😁
Quite beautiful views from there. You are a real trooper to endure those biting flies, there was sooo many.
That is a bummer about your knee, but it’s good that you were able to hike out on your own. I hope you have a quick recovery.
We can replay events leading up to an injury a 100 times in our heads but sometimes it happens so fast that we don’t really know what caused it.
There was a lot of rock and water and slim so it was a tricky trail to navigate.
Thanks. Yes, it's rough to face injury and realize your entire summer plan is crashing. As I write this my car is packed for Baxter but I don't think I am getting in and driving off. My knee is limpy gimpy and I might just have to stay home until I can walk normally. The curse of reservations lives on!!!!
What a hike! Loved your response about the law of averages… and thankfully you didn’t get trampled by a moose! Lol 😂
Went to the doctor today as my knee is possibly getting worse. Got a referral to the orthopedic doctor, who said to call back Monday to schedule. I am hoping for a low key diagnosis and no drama. Still can't believe this happened!
Wonderful video! I am unfortunately am too old (67) to make such a hike. I live in the area and have always enjoyed the view of Mt. Mansfield from below on Pleasant Valley Road. Thank you for taking us on the your journey and sharing the footage. Wonderful view from the top. Hope you are healing ok. Keep up the good work on the videos!
Thanks. I am quickly becoming too old myself! Sometimes I see 80 year old ladies on the trail and I always think to myself "Nope - that will not be me." I'm just enjoying the thrill while it still makes sense and then in the next decade, I'll enjoy the great outdoors in another way. Thanks for the nice comment!
Hope your foot is doing good and not a serious. And my prayers and good wishes for speedy recovery, even if a minor issue.
Although, quite missing your new upload but never a rush.
Good Luck 🙏👍
Thank you so much! Tomorrow I see the orthopedic doctor. For now I am doing a lot of limping and laying around!
@@RachelWhelton feel better soon and good luck 👍🍀
I'm a new viewer to your channel and enjoying your content. So sorry about the fall and injury. Trekking poles are required equipment for me and I know they've helped so many times. Hope you make a full, speedy recovery. 🕊
Thanks. Yes, husband also insists falling would have been less likely if I had my poles, which I almost always use. But I'm not sure in this case. It was so incredibly fast, slicker than ice. Anyway I will get back to using my poles. Every little thing helps I guess. So wish I could undo that one step!
Wow Rachel you sire got yourself beat up on this one. Between your fall and the man eating bugs maybe you need to take a backseat for a little bit I always enjoy your videos when you go kayaking hint…..hint. Heal well
Thanks. Yeah, the kayak is sitting here and I've cleaned it off several times. But I need my knee to work to load and unload it. Next week is car camping and I plan to do it as a recuperation effort. Thanks for the well wishes. 🏕️
Mt Mansfield has always been a difficult hike for us; my wife wrecked her knees decades ago. If you make it unscathed the views are worth it.
It certainly is a memorable hike! I underestimated it. They say the Hell Brook Trail is even steeper.
That was a testy hike/climb! Thanks for the bird song and sharing all that effort.
Glad you enjoyed it! It adds to my fun to make the vid.
@@RachelWhelton Oh dear, you twisted your knee off centre/axis?! I guess one should always add a knee brace after a fashion to our First Aide pouch?
So that is what the view is like at the summit -pouring rain when we did it. We met you on Camel’s Hump! Hope your knee is ok.
Oh! Rain! That must have been a bold effort as well, to get across all those rocks in the rain. Nice meeting you on the hump! I sure wish I had that same weather on this trip. 😆
Hi Rachel, this is Lisa, one of your lodge mates at Taft. Dara and I were wondering if you made it down the mountain okay, as we expected to see you as we hiked out. I'm guessing you are fine since you made and posted this video! Hope you are doing okay and in good shape for Baxter in a few weeks!
Thanks for checking in. It was very cool to meet you guys. Listening to your training was like reading a good book. My knee is slowing mending, as I was able to walk my small dog (in slow motion) today without pain. Katahdin will have to wait; but I'll still be trying out your apple crisp with coconut milk recipe in the great outdoors. 😊 Have a great summer of guiding!
Take care of that knee and be careful. I did an overnight 8 mile this past weekend (4 in, 2 days trout fishing and 4 out) and on multiple occasions I caught myself thinking “your getting old (53) better take it easy” when accoutering rougher terrain. 😂. But be careful. A few years back I took a fall climbing out of a waterfall area and fell. 8 feet on to rocks, I was lucky that day it was not worse.
Multi-day trip - Good adventure! I love my short trips and respect the multi-day efforts every time I get to hop in the air conditioned car and head home to a shower and my own bed. The knee is mending and I feel half lucky and half unlucky! Truth is we can get hurt doing anything and your body will fall apart if you do nothing. So all we can do is be careful and keep living life.
