V7E1 - Threshold of the Northeast

By: Chris Shontz / @venture4WD

With the Jeep recently inspected, repaired, and newly outfitted, I once again set off from Pennsylvania - this time to explore northeast.

I was excited to hit the road again, especially now that the Jeep was in such good health. My local Jeep dealer fixed some engine issues, and OK4WD tightened up some loose suspension components. For once, I was able to relax behind the steering wheel without wrestling with any mechanical wonkiness. I had my sights set on the Adirondack Mountains, which were a hefty eight hour drive from my location in Pennsylvania, but it would give way to an exciting change in scenery!   The Adirondacks The Adirondack State Park, in northern New York, consists of over six million acres of preserved wilderness. While New York might be best known for its city, fewer realize that the state consists of a sprawling mountainscape offering some of the best backcountry adventure in the northeast. I rolled into Keene, New York, by around midday. Keene, and Keene Valley, are popular hubs for hiking and backpacking in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks. It was there that I planned to focus my visit. Using my GPS, I discovered a nearby designated camping area where I settled in for the night. While it was 85 degrees and sunny when I left Pennsylvania, the temperature was now half that, and raining, so it was quite an adjustment! The following morning, after coffee, I visited an outdoor shop called The Mountaineer, offering all manner of equipment for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It was one of the most impressive outfitters I’ve ever encountered. There, I perused clothing, purchased a bug-net hat, and also a canister of propane for my stove. Most of the hikes in the High Peaks are best-suited for overnight excursions. However, there is one summit that is only a short, five mile round-trip, making it suitable for a day hike, and that is Cascade Mountain. This is a very popular trail featuring a considerable elevation gain to the summit. It’s fun, and reasonably short, but still very taxing. The top of Cascade Mountain is a massive dome of rock, offering breathtaking 360 degree views. It was cold and very windy during my visit, but on a hot summer day, it’s a great place to soak up the sun and the scenery!   Onward to Vermont The Adirondacks are one of my very favorite places for outdoor adventure, but the park offers relatively few opportunities for vehicle-based exploration. Vermont, on the other hand, is filled with forest roads and public thoroughfares that frequently degrade into four-wheel drive routes! So the next day, I continued to Vermont, targeting the town of Bristol, as it was along the northern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest, where I’d likely find a desirable place to camp. As I left New York, I stumbled upon Fort Crown Point, a historic British stronghold on Lake Champlain, where I stopped to experience the ruins and take in a little bit of history. An hour later, I arrived in the small Vermont town of Bristol, which I explored on foot to get to know the shops, restaurants, and to visit the public library. It was a charming place to grab a bite to eat and to do some work on my computer. South of town are the dramatic Bristol Falls, along the New Haven River. Just as I arrived, a kayaker emerged from the falls, and I watched him paddle downstream as he took on the rapids. Upstream, a rope swing loomed precariously over the water. It was a fun natural feature only a stone’s throw from town!   Ancient Roads Vermont has a primitive road infrastructure designated “Class 4”. These are unmaintained roads that often travel between property boundaries. They may have been used as access roads by farmers, or they may have been used to connect towns and communities. These purpose-built roads are still public thoroughfares today, though many have succumbed to over a hundred years of neglect, thus requiring four-wheel drive and sometimes a decent amount of ground clearance. Your GPS won’t be much help when it comes to identifying a Class 4 road. However, town maps, in PDF format, are available for download from the VTrans website (Vermont Dept of Transportation), which will display all roads with a primitive designation. Always adhere to the official maps, and avoid any unmarked or discontinued routes!   Green Mountain National Forest Upon leaving Bristol, I set off for Green Mountain National Forest to the south, traveling via primitive roads whenever I had the opportunity. I found a suitable campsite near a hiking trailhead in a northern portion of the forest, next to the New Haven River. While there were gorgeous ground tent sites next to the water, they weren’t accessible to the Jeep. So I was limited to the forest road spur which was still a wonderful place to spend the night! The next day, I resumed exploring, traveling south along well-maintained forest roads, and then east, on pavement, toward the village of Hancock. Then, I continued north to explore another Class 4 road which appeared to travel back into the National Forest. The primitive road was off to an impressive start, as it crossed a wooden bridge at the foot of a dramatic waterfall. It then turned sharply uphill, following the roaring stream. As the road progressed, it branched off in multiple directions toward private property. It wasn’t obvious which route to take, but I went in the direction that best corresponded with my map. After a mile or so, the road degraded to a very rough two-track, and finally, at the boundary for the National Forest, progress was blocked by a wire rope. It was an enjoyable route that looked like it was going to intersect with a forest road, but no such luck!   A Chance Encounter Since it was getting late in the day, I backtracked to pavement and resumed driving north to a forest road that appeared to be lined with campsites, according to freecampsites.net. On my way in, along a winding dirt road, a nicely equipped Jeep Wrangler with an Alu-Cab Rooftop Tent emerged in front of me, followed closely by two Toyota Tacomas. It was Rin from OK4WD, followed by my friends, Matt and Tom! I knew that they were going to be up in Vermont, but we made no plans to rendezvous. It was a chance encounter, and I ended up sharing a campsite with them for a couple of nights. What a wonderfully unexpected way to end the week in a beautiful part of the country! 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