Soft snow, and more of it than expected, brightened a gray day at Bolton Valley. Bolton is one of the "overlooked gems of Eastern skiing. (Josh Arneson photo)

Even though Bolton Valley is right in the heart of Vermont ski country and only a short drive from Burlington, skiing there gives you what I might call “hidden gem feeling.” It is off the beaten path, the skiing is great, and it feels like a much bigger mountain than it actually is. It’s the kind of middlin’ big ski area with huge character that we at Eastern Slopes love discovering, and love to keep rediscovering again and again with each visit.

I recently rediscovered Bolton after not having skied there since 1997. My mistake. The last time I was there, my dad, my brother and I had stayed in one of the slopeside condos and had awoken to a sunny, glistening powder morning. We must have skied every trail on the mountain that day, and most of the woods too, in snow up to our knees. My brother and I had spent the best part of that epic day in Devil’s Playground, a “steep and deep” glade area that compares very favorably to anything offered by more-famous Stowe and Jay Peak.

Sadly, the conditions were not supposed to be quite so good on this particular Monday afternoon when I drove up to Bolton to make a few tracks. The weather called for icy drizzle all day, but it wasn’t raining, I had a day off and make a policy of always trying to go skiing even if the weather looks slightly iffy. Usually, conditions are better than expected, and this day was no exception. Fortunately the rain decided to hold off and I enjoyed a warm day (for January in Vermont) with nice soft snow.

Only the Vista Peak chairlift was open, which is typical during non-vacation weeks. But there was still plenty of great skiing to be had. Normally, the top of Vista Peak (3,150 feet) offers a spectacular view of Camel’s Hump, but this day the peak only offered the kind of pea-soup fog that makes it difficult to tell which way is up and which way is down. Bolton is one of the few ski areas in the east to generate some of its own electricity with a giant wind turbine near the top of the lift. I could barely make out the blades, which were spinning at a good clip in the wind-blown fog.

Like almost everyone else I know (and maybe you are in this sad group), I have not skied as much as I would like to this winter. I was feeling a bit unsteady on my Telemark gear so started the day with a cruiser run down Alta Vista, to skier’s right from the top of the the Vista Peak chair. The snow was smooth and easy to edge, thanks to great grooming and some fresh snow over the past few days. From Alta Vista, I was able to cut over to several of the trails on Wilderness Peak, and had an absolute blast. Swing and Bull Run are marked as beginner trails, but they are relatively narrow, have a nice, sustained pitch for carving and twist and turn pleasantly through the trees. Nice, mellow warmup ride on Tele gear .

There was plenty of snow to allow you to sneak into and out of the woods at the edges of the trails, and even enough for some real glades skiing if you didn't mind the occasional rough spot. (Justin Jones photo)

On my next lift ride I took Mousehole to Fanny Hill, an even narrower and windier run. Suddenly I was reminded of what is so wonderful about Bolton—it’s pure old school. If you are a purist (like me) and judge a ski area primarily by its trails, you will find a lot to love about skiing at Bolton Valley. It feels like a step back in time.  The mountain has the kind of long, twisting runs that truly make for classic New England skiing. The trails are cut to follow the terrain, not the needs of a grooming machine, turning and dipping unexpectedly through the forest that, on this day seemed dark, ghostly. I was having fun skiing the little whoop-de-doos off the side of the trail ducking in and out of the woods and making turns on the berms on the side of the trail. I noticed other skiers and riders doing the same. Bolton allows its trails to stay a bit wilder than many areas, which makes the skiing a total blast. It feels like you are WAY out in the woods and then, all of a sudden, you are back at the base village.

After a few warm up runs, I had a great run down Showoff, a black diamond which more or less parallels the chairlift. Some of Bolton’s runs are really steep! Even on the steepest pitches the snow was great. In Northern Vermont, even on a year like this when the rain is outgunning the snow, Bolton still had great snow coverage. It really helps to have a few inches of snow every couple of days, which Bolton has had over the last few weeks. An inch or two of snow several times a week eventually adds up to serious snow cover, even without the big snow dumps that get people cranked.

I tried the glades off Vista Peak, and found that there was enough snow for fun, even if there were a few rough patches here and there. Cobrass, another fun trail that swoops out to skier’s left, had quite a bit of grass showing, but, personally,  I would rather see a couple bare spots on an open trail than a “closed trail” sign and a rope on a trail that’s mostly well-covered.

All in all, it wasn’t a blue sky, fresh powder kind of day, but it was still a perfectly enjoyable day on the slopes. Bolton is a charming area with a great base village, and some of the cheapest slopeside ski and stay packages around. It also has extensive night skiing for as little as $19 (on Saturdays). If you want a back-to-basics ski experience with great terrain and minimal crowds, well, Bolton is waiting. . . .

Some of the slopes at Sunday River weren't as ready for the season as the boys were. (Ryan Tuck photo)

Many of my college friends have gotten their seasons rolling with post-Christmas college weeks. Some resorts make a big deal of attracting college kids who are still on winter break after New Year’s. Killington Mountain had not one, but two back-to-back college weeks. My college friend Betsy Stanley and I drove up from Boston for a weekend to meet our friends Dan Thornhill and Casey Wittner at Killington to ring in the new season.

Casey and Dan, who also go to Northeastern University, met us at Killington’s Collegiate Snowfest. They came a little sore and in need of a shower having spent the previous week at Sunday River’s College Week in Maine. Casey had this to say about the Sunday River experience:

“Five of my college buddies- Dan Thornhill, Dan Kern, Ryan Tuck, Andy Youngstrom, and Jay Tanch– and I decided to head north after the holidays for Sunday River’s College Week. I had never boarded in Maine and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was wary of the lack of snow so far, but with discounted tickets and the promise of more precipitation up north, who could refuse?

Sunday River set up four nights of events for College Week. The night we arrived, we checked out the first of these: the 80s Comedic Dance Party. The event was taking place at the Foggy Goggle, a large bar on the third floor of the South Ridge Lodge. Having heard good things about said establishment, we willingly forked over a $10 cover. Unfortunately, we ended up being disappointed with that particular piece of the College Week experience.

Dan Kern pauses halfway down Cascades to catch his breath and his balance after a near tumble. (Ryan Tuck photo)

Turnout was poor, and the act was a lone thirty-something doing covers of 80s and 90s songs on guitar and accompanied by a laptop. The drinks weren’t any cheaper than they would be during any other week, and we soon left. We were disillusioned enough by that experience to avoid the rest of the scheduled College Week activities.

Check out the festivities for yourself and form your own opinion, but I would also recommend checking out the local joints. We enjoyed the $5 pizzas from Portland Pie Company and $3 drafts of a delicious microbrew at a lodge near Mount Abram, a deal which happens every Thursday. We also made fools of ourselves at a local bar called the Funky Red Barn that hosted karaoke.

The partying, however, is always secondary to the real attraction: the slopes. I’d just bought a new board and was itching to hit the slopes with it. Most of us bought three-day tickets on Tuesday morning which allowed us to avoid returning to the ticket lines each day and saved us some money besides. The ticket discounts we got for College Week were excellent. Three days of snowboarding on eight peaks for $120 instead of $240? Sign me up!

Casey's ready to ride at the top of Killington Peak. (Caroline McDonald photo)

Admittedly, over the course of the three days, only five to seven peaks of Sunday River’s eight peaks were ready and running, but it was certainly better than anything around New York where I’d spent my winter holiday. Nicely groomed corduroy awaited us when we strapped in on Tuesday morning, and quality, corduroy slopes greeted us each morning thereafter thanks to a bit of fresh snow and a bunch of man made Sunday River pushed out each night. When the rest of the east coast is too warm for snowmaking, you can almost always count on Maine for frigid temperatures.

It was a bit chilly (if you can call lows around -5° F”chilly”), but we bundled up and endured. Waking up early  to make the first chairlift up and indulging in the morning’s groomed trails is so worth it. As is to be expected, more and more snow got pushed down the mountain as the day went on, and trails became icier. Conditions were never terrible though, and those powdery mornings really helped.

Although some  weren’t open the week we went, a few runs stood out. From the Barker Mountain peak, a series of intermediate trails (Ecstasy and Cascades) made for a fun run down to the main Barker quad chairlift. Conditions there stayed good throughout the entire day, even when others became icy. Tempest, a diamond off the White Cap quad, had snow being made on it day and night, leading to some fun rollers and a nice amount of powder.

Killington Mountain, taken from the Ramshead Lodge. (Caroline McDonald photo)

Sadly, only two parks were set up, one consisting solely of a few boxes and rails while the other provided four hard packed jumps. If you visit later this season, more should be ready. The ticket prices made the trip totally worth it, and we’ll be back next year. Short lift lines and relatively empty trails were the perks. Maybe people being wary of the conditions kept them home. Don’t make that mistake!”

Killington’s Collegiate Snowfest doesn’t offer half price lift tickets, but they do have events happening along the Killington Access Road to entice the college crowd as well as the Winter Games which happened the first week of January.

One of the Access Road events was the dance party at the Wobbly Barn that we stopped by on Saturday night. Sort of like the boys’ experience at Sunday River, the Wobbly Barn was no great party. At the suggestion of the bouncer, we ended up at Charity’s Tavern across the street. We liked the vibe and their dart board and would recommend checking it out.

Brewskis aside, the riding at Killington was pretty good, especially considering the above freezing temperatures and minuscule amount of snow they’d gotten at that point. Killington is huge– the second biggest resort on the east coast actually (they were first, but Sugarloaf’s new terrain gives them more skiable acres)–and they had enough runs open to keep us happy. All of the peaks were open, but not all of the trails. Greens and blues dominated the color spectrum of open runs, but blacks and double blacks were also available. More trails will open up as the season marches on.

We stuck to the blues and only a few blacks. Most of the blacks were moguled and icy. When doing outdoor activities with friends, it’s easy to get caught up in competing with one another–trying to be faster or endure longer. At something like College Week, when college kids are everywhere and the nighttime partying gets excessive, you have to be careful on the slopes.

Healthy competition can push you to improve your abilities, but too much competition and someone might end up riding the red toboggan. I wouldn’t call myself a strong snowboarder, and the boys were exhausted after a week in Maine. I’m glad I went with good friends who recognized that it was a weekend to take it easy. It was a choice that made for a fun weekend.  I bet you’ve got friends like mine who know when to push and compete and when to rest. Bring ‘em along.

Our first day out, Saturday, was one of the warm days that have plagued mountains this season. Conditions were patchy, but never underestimate a good attitude. The temperature meant that our fingers and toes were comfortably warm, not numb. And the slopes loosened up in the late morning.

Conditions were noticeably better our second day out when it had been cold enough to make snow and even produce a layer of the real stuff. We had good luck at Bear Mountain, which was less crowded than Killington Peak and Snowdon Mountain.

