Bigfoot Roaming the Glastenbury
Published in Vermont Sports – Sept 2003
Photo and Story by Brian Mohr
If you’ve ever traveled along the southernmost stretches of Vermont’s Rt. 7 or Rt. 100 and stared off into the middle of our Green Mountain state, you have probably laid eyes on the wilderness surrounding the legendary Glastenbury Mountain. Nestled comfortbaly within one of Vermont’s largest and wildest pieces of real estate, Glastenbury is home to beech scratching bears, abundant raspberries, Long Trail hikers and quite possibly, Bigfoot.
Spend enough time walking through Glastenbury’s surrounding wilderness, and you’ll eventually arrive to its remote summit. At 3748’, it’s Southern Vermont’s second highest and views from the fire tower perch take in the Taconics to the west, the Berkshires south and the Greens to the north. Although Glastenbury isn’t the striking mountaintop that peaks like Mt. Ascutney, Pico or Jay Peak are, its flanked by a very impressive slice of Green Mountain paradise. Hike or ski into the Glastenbury and you’ll never stop thinking about coming back for more. Unless of course, you start thinking about those oversized tracks you spotted.
Even the indigenous Americans that settled near today’s Glastenbury were suspicious of the mountain, often saw strange colors emanating from its higher reaches, and feared that a giant beast of sorts lurked in its shadows. An abominable snowman here in Vermont? Beware the sasquatch?
Around the turn of the century, a stagecoach of folks heading back to their now uninhabited “ghost” town of Glastenbury was allegedly attacked and overturned by Bigfoot. It ran off into the woods, and everyone walked away from the encounter relatively unscathed. Even today, many fear that several unexplained disappearances since then are tied to the ongoing presence of Bigfoot.
The truth is that the human imagination is probably your greatest threat once inside “the Glastenbury”. There is a solitude rarely found in the eastern United States awaiting all those up for the adventure. And, being that it’s one of the largest relatively road-free, development-free areas in the state, one can’t help feeling that it would be worth protecting this area so that it can be enjoyed forever.
Fortunately, efforts are already underway to turn statewide support for wilderness protection into real protection of Vermont’s most special places. The Vermont Wilderness Association, for instance, is currently helping to assemble a diverse coalition of businesses, individual Vermonters and other organizations interested in adding the Glastenbury to Vermont’s small inventory of official “wilderness” areas – like the Breadloaf, Peru Peak and Lye Brook areas. A Vermont Wilderness Proposal identifies a 40,000 acre area – of mostly National Forest - surrounding Glastenbury Mountain that is ripe for official wilderness protection.
There is no denying the untamed and isolated nature of the place. Nestled along a far reaching ridgleline extending over fifteen miles from north to south, Glastenbury’s summit is a long way from everything. Approaches can be most easily made from Long Trail/Appalachian Trail out of the north or south or by the West Ridge Trail from the southwest. There is also a variety of old trails and logging paths throughout the area that tend to disappear in the fog and clouds, but can still be followed with some determination. My favorite paths are the brooks that tumble down from on high. They are adventurous paths that are usually easy to keep track of and in the wintertime, catch the powder snow like no place else.
However you head for Glastenbury, plan on at least a nice long day, or ideally, a multi-day adventure. There are several hiking shelters along the Long Trail/AT relatively close to the summit and several miles to its north and south, and plenty of wilderness for wild camping. Taking three or more days – one to get in, one or more to enjoy and explore, and one to get out – would guarantee a healthy dose of Glastenbury’s grandeur. Access by car is possible in the summertime from all four sides of the area, with most visitors start their trips from trailheads along Rt. 9 just east of Bennington. Yet, come winter, the rough roads to the north and east of the area (Kelley Stand Rd and the Arlington/Somerset Rd – RH71) remain unplowed, and offer unlimited nordic skiing potential.
A popular loop involves starting just east of Bennington where the Long Trail/AT crosses Rt. 9, following it approximately ten miles to Glastenbury Mountain, staying over at the Goddard Shelter near the summit, and returning via the relatively easy-to-follow West Ridge and Bald Mountain Trails. The Green Mountain Club describes the view from high up in the Glastenbury as, “more wilderness than is to be seen from any other point on the Long Trail.”
Old bogs and quiet ponds, mature stands of beech and birch and tucked away mountain ravines support the greatest diversity of wildlife in the state. One gets the feeling that the evolutionary process is more developed here, fueled by a potent cycling of the seasons and the relatively pristine nature of the area. Maybe a rare species of Bigfoot beast isn’t just a rumor.
Neighboring the Glastenbury to the north and south are the 15,000 acre Lye Brook and much smaller George D. Aiken Wilderness Areas. Adding the 40,000 Glastenbury area to Vermont’s collection of protected wilderness areas would collectively make this region the largest such area in the state, surpassing even the Breadloaf in size. In a day in age when fence lines and “Posted” signs are becoming more numerous by the week, the idea of preserving Vermont’s last undeveloped wild areas, like the Glastenbury, needs support from all of us. In the meanwhile however, plan a trip to the Glastenbury to experience firsthand the place I have only begun to share.
For detailed trail information and maps of the Glastenbury, check out the Green Mountain Club’s Long Trail Guide or their Day Hiker’s Guide to Vermont, or their website at www.greenmountainclub.org.
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