Mt Pisgah and Lake Willoughby are in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, a picturesque but lightly populated area of the state. The Lake, five miles in length and up to one mile wide, resembles a Norwegian fjord with steep sides formed by Mt Pisgah to the east and Mt Hor to the west. The water is also very cold, due to the lake’s depth, which exceeds 300 feet, with an average depth of 185 feet.

A few weeks ago, I led a hike up Mt. Pisgah for the Green Mountain Club, taking in the autumn views of Lake Willoughby from viewpoints along the summit ridge. This hike is part of a series I’m hosting in different regions of Vermont for Hikers Over 60, to reach out to our existing Green Mountain Club members and attract new adults interested in starting to hike or getting back on the trail after a hiatus. The hikes are beginner-friendly and range from easy to moderate in difficulty, in order to attract a diverse range of participants. They’ve been very well attended and have proven to be a huge amount of fun to lead, bringing people together from all walks of life for a pleasant ramble through the woods.

These Over 60 hikes have also given me an “excuse” to explore areas of Vermont that I’m less familiar with. I’ve been basing the destinations on hikes listed in the 50 Hikes in Vermont guidebook published by the Green Mountain Club in part because hiking all 50 is one of my current hiking “projects.” I like to challenge myself by completing trail and mountain lists and get to know others who are interested in teaming up to complete them. While it’s not entirely obvious, these lists are primarily social in nature. The people who pursue them are part of a community, and it’s as much fun to hike with them as it is to cross off each trail or destination on the lists.

The steep cliffs of Mt Hor, Lake Willoughby

We climbed Mt Pisgah from the south (3.4 miles round trip with w/1375′ of elevation gain), arriving early in the day, to avoid the leaf-peeping crowds. I’d never climbed this peak or trail previously, so I was a little surprised at how steep a climb it was from the get-go. The trail was in great shape, having been recently rebuilt and hardened to mitigate the impacts of overuse by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which I was surprised still existed. I needn’t have worried because the hikers in my charge handled the climb easily. While they are attracted to hikes designated for hikers over 60, they’re completely capable of holding their own on hikes with people under 60, if they decide to sign up for them. That was my impression at least.

The climb up to the summit of Pisgah moderates when you get up to the summit ridge, but you don’t really get any good views of the lake until just past the summit, off two short side trails to viewpoints. The views from these are pretty spectacular, both of Mt Hor’s cliffs on the other side of the lake, and Mt Wheeler, also on the other side to the north. The Northeast Kingdom boasts a well-developed trail system that I hope to explore next year, which is described in the Northeast Kingdom Mountain Trail Guide, published by the North Woods Stewardship Center.

After taking in the views, we headed back down the way we’d come, ending a very pleasant sojourn in Vermont autumn woods. For more information about the Hiking Over 60 hike series, visit the events section of the Green Mountain Club website. The third hike in the series is to Haystack Mtn in Wilmington, VT, off Route 9 between Brattleboro and Bennington. There are still a few spots open, so contact me if you’re interested in attending. A detailed description of that hike can be found here. Ignore the “Sold Out” warning on the website. The hike is free, and we have a few extra spots available.

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