Spring into the Out-Doors! by Elizabeth Bassett What to make of snow on the first day of spring? Or Mother’s Day? It happens. The most predictable aspect of this season is unpredictability. What’s a body to do? Get ready to venture out when a warm day smiles on us with seed packets and hoe, bike tires pumped (and bird poop removed), life jackets handy for the first kayak or canoe trip, and mud boots never out of reach. Cotton Brook Area - Moscow/Stowe As Charlotte debates the future of its own ancient roads, some similar byways provide great venues for spring outings. Between Waterbury Reservoir and Moscow, long-abandoned roads thread through the valleys of Cotton Brook and Little River. In the 19th century the lure of free, 160-acre homesteads drew struggling Vermonters west, away from these hardscrabble hill farms. An historical map of the Little River Area (see map at right) is indispensable, as there are few trail markings and it’s an easy place to get turned around. Wear mud boots and bring a compass. Access to these trails from the south is through Little River State Park. Until the park opens in late May, you will walk an additional half hour or so from the locked gate to the beginning of the trail network. It’s a longer car ride via Route 100 to Moscow, but it’s possible to park on Cotton Brook Road and walk immediately into the Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Remains of sawmills, farms, schools, a sugarhouse, cemeteries and a lumber camp dot the woods, some quite easy to spot, others requiring an active imagination. From the Little River side the History Hike is well documented, with some signage and a brochure at park headquarters. Nature Walks in Northern Vermont and the Champlain Valley, available in local libraries and on used-book websites, describes the History Hike. Mississquoi National Wildlife Refuge In the past decade the trail network in the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge has expanded from one to five, making it possible to spend much of a day walking through various ecosystems and habitats along the Missisquoi River and Bay. The refuge stretches over 6,500 watery acres. A new, “green” headquarters on Tabor Road was built with local materials including old beams from a local barn. This “smart” building makes use of geothermal cooling and energy-saving fixtures and appliances. A wind turbine and photovoltaic solar panels on the roof enable the facility to meter excess electricity back to the grid. Pick up a map at the headquarters. Mississquoi Valley Rail Trail (MVRT) This 26-mile rail-to-trail conversion traverses some lovely agricultural scenery in Franklin County. (See map on page 21.) Since locomotives cannot climb steep grades, the reclaimed track beds are quite flat. A day of trail pedaling on a rail trail leaves me with aches that I never get when riding up and down hills, always changing positions on my bike seat. Consider a new feature of the MVRT: five loops off the main trail. Find more information at mvrailtrail.com. The 24-mile Morse’s Line Loop departs the trail from North Sheldon, passing vistas of Lake Carmi and Quebec’s Pinnacle Peak enroute to Franklin. The route turns toward the tiny border crossing at Morse’s Line before heading south on Gore Road in Highgate. A cluster of farm buildings on the right announces the Boucher Family Farm where Green Mountain Blue Cheese is produced. (The driving route is I-89 Exit 21, east on Rt. 78, north on Gore Road, Route 207. It’s 2.3 mi. to the Boucher Farm.) Visitors are welcome any time, although don’t count on seeing the cheese makers in action. They may be milking, cutting hay, or driving tractors. Behind a large glass window the cheese production room gleams in stainless steel and white. Clippings from newspapers and magazines cling to the walls of the entryway. Describing the Italian gorgonzola-style blue made by the Bouchers, New York Times food writer Marion Burros wrote, “Gore-Dawn-Zola (the cheese maker is Dawn Boucher) is the best blue cow cheese in New England, buttery, piquant, balanced.” A fridge offers small chunks of six varieties of Green Mountain’s cheese for purchase. A short segment of this loop runs over hard-packed gravel as it seeks to avoid heavily traveled roads. From Gore Road the route follows Cassidy and Franklin Roads, a brief segment on Route 78, Route 207 to Cook Road that becomes Bushey Road. A final left onto Vien Road brings the biker back to the MVRT at Greens Corners, about eight miles from the starting point. I’ve got this loop on my to-do list for this summer. Burlington Bike Path/Island Line Trail What a resource! Through tireless advocacy of local nonprofits like Local Motion, Lake Champlain Bikeways and the Vermont Pedestrian and Bicycle Coalition, Burlington is becoming the hub of a network of trails. From Oakledge Park ride 12.5 miles along the Burlington Bike Path, cross the Winooski River, and pedal through Delta Park and the length of Colchester’s Causeway Park. You’ll have to wait until August for the ferry to transport you across the cut to South Hero. If a 25-mile round-trip is not long enough, consider starting in Charlotte and connecting to the web of trails in South Burlington. A ten-mile loop of bike paths and lanes takes a biker along the Burlington Bike Path to Leddy Park, across North Avenue to Ethan Allen Park. A pedestrian and bike bridge crosses the Northern Connector into the Ethan Allen Homestead connecting to the Intervale. The balance of the route follows Prospect Street, weaves through the Hill Section, and then spills down Howard Street to Pine Street and back to the bike path. I would not recommend the road sections of this route during rush hour. Added note: The last weekend in May, 140 bikers will pedal from South Hero to Montreal on the VerMontreal Tour, participating in Montreal’s Tour de l’Ile and exploring Quebec’s Green Route. Details of the three-day fullysupported trip, with an optional extension, are at localmotion.org. Each year this trip sells out early. Birding Birding is always in season. You can watch the avian world from the roadside, deep in the woods or the comfort of a kitchen window. Bring binoculars and patience if you venture outside. The best way to learn about birds is to accompany an experienced bird watcher. Good local birding spots include Mt. Philo, McNeil Cove, the beach and Shelburne Pond, among others.