Ruffing It: Thank Heavens for Vermont

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Thank Heavens for Vermont

On the advice of the proprietor at Rainbow Sweets, we took the turn on Highway 232 and soon discovered the entrance to Vermont’s Discovery State Park. This is an old, established park with a small lake and, thankfully, showers.

We eyed the park attendant suspiciously after our New York encounters, however, we were more than pleasantly surprised to find Don not only gracious but extremely funny! When David asked if Roxanne could swim in their lake, he said, “Oh, sure… not a problem at all.”

We knew we had come to the right place. We located the perfect campsite for us, nestled in the woods, checked in, and immediately took Roxanne to the lake. Needless to say, she was one happy Golden Retriever!

While at the lake, we met a young couple with an oar boat loaded to the gills with camping gear. The young man was struggling to launch the boat while his wife sat in the stern, tenderly holding their two-month-old daughter. He explained that they had gotten bored sitting around the house and decided to go camping instead. His wife told us that the best way to calm their new daughter was to take her outside, so they both felt that this would be a perfect solution for everyone.

They had obtained one of the few campsites in the park accessible only by boat. While I tossed sticks into the lake for Roxanne to retrieve, David helped the young family launch into their week’s vacation. We marveled at this amazing young couple as they paddled across the shore and wished them our very best.

The campground was so lovely that we decided to stay an extra night. The next morning, we walked back up to the park attendant’s office to pay, then headed to the Deer Mountain trailhead. We hiked through a lush forest, filled with ferns and moss and towering fir trees.

About two thirds of the way up the trail, we met a fun couple from Quebec who told us that we were close to the top. Their encouragement was just what we needed. We continued hiking a steep, rocky incline that rose over 100 feet in less than .2 of a mile. When we broke through timberline to the top of the mountain, the view was lovely.

This was our first major hike of the trip… always difficult, particularly coming from sea level. We snacked on the mountain top with the couple while they told us about several “must sees” along our upcoming Canadian route. When we arrived back at our campground, our pedometer registered that we had hiked just shy of five miles. No wonder we were tired!