Caledonia County Highpoint Trip Report

Signal Mtn (3,360+ ft)

Date: April 30, 2006
Author: Brennan Connelly

I took advantage of 2 strange concurrences: a warm day in VT and not being on a plane on a Sunday to bag my 12th VT HP and 113th overall.

I followed a combination of previous reports and my own notes from last year's Butterfield hike. I looked for the gravel pit mentioned in Papa Bear's report from last year but did not locate it. I stayed on the road until a second bridge, directly south of the summit.

I took a true north bearing, gritted my teeth, and plunged into the undergrowth. Previous reports are correct that after about 2700 feet, the undergrowth dies off and the boreal spruce forest takes over, making the final 600 feet a fairly easy endeavor. The register is still there and has gained very few names since last year, mine being the second this year.

Going down, I trended more to the west and intersected an overgrown woods road at about 2800 feet which greatly facilitated my passage through the lower reaches of the mountain. It comes out on the road just past the first bridge and is marked by two red tape flags and a yellow caution sign with indeterminate markings. While it doesn't go directly to the summit, I would highly recommend it for quick passage through the undergrowth.

This is a fairly straightforward bushwhack which would have been made much easier had either of the gates been open, which they have not been during my 3 or so trips to the area. I would highly recommend doing these during the brief window of time between mud season and bug season (around May). The bugs aren't out, the weather is warm, and the undergrowth hasn't had a chance to grow in quite yet. Also, long pants and stout boots are a necessity.

Hiking statistics: 7.1 miles round trip with 2,150 feet of elevation gain.