Spring Skiing in Vermont

Smugglers' Notch in Jeffersonville, Vermont.

Some of Vermont's best skiing and riding can be found in March. The snow is soft and the sun is warm, making conditions ideal for classic spring skiing.

March tends to be Vermont's snowiest month, but it varies from year to year. Still, most Vermont resorts will likely offer skiing and riding until early April, with some of the higher peaks staying open even later.

Are you planning on going skiing or snowboarding this spring? Let me know where you end up.

For up-to-date conditions, visit www.skivermont.com.

A Stone Wall in Ripton

This stone wall at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English always catches my eye.

At least once a year I take a leisurely drive along Route 125, a scenic route also known as Middlebury Gap Road. During these drives, I always stop at the college's Ripton campus to admire the stone wall and rolling landscape.

David Bain, of Middlebury College's Department of English and American Studies, says the stone wall was likely built in the 1880s, back when Bread Loaf was a summer resort.

Bread Loaf is now a summer destination for graduate students, and it continues to be a place worth exploring.

Town Meeting in Vermont

Town Hall in Goshen, Vermont

Town Meeting, held the first Tuesday in March, is an annual tradition in Vermont. Residents gather in town halls and school gymnasiums around the state to vote on local budgets, debate community issues, and elect town officials.

Attendance at Town Meeting has unfortunately been on the decline for the past 40 years. According to University of Vermont Professor Frank Bryan, a typical meeting draws only about 20 percent of voters, but small towns tend to have higher turnouts.

Town Meeting has been an important part of Vermont's history and identity for more than 200 years. The first Town Meeting was held in Bennington in 1762, several years before Vermont became the 14th state.

Interesting and controversial topics are part of the mix at Town Meeting, and this year will be no exception. For Town Meeting coverage, visit Vermont Public Radio at www.vpr.net.

Village Bridge in Waitsfield

The Village Bridge in Waitsfield is one of my favorite covered bridges in Vermont. The bridge, built in 1833 and restored in the 1970s, spans the Mad River. This is one of the oldest covered bridges in Vermont and includes a pedestrian walkway.

Vermont has about 100 covered bridges across the state. An informative website with details about Vermont's covered bridges is www.virtualvermont.com.

 

Elmore Mountain and the Fire Tower

Elmore Mountain is the northernmost and smallest peak of Vermont's Worcester Range. The mountain, which has an elevation of 2,608 feet, is a popular hiking destination and home to an accessible fire tower.

Start your hike from Elmore State Park off Route 12, located along the mountain's eastern slope. At the summit is a fire tower that was manned and operated between the 1930s and 1970s (the original tower was destroyed in the hurricane of 1938).

According to the Green Mountain Club's 360 Degrees: A Guide to Vermont's Fire and Observation Towers, 38 fire towers once stood in Vermont. Today only 12 fire towers and five observation decks remain, including the Elmore Mountain tower.

If you're hiking Elmore Mountain, make that extra climb up the fire tower and take in stunning views - above the trees - from every direction.

Creativity Through Grief

It's hard to believe that 12 months have passed. Last year Dave and I were expecting our first child, a daughter we named Charlotte. She was due in July but died halfway through the pregnancy, leaving us stunned and overwhelmed by grief.

Today is the first anniversary of Charlotte's death, and I want to take this opportunity to honor her.

While our lives were filled with tremendous pain after the loss, the support and kindness of others helped us move forward. Losing Charlotte also gave me a new sense of openness, encouraging me to embrace the world around me and express myself through writing and photography.

She is the reason I eventually started this blog, which has turned out to be an incredible and unexpected gift.

February Light in Vermont

The increasing amount of afternoon light is something to be celebrated this time of year in Vermont. On a brisk February afternoon, the sun lingers a bit longer and you can feel the dark days of winter beginning to wane.

Deep down we all know it will still be a while before spring arrives. But with a little more daylight in our lives, the snow and cold feel just fine.