Woodstock, VT (USA)

[teleworked very early - I'd scheduled a lap swim at 0730 at UVAC in White River Junction and got some swimming in until 0815 - after that, I did some rowing and stationary bike - also did some weight machines - stopped (0945) at Dan and Whit's in Norwich on the way home so I could get some breakfast at Martha on a Roll (food truck) - it turned out that my friend, Bruce (whose wife is Martha), arrived at the same time I did so I stayed to eat my food in the pleasant sunshine - teleworked until 1600 and then stopped by Jesse's to see my happy hour friends - stayed until about 1700 and then drove (through Hanover; very slow traffic) over to Woodstock (VT) for the Billings Farm Family Picnic and Garden Ribbon Cutting event (arrived at 1745) - I got some ice cream (blueberry crumble) and mingled with several members of the Billings Farm staff - apart from some bugs, the weather and ambiance was perfect - strolled through the garden after the opening ceremony and talked to the Artist-in-Residence - enjoyed the band (reminded me of Nanci Griffith) before departing for home (1900) - traffic better on the way back and arrived home by 1930]

Enfield, NH (USA)

[after work, I drove over to Forward's Garage on the east side of Lebanon so I could volunteer again with the VAMC Adaptive Sports Team - starting at 1700, rode a side-by-side bike with John (we tested the battery assist and also peddling without it) from there to the NRT parking lot in Enfield (across from George's Package Store) - this was the farthest that John had ever gone on a bike - used the battery more on the way back and we really flew! - done by 1900 and headed home]

Mahoosuc Trip - Day 3

During the night, I woke up a few times and was stunned by how quiet it was.  I could also see thousands of stars when I looked outside my tent - the pitch darkness, with zero light pollution, was awesome.  I was up by 0430 again and started packing.  Jon was ready at about the same time as I was and we ate breakfast, got more water and prepared for our climb but the North Peak of Goose Eye Mountain.  We were on the trail (the other hikers were just waking up) by 0550 and were able to make good time to the top of another "nearly-4000-footer".  Again, we had amazing views to the north.  This time, though, we also could see a lot more terrain to the south.  The East and West Peaks of Goose Eye, along with Carlo Col (to the west) looked quite imposing on the horizon.  Perhaps I should have already said this in the last two blogs but I had been telling Jon for almost the whole trip that I wasn't having fun and wanted to bail out.  However, each time, I talked myself out of this drastic plan because of logistics and/or feeling a bit better after rest and food.  But, as we walked across a flat area on the Goose Eye, I started to really look for a way out of having to do more climbing.  We had to scramble through several deep "alpine bogs", full of dark mud.  At around this time, we passed a NOBO Thru hiker who reported that the conditions on the higher ridges were tough, with missing blazes and steep spots throughout.  A bit later, we came to an extremely steep beginning to the next climb and I'd had enough.  We'd only walked for 1.9 miles but my body was protesting every step I took.  I'd previously noticed a trail on the map (North Wright Trail) and in my "Far Out" app ("Abandoned Trail") that descended off the ridge to the east and had told Jon I was interested in using it.  However, there was a warning that it was "not recommended."  To me, though, it was still a trail and seemed like a sort of salvation from more miles of rock climbing.  Somehow, I was able to convince Jon to take it with me.  For the first few hundred yards, everything looked OK.  But then we started to encounter huge trees across the trail - I suppose it looked like the AT would if no one ever did trail maintenance.  We soldiered stubbornly on and, with a LOT of bushwhacking, somehow kept finding the trail again.  There were, in places, some good views of the slopes of Sunday River Ski Resort and Jon knew that area well - this gave us some hope.  Another encouragement: someone had thoughtfully tied bright pink ribbons on trees from time to time and this kept us going.  