Division VI

SHERBURNE PASS TO BRANDON-

ROCHESTER HIGHWAY

North of the highway at Sherburne Pass is Deer's Leap Shelter, open front, with stove, simple cooking utensils and bunks for 12 persons. A charge of 25 cents per day per person is made to cover cost of fuel and care of the camp. Blankets may be rented from the manager of The Long Trail Lodge for a small fee.

From Deer's Leap Shelter a ten-minute side trail leads to the Deer's Leap Caves and Cliff. The caves consist of a large and several smaller caverns connected with winding subterranean passages. The caves are only dimly lighted and candles or flash lights are needed. Above the caves is Deer's Leap Cliff and Lookout from which a very fine view of The Long Trail Lodge, Pico Peak and Sherburne Pass is obtained.

BLUE RIDGE TRAILS FROM LONG TRAIL LODGE

Hikers who stay at The Long Trail Lodge will find several good trips that can be taken over trails cut in that region in the summer of 1932. The longest of these is the Blue Ridge Mountain round trip via Noyes Pond. Blue Ridge Mountain is about 5 miles northwest of The Long Trail Lodge and is quite striking as viewed from the front porch of the Lodge.

This round trip leaves the highway in front of the Lodge and follows The Long Trail (white blazes) north to Noyes Pond Lodge (5 1/2 miles). Then it leaves The Long Trail and follows an approach trail (blue blazes) to the west where it enters a road about 1 1/2 miles from Noyes Pond. It turns left on this road and follows it for 1/2 mile until it approaches an old sawmill site now marked only by a pile of sawdust. Here it leaves the road to the right and after crossing a brook, climbs along an old wood road through forest for 2 1/2 miles to the summit of Blue Ridge Mountain (3,293 feet). The grade is nowhere very steep, though it climbs 1,700 feet in the 2 1/2 miles.

On Blue Ridge Mountain the views are very good. The Coolidge Range is near at hand in the southeast and south, while south and southwest are Stratton and Dorset Mountains. To the west are Herrick and Bird Mountains, with

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DIVISION VI

Rutland and Proctor in the foreground. In the far west and northwest are the Adirondacks, while near the foot of the mountain in that direction is a sizeable lake formed by the East Pittsford Dam on East Creek. Several of the peaks of the main range of the Green Mountains are visible in the north even as far away as Camel's Hump.

Continuing, the Blue Ridge trail leaves the peak to the southeast and crosses the Mendon-North Sherburne Road 2 1/2 miles from the summit. Leaving this road, it drops a little to a brook which it crosses in about 1/4 of a mile. Then it climbs back to the altitude of the road and holds about the same elevation for 1 3/4 miles until it enters The Long Trail at a point nearly a mile north of Long Trail Lodge.

The round trip from Long Trail Lodge is about 15 miles with good footing all the way and no very steep grades. It can be made most easily by staying over night at Noyes Pond Lodge. Another possibility is to go directly to Blue Ridge Mountain from Long Trail Lodge and return by the same route. To do this, go north on The Long Trail for nearly a mile, turn left at the Blue Ridge Trail (blue blazes), follow the blue blazes for 1 3/4 miles, cross the Mendon-North Sherburne Road, climb gradually 2 1/2 miles to Blue Ridge Mountain. Return over the same trail. The total distance is 10 1/2 miles. All blazes are painted blue except where the route is over parts of The Long Trail.

Another side trip near Long Trail Lodge is to follow the Deer Leap Circle Trail which goes around both Big Deer Leap and Little Deer Leap Mountains. It affords no distant views but is a trail of easy grades and passes through some fine forest. It starts north along The Long Trail, passes the Blue Ridge Junction, turns sharply right around the Deer Leaps. A short distance after leaving The Long Trail there is a junction with the Deer Leap Lookout Trail to be described below. The Deer Leap Circle Trail goes straight ahead (nearly east) at this junction and gradually turns right to encircle the Deer Leaps. After it has turned nearly south, it joins the Appalachian Trail about 3/4 of a mile from the Deer Leap Lookout Junction mentioned above. At the Appalachian Trail Junction the Circle Trail bears right and comes out at the highway.

The total length of the Deer Leap Circle Trail is 2 1/2 miles. On this trail the blazes are painted blue except where the route is over parts of The Long Trail.

The third side trail in this region is called the Deer Leap Lookout Trail for obvious reasons. It goes directly over the summits of both Little Deer Leap and Big Deer Leap Mountains. It is a rather steep trail especially up Little Deer Leap, but the views from it are well worth the effort required to climb it.

It leaves the road opposite The Long Trail Lodge and passes close to the left of Deer Leap Camp. It climbs steeply first to Lower Deer Leap Lookout and then to Upper Deer Leap Lookout about 1/4 mile from the road. At 1/8 mile farther a sign indicates an Eastern Lookout from the top of a big rock just off the trail. A little farther on there is a Lookout to the northwest from the top of another big rock. The