Through a snowy fog you can see the grooming trucks preparing the superpipe on Bear Mountain as quickly as possible. (Caroline McDonald photo)

The only park open at Killington was the beginner’s Mouse Run Terrain Park. Here, I made a New Season’s Resolution (sort of like a New Year’s Resolution): I’m going to master my fear of parks and being in the air. I’ll keep you updated. What’s your New Season’s Resolution?

Mouse Run wasn’t the best place to get started on my resolution as it was very crowded, probably due to it being the weekend and the only park open. The good news for park devotees is that Killington will be hosting part of the Dew Tour in a couple weeks. Check it out if you want to see some big air and seriously talented athletes. Prepping for the Dew Tour means that their groomers and plows have been working as much as possible to get the superpipe ready on Bear Mountain. It also won’t be long before their wooden park, The Stash, is also open. The park crowd should thin out when these two open and offer bigger challenges for the advanced skiers and riders. I’ll see you there one of these days.

If you’re familiar with Killington, you may also remember the Superstar Pub at the K-1 Lodge. Alas, it is no more after Hurricane Irene roared through. But in its place is now the Roaring Brook Umbrella Bar where we took a quick break. Two, round, yellow-capped buildings stand where the Superstar Pub was once. Killington is justifiable proud  of their quick recovery, and I recommend resting at the new spot  and watching skiers and boarders come down the mountain through the huge, glass walls.

The Roaring Brook Umbrella Bar serves one of the best Bloody Marys I've ever had. (Caroline McDonald photo)

Killington has a fun, energetic vibe that not only attracts droves of college-aged people, but also pros, beginners, the old, and young. I got schooled by some snowboarders half my age at the Mouse Run Terrain Park. Pretty soon they’ll be tearing it up at College Week.

Casey and I both agree that conditions were pretty good at both mountains. We keep hearing that mountains aren’t ready for the season yet; there hasn’t been enough snow. Don’t let the naysayers deter you! Take it from people who have been there: it’s about working with and making the most of the snow on the ground.

Like many of you, I obsess about snow. During the 10 days prior to our trip I kept a daily vigil on Smuggs’ No Bull Snow Report, which I’ve found to be reliable and accurate in the past. Like everyone else this season, my family and I lamented the lack of natural snow. But temperatures were good for blowing the manmade and I knew the snowmakers at Smuggs’ would do a good job. And, we got lucky. Madonna and Sterling mountains, the twin peaks that make up the greatest portion of the resort, were blanketed with between 10 and 12 inches of the real thing during the 48 hours before we arrived.

Chilcoot, an intermediate trail from the summit of Madonna Mountain, shows evidence of Christmas week snowfall. (Gary Hopper photo)

Aside from loving Smugglers’ Notch for its challenging terrain, I have also come to appreciate Smuggs for its attention to families with mixed abilities. In our case, we have two kids who are progressing skiers and my wife is a continually improving intermediate. Sounds like your family, doesn’t it? Smuggs is consistently top-rated for its concentration on the family experience, and  our boys have enjoyed the benefits of the Smugglers’ Notch children’s programs.

On this trip, the boys, Ethan (14) and Becket (12), were booked into a two-hour morning lesson with the Kids Notch Squad and my wife Laura would join the resort’s Snowsport University for two hours of instruction while I re-familiarized myself with the available terrain.

After handing the boys off to Sam Lotto for their group lesson, and telling my wife I’d see her at lunchtime after her class, I joined our friends John and Lisa Stitt and their daughter Emily for a trip up Madonna, the tallest of Smugglers’ three mountains. As we neared the top I drank in the drops and bare boulders of Upper Liftline and looked longingly at Freefall and The Black Hole. Freefall and Upper Liftline would open a week later. The Black Hole was probably another one, or even two good storms away from getting enough cover to ski.

Snow lovers take Rumrunner to get access to Pipeline, Upper Exhibition under the Sterling lift, Highlander Glades and Lower Rumrunner. (Hugh Johnson photo, Smugglers' Notch Resort)

At the top I only glanced south for a minute because we were socked in (on clear days the 360-degree views are stunning), then looked at the ropes blocking the entrance to Liftline. I realized then that in 20 years of skiing at Smuggs, I had never skied Upper Liftline and I’d  only been on the wooded pitch of The Black Hole once – and had to take off my skis and scramble out at that. One of these days, they are going to get ticked off my list.

On this day we were limited to probably 20-25 percent of the area’s trails, but the cover was excellent. Two trips up Madonna revealed loose surfaces integrated into a good carving base on the intermediate ridge-hugging Upper Chilcoot, Link, Lower Liftline and Drifter. Noiseless skiing. And, despite the tops of tall grasses poking through the surface, there was enough fluff on the steeper lead-in to Lower Liftline for a fun dash under the chair with just enough bumps to keep you honest.

But the best run of the morning, and I would repeat it two more times that afternoon, was McPherson’s. It’s a “double falline” pitch connecting Drifter to the M2 liftline. It’s rated an intermediate but that’s only because of its brevity. Ungroomed that day, it was a bit bumped up with  boot-deep “chowder.”

After a trip up Sterling and finding better-than-expected surfaces of dry and loose snow on Rumrunner and somewhat mixed cover on Exhibition, I pulled up at the Ski School building to meet Laura and the boys and get a report on their lessons as our hosts headed back up for another run before lunch.

Over sandwiches and cookies, Ethan, Becket and Laura all reported successful mornings. Becket was pleased that Lotto took the kids into Highlander Glades and down Treasure Run to work on edging skills and planting their poles to initiate turns. (Was it possible I no longer had to chant, “use your poles, use your poles” when I skied with them?) Laura said her instructor, Gary Hopper, offered good advice on keeping her hands up front with her elbows out to “open the gate” with her poles. He also had her rest her poles horizontally on her forearms while skiing to get used to the proper positioning of her upper body. We all commented on the surprisingly good snow conditions as we quickly finished our refueling. We were in a hurry to get back outside and enjoy the snow.

Laura demonstrates her new "open the gate" use of poles and a relaxed stance during her lesson at Smuggs'. (Gary Hopper photo)

We all paired up for another trip up Madonna and another run on Chilcoot. I hung back to watch the kids and Laura ski and could see immediately that all three were skiing with more self-assurance than I had remembered. Becket was flicking his poles on turns, Ethan was more upright and had developed a more fluid turning style and Laura was skiing with hands up and skis shoulder-width apart. Maybe they’d be joining me in Doc Dempsey’s Glades or on Upper F.I.S. on a successive trip!

At $75 for a two-hour lesson, the collective expertise of the Smugglers’ Notch Snow Sport University is well worth the new skills and confidence gained. Whether  you are just starting out as a beginner, (regardless of age), or getting a technique tuneup as a level 8 skier, the instructors are ready to help any snowboarder or skier improve to have fun on the resort’s classic New England trails.

Smuggs is still all about families and our family is looking forward to another visit. More snow and more terrain would just be the icing on the cake.

The new $8.6 Million dollar Bluebird Express covered 6-passenger chairlift whisks skier to Mount Snow’s summit faster than ever. When the wind is blowing and the snow is falling (from sky or snowguns), this is one sweet ride. (Tim Jones photo)

On Saturday, December 10, 2011, Mount Snow in West Dover, Vermont “officially” opened for the season, with top-to-bottom skiing and riding on their main mountain and a full terrain park at Carinthia. “Unofficially”, they’d turned their beginner lift and opened a little terrain park way back in October.

Their “official” opener was a “Bluebird Day” for more than just the fine weather.

I took my first Tele turns of the new season on the Saturday opener to check out the conditions and wasn’t disappointed. It’s been a rough start to the season for most resorts and Mount Snow is no exception. They didn’t have as much snow as everyone would have wanted. But they did have enough snow to ski on happily.

Now, Peak Resorts, which owns Mount Snow (and Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched Mountain) is noted for their snowmaking capacity. They got their start in the midwest, where some of their resorts get less than 20 inches of snow annually. But, even a tremendous snowmaking system like theirs, with unlimited water and 253 high-efficiency fan guns (the most in North America), doesn’t do much good if there hasn’t been any cold weather. On Opening Day, with all the pent-up demand, there were really too many people on too few trails—typical everywhere in early season. I’d give the conditions a solid B, which is better than you can expect at most mountains on an opening day when there hasn’t been any natural snow that has stayed.

The fact that Mount Snow had as much terrain open as they did with as much snow as they had with only a night or two of real snowmaking weather is a testament to the power of their snowmaking system. The snowguns were humming (fan guns don’t roar, but they sure pump out a lot of snow) and a good percentage of the trail had a dusting of fresh powder for each run. That snow was constantly getting moved around by skiers and riders and some bumps developed on the steeper sections. All in all, was a real challenge for me on Tele skis (which is one of the main reasons to go Tele in the first place . . .) and I enjoyed every minute. Everyone around me seemed to be having fun, too. I think everyone was just grateful for the chance to be out having fun on snow while the rest of the world was dull brown and gray.

The real news at Mount Snow, however, wasn’t the Opening Day, or even the tremendous snowmaking effort. It was the new $8.6 million “Bluebird Express” lift that runs to the summit from their main base area. This is like no other lift you’ve ever ridden on: it’s a 6-passenger high-speed detachable lift with blue plastic canopies which drop down to shield you from wind and snow. It’s fast, smooth and a very nice ride, and even on a nice day like Saturday (temps around 30, little wind) the protection from all the snow blowing from the fan guns was quite welcome. This has almost as much protection as a gondola without the hassle of taking off your skis to ride it. This is the first in North America, but I’ll bet it won’t be the last.

This ain't your grandfather's "bubble chair!" The new 6-pack "Bluebird Express" is more protected than a chairlift (if you close the canopy), yet much easier to load and ride than a gondola. (Tim Jones photo)

Not your grandfather’s bubble chair . . .

Bubble-covered chair lifts were once, if not common, at least not unheard of around New England. Mount Snow had, I’ve believe, three in the early 70s. Onset Mountain, (later called Bobcat and now another Peak Resorts property, Crotched Mountain) in Bennington, N.H. also had one. These were essentially standard fixed doubles with clear plastic bubbles that closed over them. Trouble is, those bubbles acted like sails and caused trouble whenever the wind blew. They were also somewhat fragile, easy to break and hard to maintain. The bubbles disappeared and so, eventually, did most of the fixed-grip double chairs.

This new lift is a whole different beast. The chairs and cables are much heavier so the wind shouldn’t affect them as much. Mount Snow plans on using this as their primary summit lift, running the nearby detachable quad only on very busy days. (They’ll probably need traffic cops on the summit with both lifts running at full capacity!)

If you are wondering how long it’ll take before the shiny new bubbles start being vandalized with stickers and scratched-in messages, you may have to wait awhile to see any damage. In fact, Mount Snow is making a real push to keep the lift pristine. Lift tickets are scanned each time you ride the lift and security cameras constantly monitor who is on the lift, which chair they are on and if any damage has been done. I’ve heard the cost to repair/replace a damaged bubble is $3000 and Mount Snow fully intends to prosecute and recover costs for any damages by vandals. In fact, I’m told, one miscreant has already been identified and will be held liable. I was told they intend to “make an example” of him (perhaps by putting him in stocks by the base lodge so everyone can throw snowballs at him?). Imagine the hassle and expense he’s facing. What a way to ruin your day on the slopes!

