Vermont Sports Magazine, September 2017

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU REALLY NEED? | THE BADASS DAD | 50 COOL FALL RACES

VERMONT WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK

FREE

SPORTS

New England’s Outdoor Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2017

SIGN UP AT VTSPORTS.COM

SO YOU CAN

GET BACK TO YOUR LIFE Dr. Kevin McGuire is a board-certified surgeon who brings 13 years of experience in spinal surgery to Dartmouth-Hitchcock. As part of the physician team for the award-winning Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), Dr. McGuire takes care of the most complex spine needs at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the only comprehensive joint replacement and spine surgery practice in the region.

See how our team of renowned surgeons can get you back to a pain-free life as soon as possible. Make an appointment at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon today.

LEARN MORE AT D-H.org/stepahead OR CALL (866) 429-9756

FALL CAMPING GUIDE

THE BEST NEW BACKPACKING GEAR 6 AMAZING LAKEFRONT CAMPSITES SURVIVAL TACTICS | ULTRALIGHT HIKING and MORE

1234

CLIENT .+(((5%/,+,2%,6)%),%(5'(%,7%83$0%9,:(;%$,% UVM Medical Center JOB NO. 010184 DESCRIPTION Sports Medicine Bike Ad MATERIAL DUE DATE April 19, 2017 INSERTION DATE May 2017 through March/April 2018

Be first down the mountain again.

PUB(S) Vermont Sports Mag BUILT AT 100% TRIM 10" x 12.75" LIVE 8" x 10.75" BLEED .125" COLOR 4C

!"#$ &#'($)#% *(++,-%%.+#/0

QUESTIONS CALL Courtney Haupt 251.476.2507

BE YOU AGAIN. THE RIGHT SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIAN CAN HELP. Our physicians provide comprehensive sports medicine care, no matter how complex the injury. Patients receive a course of treatment that’s ideally suited for them, built around the most advanced options available—whether operative, non-operative or a combination of both. So, if you live in the Burlington area, make an appointment with The University of Vermont Health Network’s sports medicine specialists at The UVM Medical Center. To make an appointment, call (802) 448-5445.

UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSportsMed

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

ENDGAME

S

ometimes, the best thing you can have on a long hike is a good friend.

During my third year of college, I studied abroad in New Zealand. My first big venture was a 37-mile hike through the Fjordlands on a “Great Walk” called Kepler. I wasn’t exactly ready for it. I had backpacked in the Adirondacks and in the Greens, my home turf. I knew what to bring: tent, sleeping bag, stove—the works.

But as soon as I set foot on the trail, I knew I could have done a few more preparatory runs, (or maybe that trick where you walk the stair machine with a loaded pack), before attempting to hike three 10-plusmile, mostly-vertical days.

Ally, a college friend, was also in New Zealand for the semester, and we were in the same boat. As we set off on the first day of the three-day trek, Ally and I formed the caboose of our group of eight, groaning (more me than her) about our aches and pains and showing off our hip bruises. On one particularly strenuous section, we fell into a fit of giggles, rolling our eyes as we remembered how eager we had been to hike this track.

But as much as we lamented our decision, Ally pushed herself. By the end of day one, she had become my motivational guide, coaxing me like a tuckered-out puppy up switchback after switchback.

When my complaints became louder, she reminded me that our only option was to walk forward, one foot in front of the other.

While I was wishing that I had chosen an easier hike, she was appreciating the mountains, the fjord and the rainbow that greeted us when we summited the track’s highest peak, sweaty and euphoric.

“I like to think I would never let physical pain stop me from doing anything,” she told me as we trudged up the 4,000-foot vertical gain on the second day. I snapped a photo of her on a ridgeline just after the cloudy skies cleared, blue mountains rippling behind her, her smile radiantly wide.

We were both ready for more. Later in the semester, Ally decided to squeeze in another trek before winter set in and the mountain terrain would become impassible.

On April 23, 2015, she left for a trek on the west coast, called the Gillespie Pass Circuit, with two friends.

The forecast called for rain, so the three women took precautions. With two river crossings ahead of them, they decided to hike the track in a reverse direction from what they had originally planned, giving them a bridge crossing on the rainy day, when the water would likely be dangerous for crossing.