Eventually, we noticed that the trail began crisscrossing a stream (later, we learned it was called the Goose Eye Brook) and decided to keep it on our radar until the bottom.  This was easier said than done because of the number of downed trees.  Eventually, it just seemed easier to walk in the stream itself...  This was OK for a while but we eventually found the trail again.  This time, though, we almost made a mistake by deciding to follow it - after just a few hundred yards, we realized it was taking us back up the mountain!  So we backtracked and continued down the stream.  Just a bit later, I was faced with a large climb up an embankment or jumping into waist-deep water to get through.  I chose the latter and, despite being drenched, found that my body temperature had dropped significantly - and that was a GOOD thing with the steadily increasing temps (up towards 90 F).  It did make walking hard, though, because my boots no longer had much traction.  As a result, I took a couple of big spills.  Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Jon was getting increasingly frustrated by all the bushwhacking.  To his credit, he didn't let on in real time.  Later, however, he told me how many times he'd "sworn at the trees" or "whacked the brush with my poles".  By that point, though, I was just running on fumes and trying to get downhill.  Suddenly, Jon started talking - I thought it was to me until I realized that we'd encountered a person and their dog!  Somehow, we'd located where the South Wright Trail merged with the (abandoned) North Wright Trail and were "saved by civilization".  We asked the man (Neal) if he might be willing to drive us into Bethel and he said that he would.  Wow - talk about Trail Magic!  After that, though, he told us we still had three miles to walk to the car (!!!).  Later, I figured out we'd only been bushwhacking for about two miles (it felt like much more) so the prospect of walking farther was another deflator.  But we had to do it...  Jon walked much farther ahead (to make sure we didn't hold up Neal) and I just kept walking.  Fortunately, the path was well marked (blue blazes) and mostly flat.  There were pretty swimming holes all along the way, too.  At one point, we passed a man who told us that he had been the person who placed the pink ribbons on the tree (Jon told him we wanted to give him a hug).  Just before we reached the parking area on Bull Branch Road (1100), Jon encountered a moose on the trail (I missed it).  A bit after that, we came across Neal, who was patiently waiting for us (more wow!) and soon had us on the road for town.  Along the way, he told us more about the area where we'd been and how he tries to trail-run up to the Goose Eye every week with his border collie, Bex.  As we drove through Bethel, Neal told us he wanted to take us all the way back to Rattle River ("because I've been in your shoes, hoping for a ride").  We arrived there by 1145 and we almost had to force him to take money for being such an amazing Trail Angel.  After getting cleaned up, we got on the road.  Jon suggested a detour (for lunch) and I was happy with the idea.  We drove south via US-2, NH-115, US-3, I-93 and NH-25 and I got to see the town of Plymouth (where he went to college) after bypassing it many times before.  We stopped to eat at the Last Chair Restaurant and had a great talk about our adventure (we were done at 1430).  Our meal was good but the amazingly large quantity of water I drank was even more refreshing!  On the way home, we used several back roads (NH-25A, Orfordville Road and Baker Hill Road) to reach Etna.  Jon pointed out many great trails in the area that I hadn't yet discovered.  By the time we arrived at my condo, I felt almost like my normal self.  This was an extremely tough hike and, once again, I am happy to say that I didn't try it alone.  Jon was a great hiking buddy and, despite how the hike ended, it does feel great that we were able to log ~12 miles of the trail.  I'm over 90% done now and just have to keep plodding along to the end!  AT Today = 1.9 miles / Grand Total AT = 1967.2 miles / AT Left = 218.1 miles

