Day 11: Tuesday - Wooded Lodgings

Whiteface Shelter to Taft Lodge via Sterling Pond and Smuggler's Notch

We made an early start on Tuesday, with a 3.8mi walk before breakfast. The previous day we'd looked out over the mountain range we had to pass - Morse Mountain, a low rounded mountain nearby, and then Madonna Peak, steep and covered in ski runs.

Breakfast at Sterling Pond

The trail became busier and busier as we ran into a number of day walkers (& their dogs) near Sterling Pond. We also met a couple of boys with fishing rods hoping to try their luck on some mountain trout. It was time to relax and take in the tranquil setting at the small hut overlooking the Pond. We assembled the MSR stove to brew our morning coffee, and sat back in the peaceful setting as a reward for the morning's steady walk.

Sterling Pond

After a leisurely break, we started up again heading down the steep slopes towards Smuggler's Notch. Love all these new names! The notch was a narrow pass between two mountains... we'd just walked down one, which logically meant we were about to go up the other. A perfect spot for a gondola connecting both sides, if you ask me!

Smuggler's Notch acquired its name from the 1800s when goods were transported through the region during trade embargo on Canada and Great Britain. In 1922 the road was improved, and the same route was used during Prohibition to import Canadian beer, wine and spirits.

The walk up from VT108 is a well worn path to the top of Mt Mansfield, the highest mountain in the state. It didn't take as long as we thought it may, and 90min later we had reached Taft Lodge. Taft Lodge is a beautiful log cabin, nestled amongst the spruce-fir forest, with a view out over Smugglers' Notch.

We were joined by a journalist from the Burlington Post, who was writing an article on the hut (and who subsequently interviewed us!) and two caretakers from the GMC. It was easy to spend the night in the hut, enjoying the scenery and talking with our fellow hikers.

Taft Lodge

A platter to celebrate

Interviews on the balcony

Dining in luxury

Evening lights