The snowguns were humming and you can bet that conditions were going to be better the next day, and the next . . . (Tim Jones photo)

Speaking of NOT ruining your day, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll like the snow conditions at Mount Snow. If you buy a regular price full-day or multi-day lift ticket and are dissatisfied with snow conditions after taking one run within one hour of the purchase, you may exchange it for a voucher of equal value you can use on a return visit any day within one year. Nice touch, that.

It was cold on Saturday night, so I can absolutely guarantee that Sunday’s snow was better than Saturday’s, and you can expect things to get even better as winter finally arrives.

What’s really amazing is the fact that this whole area was devastated by flooding during Hurricane Irene  in late August. Driving through Wilmington and up to the mountain on Route 100, you’d hardly believe anything had ever gone wrong. Clearly, Vermont is back in the ski business…and Mount Snow is proving it!

It’s a leap of faith to start your ski day on a lift with no snow in sight. (Tim Jones photo)

So, what’s it like to ski Killington in early November? Far better than you might think!

On Monday, November 7, my buddy Rich Weir and I headed for “The Beast” to check out the skiing first hand. Rich is an old Killington hand, but hadn’t skied their early season in a number of years. I try to make Killington early-season a part of every ski year, but  always wait a few days for  the “I got first tracks!” fever to settle down. If you have to have first tracks good for you. Been there, done that, have good memories to prove it, but I’ve mellowed a bit with age and prefer to pick my first day on the slopes carefully.

We chose Monday, figuring the trails would be less crowded than the weekend . . . avoiding crowds is important to me.

We deliberately didn’t get an early start, figuring the snow would likely be softer and the light better mid-day. Early-season often echoes spring in that regard. When we arrived at 11, there were more cars in the parking lot than we expected–or hoped. But the people who had skied themselves out already said that conditions were really, really good. They were right.

You access Killington’s early season snow by riding up the K1 Gondola. It’s always a strange sensation and a real leap of faith to ride a ski lift over snowless terrain. At the top, we  found snow aplenty and followed Great Northern down to the junction with East Fall. With a choice of three runs at that point,  we banged a right onto East Fall and and suddenly found ourselves in waist-high bumps. Not exactly what I want for my first run of a new season, but there it was. At least the bumps were nice and soft–not quite spring slush bumps, but not blue ice, either. And there were no other skiers or riders pounding them. Solitude is a good thing . . .especially when you ski bumps as badly as I do.

The snow was soft and smooth all day long for the skiers and snowboarders at Killington a week after their official opening. (Tim Jones photo)

Rich, who’s a far better skier than I, and had already hiked for some turns at Wachusett Mountain following the October storm, flew ahead while I picked my way down. I survived handily—even enjoyed it a little–but avoided  that trail for the rest of the day.

All the skiing was accessed from the North Ridge Triple chair. Rime, directly under the chair, was in superb condition and that’s where most of the skiers and riders were. It wasn’t crowded, but the slope was never empty, either. The sky was cloudy, the wind was whipping the clouds over the summit, and it never got too warm or too cold—though the wind would cut through you if you weren’t dressed for it. The snow was firm like butter just taken from the refrigerator—no ice anywhere—the kind of snow you dream about all winter and usually only find for brief moments in late March. It never got too hard or too soft.

The snow was equally good on Reason, which had a nice little terrain park running down skier’s right but was wide open on skier’s left. You could also duck over to skier’s left and catch the lower half of Ridge Run, which had less snow, but still enough for good skiing. The last little bottleneck on Ridge Run was the only place I saw that was really showing signs of wear and tear.

This early in the season, legs tend to give out quickly–at least mine do. I made seven runs, and felt pretty good about it. Rich, who’s younger and stronger, made 10 before we had to leave. To get back down the mountain, you have to walk up a long staircase from the top of the Triple to the top of the K1 for a downride. The walk back up  takes some effort, so be sure to leave a little extra snap in your legs. The whole process of climbing up to ride down discourages most folks from taking a lunch break. Most people seemed to just ski themselves out and head for home, as we did.

So, was it worth the drive and price of a lift ticket? Absolutely. Getting some quality “spring” skiing in November is a perfect way to kick off your spring season. By Thanksgiving, you’ll likely have a number of choices of where to ski. It’ll be good to have your legs warmed up and ready.

Just two weeks after Irene hit I decided to test out “getting there from here” by taking a trip to Twin Mountains Farm B&B, located in Middletown Springs, Vermont. The town is barely 20 miles from the Rutland/Killington area where some of the worst flooding occurred. I started from my home in Wolcott (in north-central Vermont), took a route west through Hinesburg, then south through Vergennes and down 22A to Poultney and Middletown Springs—a distance of over 120 miles.  On the entire route there was only one sign that warned of a one lane road ahead; the one lane lasting for less than 1/4 mile.

I arrived at the Inn about noon to find Walt and Annie Pepperman cleaning out the horse paddock where their three horses are sometimes fenced during the summer months. No horses were in sight. It seems “Zelda” was at a stable getting groomed, including a pedicure, for her first competition. I guess the other two horses were watching. Annie had her cowboy boots and hat on and Walt was in coveralls. They stopped what they were doing and greeted me warmly. Annie said she would give me a tour of the B&B and show me my room. Walt announced that he’d like to take me by mule to their new cabin built high on a hill on their 150 acres of woods, fields and streams between Coy and Morgan Mountains.

Twin Mountains Farm B&B surrounded by maple trees. Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo

The inn has a total of three bedrooms, all with private bath, and a fourth “cottage” room separate from the main house that is sometimes available for lodging. All the rooms have animal names: Deer, Bear, Moose and Wolf. Can you tell they love animals? I stayed in the separate cottage space called “Wolf.” The outside entry had a small porch with a sitting bench—a great place to read in the sun. The room was large and bright, with windows running along one wall, a queen bed complete with wolf throw and a gas stove/fireplace for cozy heating.

After settling in, I met up with Walt and “the mule,” which turned out to be an all wheel drive vehicle! Okay, so maybe they aren’t ALL about animals. Walt has cut about 5 miles of trails on this land for both walking and cross country skiing. He loves working in the woods and at 72 is fit and full of energy. The cabin is not for rent but the walk up to it is often used by guests as part of the trail system. Walt showed me where the porcupines have been gnawing away at the cabin–but he won’t kill them. Instead he replaces the wood with metal shields to “discourage” them.

A view of the Adirondacks from the cabin trail. Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo

After my trip on “the mule” I was ready for a more active event.  I packed a lunch, grabbed my day pack and a map of the trails and went exploring. The trails are well marked and run in loops. I had lunch at one of three picnic table placed along the trail system, scared up quite a number of grouse as I walked, and saw three deer– all in just two hours of being in the woods. The maple trees were just beginning to show a little color; in a few weeks they would be glorious. The trails run on both sides of the dirt road leading to the B&B. You walk both pasture and woods, with the steepest trails located on the side across from the house.

On my return I met Silver and Mayla, the resident Alaskan Malmutes who are friendly and very well-behaved. They hardly noticed me as I took pictures of  an ornamental crab tree whose shape I found enchanting. I must have taken 20 photos of that tree!

The next day my morning started early: Walt and Annie were leaving for the horse show and asked if I would mind a 7:00 breakfast. Always a morning person, I was delighted. Even though it was a chilly morning with a light frost on the ground, I had breakfast on the screened porch. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to hear the bubbling brook and listen to the bird calls as I ate. Annie graciously provided me with a warm  shoulder wrap for comfort.

Breakfast was juice, bacon, “French Toast Foster” and coffee that was strong enough for my liking!  Annie told me this breakfast is one of their guests’ favorites and they often get calls from returning guests requesting it. The French toast is covered with a caramelized sauce made with maple syrup that comes from the trees on their property. In fact much of the food served here is local and fresh, including bread that is baked just down the road.

Now I was ready for that 32-mile bike ride I had planned. The loop would take me by Lake St Catherine State Park where I would have my picnic lunch. The ride starts in the center of Middletown Springs and heads downhill to the town of Poultney about 8 miles away. Located on the Vermont-New York border in the Lakes Region of Rutland County, Poultney is a community of about 3,600 people and home to Green Mountain College, a four year co-ed Liberal Arts college focusing on environmental studies. The town’s historic buildings now house businesses, including a restaurant in an old train station. There are brochures available for walking tours of downtown Poultney and East Poultney, and a driving tour of the surrounding hollows, farms, and quarries that together make up the history of the town.

Clouds reflected in the waters of Lake St. Catherine. Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo

Camping at Lake St Catherine State Park closes for the season on Labor Day but day use is still available. This 117 acre park with its picnic areas, 50 tent/trailer camping sites and beaches is a busy place during the summer.  The only other visitors this day, though, were a family that included a toddler sitting in and “driving” the paddle boats which were now on dry land.  Who knew they made great babysitters as well as boats?

I rode through the picturesque town of Wells, nestled among mountains, then on to North Pawlet and Pawlet on rolling hills, with the land becoming more pastoral as I returned to Middletown Springs. Altogether a great day of  biking in the Vermont– with little damage in sight.

The leaves are turning and the snow will eventually fall.  Right now, as we are recovering, is a great time to visit and support Vermont.  And, with other people staying away, you might find more opportunities and bargains than you usually would!

To plan your trip:

State of Vermont official tourism site: Vermontvacation.com
 Green Mountain Club
Biking in Vermont
Trail finder

To contribute to flood relief:

VT Irene Flood Relief

The Preservation Trust of Vermont

Farmer Emergency Fund

My daughter Doris (14) was already up on Cash, a chestnut mare with a glossy coat so fine that you could see the veins through the skin of her well-muscled legs. Doris looked comfortable enough, but I knew that like me, she was feeling a bit of trepidation along with the excitement over this day’s adventure.

A Horse, and a Course, for Everyone

The adventure had begun the night before, when we drove up to Mountain Top. My husband Jed and my 17-year-old daughter Loretta didn’t come with us, mostly due to their busy schedules, but also because Doris and I are the major horse lovers in the family. Although entire-family adventures are great, any parent can attest to the value of one-on-one time with a child, and I was looking forward to spending some “quality time” with Doris.

Mountain Top's sign beckons you from the road. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

Mountain Top is prettily situated along a quiet road about 11 miles from Killington Ski Resort. The resort began as a turnip farm in the 1800s, and became a popular inn during the 1940s. President Eisenhower stayed here in 1955. With its lake and mountain views, year-round activities, relaxed atmosphere, and plush, comfortable accommodations, Mountain Top Inn & Resort is a spectacular place to stay in any season for any reason. This August, we were there for the horses. Mountain Top’s Equestrian Center offers one of the most comprehensive vacation-based horseback programs in the Northeast. The folks there can handle never-ever beginners (or once-in-a-blue-moon near-beginners like Doris and me) as well as expert riders and everyone in between. Mountain Top offers trail rides of different lengths, and also instruction in both English and Western riding, with advanced classes such as Jumping and Introduction to Cross Country Jumping.