But Gillespie Pass Circuit, a 36-mile trek over steep, rocky terrain, was less maintained than the popular ‘Great Walks’

34 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

THE STEEPEST TREK

WHEN THINGS TURN BAD ON THE MOUNTAIN, THE HARDEST PART CAN BE EVERYTHING THAT COMES AFTER. BY EMMA COTTON

VERMONT

SPORTS

NEW ENGLAND’S OUTDOOR MAGAZINE ON THE COVER: Canoe camping at Green River Reservoir Photo by Brian Mohr/ EmberPhoto

PUBLISHER

Angelo Lynn - publisher@vtsports.com

EDITOR/CO-PUBLISHER

Lisa Lynn - editor@vtsports.com

STAFF WRITER

Emma Cotton emma@vtsports.com

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Shawn Braley

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Nathan Endres, Dr. David Lisle, Dr. James Slauterbeck —University of Vermont Robert Larner College of Medicine; Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation; Jamie Sheahan, M.S., R.D.

CONTRIBUTORS

Sarah Tuff Dunn, Brian Mohr, Phyl Newbeck

ADVERTISING MANAGER Ally sits on a ridgeline while hiking New Zealand's Kepler Track two months before she set off for Gillespie Pass Circuit.

Photo by Emma Cotton

like Kepler. Longer and steeper than what we had hiked before, the trail totaled nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain, with 4,000 of those feet rising in the last three miles before the tallest point. The middle of the track’s grade map spikes like the point of a knife.

When Ally and our friends summited, there was no rainbow to greet them, and no fjord to look down on. Instead, they were pelted with rain. Gusts of wind up to 70 miles-per-hour beat them to their hands and knees. New Zealand is known for these freak storms, and at high elevations, they come with force and without warning.

In the storm’s madness, the three lost each other. Two of the women made it down the mountain and took the bridge over the Young River, whose water was so violent the waves splashed 20 feet in the air as they hit the rocks. Finally, the two arrived at the hut where they had planned to spend the night.

They made dinner. They left a plate out for Ally. They waited through the night. She never came.

The next morning, the rain continued.

My friends ran for help, half-sprinting the hike’s remaining 10 miles so they could contact a search and rescue team. I met them in Wanaka, the closest town, and we huddled in a hotel room. The owner, who had heard about the missing American girl in the mountains, comped our room.

Christy Lynn | (802) 388-4944 ads@vtsports.com

ADVERTISING SALES A search team set out. Soon more than 60 rescuers from Land SAR, Marine SAR and the Coast Guard were combing the track. Helicopters with stretchers flew over our hotel. Waiting, we tried to channel bestcase scenarios. “She’s just lost,” we told each other. “She’s going to have a crazy story to tell when she gets out of there.”

We got updates. They found her sock.

Her shirt. Her raincoat. A narrative started to form. Ally had descended into the Young Valley at dusk, right when records from nearby rivers indicated the water level spiked. “She hasn’t made a bad decision to cross the river,” police and search and rescue coordinator Aaron Nicholson told the local newspaper at the time. “She’s just been walking the track and gotten to bits where the river has swelled over the track quite significantly. So she’s had to negotiate that. I would anticipate a realistic situation where she has fallen or tripped or slipped into that water.”

When they found her pack at the edge of the Young River—the waist strap still clipped—the rescue team gave the verdict: Survival, they told us, was “highly unlikely.”

Seven days after Ally went missing, the team embarked on a final search. It was midday when they found her. Their suspicions were confirmed.

The following days and weeks marked a new uphill climb. Ally’s father had arrived

in New Zealand, receiving word of his daughter’s fate with a grace and strength I’ve never seen in another human being.

Becoming inseparable, several of us—her closest friends in the country— pushed our beds together, retelling “Ally stories” each night as we fell asleep.

Ally had been right: physical pain doesn’t count for much. I would have run circles around the Kepler track to see her smile again. But strangely enough, in this new territory of bereavement, this punishing summit-less mountain, her words still applied. Our only choice was to walk forward, one foot in front of the other.

For the rest of the semester, we set out on small hikes in the mountains. Each time, infallibly, a rainbow would appear. It was as if Ally were letting us know she’d always be on the hike with us, always there to get us through the climb.

