Happy Halloween: It's time to ride your bike and your skis!

Riding into the night.

As the air outside cools and we feel time grow tighter and the leaves change their amber colors we can feel our daylight get shorter.  This is some of the best time to ride here in our Green Mountain State.  As green turns to beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange, our green tunnel takes on a new and fantastic feel.  The trail even seems to change as the leaves fall; we feel them crackle beneath our tires as we carve turns.
    

This Wednesday night was no colorful exception as we rode some of our favorite trails in Waterbury: Perry Hill.    Every light in front or back of you flowing in and out of turns.  Old familiar trails turn new and exciting with the absence of natural light, with only our own artificial headlamps illuminating our way.  Night rides take on a much more personal camaraderie-like feel with friends navigating together through the dark. Night riding with a pack of ten is like no other. This might be why fall night riding is one of my favorites.  The group shares the experience of riding through the dark, staying together, calling out turns or features, guiding each other as we ride.

So as we feel our light fade earlier and earlier each and every day, don't let it keep you inside! An old trusty headlamp or new high-powered riding lamp can show you a whole new world.  One you never knew just happened to be right outside your door; in the dark.

Now get outside.

T.

Powderwhore's "Breaking Trail" Trailer 2011

Yeah yeah! Going to watch this lovely film tonight at the Savoy in Montpelier! It looks like these guys have put together another exceptional film, and it appears they are expanding from their telemark roots to include others: I see a snowboard or two, some AT-ers perhaps? It doesn't matter what you're on - just that you get out there!  

Mountain Biking in National Forest - pretty cool!

We recently got a tour of the new trails in the Moosalamoo/Silver Lake area in southern/central Vermont. What a treat! Patrick Kell himself (of Vermont Mountain Bike Association fame) led a group of 20 or so from Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New York. It was great to see the new trails and all the hard work that went into making them, and even better to make new friends while we were out there. Take a look at some of the snapshots we got throughout the day!

 

 

 

 

 

Mt. Philo: Hurray for Vermont State Parks!

Tristan and I recently spent a few days in Burlington with the Vermont Sports tent at the Nor'Easter Festival. We decided to make a trip of it and stay there, and we picked a campground that offered a walking distance commute to the festival each day. I'm not going to name names, but the campground rhymed with Morth Meach Mampground. So there's a hint for you. Anyways, this campground was not my cup of tea - there was a cart that drove around at all hours, our site was about 10 square feet, there were no trees, and there was nothing appealing about having a campfire practically in the road. It was crowded, loud, bright, and sounded like the city. And we were wedged in between the intersection of two roads. Not fun.

So we abandoned our [very expensive] site at said unnamed campground and headed to Mt. Philo - we had heard this was a good one. And was it ever! Vermont State Parks never disappoint.

We drove up and up and up to the top of the mountain in the dark, where we met Nick the caretaker.  The sites - only seven of them - are actually on the way back down the mountain (it's a one-way road that winds up and back down) on a little saddle of Mt. Philo. We pulled into our site, stepped out of our car in to the blackness, and heard only crickets. Perfect!

That first night we started a fire, set up camp, imbibed, played checkers, and made chicken fajitas on the grill over the fire (the recipe's super easy - see below!). What a great night, and what a great weekend. We have always been fans of the Vermont State Park system - Smuggler's Notch Campground is a favorite of ours, as is Underhill State Park. We're sorry we didn't just go there in the first place! If you are ever in the Burlington area, of just south of that area, we highly recommend Mt. Philo for camping, and we hear the hiking is nice too!


Chicken Fajitas Over the Fire (feeds 2+)
2 chicken breasts
3 bell peppers
1 red onion
fajita seasoning
salsa verde
tortillas
tin foil

Wrap the chicken breasts (whole) in foil along with the fajita seasoning and some of the salsa verde. Slice the peppers and onions and wrap these in a foil packet. (To make a foil packet: Place the food on top of a large square of foil. Fold the foil up, bringing the two edges together, then roll the edges of foil together and keep rolling down until you form a snug wrapping around the food. Fold in the opposite edges on top of the first fold, making a little packet.) The tortillas can also be wrapped in foil and warmed over the fire. The chicken took about 20 minutes over a good bed of coals; the peppers and onions were on for about 10 minutes. The tortillas were only on for 5 minutes or less. To make the fajitas, cut the chicken into strips, put the chicken onto a tortilla, top with peppers and onions and some of the left over salsa verde. Then enjoy! Yummm!

