Vermont Rebounds

The state is known for its hardy residents, but this winter, the hardiest thing in Vermont might be winter itself. Big snowfalls came again and again to the Northeast this season, and while heart-breaking thaws followed a number of them, winter refuses to give up its grasp completely. The warm storm that brought rain just last weekend at the NATO Telemark Festival finished with another blast of cold – which stuck around long enough to freshen up the firm.

A week after my trip back home, my dad sent some photos from the Long Trail off Brandon Gap. To help scale the snowpack, the registration box at the trailhead and the sign for the Sunrise Shelter stand at chest height in the summer. Here it is in March, well into what’s often prime sugaring season, and it looks like the taplines will be buried for a while still.


(The trailhead sign-in sits a little lower now. Photos by Jeff Gephart)


(Clouds clearing over Mount Horrid.)


(Not too tough to miss the Sunrise Shelter right now.)


(The handrails on the bridge crossings aren't doing very much.)


(Plenty of snow at the Chittenden Brook junction.)

For a good read on Vermont-related hardiness and happiness, take a look at Ben’s post on WickedOutdoorsy.