We had to make a quick trip to Vermont, and figured that we should add a short hike while we there. I was originally thinking about Camel's Hump, since we haven't been there in over ten years, but grace.points vetoed that in favor of Abe, despite the fact that had hike Abe about seven months ago. We arrived early in the morning and there was only one vehicle in the parking lot. It's windshield was frosted, so guessed that it was someone camping or backpacking.
The hike up to the ridge was pretty uneventful. The trail was clear, and we only saw snow on the occasional tree once we were over 3,000 feet. The highlight of the hike was at the Battell Shelter, where they've built a new shelter across from the old one. According to the GMC, the Battell Shelter​ is one of the most popular shelters on the Long Trail, and they wanted to add capacity, so the old shelter will remain along side this new one.
The trail remained snow-free, and mostly ice-free to the summit. The trees on the summit had a dusting of snow, and we had no views.
As we hiked down, we didn't expect to see many people. However, about half way between the ridge and the parking lot, we encountered quite a few hikers making their way up.
The lower portion of the trail open woods with plenty of beech trees that are holding onto their leaves, making for a colorful picture despite the larger maples having dropped their leaves already.