Two and a half years later, I often find myself wandering up a steep section of Mount Abe or Camel’s Hump, or on a hilly ride that’s a hair beyond my comfort zone.

The lactic acid builds in my legs, and I start to feel discouraged. Every time, I see Ally, one switchback ahead, smiling through her pain and telling me I can do it. With her, I always make it to the top.

Emma Cotton is a Vermont Sports staff writer, and graduated from Eckerd in 2016.

Canoe camping is the only way to access the remote campsites and islands on Green River Reservoir. And the bonus? You can bring a cooler.

Photo by Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto

Greg Meulemans | (802) 366-0689 greg@vtsports.com Chris George | (802) 388-4944 chrisg@addisonindependent.com Dave Honeywell | (802) 583-4653 dave_golfhouse@madriver.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS, PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION Lisa Razo - lisar@addisonindependent.com

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION OFFICE Vermont Sports | 58 Maple Street Middlebury, Vt. 05753 | 802-388-4944

Vermont Sports is independently owned and operated by Addison Press Inc., 58 Maple Street, Middlebury, Vt. 05753. It is published 9 times per year. Established in 1990. Vermont Sports subscriptions in the U.S.: one year $25. Canada: (US funds), please add $5 per year postage.

Email lisar@addisonindependent.com

BE SOCIAL!

www.facebook.com/VermontSportsMagazine Twitter: @Vermont_Sports www.instagram.com/vtsportsmag

5 The Start

15

Vermont looks at new ways to grow our rural towns.

Big Leagues Come to VT

Know how to start a fire without a match, make a water container from bark or build a twig shelter? This school can teach you to survive in the wild.

Pro skateboarders go downhill fast, a 100-mile swim record, world champ disc golf and more.

19

The State of (Re)Creation

7 Great Outdoors

11 Fitness

The Fitness Game At University of Vermont, research into what motivates people to work out has some interesting finds: These games and 7 apps could help you be healthier.

Fall Camping Skills

Back to our Roots

24

Fall Camping Gear

(R)Evolution in Backpacking With this new gear, you can carry everything you need for an overnight in minimalist pack that totals under 7 lbs.

27 Featured Athlete The Badass Dad Fall Campsite Guide

On the Waterfront At these seven secluded lakefront campsites your nearest neighbors may be loons. From south to north, here are 7 of our hidden favorites.

At 44, Mike Barton is still beating cycling pros half his age.

28

Calendar

Race & Event Guide

34 Endgame

The Steepest Trek When things turn bad on the mountain, the hardest part can be everything that comes next.

VERMONT SPORTS IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

ADVERTISERS! The deadline for the October issue of Vermont Sports is September 18. Contact ads@vtsports.com today to reserve your space!

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 3

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

BEGINS WITH U.S. FINISHES WITH Y U.

LYCRA® IS A TRADEMARK OF INVISTA

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Mountains-To-Sea Trail Lightweight Hikers COMFORT COMPRESSION USING LYCRA® FIBER

All day comfort and minimizes foot fatigue.

IMPACT CUSHIONING & VENTILATION ZONES

37 Church St. Burlington, VT 802-860-0190

www.greenmountainbikes.com Hours: 7 days a week 10am–6pm

9 RTE 17 Waitsfield VT 05673 802-496-4800

www.gearx.com Hours: Mon.–Thurs. 10am–8pm Fri.–Sat. 10am–9pm, Sun. 10am–6pm

Find us on Facebook Hours: Tues.-Fri. 9am-6pm * Close at 5pm on Thursdays for Shop ride.

Sat. 9am-4pm, Sun. 9am-1pm, closed on Mon.

www.highpeakscyclery.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–6pm, Sun. 9am–5pm

Provides extra protection on the top of the foot, while also facilitating adequate air flow around the foot.

M’s & W’s Elkin Valley

Named after sections of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail

East Burke –Victory, Vermont

Run it: 26 mile trail circuit

Lake Placid’s source for bicycling and outdoor gear since 1983! Sales, Service, Rentals and Tours. Bikes

by Yeti, Foundry, Salsa, Surly, Giant and Scott. Your information headquarters for Lake Placid and the Adirondacks for gravel road, mountain biking and road riding adventures. Free maps. ADK80 and Ironman race info and course conditions.

