“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have not been able to resist the call of the mountains lately. My hiking gear has become the most used part of my wardrobe. The best workout I can think of is hiking a mountain and this week the weather has been perfect for this activity.
A couple of days ago a friend and I decided to tackle two peaks, Haystack and Bald Mountain. They are both part of the NEK Mountain Challenge, so I was able to cross them off my list. I have three mountains left to complete the challenge. I plan to hit one of them next week. This week our travels took us back to Westmore, VT. We took route 5A from Lyndonville to Westmore and turned onto Long Pond Road. The trailhead for the north trail up Haystack is a bit hard to see. The parking is quite limited and a small wooden sign on a tree marks your arrival. The beginning of the trail is a bit brushy, but opens up shortly onto a well defined trail. The trail is marked by ribbons on trees and is quite easy to follow. The 1 mile climb is steady but not overly steep until just before reaching the summit. There is a short steep section here and the terrain is mostly bare forest floor, not many rocks or roots. This makes travel up much easier than down. On the way down with nothing for your shoes to grip it can get a bit slick. Just before reaching the summit there is a spur trail to the West Overlook. This looks out over Long Pond. Upon returning from the spur the summit is marked by a pile of rocks, then continues on to an East and South Overlook. The East Overlook is pretty obstructed. Through the trees Bald Mountain is visible with its lookout tower sitting prominently on the summit. We skipped the South Overlook and headed back down the mountain. We had another mountain to conquer today and thought it best to be on our way. The total round trip mileage was 2 miles. I would rate this as a moderate hike. It is a steady climb all the way and quite steep for a short distance.
Leaving the Haystack trailhead we turned back the way we had came on Long Pond Road. The Bald Mountain trailhead is much larger and well marked. The Long Pond Trail up Bald Mountain starts at a gated logging road. The trail follows this road to an old log yard, then turns into the woods on the right. The trail is very easy at this point and quite beautiful. We passed by a tree that seemed to be humming. Further inspection revealed an opening which I am sure was the doorway for some busy honey makers. Most of the 2.2 mile trail is fairly easy. The last quarter mile begins with a steep wood and earth staircase and turns into some very steep ledge climbing. Upon reaching the summit we entered a clearing with a trail cabin and lookout tower. A sign on the cabin announced our arrival at 3315 feet. We sat outside the cabin in the warm sunshine and had a snack, then proceeded to climb the lookout tower and enjoy the view. It was quite windy at the top of the lookout tower, as it often is on lookout towers, with no protection from the trees. After taking a few pictures and returning to earth I took a walk around the cabin and noticed it was open to visitors. The cabin was clean and very nice. There are three bunks, a table and benches, a small wood stove and maps. Outside there is a fire pit. Someday I would love to return and spend a night at the summit of the Northeast Kingdom’s third highest peak. We would have loved to stay longer, but it was time to head back down the mountain and rejoin civilization. Climbing back down the ledges was a bit rough, but the rest of the trail was a breeze. The total round trip mileage was 4.4 miles. Hiking time was 2:53. I would rate this as an easy to strenuous hike, most 
of which is easy.
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