Day 7- Hiking Mt. Mansfield

This morning the sun was shining so we set out for Mount Mansfield which is the highest mountain in Vermont with a summit that peaks at 4,395 feet (1,340 m) above sea level. The summit is in Underhill; the ridgeline, including some secondary peaks, extends into the town of Stowe, and the mountain's flanks also reach into the town of Cambridge.
When viewed from the east or west, this mountain has the appearance of a (quite elongated) human profile, with distinct forehead, nose, lips, chin, and Adam's apple. These features are most distinct when viewed from the east; unlike most human faces, the chin is the highest point. Mount Mansfield is one of three spots in Vermont where true alpine tundra survives from the Ice Ages.

We decided to do this hike from the Mt. Mansfield Visitor’s Center which is reached by the $26 toll road. Taking the toll road saved us about 4 miles of hiking distance (I guess we are just getting soft). Unfortunately as we drove up the toll road, the fog rolled in and soon we were not able to see more than 20 feet. Making our way slowly to the top we reached the clouded-in visitors center. We set out on our hike and the wind ripped through us. 48°F with a 35mph wind. Burrrr!!

We hiked the 1.4 miles to the chin(the summit) of Mt. Mansfield and couldn’t see a thing along the way. We spent about half an hour at the summit, then started to make our way down. About ¼ mile from the top it suddenly clears and the surrounding countryside came into view. Every direction you turned was a beautiful vista. We settled down and enjoyed our lunch before making our way back down to our car.
This is a hike almost anyone can do with a sturdy pair of waterproof hiking shoes. The toll road is found off of Vermont Route 108 between Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch.

Next we went to a “Farmer’s Market” at Stowe. Not much of a market but we did get two games of shuffleboard in at the Stowe Mountain Resort. Steve 1, Rene 1. It was one of those things that you just act like you belong, the sticks and pucks were calling our name. We continued our drive South on RT. 108 and turned off at the Trapp Family Lodge. I (Steve)could hear ‘The Sound of Music” in my head as we drove up to the lodge (Rene’ could hear Steve singing the Sound of Music). Rather than stopping there we spied a nearby brewery that had outside tables. The afternoon was lovely at 66°F and we enjoyed our pints of local brew. We continued into the town of Stowe which is not real impressive.

Tomorrow we head out to the Finger Lake region of NY and then Sunday on to Toronto where Rene will be dropping me off on her way home. Considering that the weather will not be good on Saturday or Sunday, this will likely be our last post.

We hope you enjoyed our blog as much as we enjoyed our trip. See you next time around.

Day 6 - Rainy Day

Day 6 of our adventure and the first day of major rain. However, it turned out to be a wonderful day because we had a special visitor, one of Keane's buddies from high school, Justin James. He is currently attending New England Culinary Institute here in Vermont. For 30 years they have been teaching students to make connections with farmers, between the landscape and our food, and between seasons and culinary traditions. Sometimes they include food items that express a particular sense of place from outside of Vermont, or culinary traditions from other cultures, and use those items or experiences to enhance the foods grown here in Vermont.



We were inspired by his enthusiam and excited for the opportunities he has earned. He will be starting his internship with a couple of master chefs in New York City starting tomorrow.

The evening was topped off with a wonderful meal in downtown Stowe at a restaurant called Harrisions.

Day 6- Covered Bridges

Today we decided to do a little sight seeing and explore some of the covered bridges in the area. Call it a hunch our legs needed a hiking break. The first bridge we went to is called Gold Brook Bridge. This bridge is also known as "Emily's Bridge" , due to that it is haunted by a ghost named Emily. There are many stories of how she died on the bridge. One story is that she was suppose to elope with a lover and they were suppose to met at the bridge, when her lover never showed she hung herself from the rafters of the bridge. Another version of this Vermont legend is that she met the man who stole her heart, and the couple made plans to marry. The fateful day arrived, and Emily went to the church in her beautiful red wedding dress ready to give herself to the gentleman in holy wedlock. The groom never arrived, and the jilted bride took the family wagon in a frenzy of anger and sorrow. She was merciless on the horses, and whipped them until they were traveling at an incredible pace, planning perhaps to confront the faithless groom. As she approached the bridge she failed to negotiate the turn right before the bridge and drove the horses and carriage over the bank and onto the rocky brook below. Both the horses and Emily were killed in the accident. There is no historical evidence that Emily did ever exist.

Next stop on our adventure was Lunch... a cute little bakery/cafe called Sweet Crunch Bakery in Hyde Park just off Route 15 on Main Street, highly recommend for a great homemade lunch/sweet treat. From there we went to the Power House Covered Bridge, also known as the School Street Covered Bridge. This bridge crosses the Gihon River off State Route 100C in Johnson, Vermont.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge gets its name from a now obsolete hydroelectric generating station just upstream from it. The bridge is of Queen post truss design by an unknown builder.

On to Cambridge Junction Bridge This bridge was built in 1887 by George W. Holmes in order to access an important railroad junction and the surrounding village of Cambridge Junction. The Burr Arch structure has a clear span of 135 feet, making it one of the longest spans of its type in the U.S. The bridge is also known as the "Poland Bridge" after the retired judge who led a lawsuit against the Town of Cambridge that resulted in the bridges construction. The bridge was reconstructed in 2003-2004.

Next Stop was the Gates Farm Covered Bridge: This bridge crosses the Seymour River off State Route 15 in Cambridge, Vermont. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge is of Burr arch design, built by George W. Holmes. It was a little strange since it was kind of the bridge to nowhere, in the middle of a field ending in a corn field.

