Out-Doors
by Elizabeth Bassett
June Bouquet

Do you find yourself with a glum face, wondering what to do? Not bloody likely in June. Gardens explode, there’s paddling and fishing, walking, hiking, biking or just plain porch sittin’. Here are a few ideas to get you outdoors.

Burlington’s Intervale is one of my favorite places any time of year, hunting season included (it’s relatively safe), where walking and mountain-biking trails thread across the fertile Winooski delta. The lazy flow of the river contrasts with the industry of Intervale farmers and gardeners.
Beside the looping meanders of the Winooski, the nonprofit Intervale Foundation manages 354 acres of river bottomland that includes farms, nursery, trails, compost production and wildlife corridors. As early as 3,000 BCE these wetlands and fertile soils attracted Native Americans. Abenakis paddled these waters where today canoe launches dot the shores. In 1787 Ethan and Fanny Allen built their home in the Intervale. It is still standing. Today the Winooski Valley Park District (WVPD) manages the Ethan Allen Homestead, adjacent to the Intervale and connected to it by the trail network.

On June 21 the Intervale Foundation’s Summer Solstice Celebration kicks off its Summer Thursdays series. Each Thursday evening a featured speaker or activity begins at 5:00 p.m. followed by music from 6:00 to 7:00. The solstice event, at the Calkins Community Barn, features Slow Food Vermont followed by the Social Band. Bring a picnic or buy American Flatbread baked in its on-site hearth. Or check the menu of nearby Sugarsnap, featuring local organic produce, at sugarsnap.biz. In addition to supporting other Intervale farmers, Sugarsnap grows organic veggies on its own two-acre Intervale garden. Each day Sugarsnap features two take-home dinners that include soup, entrée and vegetables— 505 Riverside Avenue, 652-5922. 

On June 28 Burlington Community Wildlife Habitat Initiative precedes music by Greg Alexander and Nicholas Cassarino. For more information about Summer Thursdays call 660-0440, ext. 101, or go to www.intervale.org.

Don’t forget the other natural areas and canoe launches managed by the Winooski Valley Park District, wvpd.org. Within Chittenden County WVPD oversees 17 natural areas that include 22 miles of trails and nearly 12 miles of river, lake and pond shoreline. Several of my favorites are Delta Park and Colchester Pond, both in Colchester, and Old Mill Park in Jericho. 

If you love biking from Charlotte or South Burlington across the Winooski to the Colchester Causeway, you probably look forward to the weekends in August when Local Motion’s ferry will transport you across the cut to South Hero. Unfortunately, ferry service across the cut will not be expanded until a biking shoulder along South Street in South Hero is completed in at least two years. This year the ferry will again run on Saturdays and Sundays in August. In the meantime, if you have a special event or group outing, the Local Motion ferry is available for charters, including sunset cruises or even an evening jaunt to Quebec. Contact Brian at Local Motion, 316-6382. For other Local Motion activities check www.localmotion.org.

The Vermont Bike and Pedestrian Coalition serves as a clearinghouse for summer bike outings even as it works to educate the public (Have you seen their bumper sticker, Share the Road?) and powers-that-be about bike and pedestrian safety. The coalition works to make biking safer and feasible for more riders. Check its website at www.vtbikeped.org.

The week of June 3-9, Muscles not Motors Bike to Work Challenge encourages workplaces to compete for prizes while reducing emissions, burning calories and getting workers healthy and strong. For more information on this program contact onionriver.com or 229-9409.
On June 16 the Tour de Kingdom has a distance for almost everyone, loops of 15, 26, 51, 77 or 95 miles. On June 24 the Eco Tour (ecotour2007.com) departs from Morse Farm in Montpelier for a 100 km ride through Central Vermont. 229-9151. More rides are proposed in July, including several two-day adventures.

With high water levels on Lake Champlain there may never be a better time to paddle near the mouth of local streams and rivers. There’s lots of room to maneuver over fallen trees and other obstacles. On a recent weekday near the mouth of Lewis Creek, our kayak flotilla spotted a mink, nearly got overturned by explosive bursts from spawning carp, floated within feet of a baby muskrat as it munched on twigs, and kept a cautious distance as osprey parents swooped back and forth to their nest platform where a bobbing head hungered. The boat launch on Long Point Road in Ferrisburgh is just minutes from Charlotte.

Barring torrential rains, it should be safe to go into the woods again—hiking, that is. To minimize trail damage and erosion the Green Mountain Club (GMC) recommended staying off high-elevation trails until Memorial Day. In addition to being steward of the 272-mile Long Trail, 173 miles of side trails, and 66 overnight facilities, the GMC offers educational workshops and programs to enhance outdoor skills and knowledge. The June menu features three: in Mendon on June 2, an all-day hands-on session on Backcountry Sanitation. Learn about cat holes, pit toilets and moldering privies (including red worms). It’s free!! If waste is not your cup of tea, how about SOLO Wilderness First Aid. Offered two weekend days, June 16 and 17, this sought-after class fills quickly. If you’re going into the wilds, don’t leave home without a certified wilderness first responder. Last but not least, Introduction to Backpacking, a multi-day program includes a hike on which you can test your new skills. For information on group outings, education programs, volunteer trail work (an important part of keeping trails in good condition), consult the Green Mountain Club’s website at www.greenmountainclub.org or call 244-7037.

Take a walk, hike to a summit, pedal or paddle to a new place, or simply weed your spinach. Whatever you choose, get outdoors!!