Doris and I were signed up for a one-hour trail ride the next morning, which seemed like a prudent way to ease back into the saddle. In the meantime, we were hungry, so as soon as we checked into our cozy room with its quilted bedspreads and view of the lake, we headed straight for the restaurant. We sat outside, like almost all the other guests that night, on a large flagstone patio overlooking the lake (actually Chittendon Reservoir), which was surrounded by the mountains of Green Mountain National Forest. Whether it was the amazing view, the outdoor setting, the laid-back ambiance, or all three, “It reminds me of Europe,” said Doris.

We enjoyed a leisurely meal in the company of fellow diners ranging from large families to couples young, elderly, and in between. Mountain Top is a family place, but it’s also (note for later) ideal for a romantic getaway. Everything was excellent, but we especially enjoyed the corn fritters floating atop a thick corn chowder (all made from local produce).

Doris, perhaps imagining that she is in an outdoor café in Vienna, enjoys a cup of tea on the patio before our ride. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

The next morning, after a big buffet breakfast, Doris and I made the short walk to the equestrian center along a road lined with day lilies, Queen Anne’s lace, and black-eyed Susans. We saw a lab and a collie being walked and I found out later that Mountain Top has five pet-friendly cabins among its lodge, cabin, and chalet offerings. At the stable headquarters, which also serves as Mountain Top’s Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Center in winter, we selected helmets (riding helmets are a must at Mountain Top) and headed out to meet our steeds.

Happy Trails Year ‘Round

While I was contemplating the daunting physics of putting a foot in a stirrup that seemed nearly shoulder high, and swinging my body in some improbable way up over the horse, our guide, Genna Smith, explained that at Mountain Top they like to use a mounting block, “to save the horses’ backs.” (She saved my dignity by not mentioning anything about saving the riders’ dignity.) Once I was up, Genna adjusted the length of my stirrups so I sat more comfortably. She asked me if I knew how to steer and I said I did. In Western riding, which is what we were doing on this trail ride, you hold the reins in one hand and guide the horse with a light pressure of the reins on its neck. As we waited for the other three riders in our group to mount up, Creo decided to meander off somewhere. I pulled back on the reins a bit and said, “Hey, where are you going?” She paused; her tulip-shaped ears swiveled back, then forward; and she stopped. Maybe this was going to be all right.

Our fellow trail riders were also women, two of them an aunt and her niece from Montreal. Our third companion, who arrived last, got to ride Jill, one of the resort’s draft horses. Jill also helps pull the resort’s carriage and sleigh. All three arrived in jodhpurs and riding boots, thereby intimidating, er, impressing us, and all had been staying and riding at Mountain Top for a couple of days. They seemed to know the horses by name, and I was a little envious when we heard them talking about all the riding they’d been doing that week.

This picture of me on Creo is an optical illusion. In real life, this horse was huge, really enormous. You had to have been there. (Doris Donelan photo.)

We set off single file and were quickly into the woods. The trail rides at Mountain Top make extensive use of the resort’s 60 kilometers of Nordic ski trails, many of which wind through the trees. For that reason, even though the day was hot, we had possibly the most comfortable trail ride I have ever had, in the cool of the forest. All the XC skiing trail signs also offered a tantalizing view of what the place would be like in winter – pretty darned amazing. Doris and I are primarily alpine skiers, but maybe that will change. As we looked at some of the winding black trails during our ride, and imagined doing them on straight skis, we were impressed – and intrigued.

We passed through fields of fern and some other type of tall, skinny wild plant that our horses found delicious. They kept swiping mouthfuls of it as we rode along. “It’s like a big salad bar,” said one of the women from Montreal. Although I’d wondered if Doris and I would hold these more experienced riders back, that didn’t seem to be the case. We were all seemed to be enjoying the rhythm of the ride, and the scenery.

Genna turned around and eyed us all for a minute. “Do you want to do some trotting?” she asked. My heart raced. Trotting was outside of my comfort zone at that moment. “Sure!” I said. She set her horse, Wrangler, to a quick trot up a small incline. Creo thought it would be a better idea to bypass trot and proceed directly to canter, and before I knew it we were flying along with a rhythmic ba boom, ba boom (that was the sound of my rear end hitting the saddle). I pulled back on her reins and said “Whoa!” or maybe it was “Hamina-hamina.” In any event, Creo slowed immediately, settling down to a steady trot just like Wrangler’s in front of me and Cash’s behind me. Chugging up the mountain, the breeze flowing past our heads, nervousness gave way to exhilaration as we all hit our strides. After we got to the top of the hill, Doris patted Cash’s neck and I could hear her praising her mount.

Reminders of winter are everywhere at Mountain Top. Here, a snow gun on the left keeps company with the white carriage the resort uses for weddings. Note: Mountain Top makes snow for Nordic skiing. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

At one point, Genna spotted a deer, and we all watched a reddish doe twitching her tail in a shallow wooded depression near the trail. It is amazing how much more you can see from the back of a horse, and how quickly you can move along the rockiest of trails. Horses really are the ultimate all-terrain vehicles; and, with apologies to car and truck enthusiasts out there, you can’t have the same kind of rapport with your F-150 that you do with a horse. At one point, a greenish-blue fly landed on Creo’s neck. She shook her head and flicked her ears and twitched her skin repeatedly, but the bug did not move. Finally I leaned forward, a bit farther forward than I was really comfortable leaning, and shooed the fly away. She was worth it.

Genna, our guide, told us she was from Brandon, Vermont. She is all of 19 years old but has been riding since she was five and looks as comfortable on horseback as I do on my living room couch. Maybe more. She rides competitively and is currently pursuing barrel racing. I asked her if you could really ride at Mountain Top as a never-ever and she said absolutely. The most important things to learn, she explained, are how to steer and how to stop – “especially how to stop.” Yes, another reminder of skiing.

Mountain Top guide Genna Smith (here mounted on Wrangler) is 19 years old and already owns four horses. So many horses, so little time. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

I would talk about the rest of our ride, and about saying goodbye to Creo, but I would get all choked up, so I will let Doris, and then a picture, tell the rest of that story:

 Doris Donelan’s View (From the Top of “Cash”)

Walking up to Mountain Top’s horse-riding center, I was slightly anxious. I had only ridden a horse three times in the past 10 years. I always worry about actually getting on the horse. Those fears were soon eased, as it became apparent that we would all get on our horses by way of a mounting block. After I got settled on my horse, Cash, we were off. Our trail group was very small: just my mom, three women, and me. Any concerns I had about Cash bolting off into the trees soon proved groundless. All of the horses were very well behaved, and we went down our hour-long trail in a neat single-file line.

The trail ride was absolutely gorgeous. We were hardly ever out in the open fields, almost always within the canopy of the trees. I was free to look around me as we ascended and descended. The wildlife was amazing. I saw countless birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even a deer! When our party arrived at the halfway point, the horses stopped to have a nibble of grass. There was a magnificent view from where we sat on our horses next to a small lake. You could see gray mountains rising in the distance, and endless acres of trees all around.

It seems obvious by this point, but I loved my trip on Cash. Our guide was very nice and knew a lot about the horses and the land. My only complaint was my sore bum after we all got off. I feel the brief trotting excursions I had with my horse might have been the cause of that . . .

My dad Jed and my sister Loretta don’t like horses as much as my mom and I do. However, I do remember a time when we all went on a long trail ride in Colorado that was very fun. On the trail ride at Mountain Top, my mom and I laughed at our abysmal attempts to take pictures while on the back of a bumpy horse. It was fun to do this ride with my mom, especially since neither of us is too impressive on a horse.

Creo is a great horse, though I have to say that all the horses at Mountain Top seem well-trained and well-behaved -- they're just not quite as great as Creo. (Doris Donelan Photo)

Paddling Away

Yes, we were a little saddle sore as we made our way back to the lodge. But only a little. We had just enough time to check out the lake before heading home. Mountain Top has a private beach with canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats, and we couldn’t resist taking a paddleboat out for a spin. We headed out, rounded the buoy, and aimed for shore. On our way in, we both agreed we’d love to come back to Mountain Top. With all the horseback riding, hiking, swimming, boating, horseshoes, clay pigeon shooting, and other activities that Mountain Top offers (not to mention the skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sleigh riding etc. in winter), you could spend many days here and never be bored. Or, you could spend many days just sitting in a comfy chair and staring at the view, and never be bored.

We definitely plan to ride again at Mountain Top. Maybe we’ll even take some lessons next time. We owe it to the horses.

If you go:

• Riding boots are the best, but sturdy closed-toed shoes work too. Absolutely no sandals or flipflops.

• Wear sturdy long pants, like jeans, or jodhpurs if you’ve got them. You do not want to ride in shorts.

• Make sure you reserve your ride when you reserve your room (Mountain Top has many great riding vacation packages you may want to check out.)

• Be honest with the stable staff about your ability, your height, and weight. They will match you with a horse that will make your time as enjoyable as possible.

To find out more about a riding vacation at Mountain Top Inn & Resort, visit the Equestrian Center web page. To read more about riding and other fun at Mountaintop, see the Eastern Slopes articles Cowgirling in Vermont; Learning How to Ride, Jump Fences, and Shoot! and Whoosh! Pop! Splat! Giggle.

The flat surface and gentle gradients of old railroad beds make wonderful bike trails when paved or resurfaced with gravel or stone dust. (Tim Jones photo)

At one time, the social and commercial fabric of the Northeast was stitched together by railroads. Today, of course, the stitching is done by highways and phone and internet connections, but in many places, the remnants of that rail system still exist in the form of the thousands of miles of rail beds that were built to last.

Some of these long-abandoned and often-neglected rail beds are finding a new and lofty purpose: recreational resources getting people outdoors and exercising. In the winter, these rail trails, often packed and maintained by snowmobilers, are enjoyed by cross-country skiers and dog sledders. In the spring, summer and fall, walkers, joggers, and bicyclists take over. Paved trails are used by skaters and skateboarders. Everyone has a good time.

Rail beds make perfect recreation trails. They are normally high and dry and well drained so they don’t usually get muddy in the spring or after a prolonged rain. They also tend to climb any hills on the route in long, slow gradients rather than steep pitches, which makes it easier for both walkers and bikers.

There are quite a number of rail trails scattered throughout the Northeast, and even more in the planning stages. On some, all you have is a short section, usually in or near a city, that has been rescued from oblivion. But quite a few trails offer a longer ride.

My sweetheart Marilyn and I are enthusiastic pedalers of rail trails. It’s one of the reasons why we chose a fat-tire tandem bike instead of a sleeker, faster road-bike model. The fatter tires on our Burley “Samba” (alas, no longer made) roll easily over gravel, stone dust and cinder trail surfaces.

