Hiking to a Secret Orchard

We've discovered a "secret" apple orchard that is within hiking distance from our front door. When we found it, we had nothing but sweatshirts to use as makeshift bags to carry out our loot. We made a wonderful sauce, apple crisp with vanilla ice cream, and these are some of the best eating apples we have tasted in a long time. Last night we headed out to our spot again, this time armed with packs and moving at a blurry-fast pace through fading light and a thickening fog settling into the fields. It felt like a renegade mission. Or a very secret operation. These orchards are all over the old woods of Vermont, particularly in overgrown homesteads. We can't say enough about the taste of these apples, the sauce that's filling our freezer for cold wintry nights, and the fun of discovering this treasure.