Page 8: Hike

August 2009

All Pages of This Report

Continued from Page 7 ...

On Saturday, Dad, Cristina, and Carman left, along with Tim, Kate, Janson, Owen, Jeff, Shiela & kids. So the folks left were Ted, Craig, Cori, Jeremy, Nicki, Keagan, Matt, Emily, Jimmy, Paul, Anne, Nancy, and Becky. Some people (Jeff, Tim, Ted, others) played disc golf that morning. Matt, Emily, Paul and I decided to hike from Smugglers' Notch to Sterling Pond. This is a really nice hike. It is steep, but the footing is very good and it is not particularly long (1.2 miles). It is also a very pretty hike.

Three hikers standing on a rocky section of trail in the woods

Man and young woman posing on the trail with cliffs visible through the trees behind them

Man peeking through the split trunk of a large tree beside the trail

Small rocky brook flowing through dense green forest beside the trail

Four hikers posing together in the brook on the forest trail

Along the way we met the McNamara clan hiking. Paul and I enjoyed keeping Jack company for a while, talking about wine.

Two men standing on a rocky ski trail near a signpost in the woods

The pond was lovely and popular (particularly since this was a Saturday).

Trail sign in the woods pointing toward Sterling Pond and the Sterling Mountain summit

Two men looking down a steep rocky trail toward Sterling Pond through the trees

Man posing beside the Welcome to Sterling Pond sign

Several hikers resting on the rocks and grass beside Sterling Pond

Past the pond the hiking book said that there is an outlook. This is true. It is actually the top of some ski runs associated with Smugglers' Notch. (The sun was really bright, hence our squints.)

Three people posing together on the upper ski slope overlook with hazy mountains behind them

Woman and man posing together on the upper ski slope overlook

There is a 'hut' there, with an interesting sign outside of it (which Matt proceeded to flout). Inside was a couch suspended on rope. Rather odd.

Small building at the top of the ski area beside the rocky slope

Sign on a tree reading Do not trash the mountain with litter or foul language

Three people sitting together on the rope-suspended couch inside the ski hut

I never knew that ski lifts were counterbalanced for tension.

Top station of the ski lift with chairs and the slope dropping away below

View down the ski lift line over the grassy slope and distant valley

Stack of concrete blocks counterbalancing the ski lift tension system with Sterling Pond behind

Two men seated on a ski chair at the top station while a young woman takes their picture

Two men sitting on a ski chair at the top station

Man standing and reading the trail map sign near the hut at the top of the ski area

Two people standing on the metal stair platform above the ski lift machinery

Man standing on the platform while a young woman descends the stairs beside the ski lift machinery

A couple pictures from our descent:

Two hikers standing on a narrow boardwalk through the forest on the descent

Three hikers pausing on a rocky forest trail during the descent

Ted wanted to go to a brew pub for supper. For some reason, Nicki and Keagan weren't interested, so they stayed back at the lodge with Corinne, Jeremy, Nancy, and Becky.

Young girl standing in the shallow end of the swimming pool wearing a blue visor

Young boy walking on the grass beside the pool carrying a frisbee

The rest of us went to Waterbury and The Alchemist Pub and Brewer. There was a slight wait for a table, so we wandered around Waterbury, stopping on the deck of another place.

Man and three younger people walking across a wet street in town

Man standing on a bridge in town beside flower boxes decorated with American flags

Five people seated around an outdoor table on a restaurant deck

Back at the Alchemist, the beer was good (although not as good as the one in Burlington in my very unexpert opinion). The tempeh sandwich I had was spectacular. Emily ordered a Pineapple Gaspacho Soup. She dipped her bread in, took a bite, and declared that she would not be able to eat it. Matt, Ted, and Craig did manage to eat it. However, it was incredibly garlicky, they report. We could smell it.

Exterior view of The Alchemist Pub & Brewery at dusk

Three men seated together at a table inside The Alchemist Pub & Brewery

Matt was sporting a beard for the week.

Portrait of a smiling man seated inside The Alchemist Pub & Brewery

Close-up of a hand touching a man's beard at the table inside The Alchemist Pub & Brewery

We left Sunday morning and went to The Dutch Pancake Cafe (which was attached to the Grey Fox Inn, but no longer seems open as of 2020). Thanks to Tim for recommending it. Not inexpesive, but very good and different. Both Paul and I ordered the Blueberry and Banana Dutch Pancake. In case you don't know what a Dutch pancake is, it is a puffed pancake. If you want to create one for yourself:

Dutch Pancake Recipe

(And no, I haven't tried it at home myself.)

We hope you enjoyed these photographs.

Updated April 2026