We haven’t ridden every rail trail in the  region. Not even close. But we have ridden some of the more famous ones like the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail,  the granddaddy of all Eastern rail rides, which has been completely refurbished in recent years. This was part of our route as we biked Cape Cod end-to-end in 2010. We’ve also ridden a number of less-well-known trails. Here’s a rail-trail sampler to show you how much fun you can have on these great recreational resources.

Airline Rail Trail 

This exuberant little waterfall along Connecticut’s Air Line Rail Trail sang a soothing melody to anyone who bothered to stop and listen. (Tim Jones photo)

Some time ago, an unavoidable business obligation took Marilyn and me to a crowded, noisy, smokey place that we normally wouldn’t go anywhere near. On the way home, we got in a stress-reducing, sanity-saving hour or two of pedaling on the Air Line Rail Trail in East Hampton, Connecticut, a few minutes southeast of the junction of Interstates 84 and 91 in Hartford. This trail will eventually stretch more than 50 miles to the Massachusetts border where it will join with the Southern New England Trunkline Trail, but, for now, only the southern section, 22.7 miles long, from East Hampton to Windham offers an unbroken ride.

It was a cool and breezy spring afternoon, perfect for leisurely riding. Unfortunately, we’d gotten a much later start than hoped, and we could comfortably explore only the first few miles of the trail. That’s OK; what we saw was beautiful, and left us eager to go back and see more.

Even a crowded state like Connecticut has its quiet, unspoiled corners. This is one of them. The few miles of trail we rode had a whole day’s worth of scenery. In places the trail rose high above the countryside, giving expansive views of woodlands and wetlands. In other places, it cut deep into hillsides where flowing springs tumbled in miniature waterfalls. We rode through quiet woodlands, along streams, and by ponds where people were fishing and photographing the birds.

On our ride, we left behind the stresses of work, had fun, renewed ourselves in a beautiful place. What more could you ask for? All it took was a willingness to get on a bike and pedal.

Aroostook Recreation Trails

The rail trails in Aroostook County are true multi-use recreation paths, used by snowmobilers and cross-country skiers in winter, bikers and ATVs the rest of the year. (Tim Jones photo)

Known sometimes at “The Crown of Maine,” or, more simply as “The County,” Aroostook County, is located in the upper right-hand corner not only of the State of Maine, but also of the entire U. S. of A. Next stop, Canada. It’s the largest county in land area east of the Mississippi, covering 6,829 square miles. Less than 75,000 people live there. That leaves a lot of empty space to play outdoors.

Winter in Aroostook Country is the big tourist season. Snowmobilers come from all over, drawn by deep snow and immaculately groomed trails. But, those trails don’t disappear when the snow melts. About 80 miles of them are the old rail beds of the Bangor and Aroostook and Aroostook Valley Railway lines with easy gradients and hard gravel surfaces, perfect for riding a fat-tire bike.

We based our trip out of Caribou, which has lots of inexpensive motels and a couple of great restaurants (Try the Osso Bucco at Napoli’s which is under new ownership, and the Scallops Frangelico at the Greenhouse in the Caribou Inn).

Our ride started in Caribou, and headed toward Washburn for a few miles before turning sharp right and heading toward New Sweden, which has some of the best biking views ever. These trails apparently get lots of traffic from motorized ATVs on the weekends, but the few four-wheelers we saw were no problem at all. There are no sharp corners so everyone can see what’s coming and everyone shares the trail nicely.

Sections of the trail are re-graded every three or four years, so some are rougher than others. Marilyn and I were riding our fat-tire tandem; on most of the trail we flew along comfortably, but in other places a suspension (or suspension seatpost) to cushion some of the bumps would have made the ride more comfortable. In some places we rode through virtual tunnels of spruce trees, in others we could see for miles across rolling country, and still other places crossed wetlands with active beaver workings on both sides of the trail. All of it was beautiful, especially with the last of Autumn’s colors still flaming.

In the town of New Sweden we stopped to refuel at a great little store a half-mile off the end of the trail, then pedaled a short road section (not a single car passed us!) to pick up another fork of the trail that brought us back toward Caribou to the car. In all we covered about 25 miles—less than a third of what’s available.

If you are ever exploring “The County” when there’s no snow, be sure to bring your mountain bike!

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail 

The Berkshires rise gently over the flat Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. (Tim Jones photo)

While exploring the biking in the beautiful Berkshires, we discovered the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail which runs 11.2 miles from the Lanesborough/Pittsfield town line through Cheshire and into the center of Adams. Though the trail parallels busy Route 8, you see very little of the highway. The views, instead are of Berkshire Pond, Mount Greylock and a dozen other hills, the Cheshire Reservoir and the Hoosic River.

This is one of the nicest bike paths we have ever had the pleasure to ride. The only thing it lacked was other riders. Marilyn and I were staying at nearby Jiminy Peak and got up early two mornings to ride the entire trail as a warm-up for a long day of biking. Flat, fast and scenic (especially early in the morning), and with very few road crossings, this is the perfect before-breakfast bike ride on a summer morning.

While chatting with local bikers, we heard rumors that the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail may eventually be extended from Pittsfield all the way to Williamstown, which would let it rival the Cape Cod Rail Trail as one of the truly great recreation paths in all of New England.

As it is now, it’s still well worth the ride. If you’re ever in the area, be sure to check it out.

Cape Cod Rail Trail

This handsome Eastern Box Turtle (a threatened species) shared the Cape Cod Rail Trail with us on a rainy June morning. (Tim Jones photo)

The first Rail Trail I ever encountered  and the one I’ve ridden most is the fully paved, 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail that stretches from Dennis to Wellfleet, Mass. It got me hooked the first time I rode it and I’ve ridden it dozens of times since. Every chance I get, as a matter of fact. . . .

The western end of the trail is the most enjoyable for a casual, leisurely ride, maybe combined with a swim on a warm day. This section runs from Route 134 in Dennis (there’s a large parking area just south of exit 9 off the Mid-Cape Highway) into Brewster. Here, the trail winds over easy hills, through shaded woodlands, past cranberry bogs, ponds with beaches and to the Pleasant Lake General Store in Harwich.

The central third (from the Pleasant Lake General Store to Salt Pond Road) used to have a fair amount of roadside riding but much of that has vanished with the addition of a new bridge over Route 6 in Orleans (which reduced the trail’s length from 26 to 22 miles, but improved the quality of the experience). Nickerson State Park, the half-way point of the Rail Trail, boasts both beaches and campsites. Orleans is a convenient turn-around point from either end of the trail with shops, galleries, restaurants and harbor view–the perfect place to take a break.  Carry a bike lock and a backpack so you can fully enjoy it!

The eastern third, from Salt Pond Road in Eastham to Le Count Hollow Road in Wellfleet, is straight, flat, and fast, but not particularly scenic. It’s a good place to work up your heart rate. Side trips, to the Visitors Center at the Cape Cod National Seashore and Coast Guard Beach, to Nauset Light or to Marconi Wireless Station, where instantaneous global radio communications began on January 18, 1903, make this section more interesting.

The Cape Cod Rail Trail is free. You can get a trail map or rent a bike from Idle Times Bike Shop , with rental outlets in Eastham, Orleans and Wellfleet.

Island Line Rail Trail

You can ride your bike across Lake Champlain on the Island Line Trail. (Tim Jones photo)

Up in northwestern Vermont, the spectacular 12-mile Island Line Trail actually crosses a portion of Lake Champlain between Burlington and South Hero. You’ve never ridden anything quite like it. We’ve now ridden on this amazing trail three times, once on solo bikes and twice on our tandem. We can’t wait for a fourth time! Sadly, the trail was badly damaged by floods in the spring of 2011, and, as this was written in the summer of 2011, fund raising and volunteer efforts were underway to get the trail repaired. Check with Local Motion for updates on the trail’s recovery

The first time we rode the trail,  Marilyn and I were in Burlington researching a travel story and, as usual, we were looking to take advantage of all the wonderful outdoor opportunities that city has to offer. But, according to the weather prognosticators, we were in for the hottest two days in several years with increasing humidity each day.

Fortunately, we were based at the Burlington Hilton, just a short stroll from Burlington’s busy waterfront. So stroll we did—very slowly—down to Local Motion, a non-profit group which promotes bike trails in the area and rents top-quality hybrid cruiser bikes. We rented our bikes there and then walked them (slowly) back through the blazing inferno to the hotel and put them in storage. (Local Motion doesn’t open until ten o’clock in the morning, so you have to plan ahead for an early morning ride in the summer heat.)

The next morning we were up before the sun, snacked lightly, drank lots of water, and headed out. In the gray early light filtered by the rising mists, the temperature was in the 60s, and a breeze was blowing from the cooler waters of the lake. It felt like Heaven compared to the Hell of the previous afternoon.

There are lots of bike paths around Burlington and in the Champlain Valley. But the jewel in the crown is the Island Line Trail, a rails to trails project that spans 12.5 miles of mostly-level riding along the lake. With the rising sun slowly burning off the morning clouds, and the air still cool, the Island Line Trail was just magical. For the first hour, we had the path completely to ourselves as we pedaled north, out of Burlington toward the Champlain Islands, a great place for pedaling and paddling.

At just under the 10-mile marker, (we started at Mile Two), the trail suddenly bursts from the woods and follows the old rail line out on a man-made causeway dividing Malletts Bay from the main body of Lake Champlain. The rail line was built on a bed of huge blocks of marble dumped onto the lake bed and filled in with gravel. Flat and gently curving, it makes a perfect bike trail for a hybrid or mountain bike.

We rode out onto this incredibly beautiful stretch of path just as the sun finally began burning through the last of the morning haze, but the breeze off the water kept things comfortably cool. We rode on to the 12.5-mile mark, where a drawbridge has been removed, preventing you from continuing on to South Hero. In the summer, at least on weekends, there’s  a ferry to take bicycles across this gap, but it doesn’t run at 6:30 in the morning.

As we rode back toward Burlington, the sun began to increase in strength, and the trail became busier with walkers, joggers and other cyclists. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was a hot summer day. We showered, strolled out for breakfast at Penny Cluse Café, and got on with the day’s “work”.

Since then, we’ve been back twice and enjoyed every mile of the trail on our tandem. This is one of the great rail trail experiences.

Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail

Farming is still a part of everyday life along the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. (Tim Jones photo)

Historic St. Albans, Vermont (believe it or not, the site of a Civil War Confederate raid!) is the start of the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail . From there it winds its way 26.4 miles northeast to the town of Richford, Vermont, right on the Canadian border.

Marilyn’s favorite outdoor pastime spring, summer and fall is riding our fat-tire tandem bike, and there’s no place she’d rather ride than on a rail trail. The Missisquoi Rail Trail is a beauty with a smooth, packed gravel surface and easy grades. It runs mostly through stunningly bucolic Vermont countryside with farm fields and pastures, occasionally small towns. Enosburg Falls at mile 16.5 is a perfect spot to stop for lunch. If your pedaling partner doesn’t happen to be a nutrition counselor who is concerned about your cholesterol numbers, there’s a wonderful spot for soft-serve ice cream cones (they call them “creemies” in Vermont) a few miles beyond Enosburg Falls. Unfortunately we had other stops to make. Sigh.