Mahoosuc Trip - Day 2

I was awakened by the sun at around 0415 and realized I'd slept pretty well in the complete darkness and deep silence.  Actually, it was so peaceful that I really didn't want to get out of the tent - but warm weather was expected and we wanted to make sure we weren't trapped in the Mahoosuc Notch (our toughest obstacle) in the blazing hot sun.  Jon heard me stirring and was soon packed up too - we then ate some breakfast and filtered some more water.  We were still the first hikers out of the camp (0620) and started our long climb up the Mahoosuc Arm (~3.8K feet).  The weather was very nice and we got some amazing views when we reached the top.  We felt like the only people alive!  At this point, we started to meet NOBO Thru hikers (mostly women, it seemed).  They had already been out as long as we had and were trying to reach Grafton Notch before the heat of the day.  We got intel from them about the Notch and opinions varied between "it was really hard" to "it was really fun" - tough to tell what to expect from that kind of info...  After those conversations, we began a STEEP descent off The Arm - yikes!  It seemed like it went on forever and required an extreme amount of concentration and sure footedness.  Eventually, we made it to the bottom.  We stopped for some water and a snack at a pretty stream and enjoyed some shade there.  We were looking for a primitive campsite in the area - or, at least, a sign - that indicated the start of the Mahoosuc Notch but we didn't see anything to note commencement.  Instead, we actually learned we were in the Notch when we passed a young lady who asked "did I make it out?"  We told her we didn't know we were "in" so she must have finished.  It was only a bit later that we found obvious signs of the famous challenge - it looked like someone had dumped the biggest glacial rocks I'd ever seen into a low lying crevasse and someone else had decided to route the AT through there...  Fortunately, I was still not tired and felt energized with my second (of three) Tootsie Blow Pops because I needed every ounce of strength, brain-power and will to make it through the worst "Boulder Scramble" or "Devil's Racecourse" I've ever seen in my life.  At this point, Jon started to have fun - he was quite intrigued by the many places we found where there was a white blaze but no real indication of how to reach it.  Do you climb over or under the rocks?  Mostly, he led the way and chose routes that took us steadily into the Notch.  In some cases, though, I didn't want to jump or climb like he did and I took what appeared to be an easier path.  I don't recall reaching any dead ends, so it was clear that AT Hikers could "choose their poison" on how hard or easy to make the traverse.  We ended up crawling through a few tunnels and found solid ice (and a bit of snow!) in the caves.  This created some strange temperature inversions - stifling warm and breezy cold in different places.  In a few spots, we had to take off our backpacks and hand them to each other so we could squeeze through the small openings.  Some of the youngsters we'd seen at the camp site caught up with us and merrily "skipped" on their way past us, hooting and crowing at every tough obstacle.  Meanwhile, we just kept plodding.  We did get a nice break: ice cold water from a spring.  A bit later, Jon asked how far I thought we had come and I estimated we were 50% of the way.  Just after that, though, we met a NOBO Thru Hiker who swore that we were over an hour and a half from the other end (this ultimately turned out to be about half way).  This was probably the first psychological mind-f*ck of the day and truly showed how the same thing can be hard or easy, depending on mood or attitude...  From there, the Notch seemed to get harder, with more climbing, scrambling and falling.  Just as we thought we were finished (we could see blue sky through some trees), we met a middle aged woman (and her younger niece) who told us we had "three mikes left."  Since the whole thing was only one mile, it was easy to discount what she said - when she started bossing us around ("go this way") after that, we just got annoyed...  Just after that, the trail started going into actual trees and we realized we had finished when we reached a sign for the Notch Trail.  We took another break and congratulated ourselves for getting through in under three hours.  What I hadn't expected, though, was how taxed all of my muscles were after the arduous activity.  This became apparent after we started our next climb to the South Peak of Fulling Hill Mountain - I quickly lost steam as we climbed the steep and seemingly interminable hill.  Like yesterday, Jon was very encouraging and waited patiently for me in a few places.  We kept slogging uphill until we finally reached another amazing view where we could see everything we'd crossed to the north of our location.  From there, we had to descend into a valley where the Full Goose Shelter was.  Our original plan had been to stop there to consider our progress and condition.  Just before we got there, I fell pretty hard on a slippery rock.  At that point, I was mentally finished.  As I lay panting in the shelter (1345), surrounded by biting flies and baking in the hot sun, I told Jon I was done.  I don't think he was too happy but, as he did throughout the trip, he agreed to set up camp for the night.  Once we had our tents in place on the (smaller) platforms, we each took a long nap.  Later (1600), other hikers (mostly NOBO Thrus) started arriving and filled up the shelter and tent sites quickly.  We were scrutinized a bit for having claimed spots so early (and "passed out") but I was glad we weren't short a spot to camp.  And, when the Thru hikers started telling us about a 50ish year old guy they had just encountered who was experiencing a heart-related event and/or dehydration/heatstroke condition, I didn't feel bad at all about quitting early.  The spring was quite far from our campsite and Jon graciously made several trips to fill our water bottles while I was still sore/tired.  We ate a filling dinner (more dehydrated meals) at about 1800 and chatted with other folks nearby (including "Slayer" who had also stopped there for the night).  Surprisingly, we both were ready for bed just before dark and, because it was so buggy, retired again to our tents.  I read for a while and tried to dry my clothes (tough because there was plenty of condensation at the higher elevations) but was asleep before 2100.  This was, by far, the most challenging day I've ever had on the AT and I'm VERY glad that I wasn't doing it alone.  Hoping that I'll recover enough to log many more miles tomorrow...  AT Today = 5.1 miles / Grand Total AT = 1965.3 miles / AT Left = 220.0 miles

