It was my first trip to this area and I was impressed with the view from the parking area at App Gap (and the twisty road). The steep drive to the trail-head at Lincoln Gap was equally interesting and reminded me of route 108 through Smuggler's Notch. Owing to the Independence Day weekend, the trail-heads were fairly busy. However, we only met about a dozen hikers along our route.
The climb from Lincoln Gap, to Abraham, proved to be far more gradual than the steep descent to App Gap. From Abraham we could make out peaks in the Adirondacks and in the White Mountains. Ellen's summit is wooded but there's a clearing, with a ski-lift, a few yards away.
Stark's Nest was pleasant spot to pause and appreciate the narrow ski runs of Mad River Glen. We checked out Dean's Cave and that was fun for the ten seconds that it takes to pass through it. The hike took us 5h 20m to complete and Ellen was my last Vermont 4K peak.
See all photos.
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| Appalachian Gap trail-head parking. |
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| Brian atop Abraham. |
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| Sugarbush ski-resort. |
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| Orange Hawkweed a.k.a. Devil's Paintbrush |
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| Upper entrance to Dean's Cave. |
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