It's that time of year

GMPG

VT Sports magazine at the Nor'easter

Sarah, Odin and I spent the last four days in Burlington enjoying the sun, music, gear and good folks at the EMS Nor'easter festival.  It was people like Sam Hayden a young climber pictured above that was featured in one of our latest issues and his family that truly made it a wonderful weekend.  It was great to talk with Sam about getting outside and sharing climbing as a family.  This is why Sarah and I find ourselves outside and in the mountains because it is all to often that we encounter others who enjoy just the same as there were many who shared this sentiment during the weekend.  With pedal powered smoothies and a Power tap contest, our booth was full of stories, laughter and good humor as we talked abut the mountains and enjoyed the scenery on beautiful lake Champlain, a great venue for such an event.  We were so busy and tired in fact that we missed out on all the late night music but  found ourselves enjoying the relative serenity at our camp site at beautiful Mt. Philo the last two nights.  In fact I believe we even managed to hear G love and special sauce reverberating off the Adirondacks Saturday night even thought we were twenty minutes south a top Philo. All in all we look forward to more great events where we get to share our love for the outdoors with many others.  Thanks to all  the many new faces from as far away as Texas to Boston, that shared our tent ,we look forward to seeing some of you soon!

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Oh and go figure our own Lea Davison placed second on a muddy and challenging Cross course at North beach. Maybe thats why we put her on the cover of our latest issue.....Huh not to shabby Lea, congrats!

                                                                    Now get outside.

                                                                

                                                                       .

                                    

                                                             Beautful Lake Champlain

Odin taking a nap

                                           The UBC championships will blow your mind.

Sarah blending up a smoothy Cycle Ops style.

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.

Does It Get Any Better Than This? Biking Through Fall in Vermont.

Here are some pics from a recent dirt road ride. One of the best things to do is pick up the Vermont Gazeteer, maybe rip out the page(s) of interest, stick them in your jersey pocket, and head out on your bike onto the endless dirt roads. You're bound to find adventure in the way of beautiful scenery, farm stands, tucked away bakeries and general stores, or roads that appear on the map to go somewhere but instead bring you to the most beautiful field (and dead end) that you have ever seen. Head back home just as the light is dim enough that you can't quite make out the potholes any longer: extra adventure points.

Happy Trails and Dirt Roads!

A Perfect Fall Hike: Spruce Mountain

One of my favorite things to do in the Fall is hike. It's a nice time to take in the scenery with the foliage, and the crisp air makes for more enjoyable hiking weather. In the end of September and early October, many of the days are clear and sunny, and the nights are crystal clear with bright stars and big moons - perfect for night hiking.

Perhaps the most iconic hike in central Vermont is Spruce Mountain in the Groton State Forest (Plainfield, VT) - a favorite of many. This hike is relatively short (2.1 miles each way) and fairly gently graded, with only a few steep sections near the top. And the summit rewards you with beautiful views to the east from a rock outcropping, from which the White Mountains can be seen on a clear, or even partly clear, day. For those with a higher sense of adventure, the rickety old fire tower offers 360 degree views - absolutely stunning when fall foliage is at its peak.

A recent Friday off from work had me heading to the summit of Spruce with four friends (two people and two dogs), and while the foliage was not yet turning, the views were still well worth the effort.

For those in good hiking shape, the hike takes only an hour-and-a-half to two hours round trip (not including time spent taking in the scenery or eating lunch at the top). For more information on this hike and directions to the trailhead, see the most recent edition of the Green Mountain Club's Day Hiker's Guide to Vermont, which can be purchased at Onion River Sports in Montpelier or at your local outdoor gear shop.

Happy Trails!