The weather forecast for the Green Mountains looked excellent this morning! With snow on all the AT sections I still have left to hike, I decided to head west into Vermont to check out new sections of the Long Trail. Left my condo at 0815 - all I had to do was take I-89 to the town of Duxbury, where I got off the Interstate and went exploring in the area near Camel’s Hump State Park. After checking a few dirt/gravel roads, I found several trailhead parking lots that were full of cars - I decided to park at the last one, which was located along the Winooski River. From about 1000 to 1230, I walked the Long Trail (NOBO) until I reached a place north of I-89 (Notch Road) where the trail went back into the deep woods. Along the way, I passed through farm fields (lots of stiles and fences), wetlands, railroad crossings (I actually saw “The Vermonter” pass) and country roads. The views were tremendous all day and I was comfortable (temps high 30s to mid 40s) in two light layers. Only saw a few other people on the route I took - the climb of Camel’s Back was much more popular. Highlight: crossing a long suspension bridge across the Winooski. Got back to my car after walking almost 7 miles and had a head full of ideas for more hikes on the LT in 2022! Afterwards, I drove west to Burlington; mostly used US-2 and some I-89. Got off at Main Street exit and drove towards the Waterfront. Spent some time exploring Perkins Pier and the Ferry Landing - there were some very pretty views of the Adirondacks on the far side of Lake Champlain... After finishing my explorations, I backtracked to the east and walked around for a little while on the UVM campus. I then drove south (via US-7) towards I-189 until I located Overledge Park, where I hoped to be able to walk along Lake Champlain. There were lots of parking meters and signs about "no parking" so it was a little disconcerting to leave my car while I strolled on some bike paths nearby. I enjoyed seeing a man playing ball with his dog - the animal NEVER got too tired from all the fetching... Once I was finished, I used Google Maps to find I-189 and drove to I-89 S intersection. I got off the Interstate at Williston and located the Mall area - I'd heard about it but it was much more impressive than I'd expected! I did a little shopping at REI (got a Long Trail Map) at 1515. After that, I got back on I-89 and drove home (arrived by 1645). Today was an enjoyable jaunt to a part of Vermont that I haven't visited very often - hope I can return again soon! Long Trail Today = 3.3 miles / Grand Total LT = 116.9 miles