That last third of the trip has Jay Peak looming in your sights as you pedal beside the Missisquoi River. You can watch it get closer with each turn of the pedals.

Eventually, the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail will be extended to the nearby Canadian Border, where it will connect with Quebec’s Route Verte—an extensive network of bicycle paths and bike lanes that crisscrosses the entire Province. There are also plans in the works to build the connecting Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, which will run 92 miles from Swanton to St. Johnsbury. The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST), a statewide snowmobile club is spearheading this effort. Hooray for them!

Even without those additional enticements, the Missisquoi Rail Trail is worth visiting. If 53 miles is too much for you to ride in a day, take a couple of days, stay somewhere on Lake Champlain—there are quiet B&B’s, inexpensive motels and campgrounds all around here. Make an active vacation of it!

Northern Rail Trail 

This covered bridge is just a tiny part of the scenery that surprises you at every turn along the Northern Rail Trail. (Marilyn Donnelly photo)

The Northern Rail Trail (NRT) in Grafton and Merrimack Counties of New Hampshire is shaping up to be one of the best rail trail rides in all of New England. The stone-dust or gravel surface is firm, easy to pedal on (especially with a fat tire or cyclocross bike), and the scenery is beautiful. And, maybe someday, the two organizations which created this marvelous trail will be able to cooperate on a single website devoted to it . . .

This trail is particularly convenient to reach. If you are traveling on Interstate 91 in Vermont, or 93 in New Hampshire, you are only 15 minutes from a trail terminus, and access from I-89 is even faster. If your bike is on the car anyway, why not stop and ride for an hour or two?

I should note that Marilyn and I don’t particularly enjoy riding with a lot of road traffic. Though the NRT essentially parallels either Route 4 or Route 11 for its entire length, you don’t often see or even hear motor vehicles. Much of the time you are riding through quiet woods and fields, alongside beautiful flowing streams and placid ponds.

The northern end of the trail in Grafton County, was finished first. It runs 23 miles from downtown Lebanon through Enfield, Canaan, Orange and Grafton. Another 23 miles in Merrimack County have now been completed. This section runs through Danbury, Wilmot, and Andover to end (for the moment at least) in Franklin. Eventually, the trail will grow to 65 miles in length, continuing on to Boscawen and Concord; though in these days of tight money and endless budget fights, who knows when that will happen?

Marilyn and I have been riding short sections of the NRT when we were in the neighborhood on other business. I believe we’ve done most of it . . .

On one recent summer morning, we pulled into the parking area at Potter Place, right off the junction of Routes 4 and 11, and started pedaling east toward Franklin. We only had about an hour to ride and hoped we could get in 10 or 12 miles or so. Not a “big” ride, but fun nonetheless.

This section of trail is almost flat (most rail lines avoided hills as much as possible) and has a nicely packed gravel/stone dust surface. It runs along the Blackwater River, through pine and hardwood forests, skirting the edges of some beautiful wetlands. Gorgeous scenery for a summer morning.

We’d pedaled only about two miles before we came upon a lovely covered bridge we’d never seen before. At about the 6-mile mark we ran out of time and turned around at the Higland Lake Inn in East Andover which looks like it would make a perfect overnight stop for a weekend getaway along the trail.

On another memorable occasion we started on Riverside Drive in Lebanon in the shadow of I-89, pedaled out for an hour or so (12-13 miles at our normal pace) turned around and pedaled back. This section of the trail is flat—no hills at all–and the surface is mostly packed stone dust or gravel. It had been very rainy in the days before, but we only found a couple of wet spots.

Our ride took us past Mascoma Lake (wonderful views), through the tiny village of Enfield (potential lunch spot at the deli/market in the center of town), and out through the wilds of Canaan. The trail crosses lots of streams and rivers on nicely surfaced bridges (many heartfelt thanks to the snowmobile clubs that maintain them!). It’s just a perfect ride.

Someday soon, we’ll take two cars, make a real adventure of it and ride the whole NRT end-to-end in one day. But for now, these section rides out and back are a perfect break on a busy summer morning. For us, 46 miles of pedaling would make a good long day and this is one trail we are looking forward to doing end-to-end-to-end. Maybe we’ll see you there . . .

Finding Other Rail Trails

The Island Line Trail which starts on Burlington's waterfront is easy to find, others require more searching. (Tim Jones photo)

New England and New York are blessed with an abundance of old railroad beds, many of which are rideable on fat-tire bikes. The Rails to Trails Conservancy is the driving force behind much of this trail development, and they maintain the most complete free list I’ve found of Rail Trails in the Northeast and in most states across the country. Just go under “Find A Trail” and click on either a state or a region to find listings. There are 392 open trails in the northeast totaling over 3200 miles.

If you ride in New Hampshire, be sure to get a copy of Charles F. Martin’s book, New Hampshire Rail Trails, which gives the history of the rail lines along with useful info for today’s bikers. The website itself also has some useful links to other trail organizations.

In addition to the two trails profiled above, Massachusetts has  the 11-mile Nashua River Rail Trail, which  is completed and ready to ride. The 11-mile Norwottuck Rail Trail, in Northampton, Hadley, and Amherst is complete and will eventually anchor one end of the 104-mile Mass. Central Rail Trail leading all the way to Boston. There’s also one called the Southern New England Trunkline Trail a 20-mile trail runs between the Franklin and Douglas State Forests along the Rhode Island and Connecticut borders. Apparently, however, this trail can’t be ridden end to end as most bridges along the route are out or unsafe.

Up in Maine, there’s a whole slew of rail trails in the area just north and west of Bangor. The Lagrange to Medford trail is 11 miles long, the Newport to Dover-Foxcroft is 26 miles. This looks perfect for a multi-day getaway.  The Downeast Sunrise Trail runs from Washington Junction in Ellsworth to Ayers Junction just south of Calais.  And, Aroostook County has a number of rail trails.

If you know any good rail trails I’ve missed, email me and I’ll add them. The more people who ride these trails, the more trails we’ll have to enjoy in the future.

Since new trails are always in development, the list is never complete. If you really want to explore, check out these historic topographical maps—which lists then-active railroads. Some of these old roadbeds are just waiting for the crunch of your boot soles or bike treads.

Trail Etiquette

Everyone's welcome on rail trails. Bikers and joggers must safely share the trails which means everyone must be aware of where they are and what's ahead and behind. (Tim Jones photo)

On the more popular rail trails, people are moving at different speeds as they walk, skate or bike, so people are always passing each other. Since there typically isn’t any motorized traffic, you can sometimes be lulled into a false sense of security and get careless. When people get careless, accidents happen.

Here are some thoughts for safety.

1) Be aware of your surroundings and alert for anyone moving faster than you are.

2) Pedestrians and cyclists alike should follow the rules of the road, with cyclists riding on the right and pedestrians walking facing on-coming traffic. The center of the trail should be treated as a “passing lane” not a travel lane.

3) Cyclists passing pedestrians should communicate their intentions well ahead of time (especially if the pedestrians are walking with their backs to you) and slow down until they are sure the walkers know they are there.  Get one of those little handlebar bells; it’s a friendly way to let people know that you’re behind them and about to pass.  Having a mirror on your bike is a good idea, too, so YOU know if someone is about to pass you.

4) Don’t wear headphones, especially when walking or running or cycling. Listening to music, you’re cutting yourself off from voice communication. Not only are you missing bird calls and the natural sounds of wind and water, you are also putting yourself and the people around you at greater risk. Think about it.

Some popular rail trails can get very crowded on weekends in good weather, with everyone from tiny tots in backpacks to active seniors all out enjoying a little fresh air and exercise. If everyone is courteous and aware of others using the path, and keeps to their own side of the trail, the mix of uses works just fine.

A group of crazies starts the Tough Mudder at Mount Snow; the initial downhill only makes the rest of it hurt more! (David Shedd photo)

Which Tough Mudder story do you want to hear? The one about the race that’s a death march that you hope to just finish in one piece? The one about the event where people who don’t know each other work together to overcome obstacles? Or the one about laughing hysterically while you coat yourself from head to toe in mud and worse?

There’s no simple answer to the Tough Mudder conundrum. Billing themselves as the single hardest endurance event that exists, they’re not really a race, yet we hurt more afterwards than from any race we’ve ever done. Some people try to finish ahead of everyone else, but there’s so many people out on the course that you really don’t know where you are relative to other racers, and at some of the obstacles waits of 15 minutes or more aren’t unusual. You’d think with that much time to recover, it wouldn’t be that difficult, and you’d be wrong. Quirky? Yes. Brutally difficult? Yes. Fun? YES!

Front and center is Will Dean, the founder and chief sadist of Tough Mudder. (David Shedd photo)

Tough Mudder is the brainchild of Will Dean, a remarkably pleasant-looking young man with a background in the British Special Forces. Looking at the world of endurance races, he saw that Ironman was the king, but was so exclusive that only the elite could compete. Also, the nature of the event means a limited number of venues, so a lot of travel for participants, and a very high cost. With true egalitarian spirit, he envisioned a way to bring pain and suffering to the masses…and, as the movie said, “if you build it, they will come.”  And come they do; at the Mount Snow weekend, 7,000 people participated each day. That’s a ridiculous number; the sheer mass of people there led to both some of the highs and some of the lows of the event.

And, of course, where there’s pain and suffering offered to the masses, we’ll be there. My fiancee Susan and I couldn’t resist the challenge; anyone who has followed the “Crazy Style Racing” series knows that doing these silly races is our idea of fun. The fact is, since we’re not going to win, it’s simply a matter of doing our best. And, instead of doing our best by running on the road or something similarly…well, boring… challenging ourselves at something that combines multiple obstacles, physical AND mental, adds spice to the effort. There’s a different level of satisfaction, as well, because of having to use everything we have. It’s not just our legs, it’s not just our arms, it’s also our brains (such as they are); the strategy required to do the obstacles quickly and safely, or simply to do them at all, can be pretty complicated.

So, off to Mount Snow we went (remember that “snow” word; it’s important to the story). Because the event was so large, there wasn’t any lodging nearby, and doing the 4 hour drive from our house and then trying to do it again AFTER the event wasn’t an option. Luckily, we knew about The Landgrove Inn, a quirky, rambling country inn about an hour away in the town of…yes, you guessed it, Landgrove, VT.  Never heard of it?  You’re not the only one; it doesn’t even show up on a lot of maps. One of our other writers had stayed there while doing the Tubbs “Romp to Stomp” event and had a lovely time; since the Tough Mudder is in the off-season for the area, we were hoping that it would be open, and it was. Innkeeper Tom Cecchia was extremely accommodating to our schedule; when we arrived at an odd hour, he simply left a key for us so we could head to our room and get organized without waiting. We picked up some truly dreadful pizza in Londonderry on our way in (trust us, ask  Tom which restaurant to go to in town!), and had a picnic in our room as we prepared for the following day’s insanity.

