If You Can Walk You Can Snowshoe
by
Elizabeth Bassett

What keeps you warm in winter without using oil, gas, kerosene, or
wood? What's the best way to see fresh turkey tracks, landing trails
of raptors, and coyote scat? How can you get fit, burn calories, and
enjoy the snowy winter? Snowshoe!
Trails thread over nearly 300 acres of the Charlotte Park and
Wildlife Refuge, the Demeter property. Leave the dog at home, park in
the Greenbush Road lot, and get your bearings- it's easy to get
turned-around on the loopy lower trails. Vacationers throng to Vermont
for these views: from Sugarbush, over Camel's Hump to Mansfield in the
east and westward to the Lake and Adirondacks. Behind CCS, Pease
Mountain rises gently to views south to Mt. Philo and beyond. The
trail is marked and easy to follow.
A decent pair of recreational shoes costs about $150 and should last
a lifetime. Modern materials dominate the market although even
Vermont's Tubbs, a pioneer of new designs, still offers traditional
wood and leather models. The latter are best in deep powder and thus
not the most realistic choice for the Champlain Valley. Bindings vary
widely- don't forget as you tinker with straps and buckles in the
showroom that your hands will not necessarily be warm and nimble when
you do this outdoors. Size, shape, and weight range from tiny,
lightweight (and pricey) shoes for running on snow to large
configurations to keep a robust soul with a loaded pack from sinking
out of sight.
Rent before you buy. The Ski Rack in Burlington rents shoes for $8
for four hours, $10 for 24 hours, $ 20 for two days, and $24 for 3
days. Look for bargains at swaps or end-of-season sales. Rental
outlets usually sell their equipment each year so they can showcase
the latest lines every season. When the snow melts, make a few phone
calls, tie a red ribbon on your bargain, and then make a note about
where you've hidden them for next Christmas!
Bolton Valley boasts the highest base lodge of any Nordic center in
the east. That translates to snow early and late in the season. While
no one offers lessons (see title), Bolton leads snowshoe tours.
Bolton's Beginner Tour, a confidence-building 45-minute loop with a
splendid view, includes rentals for $12. The longer Bella Vista Tour
features a ride up Bolton's wilderness lift, panoramas from Heavenly
Highway, and lunch at the rustic Bryant Cabin. A day ticket at Bolton
costs $12, half-day $10. Snowshoers are asked to use the side of
groomed ski trails.
Closer to home, yet buried in snow as of this writing, is the newly
re-opened Sleepy Hollow, formerly Sherman Hollow in Huntington.
Managed by Olympic-hopeful and CVU and Middlebury College graduate Eli
Enman, the year-round property offers running, biking, and a bed and
breakfast in addition to skiing and snowshoeing. A separate snowshoe
network, seven miles of single-track biking trails, keeps the ski
trails pristine. Butternut Cabin, a warming hut with spectaculars
views of Camel's Hump, makes a sunny lunch stop and can be rented
overnight. A full day of snowshoeing is $10 and $7 after 1:30.
Winooski Valley Park District properties are well-suited to the
sport. Ethan Allen Homestead in the Intervale meanders along the
Winooski River; Colchester Pond provides strenuous hills and lots of
wildlife; Macrae Farm in Colchester mixes flat fields on the
floodplain with hilly, wooded trails; a challenging adventure at
Winooski Nature Trail, on Route 15 in Winooski, leads to stunning
views of the Winooski River Gorge; and the Old Mill in Jericho follows
the icy Browns River into deep groves of hemlock.
Deer, foxes, moose, and ruffed grouse may be your only company on the
state-owned, 1,935-acre Lewis Creek Wildlife Management Area in
Starksboro. This hilly terrain is punctuated by logging roads and
little else. Access is from Hillsboro Road off of Route 116.
Across the lake and close to the ferry, Split Rock is laced with
trails and Coon Mountain offers great views from its summit. Further
afield, fire roads off Route 73 in Lake Placid offer endless miles of
shoeing and links to several of the high peaks. To consider Mounts
Marcy or Algonquin one needs advanced intermediate skills and
knowledge and equipment for winter outings. South of Keene Valley
well-traveled trails lead to Round Pond and Noonmark Mountain.