Hi everybody, this is Dickens the hiking terrier coming direct to you from scenic Vermont where I just completed a new hike with Bruce and his friend Fred Bump.
     Bald Top Mtn, which just appeared for the first time in the last edition of the Day Hikers Guide
to Vermont, is a 1765 foot mountain rising up from Lake Morey and the Connecticut River Valley, with views across the river into New Hampshire of some pretty mountains including Mt Moosilauke and Mt Cube.  The Rivendell trail to the summit is 3.3 miles one way and a reported 1350 feet ascent.
     We arrived at the parking area at 10:56 AM and we were the second car there.  The trail is pretty and not heavily used.  It is fairly steep at the beginning.  We hadn't gone very far when a large black dog came charging downhill, running at us with a breakneck speed.  I held my ground and did not bark at her.  Once she arrived she proved to be friendly.  Her name was Dixie.  A young lady had been walking her on a leash to Echo Mtn, but she got away.  The lady told us she and her dog had never been to Bald Top, just the nearer Echo Mtn.
     We continued uphill to a lookout over Lake Morey.  After this we passed by three small streams, not flowing very much, and hiked up onto a ridge.  While up on the ridge we climbed up and past many false summits which represented large lumps on the ridge.  With all the ups and downs it seemed like we actually climbed at least 1500 feet instead of the reported 1350 feet.
     The weathermen were wrong in predicting a sunny day.  Actually it was partly to mostly cloudy.  The temperature was about 83 degrees and it felt rather humid.  We didn't have any trouble with bugs, fortunately.  We saw a couple of spring peepers, a toad and a frog.  We heard birds singing the whole route, particularly chickadees and hermit thrushes, but we didn't see any birds.
     Finally at 1:30 PM we arrived at the summit.  Several ATVs were there but they left right after we arrived, and they went off towards the west.  We had lunch.
     There are nice views of Mt Moosilauke and Mt Cube, but the view of Smarts Mtn is blocked by trees.  Clearly, trees have been growing up all around and obscuring the views.  The summit really needs a lot of clearing to restore its value as a great lookout.   Mt. Moosilauke was largely obscured in clouds and haze but it would have been a great view on a clearer day.
     All around the grassy summit were patches of pretty flowering white ceanothus.  There was also some milkweed and pearly everlasting, and a couple of very large honeysuckle bushes full of red berries.
     On the way down we came upon a large xylophone installed on a tree not too far from the start of the trail.  Bruce played a tune on it.
     We were back at the parking lot at 4:42 PM.

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