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Camel's Hump is Vermont's third highest mountain, but because of its distinctive profile, perhaps its most recognized. Part of the Green Mountain range, it is one of the oldest mountains on earth. With its neighbor to the north, Mount Mansfield, it borders the notch that the antecedent Winooski River has carved through this area over eons. The hiking trails on Camel's Hump were among the first cut in the Long Trail system, and Camel's Hump remains a popular summit for through- and day-hiking.
Geology
Camel's Hump is more notable for its shape than its height of 4,083 feet. Isolated from neighboring peaks by the Winooski Valley and glacial action, the mountain's conical silhouette is distinctive, if misleading. It has two "humps", with the southernmost being the higher, and a steep drop to the south as a result of a quarrying action of the ice passing over it. While it looks somewhat volcanic from the east and west, the movement of glacial ice created its current form and the National Park Service names the peak as "an exceptional illustration of the complex anticlinal deformation which formed the Green Mountains".http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry/USA_Map/States/Vermont/NNL/CH/index.cfm The summit of Camel's Hump is home to the second largest extent of alpine tundra vegetation in Vermont, the first being on Mount Mansfield.http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry/USA_Map/States/Vermont/NNL/CH/index.cfm
History
Since Europeans first saw the mountain, probably on Samuel de Champlain's 1609 trip down Lake Champlain to the west, it has had a number of names related to its shape. "Camel's Hump" is a modified version of "Camel's Rump." The "Resting Lion" was an earlier name, a version of the French heraldic lion couchant image.http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/camels/
The Abnaki name for the mountain was "ta wak be dee esso wadso," or "tahwahbodeay wadso" (wadso meaning mountain), which has been variously translated as "resting place", "sit-down place", and "prudently, we make a campfire in a circle near water (and rest) at this mountain."
Trail work began on Camel's Hump at the formation of the Green Mountain Club (GMC) and by 1912, a trail had been constructed between the mountain and Sterling Pond. * This initial trail would later become a high point in the "footpath in the wilderness" known as the Long Trail. In the 1950s, the GMC constructed shelters along the trail and at the summit. The GMC now trains and pays a caretaker to reside at the summit and educate hikers to respect the fragile alpine ecosystem that exists on the mountain.
Camel's Hump is featured on the state quarter, and many Vermont institutions have adopted its memorable name, including the children's radio show "Camel's Hump Radio" hosted by Bill Harley on Vermont Public Radio. http://www.vpr.net/camelshump/index.html
Hiking Camel's Hump
- The most popular route up the mountain is the Burrows Trail, which ascends the west face from Camel's Hump Road taken east from Huntington, and is roughly 2.5 miles from trailhead to summit. The Burrows Trail is also used in the winter as a snowshoe and ski route.
- From a trailhead approximately 1/2 mile downhill from the Burrows trailhead, the Forest City Trail heads further south, passes some very picturesque streams and waterfalls, and meets the Long Trail at Montclair Glen Lodge. From this location, the Long Trail climbs the south face, which is steep and somewhat technical towards the summit. There is a connector trail, connecting the bottom of Burrows Trail to the waterfall bridges at Forest City, for those choosing to use the Burrows Trail upon descent.
- The Monroe Trail ascends the east face, which is an easy to moderate trail, like the Burrows Trail but slightly longer.
- The Long Trail continues north from the summit, and there are numerous sidetrails around the summit itself that are good for exploration in the summer.
The summit supports alpine vegetation and care should be taken to stay on the rocks so that one does not destroy this fragile plantlife.
There is a clearing several tenths of a mile north of the summit where the Burrows and Monroe Trails intersect the Long Trail (it's easy to miss the Burrows Trail connection down here). The clearing is the last protected environment one faces when climbing the mountain, and once above treeline winds and temperatures can be severe at times.
Notes
References
- Huden, John C. (1962) Indian Place Names of New England, Museum of the American Indian Heye Foundation
- Johnson, Charles W. (1980) The Nature of Vermont: Introduction and Guide to a New England Environment, The University Press of New England ISBN 0-87451-182-6
- Meeks, Harold A. (1986) Vermont's Land and Resources, The New England Press ISBN 0-933050-40-2
- Morrissey, Charles T. (1984) Vermont A History, W.W.Norton and Co. ISBN 0-393-30223-7
"Camel's Hump"