Mahoosuc Trip - Day 1

My friend, Jon, and I have been planning a multi-day backpacking trip for this weekend for several months and we ended up getting a great weather forecast!  I had about 30 miles to hike in the Mahoosuc Range (along the NH/ME border) and wanted to hike with someone over this remote (and technically challenging) section.  Jon was happy to oblige and we spent the last few weeks prepping for the famous "Mahoosuc Traverse", which is best known for "the toughest mile of the AT" (Mahoosuc Notch).  This morning, our departure day finally arrived!  We left Hanover at around 0800 and drove (via I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road, NH-10, US-302, NH-116 and US-2) to Gorham.  Along the way, we stopped for lunch at the Road Hawg BBQ (started eating at 1020 and finished at 1130).  We then drove to the AT Parking Lot at Rattle River and waited for our shuttle driver.  While we were there, we encountered a Flip-Flopper named "Shaggy" who told us harrowing tales of his hike through the Presidentials.  Our driver (Don from Trail Angels) showed up just after noon and drove us (via US-2 and ME-26) to the AT Parking Lot in Grafton Notch State Park.  We got there at about 1255 and were soon hiking (SOBO) up the Old Speck Trail (AKA AT).  It wasn't too hot but the trail was quite steep.  Because of this, we were treated to some amazing views very quickly! We passed lots of day hikers; young ones told us we were going to need ibuprofen for our hike and one old guy scolded us for getting such a late start.  Jon seemed quite at home with his 65L backpack and the hiking poles (that I found in the woods about a month ago) I'd given him.  Meanwhile, it didn't take long for me to realize that I'd overpacked my own (50L) backpack - this made each step more difficult than a lot of my normal hikes.  Still, I managed to keep going and we finally made it to the intersection for the Mahoosuc Trail (AKA AT), just below the summit for Old Speck.  By this point, we'd already been walking for over three hours - this was a very slow pace and made me wonder how long this whole trip might take.  As a result, we decided to skip the additional climb to the fire tower and continued south.  We started to encounter Thru Hikers (both NOBO and SOBO) in this area but we had to start concentrating even harder on the trail itself - it got VERY steep on the way down to Speck Pond.  At one level-off, we talked to some other section hikers who were trying to finish their traverse and their account did not provide a lot of encouragement - apparently, the conditions between the NH border and Old Speck were "nasty."  Jon and I had planned to only hike to the Speck Pond Shelter on the first day (so that we would avoid any overconfidence) and this now seemed like a smart decision.  At the tail end of the hike, we both tried very hard to figure out how there could be a pond anywhere nearby - there were plenty of peaks visible but no water.  Suddenly, though, we found ourselves above a large pond - it looked so inviting after our 4.6 mile walk!  It took a little longer to get down to the water (I found out later it was at 3.4K feet!) and then we then had to travel a bit farther to the shelter area but we were very happy to finally reach our stopping point (1830).  The area was monitored by an AMC Caretaker and we had to pay money for a tent platform.  However, this was well worth the cost!  There were few bugs, there was a cool breeze coming off the water, there was water close by and there were plenty of friendly folks to talk to about our hike.  We'd previously passed a LASHer named "Slayer" who was trying to "enjoy all the miles" - she had tried a Thru hike previously and said she had come to "hate hiking after all the self imposed deadlines to log miles."  In her opinion, the slower approach was much more rewarding - I can't disagree.  Jon was very energized by our day and told me he wished we could stay at the Speck Pond for a few days.  Overall, he was very helpful and encouraging to me after the rather rotten day I'd just had.  His tent provided some frustrations because it wasn't free standing but I found some bungie chords in my backpack that finally helped secure it to the platform.  Jon rewarded me with some homemade jerky (good!).  We ate some of our dehydrated meals in a special eating area and then filtered as much water as we could.  By 2000, we retired to our tents and I read until around 2100.  This was a tough day but we are on our way!  AT Today = 4.6 miles / Grand Total AT = 1960.7 miles / AT Left = 225.1 miles

Enfield, NH (USA)

[at 1730, attended event ("Rocktails & Streams: Lawn Ranger") at Whaleback Mountain (also, planning for Mahoosuc Traverse with Jon) - stayed until around 1930]

Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, NH (USA)