Up bright and early, we had a surprisingly good “mini breakfast” at the inn; Tom leaves various cereals and fruit out, and showed us where the milk was (who knew that Special K with “red fruit” would taste that good?). With a bunch of hours until start time, we figured we’d take the edge off our hunger, get to the venue, fill up on food there, then start our planning for the race. Good choice, that; Mount Snow’s cafeteria had some surprisingly good breakfast sandwiches. We loaded up and started digesting, and headed for registration.

Any thoughts that this might be a reasonably sane thing to do disappeared when we had our numbers "tattooed" on our foreheads. (David Shedd photo)

Which, by the way, like the race, isn’t for the fainthearted. When you find out that you’re about to get your race number written on  your face in permanent marker, it makes you wonder if you’re TRULY insane. Or, if all of your family and friends are going to assume that you lied about going to a race, and instead spent the weekend in jail. Or, if it’ll ever come off (for the record, we did enough sweating during the event that by the time we finished, the numbers were already gone…one more fear proven to be sheer paranoia!). The Tough Mudder people never miss an opportunity to mess with your mind; there’s a certain puckish glee to the signs that regularly point out all the ways you can fail, get hurt, embarrass yourself, etc., that has you swallowing hard at times.

These characters may have taken "flying their freak flag" a bit TOO literally! (David Shedd photo)

Once we got past that little “gulp” moment, though, the next hour or so was just plain fun. Tough Mudder is, to put it politely, a total freak show. Every lunatic extrovert on the planet seems to show up…if you can imagine an outfit or a team theme, it was there. It was fun for us to, just one time, feel like we were the NORMAL people in the crowd, although the crowd appeared to be particularly fit; 7000 people, 7 total pounds of excess fat (until we showed up, at least). Luckily, as we looked more closely, there turned out to be a lot more “fit-but-still-normal” participants that it first appeared. We had a nice chat with Eric & Mindy Randall, a 50-something couple who, like us, enjoy the challenge of helping each other complete the obstacles. They looked remarkably normal, and seemed normal as well…but, let’s face it, they had to be a LITTLE twisted in some way to want to do this! But, also like us, they were also enjoying the utter lunacy of people in capes, multi-colored wigs, multi-colored spandex, you name it, all preparing to spend hours testing themselves in ways that wouldn’t be helped by the goofy outfits in the slightest.

This "offical vehicle" of the Tough Mudder pretty much describes the vibe; a few hours later, we felt like that doll. (David Shedd photo)

But, all good things must come to an end, and our start time was coming up. So much for our mild voyeurism; it was time to put up or shut up. Ever seen a movie where they showed cattle at a slaughterhouse, packed in, mooing and bawling, and not really understanding what was about to happen to them? Okay, now make that a bunch of quasi-humans, and you’ve got the start of the Tough Mudder. Any trepidation we had about the race was “removed” by the guy who stood up, pointed out that we’d have lots of opportunities to hurt ourselves, and by the way, if we had any sort of heart condition or pacemaker, we might not want to electrocute ourselves in the last obstacle. Great. If it hadn’t been for the fact that we were packed into the chute like sardines with a few hundred other racers ready to run OVER us, we just might have quit there and then…or, maybe not.

Off went the gun, and the true insanity began. Like both Sunday River and Shawnee Peak’s races, the first obstacle was simply a brutal uphill; that separated the pack, allowed us to get farther back in the group where we really belonged, and start to feel the pain in our legs. Keeping in mind the advice I was given years ago (“you can’t win this race in the first lap, but you can sure as hell lose it”), we tried to avoid pushing ourselves too hard at the start.

Smart decision. There’s really no good way to describe the next few hours. If you go onto Tough Mudder’s site, or go to YouTube and look for videos about them, you’ll see clips of insanity…people carry logs around, dive through pools of what looks like nuclear waste, swim through soupy mud, run through flames, try to electrocute themselves, and more.  What you can’t see is that this goes on…and on…and on. The real tests of the Tough Mudder are three: First is simply to do the obstacles. Second is to have the stamina to keep going when you’re tired, muddy, freezing, overheating, and possibly scared. Third…well, that one may be the hardest. Here’s the real secret of the Tough Mudder, and possibly of all of the obstacle courses that special forces around the world go through; they’re trying to break you mentally.

And with years of experience behind him, Will has the formula for testing you mentally down pat. Hate the feeling of cold water slowly creeping up your body, knowing just how miserable it’s going to be when it hits certain parts? “Ball Shrinker” (yes, that’s the actual name) is waiting for you. Hate heights? Try the Berlin Wall or Walk The Plank (bonus: with Walk The Plank,  you also have the fear of jumping from height into ice-cold water). How about going under barriers in muddy water, where you can’t see what you’re doing? They’ve even found a way to hit your fear of the dark in the middle of the day with “Boa Constrictors.” After the event was over, we were talking to a 30-ish, stupidly fit man, the kind that we expected would be winning the event; but he admitted to us that it took him several minutes to get up the courage to crawl into those dark, narrow tunnels and aim down into the water. For me, walking the plank was a “gulp”; I hate heights and I’m a lousy swimmer. Add to that frigid water and having to swim in my shoes, and it’s a good thing I had Susan there with me; she jumped ahead of me, so I HAD to do it. Bizarrely enough, it was her greatest fear as well; but, she refused to skip it, knowing that I was behind her watching. Ah, teamwork…

Then there’s the mud. Don’t think the name “Tough Mudder” is just a pun; they take it seriously. Clearly, the organizers took a somewhat satanic delight in finding ways to divert water into areas that would create everything from muddy water to thick, nasty goop that causes you to slip, slide, fall, and lose shoes. About that…it was less than 15 minutes into the race that we had our first sight of a competitor digging around in knee-deep mud, trying to find a sneaker that was sucked off by the goo. It was far from the last time we’d see that; it was almost common to find someone by the side of the trail, trying to undo laces gummed up by the mud. Hint:  choose your footwear carefully.  We’d decided to use our GoLite trail runners for two reasons; first, we’ve found that they have excellent traction in (virtually) all conditions, and second, they have a very well defined heel cup that locks your heel in solidly. Of all the fears we DID have, losing a shoe to the mud wasn’t one of them. Plus, the traction was a huge help in slippery, muddy corners and downhills; the people who were using standard running shoes really suffered. No question in our mind, for this kind of race a lightweight trail runner is simply the best option, particularly one that doesn’t absorb a lot of water weight.

Ever wanted to climb a glacier while soaking wet, without gloves or boots or an ice axe? You'd be in good company at the Tough Mudder! (David Shedd photo)

Now, while focusing on the psychological aspects of the event tells you what most people won’t, there’s no denying the physical challenges. Just as the organizers try to find your mental weaknesses, they also try to find every muscle you have that’s not QUITE up to par. Try to do the “Funky Monkey” without great upper body strength AND hand strength. Or “Hold Your Wood”, where you throw a log up onto your shoulders, then climb up AND down a section of steep ski trail. Strong legs, strong shoulders, great balance, and a quick mind to make good decisions on where to put your feet for the best traction…you need them all. We saw an absolute beast of a man, one who could pick up one of the monster logs with one hand, struggle through that obstacle while a skinny runt went by him; the runt chose a better line in the climb, taking step after step, while the mountainous one slipped with each step and had to work his way slowly up the slope. Or “Glacier” (remember: “snow” ). Literally, a mound of snow and ice that from certain angles looked remarkably like Mount Rushmore, vertical and about 20 feet high; climbing that after swimming through 38 degree water in the previous obstacle (the “snow”, yet again; snowmelt water is COLD) was one of the most daunting challenges. If you took your time and kicked in steps and handholds, you froze; if you tried to climb it quickly, it crumbled under you and you slid back down. Solution? More teamwork. The person who climbed up ahead of me was helped by the person ahead of him; then, he turned around and reached down to pull me up. We helped the guys behind us, then got off the iceball before we froze solid to it.

Two teams get their members up and over one of the Berlin Walls, slowly and painfully. (David Shedd photo)

Teamwork, again, was the solution to one of the hardest obstacles, the Berlin Wall.  12 feet high, no ropes…do the math.  I’m about  5′ 4″ at shoulder height, and have a 34″ arm length.  Add about 4″ of palm so that my fingers are free to wrap over the top of the wall to pull me up, and…I’m over 3 feet too short to make it up. I can’t make that jump, and from what we saw, not many other people can. Big teams handled it well, but smaller ones or solo people had to look around for other people who had that lost, glazed look on their faces, and say “want to work together on this?” Within minutes, we had a “team” of half a dozen people, and developed a system. Get the strongest one to the top where he could help pull people up, then start lifting people up. Now, here’s where REAL thinking comes into play. How do you get the last person over?  Simple enough; have people who have already made it over the top come back around and give a hand. Hey, you have to make it up and over; nobody said you had to STAY there!

There are some obstacles, though, that nobody can help you with. Funky Monkey’s the classic there; monkey bars with, of course, ice cold water below. You’ve got three choices…do it, try it and fall in and swim out, or…skip it? Yes, that’s an option. And, to be fair to the organizers, they make it clear. Does an obstacle scare you too much? Go around. Feel that you’re physically unable to do something without getting hurt. Go around. And, do NOT feel bad about it. This may be the real genius behind Tough Mudder; you’re encouraged to try everything, to push your limits, but there’s no sense of shame if you simply can’t make yourself take on a particular obstacle. With no times published, no placings given, this truly IS an event, not a race. Sure, some people race it with the goal of making the Toughest Mudder 24-hour competition…good for them. For everyone else, it’s a race against themselves, a test of physical and mental stamina, a chance to get out of their cubicles and comfort zones with friends old and new.

You and 7,000 of your best friends, all celebrating the Tough Mudder being OVER! (David Shedd photo)

And when it’s over, there’s more insanity waiting with those friends. For starters, someone is waiting for you at the finish line with a beer (post-workout recovery drink, dontcha know?). A quick and very cold outdoor shower, then join the party; thousands of people, an excellent band on a huge outdoor stage, barbecue of various sorts; sort of like Woodstock, except the bathrooms are cleaner and the main drug is endorphins. There’s a sense of shared accomplishment; the most coveted trophy there is the silly orange headband that says you’re a finisher. Strangers smile and give you a thumbs-up when they see you wearing one. It doesn’t matter whether you completed the course in 2 hours, 4, 6…the pride is in completing it, period. There’s two very important statistics about finishing; roughly 25% of the people who start the event don’t finish, and 100% of the people who don’t try it don’t finish, either.

