OutDoors
by Elizabeth Bassett

Updating the Outdoors

The outdoors is my muse. With the re-publication of Nature Walks in Northwest Vermont and the Champlain Valley, I’ve been looking at the natural world with fresh eyes. There have been some surprises. Nineteen of 43 maps in the book required editing or a complete facelift. Here is some of what I found.

Nature’s Handiwork
• Torrential rains in August 2008 devastated swaths of the Green Mountain National Forest. Rivers and streams exploded out of their banks. Both the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail and Texas Falls lost bridges and Leicester Hollow Trail suffered major damage. The closer handicap-accessible loop of the Frost Trail remains available but the majority of it, on hillsides and in blueberry meadows, lies out of reach. Bridge redesigns are underway and construction is scheduled for 2010.
• Memories of the 1998 Ice Storm include the ever-shrinking circle of warmth around our woodstove, dirty dishes piling up on the deck, reading by kerosene lamps, and of course trees crashing to earth. Both Pease Mountain and Mt. Philo suffered enormous damage. As a result Pease saw new trails within the UVM Natural Area.
• In the summer of 2007 a microburst struck Williams Woods. Freakishly high winds snapped and toppled trees, some 200 to 300 years old. With the water table close to the surface even mighty oaks fell to earth because of shallow root balls.
• Beavers wreaked havoc at the Audubon Center in Huntington, a perfect chance for visitors and school groups to see how beavers alter the landscape.

The Work of Mankind
• A new handicap-accessible trail at Mount Independence winds past some of the most important archeological sites on the Mount, the 600-bed hospital, officers’ quarters, and storehouses, and leads to overlooks of Lake Champlain and Fort Ticonderoga. Detail-rich interpretive signs line the trail, too. A great addition.
• On Pease Mountain a new access trail has been cut over private land but a final deal has not been reached between the various parties. The UVM Natural Area remains unchanged (other than by the Ice Storm and its aftermath).
• The Copp-Welch Loop in Hinesburg is a celebration of volunteer and community spirit in Hinesburg. The well-groomed Copp-Welch Loop threads through mature woodlands with hardwoods as well as dense stands of hemlock. Add a ravine, a few cliffs, a hidden meadow surrounded by forest, and adjacent land in active agriculture and the loop is a lovely outing. Try it on snowshoes or cross-country skis. This is a year-round gem.
• The Intervale was one of the most-edited chapters in the book because the scenery continues to evolve. The mission of the non-profit Intervale Center is to restore the river delta to fertility and vitality. Covering one-sixth of all open land in Burlington, the Intervale is a laboratory for sustainable projects that include organic farms, community gardens, composting, McNeil Electric plant whose fuel is wood chips, and a wood depot to divert scrap, wood, and brush from the landfill.
For updated trail conditions, go to NatureWalksVermont.com.

Talk with Elizabeth about her newly released book at the Old Brick Store wine tasting and book signing on Saturday, October 24, from 3 to 6 p.m.
In the press release, the updated edition is described as an “indispensible guide,” that describes the best aspects of 42 special places to walk in Vermont using detailed maps, directions and lots of photographs. The book is “a companion to be savored and used, an inspiration to strap on your snowshoes or lace up your walking boots.”