EXCHANGE

OGE offers Burlington riders a premier bike shop with a knowledgeable, friendly, and honest staff. We have commuters and gravel grinders from Marin and KHS, mountain bikes from Pivot, Transition, Rocky Mountain, and Yeti, and a wide consignment selection as well as demo fleet so you can try it before you buy it. Our service department is capable of everything from tuning your vintage road bike to servicing your new mountain bike and offers full Fox shock service.

Come on down and see us on Church St!

14 POWER PLAY SPORTS 35 Portland St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-6557 www.powerplaysports.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–6pm, Sat. 8:30am–5pm Sun. 10am–4pm North Central Vermont’s Trek and Giant Dealer.

With over 200 new and used bikes PPS has a bike for everyone. Service and rentals too!

17 WATERBURY SPORTS 46 South Main St. Waterbury, VT 802-882-8595 www.waterburysportsvt.com Hours: 7 days a week Mon.–Thurs. 10am–6pm, Fri.–Sat. 9am–7pm Sun. 10am–4pm WBS sells Trek and Giant bikes of every flavor from high end mountain bikes to kids, hybrids and cross bikes. Our service techs are among the best in northern VT. We also rent and Demo from our downtown location right near the Perry Hill Trails.

18 WEST HILL BIKE SHOP

20 Hanover St. Lebanon, NH 603-448-3522

85 Main St. Burlington, VT 802-658-3313

49 Brickyard Ln. Putney, VT 802-387-5718

www.omerandbobs.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–6pm, Sat. 9am–5pm Closed Sundays

www.skirack.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10am–7pm, Sun. 11am–5pm

www.westhillshop.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10am–6pm

Locally owned since 1969, Skirack provides gear, clothing, expert fitting and accessories for all cyclists, with full service tuning and repairs...plus complete bike suspension service on most forks and rear shocks. Designated one of America’s Best Bike Shops, Skirack is blocks from Lake Champlain.

Open 8am Mon-Sat for bike service, car racks and rentals. Road and mountain bike rentals at rentals. www.skirack.com.

Since 1971, the West Hill Shop has been a low-key, friendly source for bikes ‘n gear, service and rare wisdoms. We are known regionally as the go-to place for problem-solving technicians. Our bike fitters specialize in comfort without sacrificing efficiency. Recently, we’ve focused on stocking gravel road bikes, with awesome dirt road riding right out our door. Join us for our Annual West Hill Grinder Sept. 24. It’s truly a rural adventure with loops on scenic gravel roads or wily trails.

20 Langdon St. Montpelier, VT 802-229-9409

Runners register at https://www.runreg.com/6841

Located at the lowest spot in the Mad River Valley so you can coast in when you break your bike on a ride! 20 years of advise, directions and fixing anything that pedals. You know you want a Yeti. Come try one of ours!

15 SKIRACK

12 ONION RIVER SPORTS

For more information go to www.circumburke.org.

BIKE WORKS

11OMER & BOB’S

The Upper Valley’s bike shop since 1964. We carry road bikes, mountain bikes and kids bikes from specialty brands including Trek, Specialized and Colnago. Featuring a full service department offering bike fitting, bike rentals and a kids’ tradein, trade-up program.

Winner of Vermont Sports Black Diamond Award for 3 years running, the challenging 26.2 mile CircumBurke course circles Burke and Umpire mountains on the famed Kingdom Trails network and the remote singletrack of the Victory Hill Sector.

With over 3,000 feet of climbing and descending each lap, CircumBurke challenges runners and mountain bikers to push their limits, while enjoying the sweet Vermont singletrack in a fun, laid back atmosphere.

4 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

105 N. Main St. Rochester, VT 800-767-7882

BIKES

2733 Main St. Lake Placid, NY 518-523-3764

Marathon Trail Run & MTB Challenge • Oct. 14, 2017

Bikers register at; https://www.bikereg.com/33111

16 STARK MOUNTAIN

10 HIGH PEAKS CYCLERY

FEATURING

Ride it: 26 or 52-mile trail circuit

13 OUTDOOR GEAR

Located in the center of Vermont, the heart of the Green Mountains, we are surrounded by terrain that calls to mountain and road bikers alike.

