Killington in Winter

A hiker was tightening the laces of his boots. He was in his thirties I guessed, and looked a bit new to hiking. We were parked close together at the trailhead. He was headed up to the summit of Mount Killington. I was on the way out. We chatted a bit. It was late August and I had been hiking a section of Vermont’s Long Trail/AT. I remarked how the Vermont peak was easier in winter. I had been thinking about it a great deal all day.

In 2021, My friend and I hiked Killington Peak in the dead of winter. We were both working on our New England 67. Snow in New England is just weather, not a deterrent to hiking. You drive in it, you shovel it, you might as well get some enjoyment out of it!

Vermont is cold. Much colder than Rhode Island, where being on the coast means less snow and warmer temps.

It was just after sunrise, the coldest part of the day. We shrugged into our boots and gaiters, jackets and balaclavas. I looked at the temperature on the dash.

I’m not a fan of hiking in the single digits, but it was no wind to speak of today, and soon we’d have sun. We would be hiking in winter packs too, so our body temperatures were sure to keep us warm if we kept moving.

The trail was broken out, and we chugged along making reasonable time. It was cold, so I rarely took my face cover off.

There’s plenty of snow in Vermont. Killington is known for it’s skiing, and I was sure it would be a busy day . We had at least 3 or more feet of snow pack under our snowshoes, and the trail was a winter wonderland.

Reaching the summit, we donned face covers for the wind and sunglasses to fend off the sun glare reflecting of the snow.

Glaze and rime ice coated the surfaces of the towers and equipment at the summit. I love seeing it, as if you’ve been transported to a different world.

We dodged hordes of skiers making their way down the mountain, and finally managed to get ourselves on course and back out in the direction we had come. Returning in summer was underwhelming. While I was more comfortable and able to carry a lighter pack, the winter hikes are a breed unto themselves. The August hike images have already begun to fade from memory but the winter hike is frozen in my mind’s eye, pun intended!