Out Doors
by Elizabeth Bassett

Frugal Gifts

Worried about money? Global warming? Holiday stresss? Time to get outdoors.
Even watery December light brightens the day. Fresh air and physical exertion warm the body and focus the mind. As the seasonal madness accelerates, give yourself the gift of an outing.
I’ve scoured the archives for free or inexpensive activities for these cold dark months. Check the archives at thecharlottenews.org for additional ideas.
Beside a small rope tow on Lewis Creek Road in Hinesburg, trails of the Copp-Welch and Gillespie properties wind through 150 acres of woods and meadows. Conserved by the Hinesburg Land Trust (HLT), the land includes hardwoods and conifers, pond and marsh, meadows and cliffs. Trailheads are located on both Lewis Creek and Gilman Roads. Download a map at hinesburg.org/htl.html.
Molly Stark’s Balcony from the Appalachian Gap on Route 17, an undulating route of 1.3 miles. With expansive views open north to Camel’s Hump with the Worcester Mountains to the northeast, most of the hike is below tree line, protected from the wind. Roundtrip is a little more than two hours.
Cotton Brook logging roads in the watershed of the Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Like the History Hike in adjacent Little River State Park, Cotton Brook basin was home to 19th century hill farms, communities and lumber camps. A map features sites of a schoolhouse, sawmills, covered bridge, stone bridge, log cabins and numerous farms. Miles of dirt roads with hardened surfaces reach into the higher elevation hills, climbing from the parking area at about the 500-foot elevation to nearly 2,500 feet. Driving access is from Moscow, just south of Stowe. From Route 100, drive through Moscow Village. When the road reaches a T-intersection, turn left and continue to the gate at the end of the traveled lane.
Trail Around Middlebury (TAM). Threading across farmland, Middlebury College properties, parks, and public preserves, TAM is a 14-mile circuit as varied as it is long. Ridge-top vistas, waterfalls, gamboling sheep and woodlands are among the features enroute.
UVM Natural Areas, East Woods in South Burlington and Centennial Woods in Burlington, are close to home even if both are within earshot of the interstate. If you are rushing to work or between errands, the trails are convenient for a quick outing.
Pease Mountain rises gently to views south toward Mt. Philo and beyond. The trail departs from the southwest corner of the fields behind CCS.
Trails thread across nearly 300 acres of the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. Leave the dog at home and park in the Greenbush Road lot. Spectacular views await: east toward Sugarbush, Camel’s Hump and Mt. Mansfield and westward to the lake and Adirondacks.
Shelburne Farms. There are miles of walking trails cross the fields, hilltops, woods and shoreline, in addition to sleigh rides and other special events. Check shelburnefarms.org or call
985-8686.
Coon Mountain, Westport, New York. Spectacular views of the lake and Adirondacks from the rocky summit just north of Westport. Enjoy the wintry ferry ride.
Snowshoe
Float over deep snow pack, scale steep slopes, and stride over stumps, rocks and downed trees. You’ll get warm, burning up to 1,000 calories per hour and see fresh turkey tracks, coyote scat and the landing trails of raptors. A decent pair of recreational shoes costs about $150 and should last a lifetime. Rent before you buy at local ski shops or touring centers. Look for bargains at swaps or end-of-season sales.
Deer, fox, moose, turkey and ruffed grouse may be your only company on the state-owned, 1,935-acre Lewis Creek Wildlife Management Area (LCWMA) in Starksboro. This hilly terrain is punctuated by logging roads and little else. LCWMA is accessible from Ireland Road, east of Route 116 in Starksboro. Park at the end of the plowed road. Hillsboro Road also ends at LCWMA but is passable only in four-wheel drive vehicles.
Winooski Valley Park District (wvpd.org) properties are well suited to walking and snowshoeing. Colchester Pond provides strenuous hills and lots of wildlife; Macrae Farm in Colchester mixes flat fields on the floodplain with hilly, wooded trails; the Winooski Nature Trail, on Route 15 in Winooski, undulates enroute to stunning views of the Winooski River Gorge; the Old Mill in Jericho follows the icy Browns River into deep groves of hemlock; Ethan Allen Homestead, just off the Northern Connector, follows the meanders of the Winooski River- excellent for cross-country skiing.
The gift of stress reduction
Humans need a certain amount of stress – without it we’re bored, inefficient and frustrated; too much stress, however, and we’re irritable, overwhelmed and exhausted. When the balance is just right, we are motivated and productive. Napoleon Bonaparte reduced stress by opening his mail just once a month. He had learned that most of the problems in his letters were solved by the time he read them (not recommended for bills). Some more realistic ideas for our era:
• Prioritize. Make three lists: essential, important and trivial. Throw out the third list. Within the essential category prioritize again. Now, turn off the radio or television, check your e-mail just once a day, let the answering machine take your calls, and get busy. Trade your kids with a friend – one afternoon free for you, one for him or her. With environmental clutter reduced, you’ll be amazed how efficient you can be.
• Delegate or pay for help. Hire others, including your own children, to do chores. Ask relatives and friends to contribute to meals.
• Do it today. Hard work is often the accumulation of easy things you should have done earlier.
• Examine your time. We all value different activities and have our own ways of wasting time. Be a ruthless critic of where your discretionary time goes: e-mail, television, baking cookies, crossword puzzles, long phone conversations. Everyone has a best time of day – for some it begins at 11 p.m., for others it’s 5:30 a.m. Schedule the most important work when you are sharpest.
• If at all possible, leave work at the office.
• Set an alarm clock to remind you of bedtime! Getting a second wind may be fun on occasion but is costly night after night. Fatigue reduces your ability to function effectively and cope with stress.
• Write it down. Don’t rely on your memory to keep track of appointments, library books or important phone numbers.
• Donate extra stuff to charity. It will make finding the things you need easier.
• Don’t spend money you don’t have for holiday gifts or anything else that’s not essential. If friends and family can’t understand and respect your frugality (which may include homemade gifts), are they keepers?
• Exercise. A body lacking in physical stamina is in no condition to counter stress.
• Learn to relax. This could mean yoga, Transcendental Meditation or watching birds at the feeder as you sip a cup of tea.
• Enjoy. Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans. If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, when the lists are all checked off and life is under control, you will have a long wait. Smell the wreath, listen to beautiful music, marvel at the stars, send a note to someone you love. Make friends with non-worriers.
• Help others. This will bring more joy to you than to the recipients.
• The Vietnamese-born Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “Peace Is At Every Step.” He reminds us that mental peace is not external or to be sought after. It is found by slowing down and appreciating every moment and every breath.