I had the day off (Juneteenth) so wanted to make sure I did something active.  The High Peaks in the Presidentials got snow over the last two days and I initially decided not to try a hike in those conditions.  (After reading (in “Appalachia” and on the NH Fish & Game FB Page) lots of horror stories of hikes gone awry in the area, I didn’t want to be another cautionary tale...) This morning, though, the Mount Washington Observatory forecasted clear skies and warming temps (into the 40s) so I decided to take a chance and drive to the area to do some on-the-ground-Recce .  After a gas fill-up at Irving in Hanover (0815), I used I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road, NH-10, NH-116, Wells Road, NH-141, US-3 and US-302 to reach the Cog Railway Base Camp.  I arrived just after 1000 and my heart sank when I saw the powdery covering on the highest elevations.  Better news: everything under 6K feet looked good.  So I bought a one way ticket (1015) and rode the 1100 train to the summit.  The car was completely full of people (a good sign) and I shared a seat with a young family from the Northeast Kingdom.  The kids had LOTS of questions about my backpack and hiking poles… When we got off the train, I noticed that the wind was quite strong - and the temps were just over freezing because there was plenty of ice.  Fortunately, I had lots of layers, a warm hat and a few pairs of gloves.  After noting a ridiculously long line to get a photo near the summit sign, I decided to start my hike on the AT (AKA Crawford Path in the area).  While headed SOBO, I got great views of the Lakes of the Clouds Hut below me.  Initially, I descended through snow covered rocks and had to be very careful not to fall.  Lots of other people were climbing up and I learned that most of the wintry weather was limited to the first half mile of my hike.  However, the stiff wind continued all the way into the valley.  As I walked, I remembered that the AT didn’t cross Mount Monroe (one of the 48 NH peaks over 4000 feet) so had to make a decision when I finally reached the Hut: continue on the AT or detour over Monroe.  I chose the latter option and it was worth the effort!  There seemed to be two peaks, actually, and I ended up hiking a good distance off the AT.  This created another dilemma - could I follow through on my plan to exit the AT at the Edmands Path or should I backtrack to Lakes of the Clouds?  Calculating that I’d probably end up walking a shorter distance, I decided to backtrack.  The wind died down a bit and I was able to shed one layer (winter coat).  My decision meant that I had to make a descent from the ridge (Mount Franklin) into a deep gap below Mount Eisenhower - and then I had to climb back up again.  Not my favorite thing to do but I must admit that the trail was well marked and maintained so it wasn’t too bad.  During this phase, the wind picked up again and I was worried I’d lose my hat.  I also started passing Thru hikers at this point and I talked to a few about their progress from Georgia.  A few had started in late February, just like the folks I hiked with in the Smokies this Spring.  Maybe I’ll see a few people I know during the next weeks!  The mood among the (mostly young) Thrus was a bit somber because they’d heard there was a death the day before (yikes  - I’d not known about that).  As a result, they were trying to hike the entire Presidential Range in one day to avoid more winter weather expected later in the week.  My hat’s off to them… Back at the Hut, finally, I started down towards the Cog Railway parking area on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail.  Well, I know many of you have heard me complain about trails in the White Mountains and I thought I’d seen the worst already.  But, in my opinion, this one is the worst I’ve hiked.  The best way to describe it is to say that it was mostly like sliding on rocks (most of them wet) for over two miles.  After all the walking and climbing I’d already done earlier, this sapped all my strength and I lost track of time and distance.  Like I had noticed a few weeks ago, though, I realized that my hike had been basically bug-free for most of the day - gotta love the cool air’s affect on those pesky critters!  After I finally got into the woods again, I also realized I’d been walking on a frying pan, in the bright sun, for a LONG time - I’m expecting a sun burn… Eventually (1800), I came out of the woods at the parking lot where I’d left my car.  It was hard to determine exactly because of all the side trails and exploring I did in places but I believe I walked over 10 miles (pedometer said 12-13 but I think it was confused) in about six hours.  It was slow going but I didn’t hurt myself or become a statistic.  After getting cleaned up, I drove home via the same route as I'd used in the morning - there was very little traffic so I was able to get home by 2000.  I’ve now got a good idea of what it will take to finish the Northern Presidentials now - hope I can get another day as good as this one!  AT Today = 3.3 miles / Grand Total AT = 1955.6 miles / NH 4000 Footer #14 of 48

Manchester, NH (USA)