That’s the real point Will Dean and his band of merry men are trying to make. Those who get off the couch and attempt the course, finish or not, have done something to be proud of. For us, finishing was a wonderful moment; there were times that we wondered if we had “the right stuff” (particularly as we faced the electroshock therapy at the finish line; and yes, it hurts, but it’s not as bad as we thought it might be). Our time put us, as usual, sort of mid-pack; we’ll never know exactly where in the group, and that’s intentional on their part. If we do another Tough Mudder, it won’t be about beating more people, but rather about getting better at the obstacles. And, frankly, by doing “probably the toughest event on the planet”, we’ll be better prepared for other obstacle courses. Word has reached us that Sunday River has added more obstacles to the 2011 Tough Mountain Challenge…hmmm…

Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, N.H. recently raised the bar with what they are calling “New England’s Largest Aerial Obstacle course, which opened Memorial Day Weekend. (Gunstock Mountain Resort photo)

It used to be that ski areas were virtual ghost towns in the summer: weed-covered slopes, empty condos, locked base lodges and forlorn lifts waiting sadly for snow.

No more! Now, many areas are offering summer activities and events for the Active Outdoors crowd. In fact, many ski areas are almost as much fun in the summer as they are in the winter. Sorry, that’s an exaggeration . . . we all know that nothing is as much fun as playing on snow, but there’s still a lot of good outdoor fun to be had at ski resorts until the world turns white again.

Some resorts become summer camps for kids and, sometimes, whole  families. Smugglers Notch in Jeffersonville, Vermont was one of the pioneers and they are still going strong with a new canopy tour and loads of guided hikes, canoe and kayak paddles, a climbing wall, etc. Whaleback in Enfield, NH, offers its “Zero Gravity” kids camps for skateboarders and regular summer terrain park ski and snowboarding events on SNOW (well, on ice chips from the local ice arena) at “The Beach.” This is a great way to keep kids active all summer. And King Pine Ski Area at Purity Springs Resort has a host of summer family programs, plus the long established Camp Tohkomeupog summer camp program for boys. Woodbury Ski Area in Connecticut has summer tubing and big “Zorb” balls to roll down the hill in.

Some ski resorts like Attitash in Bartlett, N.H., Bromley Mountain in Peru Vermont, Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, N.H., Jiminy Peak in Hancock, MA, and Pico Mountain in become exciting amusement parks in summer with Alpine Slides, Mountain Coasters, trampolines, climbing walls and other goodies to play on. Gunstock Mountain has new Segway Tours and ziplines, Loon Mountain has Segway tours, ziplines, bungee trampolines, a climbing wall and many other activities. Whiteface has the ORDA Olympic Bobsled facility with summer rides near Lake Placid, New York. Many of these amusements aren’t any kind of physical challenge or really even exercise (let’s face it, the whole goal of the Segway is to NOT exercise), but they sure are fun.

Even ski hills that don’t offer any formal activities are wonderful places to hike in summer. The slopes and trails provide open views as you climb and invite cool summer breezes. You can make a hike at a ski area (comparatively) easy by walking up the service road that reaches the summit lift terminals, or more difficult by scrambling up the black diamond trails. You won’t believe how steep some of the stuff you ski down in the winter really is until you climb it in the summer . . . just ask publisher David Shedd what it was like to try to run up the green trails at Wildcat during the Wildman Biathlon.  Many areas offer summer chairlift or gondola rides so you can enjoy the views then walk down the mountain without having to climb up first, which is a great option for people just getting into mountain hiking (take trekking poles, though…they’re a huge help when you’re navigating down steep terrain).

Lift-serviced downhill mountain biking can be easy or challenging. (Tim Jones photo)

Mountain Biking Opportunities Galore

Ski hills and mountain biking are a natural fit and some hills make a huge deal of mountain biking. Some even offer lift-serviced downhill mountain biking, which is a real adrenaline rush, a lot like skiing and snowboarding except it hurts a lot more if you fall.

Attitash Mountain has lift-serviced downhill mountain biking and easier trail mountain biking, with rental bikes and protective equipment available.

The Balsams Resort has over 90 kilometers of marked mountain bike trails on their fabulous cross-country trails.

Berkshire East (413-339-6617) in Charlemont, Mass. taps into a community-wide system of mountain biking trails.

Bretton Woods in Bretton Woods, N.H has both lift-serviced mountain biking on their cross-country trail network and downhill biking on their slopes.

Burke Mountain in East Burke, Vermont has joined forces with Kingdom Trails to offer both lift-serviced downhill mountain biking and cross-country.  Any mountain biker who hasn’t made a pilgrimage to the Kingdom Trails absolutely MUST; we’re talking some of the best mountain biking on the planet.  No, that’s not hyperbole.

Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H now rents bikes for riding on the recreation path through beautiful Franconia Notch.

Great Glen Trails rents bikes and offers gentle “carriage road” type mountain biking that is a perfect introduction for the family.

Gunstock has miles of mountain biking opportunities on their cross-country ski trails.

Jiminy Peak has  really gnarly lift-serviced downhill mountain biking that attracts riders from all over.

Loon Mountain offers summer mountain bike rentals and trails, plus shuttles which allow you to ride the Franconia Notch Recreation Path at your own pace, downhill all the way.

Mont-Sainte-Anne has been home to the mountain bike world championships, so it’s no surprise that they’ve got a LOT of trails. 28k of downhill trails, over 130k of XC trails, a pump track, freestyle areas, you name it; they take MTB seriously.

Mount Snow in Dover, Vermont has  a vibrant  lift-serviced downhill biking and a number of big competitions/events.

Ski Bromont has a wide range of trails from world-class downhill to gentle XC trails, and everything in between (plus, it’s in the food-and-everything-else-friendly Eastern Townships).  For those who don’t want to abuse themselves that way, or want to cool down afterwards, they have a full water park as well.

Sugarbush has lift-serviced mountain biking, rentals, skills clinics, and an 18-mile long gentle downhill trail to explore.

Sunday River in Newry, Maine has  a  “Bike Park”, lift-serviced downhill biking and miles of new cross-country biking trails ranging from beginner trails like Easy Tiger, to more challenging single tracks like the new Rock Star, plus jumps, log rides, bridges, and berms sprinkled throughout 20 miles of lift-serviced terrain.

Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, has created miles and miles of wonderful mountain bike trails and is offering mountain bike rentals and mountain biking lessons for riders of all ability levels. Great program for learning, including specific programs aimed at teaching women (more to come on this, as we get a chance to give it a try!).

Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York  rents bikes and has a lift-serviced Bike Park with 27 diverse trails that range from hardcore expert only downhillers, to cruisers, plus 30 km of winding cross-country bike paths for every ability and riding style.

More challenging than ziplines, an Aerial Adventure is pure summer fun. (Tim Jones photo)

Aerial Adventures, Canopy Tours, and Ziplines

Canopy Tours, Aerial Adventures and ziplines are suddenly all the rage at ski resorts here in the northeast.  Ziplines are mostly a passive activity (you get a ride to the top of a slopes, sit in a chair or harness and slide down a cable). Fun, but not really active (though the adrenaline can get your heart pumping . . .) A canopy tour or aerial adventure requires you to climb, walk, balance, swing and slide through the trees.

The first canopy adventure tours around here were in Quebec and they are a thrilling and enjoyable experience. Tenney Mountain in Plymouth, N.H, had, I believe, the first in New England, but it may be closed now. Here’s what’s available this summer.

Berkshire East (413-339-6617; ) in Charlemont, Mass. has two of the longest ziplines in the east (one almost half a mile long over a valley . . .feeling like Indiana Jones?)

Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield, Mass, is opening a brand new Aerial Adventure Park this summer .

Bretton Woods has a big Aerial Adventure Tour which runs year ’round.

Catamount has the Catamount Aerial Adventure Park, a primarily Self-Guided challenge park with 11 courses and 148 platforms in the trees. Two  2,000-foot  zip lines run parallel to each other and take riders from the main park area back to the base.

Cranmore Mountain Resort has a new Aerial Adventure park this summer to add to all their other fun offerings. Their indoor climbing wall is THE place to be on a rainy day in the Mount Washington Valley.

Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, N.H. recently raised the bar with what they are calling “New England’s Largest Aerial Obstacle Course”, which opened Memorial Day weekend. They’ll be adding a big zipline facility by July 4th weekend. This whole setup is patterned after the big aerial adventures in Canada, where you are taught what you need to do to keep yourself safe, then are turned loose to do it. Most others take you through in a group with a guide shadowing your every move. As far as we’re concerned this is the way all outdoor recreation should be handled. There’s always risk, but you should be able to negotiate it on your own without having to have your hand held. Of course starving lawyers might see it differently . . .

Loon Mountain has a zipline across the Pemigewasset River . . .but, last we knew, no piranhas had been caught there, so you’re probably safe.

Mont Sutton in Sutton, Quebec (just across the Vermont border)  partners with nearby Arbre Sutton, one of the original aerial adventures courses in the east..

Smugglers Notch has a big new canopy tour which includes 8 zip lines, 2 suspension bridges and 2 rappels to add to all their other summer adventure opportunities (kayaking, climbing, hiking, etc.).

Sugarbush has an 800-foot zipline at the Lincoln Peak base area.

Sunday River has an elaborate zipline adventure that’s long enough and diverse enough to really get the adrenaline pumping, as one of our acrophobic writers found out, to her pleasure!

Wildcat has a double zipline so you can race . . .

Just enough challenge to make it fun! If you've never tried disc golf. put it on your summer "to do" list. (Tim Jones photo)

Disc Golf

Yup, it’s golf with Frisbees™ (and other flying plastic discs), and it’s as much fun as it sounds. Challenge without stress, no lessons needed. Lots of walking, running and laughing . . .

Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield, Mass, is opening a brand new 9-hole disc golf course .

Cranmore Mountain Resort has an 18-hole disc golf course.

Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont has a The Maples, a 9-hole disc golf course which taps into (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) the region’s maple-sugaring history.

Pico Mountain‘s  Adventure Center has an all-new Disc Golf Course which starts atop Little Pico Peak and winds it way down through the woods and ski runs of Pico Resort with beautiful views along the way including a waterfall at the 18th basket.

Sugarbush has TWO 18-hole disc golf courses, one which plays down from the Super Bravo quad, the other around the base area.

Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York boasts a nine-hole course that utilizes the lower portion of Whiteface.

Wildcat has a lift-serviced 9-hole course that is decribed as “more active than you might think!”  Hmm.

Many ski areas offer summer equestrian programs including trail rides and lessons. (Tim Jones photo)

Horseback Riding

For riders not used to doing it regularly, horseback trail riding is fun, challenging and an incredible workout for the whole family (and particularly for your adductor muscles). Here are some resorts with equestrian opportunities:

Black Mountain

Bretton Woods

Loon Mountain

Mountain Top Inn (For a glimpse of an Active Seniors adventure at Mountain Top, go here).

Pico Mountain

MORE Opportunities

We haven’t even begun to list all of the competitions and events happening at ski areas this summer and fall(check out last year’s “Crazy Style Racing” stories for some ideas). Stay tuned . . In the meantime, if you are looking for something fun to do this summer, just don’t forget to check out the ski areas you enjoy in winter…you won’t be disappointed!