Food for Body and Soul Connecting with the land around Ripton’s Spirit in Nature paths S T ORY & P HOT O S BY M E L I S S A PA S A N EN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com
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n preparation for a recent daytrip to Ripton, my husband and I threw snowshoes, hiking poles and various clothing layers into the car. I filled up our water bottles. Then I departed from my usual modus operandi. I pretty much cannot leave for any excursion without tucking fruit, nuts and a granola bar in my bag. My husband claims that, on longer trips, I could feed an entire family for a week on the food I bring along “just in case.” But on a Saturday early in January, our destination, SPIRIT IN NATURE INTERFAITH PATH SANCTUARY in Ripton, was far from a serious hike, so I dared to venture out sans serious provisions. Even so, we had mapped out several potential stops for nourishment along the one-hour drive from South Burlington. The Spirit in Nature sign first caught our eye on the way back from an early October hike up Mount Moosalamoo, and we pulled off Goshen Road into the parking lot to check it out. The welcome board map showed a network of 13 intersecting paths representing different spiritual and religious practices — from Druid to Muslim to Native American. Tacked onto a tall tree at the main trailhead was a quote attributed to William F. Schulz, a Unitarian Universalist minister and human rights activist. It read, in part, “Come into this place of peace and let its silence heal your spirit.”
We pledged to return when our spirits needed an extra dose of the healing outdoors. That time had definitely come. But first: snacks. Tiny Ripton has only one option when it comes to shopping. But the fabled RIPTON COUNTRY STORE is worth a stop. (A New York Times op-ed penned by Ripton resident and climate activist Bill McKibben attracted the store’s current owners.) Here the walls are lined with oldfashioned post office boxes, shelves of free used books and old phone books — labeled “good for toilet paper” — and an array of penny candy. Customers can grab a basic sandwich from the cooler or compile a spread of crackers and Vermont cheeses. If you’re passing through on a weekend, I recommend fresh pastries from local caterer Lauren Slayton of Breadloaf Kitchen. We bought her tender-crumbed, not-too-sweet chocolate-chip-pecan scones ($3.75) for immediate consumption and, for later, a bottle of red wine ($16.99) from a new-to-me local vintner, High Rows Vineyards. Another option for trail snacks would have been NEW LEAF ORGANICS’ farmstand, which we had driven past on Bristol Road. The self-serve stand is stocked with Vermont vegetables, cheeses, apples and more. There’s also a cooler filled with Blossom Whole Foods offerings made at the farm’s on-site kitchen. The vegan and gluten-free peanut-butterchocolate-chip-oat energy balls ($6 for four), substantial chocolate chip cookies ($6 for two), or tub of freshly made hummus ($5) with some local carrots would power many outdoor adventures. (Delicious vegetarian entrées are also available.) Enough about food — for now. Fortified by scones, we proceeded to explore the Spirit in Nature trails, walking about three slow, gentle miles, BODY AND SOUL
Above: View from Spirit in Nature Interfaith Path Sanctuary; Breadloaf Kitchen chocolate-chip-pecan scone; New Leaf Organics farmstand Left: The Ripton Country Store
In the area • • • • •
ALDERMAN’S OF VERMONT, aldermanschocolate.com HOGBACK MOUNTAIN BREWING, hogbackbrew.com NEW LEAF ORGANICS, newleaforganics.com RIPTON COUNTRY STORE, 388-7328 SPIRIT IN NATURE INTERFAITH PATH SANCTUARY, spiritinnature.org
» P.10 SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER FEBRUARY 2021
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