There was snow forecasted for the White Mountains so I decided to head south so I could take advantage of some better weather there.  I was on the road early (0715) and stopped to do some shopping at Shaws (done at 0750).  I then drove to White River Junction so I could complete my (delayed) workout at UVAC.  I was there from 0800 to 0930 and was able to do some rowing, biking, weights and lap swimming.  Afterwards (0945), I headed south on I-89 until I reached the end on the edge of Concord.  I used NH-3A to get to Hooksett and then took Main Street and US-3 to reach the Apple Cinemas near I-93.  When they opened at 1130, I bought a ticket for "Top Gun: Maverick" and watched the movie for a few hours (it was pretty good).  This was my first movie in a theater since before COVID-19.  On my way out, I encountered an older gentleman who told me he was a Gold Star Father and we talked briefly about his family's sacrifice.  I drove from there to the Mall of New Hampshire, where I had several free items coming to me (due to my recent birthday).  The first one I got was a free burger (with fries) from Red Robin (1450).  From there, I walked to Bertucci's and got some lunch (with a free slice of birthday cake).  It was a great meal (rolls with a bowl of Italian sausage soup).  Next, I went back to the car and, noticing the time, decided I would try to squeeze in some Mass attendance.  I drove across the Merrimack River until I found Sacred Heart Parish on South Main Street.  The timing was perfect (1600) and the service was over at about 1645.  Having some time to kill before the Fisher Cats game, I decided to find the only nearby Friendly's so I could get my free birthday sundae.  This required driving south on NH-101 and then getting on NH-101A until I found the restaurant on the northwestern edge of Nashua (1710).  I continued east on NH-101A until I was on US-3 (Everett Turnpike).  Google knows that I don't like tolls so it exited me about 100 yards before the toll booth (near Raymond Wieczorek Drive) and then brought me all the way back onto US-3 just 100 yards after the toll - I was surprised this was possible.    I ended up on I-293 and it took me all the way to the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (exited onto Granite Street).  Without too much trouble, I found a place to park (1740) and then got a ticket (1750).  Just then, it started to rain...  Since I had to wait go inside the stadium until around 1815, I used up some time in the gift shop (got a hat) and then in the Brewhouse (in the outfield), where I got a huge (32oz) beer (Sam Adams Wicked Easy) at 1810.  After that, I explored the stadium and found my seat (Section 114, B13).  I was right next to the first base line and there were a LOT of kids there who wanted baseballs and autographs from the players.  The rain got steadier but the game started at 1905.  It was an entertaining affair and I really enjoyed watching the players.  This was my first baseball game since before COVID-19.  By the end of the third inning, it was wet enough that I moved under cover, where I watched almost two more innings.  I met some interesting people in each place I stood.  By then, it was approaching 2045 so I left the game (reluctantly) with the Fisher Cats down by one run.  I was on I-293 again by 2100 and made my way back to Hanover via I-293, I-93, NH-3A and I-89.  The rain was still constant and there was a lot of wind - this made driving a bit harder than normal.  When my cruise control went out after about an hour (grrr), things got even worse.  However, I safely made it to Lebanon and was at my condo by 2215.  What a great day of exploring in central NH!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworked in the morning - volunteered (trimming brush) from 0800-1000 at UVAC in White River Junction - afterwards, I drove (via a long route) back to West Lebanon and bought some hiking meals at EMS - I then meandered all the way to Hanover Conservancy (lots of traffic because of road construction and Dartmouth Reunion Week) to pick up some trail maintenance equipment - back to teleworking by 1100]

Woodstock, VT (USA)

I’ve attempted to volunteer at the Billings Farm a few times this year but outdoor events got canceled.  Today I was fortunate to be able to volunteer (1330-1700) inside during the Annual Quilt Exhibition!  The participants were asked to incorporate parts of silk neckties into the quilts and the results were spectacular.  My favorites were a quilt with squares and patches that reminded the creator of their visits to all of the National Parks.  There was an unbelievably realistic image of a cow and a painting-like quilt of the Big Sur coast.  Lots of other submissions were more traditional but quite memorable too.  It appeared that most people who participated had made the best of the COVID-19 lockdowns!  Since I have very little direct experience with the design and sewing of a quilt (I watched my mom make a few), I was only able to fill in as a docent with the help of several fact sheets.  I was also supposed to encourage visitors to vote for their favorite quilt.  As my shift went on, though, I figured out that my main job was really to keep people from touching the beautifully made creations.  Luckily, that wasn’t too hard if I engaged them in conversation about almost anything else but quilts. Some of the visitors told ME about the quilting process and then I used that information with later guests.  So I guess “fake it until you make it” is a real thing… Biggest bonus of the afternoon, though, was when two of the people who made quilts that were hanging in the Events Barn came for a tour.  Ten year old Norah and seven year old Helen brought their grandparents to see work they’d done under the supervision of their (other) grandmother.  The pride they felt in showing off their amazing quilts was palpable and other visitors soon surrounded the young celebrities with praise for their patience and creativity.  It was awesome to be around that vibe!  During the later part of the volunteer session, I got to run two different scavenger hunts (one for kids and one for adults) and really enjoyed watching (and helping) people locate tiny details on the quilts.  Before I left, the Farm gave me a delicious maple creamie. Beyond that, though, I’ve again learned that volunteering can be very uplifting and rewarding.  On the way home, checked out Vermont Sprits Distilling in Quechee.  Glad to have such great options for participating in so many community events near my home!