You do realize, that IF one climbs up and down on rocks, eventually, one "enviably" WILL injure one's self .... It's the "law of averages" ...... (not necessarily you "doing something wrong) !! Don't let your anxiety get the best of your experience ..... Chances of something going wrong are multiplied by fear or anger .... it's how one "handles" things, that brings a positive outcome/experience !!!
That is how I saw it with tennis. But it's different with mountains somehow. Ed Viesturs (I think it was he) tries to explain it in one of his books. The guy told him it was likely he would die if he kept hiking the tallest mountains in the world but he said the factors were not as random as statistics alone might suggest. But that was regarding death. So I guess he probably fell down once or twice. ha ha ha.... At least I wasn't trampled by a moose.
I hope your knee is better. I twisted mine badly about a year ago and it still isn't 100%. I'm probably 4 or 5 years older than you and I'm finding that my body doesn't bounce back like it used to. I also had a bad ankle sprain last autumn that has kept me off the trails. I tried hiking in Feb and March, but I keep injuring it again, so I've given up on this season. I've been enjoying your videos in lieu of being on the trails myself.
The Mountains keep her young
Hiking has been my answer to difficult injuries (which I got from running and tennis). Hiking seems so gentle and mild (at my pace). This hike reminded me that you can get hurt and even die from a random mis-step or bad luck. My injury history makes it a complete unknown as to whether this is a couple weeks or multiple months of slow progress back to strength. Might just be watering the garden for a while. Hopefully both of us can become strong again. We are older but we have to strengthen in some way to avoid deteriorating in every way!
Hope your knee heals up quickly. Great hike, although it looked pretty tough towards the summit. Did you have hiking poles? Thanks for sharing, great views from the summit, have skied Stowe for years.
I didn't bring the poles that trip. Husband thinks they would have helped. I am not sure due to the bizarre intensity of slipperiness of that spot. Of course now, in retrospect, I wish I had gone down the steep way I came. But who knows. It will be a long June as I limp around waiting for tissues to heal.
Hope your knee heals quick, so deflating when you fall/get hurt. What a stunning view up there, glad you made it back to the car safely!! Question, I wear a boot but still get dirt and rocks in my shoes. Do you find that you don't need gators with what you wear? Are they Altras?
I still love Altras for everyday life. But on the trail I have (since last Fall) switched to these Keen Evo Boots. They were less than 100 bucks, possibly because they seem to be doing a re-design (new model costs a lot more). So far I have not needed the gaiters and only once in a while have to get a pine needle out of the boot. I like that the boots are waterproof. They are definitely longer lasting than the Altras and not much heavier. So I guess the only doubt is that I wonder if the sole is as sticky (to the rock) as my old Altra sole. I think they are both Vibram. I need more time to figure it out.
@@RachelWhelton I had some Keen hiking shoes and always felt they didn't have a good grip. In Merrell boots now but they have a lot of miles so need replacing.
Hi Rachel, what camera did you use before the larger one attached to your pack on this hike? Were you using a smaller camera a year or so ago? Thanks. Love the videos.
Tricky question because on every trip I am (usually) using more than one camera. Before bringing the big camera, I often used only my GoPro and iPhone. The big camera makes the difference at night for the astrophotography.
@@RachelWhelton thanks for the response. I was noticing you zooming in on some shots and was wondering if it was a smaller camera with a zoom. I’m looking for something other than my GoPro and iPhone for longer distance shots like that. Hope the knee feels better. Thanks again!
Hi Rachel, I hope your leg is doing better!
I was just wondering how do you overcome your fears being out there alone? Not only the fear of animals or other humans, but maybe the fear of an injury like this one?
I want to hike but oftentimes I have no one to go with me and mentally the thought of being alone with the unexpected keeps me home. Any tips?
The first tip is that being out there is much more terrifying when you are safe at home. When you actually go out there, your brain goes into "deal with it" mode and you focus more on small chores and beautiful scenery.
I've gone through phases of fear. I try to study the fear and make a plan. One year a bear came to my house and made very feel afraid. I learned all about bears and watched loads of videos. Eventually I had a plan for what I would do when I saw a bear. Funny enough, it is more likely for me to see a bear in my town in NH than while out in the White Mountains.
I build escape plans into my plans. If ever it doesn't feel right, I will leave. I give myself permission ahead of time to turn back, give up, lose the reservation fee, whatever. I try to avoid getting to places that would be hard to leave.
Slipping and getting hurt is a real possibility, as it is one of the most common causes leading to the need for rescue. But that is what rescuers are for. Honestly they want to help us when necessary. They want us to prepare, try to self-rescue, avoid dire conditions and bad weather. But ultimately they understand hikers may get injured and need help - and that can happen whether you are solo or in a group! I have the Hike-Safe card. I have a Garmin, etc. And in this case I was able to get down before my leg decided I needed crutches. ha ha...
Just start small and work your way up.