Night shadows in the Stranahan.

 As some of you know Sarah and I enjoy being outside, with good folks, dogs,  and food and beer afterwards.  So as the Solstice approaches and the temps cool and the night feels longer we surround ourselves with all of these good things.
       About a year ago we transplanted ourselves yet again , this time on the Marshfield/Plainfield town lines.  Our new home outside the city of Montpelier has changed things a bit and we find ourselves spending more time out our new backyard, sometimes missing our good friends who were always not too far away to meet for a late night ski or ride.  So every Sunday we invite anyone and everyone who cares to join us on a night run with headlamps.  We venture through our backyard and then enjoy good food, beer and cheer afterwards!  The last two runs have taken us up Hollister Hill Rd. past Bob and Lee Light's B&B and farm ( yes this is where the Beefalo reside) into the Stranahan town forest.   We usually run about 4-5 miles through old sugar bushes, foundations, orchards, deer stands and logging roads up and over the Moon Field and back where everyone warms their bones by the fire and enjoys hot soup and cold beer.  Might I add our runs are never in a rush as we stop and enjoy the forest and people as we run along through the night. The Moon Field is a must run as everyone in the group enjoys conversation and the stars before making our way home. Having moved from our wonderful neighborhood in Montpelier I think we succeeded in finding another wonderful place to sink our feet, tires and skis into.  So if anyone cares to join us this winter before the snow flies and we start skiing, you can find our dancing headlamps somewhere in the vicinity of our new home in between the Marshfield and Plainfield town lines, chasing the night away.

Now think snow!

and get out there anyway!

T.

Running to a Bonfire! Wait...What?

That's right! We ran to a bonfire. Nothing too ground-breaking to report here, just that our wonderful neighbors called just as we walked through the door after work and invited us up. Since we had planned on doing an after-work run anyways (since we can't ski...ahem!), we thought, let's run to the bonfire! They were just a few miles away and they promised beers on our arrival. So we put on our shoes and headed out the door with our dog. It was an awesome run overall, but the coolest part of the adventure was running down the old road past the abandoned house and ancient trees out to an old orchard where two fires loomed bright in the distance. We enjoyed an evening of great people, lively stories and laughs, a cold beer, and a warm fire. Oh, and a dog with a good chewing stick.

Winter Headlamp Run Series

This past Sunday we got a group of eight together for a headlamp run and dinner. We're working on getting a crew together to head out weekly or bi-weekly into the late fall, winter, and early spring nights to recreate together: running, snowshoeing, hiking, biking, or skiing, followed by a group dinner and to be hosted at locations around the central VT area. This is a great way to stay active and social throughout the dark months, instead of sitting at home and hibernating. All you need is a good head lamp!