On to the Grist Mill Covered Bridge also known as the Scott Covered Bridge and Bryant Covered Bridge.
This bridge crosses the Brewster River off State Route 108 on Canyon Road in Cambridge, Vermont. You can park at the Brewster River Gorge Park. The bridge has historically also been called Canyon Covered Bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge is of Burr arch design by an unknown builder. Also on the other side of this bridge is the Alden Bryan Brewster River Trail. The trail to both the lower and upper viewpoints starts across the street from the parking area and is marked by a sign for the “Alden Bryan Brewster River Trail.” To begin this hike, start into the woods on this charming and straightforward white-blazed trail. After about 0.3 mile on this trail, you will reach a junction. To reach the base of the falls, take a right and you will reach the base of the falls in about 400 feet. From the base of the lower falls, the water picks its way through and around boulders that appear to have fallen on top of one another throughout the years. There are small greenish tinted pools at the base of several of these boulders. The river below the falls is quite wide with an extended riverbank—containing a mix of tough sand, soft grass, and small pebbles.
To reach the top of the falls, where the best views of the gorge are found, continue left and keep hiking uphill for 0.2 mile on moderate terrain. The devastation from hurricane Irene was evident throughout the entire gorge. The views from the trail and the river were beautiful and so picturesque. Our pictures just don't do this area justice.

Day 5 - Sterling Pond Hike

Today we were going to take a day off from hiking because our legs were a
little sore from the last few days, however, the weather was perfect today and we just couldn't resist. We decided to stay in the area and hike Sterling Mountain up to the pond at the top of the mountain. Elevation 3000' Vertical Rise 880'. The map we have lists this as a moderate hike and about 3.0 miles round trip. To get there proceed south on Route 108 (uphill) towards Stowe for about three miles. Park at the top of the Notch in the parking area found on the right. The trail is located directly across the road from the information booth.

We found the trail to be moderately easy however a little slippery in spots where the water hits the rock formations. (Trust me I slipped once and ended up with a scraped elbow). Of course always prepared Rene' forgot to put the first aid kit in my pack today. Have carried it for years and the day I need it it's back at our condo. No worries... a fellow hiker had baby wipes which worked just fine.


It was a beautiful hike and a great place to chill once you reached the pond at the top. The colors are getting more and more spectacular. As you ascend you have views of Smugglers’ Notch Resort and the Lamoille River Valley as well as Mt. Mansfield.

We finished our day off with a cocktail on the deck and looking at the golden light hitting the trees making the colors even more vibrant. A good day!

Day 4- Hiking Mt. Hunger

Despite our long bike ride yesterday we felt we were good to go and decided to hike a trail called Camels Hump. It's 4,083 feet, and is the third-highest peak in Vermont. Our plans were somewhat foiled when the road to the peak and the trail was closed due to the damage from the tropical storm Irene. Plan B was to hike Mt. Hunger.

Mount Hunger climbs to 3,553 feet (1,082.95 meters) above sea level. It's latitude - longitude coordinates of N 44.395611 and W -72.645115.
Mt. Hunger has views of the Green Mountains to the west and Groton State Forest and the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the east. We saw small waterfalls, great foliage, a little mud and towards the top large rock formations. We had to do a bit of scrambling on the rock formations just before reaching the summit, I actually loved this part.
The hike was longer and more difficult than we anticipated but the views from the top were well worth the effort.

Day 3 - Bike Ride on Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail

Today we rode our bikes on the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. We drove from Smuggler's Notch to the start of the trail on Troy Street in Richford,Vermont, two miles from the Canadian Border. The trail was postcard perfect with views of Missisquoi River rapids, Jay Peak, historic iron bridges,and adjacent farms. We rode through Enosburg Falls: Enosbury Falls was a unique community in the 1800s due in part to Dr. Kendall and his cure for bone spavin in horses and cattle. With this discovery and the completion the Missisquoi valley railroad this village was propelled into a center for business and residential development. Then in the 1900's the dairy industry became very important and has become known as the "dairy capital in the world". Believe me we know, at about mile 44 we had to take a mandatory rest due to the cows crossing the trail. Time for milking....
We also rode through Corn Alley: there is literally a parting of the corn,

We then rode through Historic Sheldon, Swanton Wetlands, farm land, and to St. Albans our turn around point.
Our ride was long but beautiful, a total of 56 miles, the longest Steve and I have ever ridden. We shall see how in shape we were tomorrow morning, hopefully we are still walking especially since a hike is planned for Day 4.

Day 1 & 2 Burlington, Vermont

Day 1 started out with a drive from Toronto to Burlington, Vermont. We took the car ferry from New York across Lake Champlain to Grand Isle and then on to Burlington. The lake was calm and the skies cloudy but the trip across was without event. After we checked into our hotel we walked downtown where the Nor'easter festival was on going. It's a 3-day celebration of outdoor culture showcasing the sports we play, the music we listen, the food we eat, the beer we drink and the environmental issues that concern us.
Great Fun. Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant downtown called "A Single Pebble". Great meal, service, and the request of no MSG was graciously granted.

Day 2 started with the downtown Burlington Farmers Market. The weather was not perfect, but only sugar melts so a little rain didn't hinder us. We found it a little difficult to maneuver with produce, umbrellas, and tasting samples but we managed.... On to our final destination for the next week, Smuggler's Notch, Vermont.