Norwich, VT (USA)

Woke to another beautiful day and decided to hike another one of the many good trails in the town of Norwich (VT).  I’d already walked the main system from the Parcel 5 parking lot but I’d seen additional trails on the other side of Beaver Meadow Road.  So, at around 0900, I headed into the woods west of town and explored the Ballard Trails.  I first hiked north from Brown School Road (dirt) and enjoyed the nice kiosks, maps, boardwalks, bridges and trail markings that the town used to build a good outdoor experience.  Along the way, I enjoyed the pleasant sounds of Charles Brown Brook.  About half way, I encountered the satirically named “Grand Canyon” (meh) but quickly left it behind.  A better experience awaited me on the Converse Loop, where I passed along the edge of a quintessentially Vermont farm.  It was warm and sunny and I had the whole scene to myself… Back on the main trail, I arrived at the north end of the system and decided to walk back to the parking lot on pavement.  This gave me an opportunity to encounter another trail (much longer) that could be used to reach the summit of Gile Mountain. I also passed more pretty farms.  After backtracking all the way back to the Parcel 5 Lot, I decided to re-cross them road and resume the Ballard Trail to the south.  This section appeared to be much more popular and I passed several families and dogs.  There was some history and remnants of early engineering (dam was removed in the last few years) to see I eventually made it to the site of the old town pool.  Walked back to my car on the road, completing a figure-8 in the process.  Wrapped up my hike (7 miles) by 1115.  Another great local trail!