Stowe Pinnacle and so much more

As I mentioned last time we spoke, Sarah and I spent this weekend in Vermont, staying with Sarah’s parents in Woodstock. Of course, Sarah’s parents are, now my in-laws. This still sounds strange to me because I actually like them, and from what I understand, that’s just not normal. Oh well, I’ll give it some time, maybe I’ll come around. Now, we never need an excuse to come to Vermont. It just so happened that this time we had one. Bill McKibben, an excellent author as well as tireless environmental activist, was scheduled to speak at the Woodstock Town Hall. More on that later. For now, let’s take a hike.

As Saturday morning rolled around, Sarah and I had no idea where we were going to hike. We knew that we were going to be ending up in Warren, VT for dinner (home of Sarah’s Uncle Ben, Aunt Susan, and their two beautiful children, Elizabeth and Sam). We also knew that we didn’t want something that would take forever to complete. So we choose Stowe Pinnacle, a small mountain in the Worcester Range. (I know what you’re thinking…Worcester? Believe me, it’s much nicer than the dumpy city in Massachusetts of the same name.) This time, we brought Jessie along (the Boston’s beautiful English Setter, for those who may not know). The hike started with a gentle climb through a thin hardwood forest. The climb gradually steepened (and seemingly never relented), mixing in a few rather steep pitches for good measure. Eventually, the trail leveled as we reached a little col where a spur trail led to a nice view of the Stowe Valley.

After briefly taking in the view, we got back on the main trail and continued to the summit. At this point the trail wrapped around to the backside of the mountain and descended a bit before beginning the final ascent. Emerging onto the 2740 foot summit we were greeted with beautiful views. Although we had stood in this same spot just over two years ago, we were still surprised by the landscape that sprawled out before us. Across the Stowe Valley stood two of Vermont’s most famous landmarks, Camels Hump and Mount Mansfield. Their striking profiles easily make them two of the most interesting mountains I have ever seen (and climbed). We lingered on the summit just long enough to snap a few pictures (which are here) and let Jessie soak up the view before we moved out of the wind to have our lunch. After that we made a speedy descent and were back at the car just over 2.5 hours from when we left it.

Before heading to Ben and Susan’s we stopped at The Shed in Stowe Village to enjoy a beer and a warm bowl of soup. Of course, the hiker who was most deserving of a treat like this had to wait in the car. Why? Well, because she’s a dog. I say she’s most deserving because, as is always the case, Jessie covered at least four times as much ground as Sarah and I did. It’s just the way she hikes (and as far as I’m concerned, better her than me).

After our quick pit-stop we continued on to Warren. We were lucky enough to have Brian and J.J. Lanigan join us all for the evening. It was especially great to see the little kids. Sam is really growing and it’s getting easier and easier to make him smile. As for Elizabeth, she is the most perfect 26 month old I have ever seen. Of course, I may be somewhat biased considering that she adores me (I am such a sucker).

Finally, I mentioned above that we had the pleasure of listening to a favorite author of ours speak on Sunday (along with US Senator Bernie Sanders). Their focus was on the state of the economy and where the environment fits in that picture. I won’t get into any detail of the talk, but it was extremely interesting and I am thankful that we have people like Bill McKibben making an effort to preserve our planet. With that, I am done for now. Enjoy your week!