vermont

This weekend i had no plans, and since it had been criminally long since i'd made the trip to stowe (and never with stella), i decided last minute to head up by myself since no one seemed to be around. I briefly considered skipping it since the idea of having three days with limited activities available (no skiing yet and no swimming either) and just myself for company was a bit intimidating. But, after consulting my calendar and realizing that the next time i'd be able to make the trip was in 2011, i threw some sweats into a bag and made the drive up friday night. Best decision ever. If i were to sleep in late, spend the day reading and the night watching movies by the fire in boston, i'd feel lazy. Doing so in vermont seems perfectly acceptable.

On saturday i decided to walk up the hill to the end of the street, then cut through the woods to get back to the house. There's no trail per se, but i like to wander around and end up back home. This time i managed to come across an actual trail which meant i was off private property and onto the town land trust conservation easement. I followed it for about 3 miles back to the parking area and then made my way home. This trail system's great! So close, and i can wander the woods without getting sticks in my hair! Apparently people use it for snowshoeing in the winter. Will have to add a pair of snowshoes to my christmas list!

Trail map.

The woods were used for maple syrup production until 1990, and there are tons of reminders left. Rusty pails stacked neatly, metal piping and trash cans (like the ones above), and the sugar house (below). 

This place is totally abandoned and looks like it's about to fall down, but you can slide the door opened and see the old equipement inside.

I wish i knew what it was all used for, or better yet, could see it in action!

Sunday brought about more of the same; sleeping in, grabbing a quick breakfast, and hiking a different trail in the same woods. In the afternoon, I stopped at laughing moon chocolates for my favorite hot chocolate, and happened to catch their daily chocolate dipping demonstration.

Some more pictures from the day.

A rusty old sap bucket.

One of the many bridges along the trails.

When i cut back to the house through the woods (the part that's not on a trail), i overshot a bit and ended up on the higher ledge above the house. It's pretty neat to look down on!

Too cold to swim or zipline, but the pond still looks great.

Driving back to the house from town, you can see this huge snow cloud hovering over the mountains in the distance. It's hard to see in the picture, but if you look close you can see the trees all snowy up there.

The end of sunset- i almost missed it completely.

Finally, another fire in the fireplace. Tomorrow i have a few hours before heading back so will have to find a few more things to do.