Whether you ride twisting trails or back to back gaps, we service, sell, and rent all styles of bicycles, featuring Kona, Jamis, Juliana, Raleigh, Santa Cruz, Transition, and Hinderyckx bikes - hand crafted by our own Rochester boy Zak Hinderyckx. So STOP READING and RIDE YOUR BIKE!

NOW AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE IN BOTH MEN’S & WOMEN’S

9 GREEN MOUNTAIN

www.onionriver.com Hours: Mon.–Thurs. 9am–6pm, Fri. 9am–8pm, Sat. 9am–5pm, Sun. 11am–4pm

The friendly, expert staff at Onion River Sports will help you find the perfect bike for every adventure, whether it’s a mountain, gravel, hybrid, road, kids, or fat bike — plus cycling accessories, apparel, car racks, and more outdoor gear. We also offer professional, comprehensive bike services, rentals, and bike shipping.

GEAR UP & JOIN THE PACK! ADVERTISE HERE.

Call Christy to get your bike shop listed.

802-388-4944 • ads@vtsports.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 33

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

End of Season Canoe, Kayak and SUP Clearance Sale!

THE START

IKE SHOPS

91

89 7

2

14

4

ALPINE SHOP

1184 Williston Rd. South Burlington, VT 802-862-2714

ALPINE SHOP V

E

R

M

O

N

www.AlpineShopVT.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10am–6pm; Sun. 10am–5pm (Hours change seasonally) Specializing in mountain, hybrid and commuter bikes from Norco and Felt, Alpine Shop is a full service Bike Shop conveniently located off Exit 14E with ample parking & riding space. Plus 15,000 square feet of stylish clothing for men and women with a full inventory of gear, shoes and apparel for tennis. Vermont’s favorite outdoor gear and apparel store since 1963.

2

BATTENKILL BICYCLES

99 Bonnet St. Manchester, VT 802-362-2734 www.battenkillbicycles.com Hours: 9:30am–5:30pm every day Full selection of men and women’s clothing.

Rentals available. Great back roads. Road rides Thursdays at 6 pm, Beginner Rides Fridays at 6 pm.

3

BELGEN CYCLES

24 Bridge St, Richmond VT 802-434-4876 www.belgencycles.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10:30am–6:30pm Closed Sundays Belgen Cycles offers custom and stock bicycles supported by 39 years of hands on experience.

Focused on the right bike for you covering the spectrum from road to ‘cross and mountain to fat with selections from Salsa, Xprezo, Moots, Parlee, Litespeed, Lynskey and Soma. Full service maintenance and repair as well as fitting solutions. In business as Village Bicycle in Richmond for 19 years.

32 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

T

6 Burlington 1

15

89

2

93

2

17

7

2

Montpelier

100

12

16

302

91 125

We are a full service bike shop at the base of the Mt. Greylock State reservation. We also border a beautiful 12 mile, paved rail trail. We carry Jamis, Rocky Mtn. and GT. We offer sales, repairs, and hybrid bike rentals for the rail trail.

89

125

BERKSHIRE OUTFITTERS

5

73 7

100

9

Photo by Lisa Lynn

11

T

103

7

Manchester Center 2

91 100

5

9

CHUCK’S BIKES

7

103

18

45 Bridge St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-7642

The Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative gathering at the Grafton Inn in August.

4

Rutland

4

berkout@bcn.net

9 100

EAST BURKE SPORTS

439 Route 114 East Burke VT 802-626-3215 www.eastburkesports.com Hours: 9am-6pm every day

4

www.chucksbikes802.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–5:30pm Sat. 9am–3pm, closed Sundays Putting smiles on people’s faces for 35ish years.

Bikes by Transition, Norco, KHS, Surly, Raleigh, Marin and Diamondback.

6

3

8

RR 169 e t da s

413-743- 5900

5

Save 20% to 40% on Every New, Used & Demo Canoe, Kayak, & SUP in Stock!* Visit our Paddlesports Stores in Old Forge and Saratoga Springs September 22 -24! Every Canoe, Kayak and SUP in stock will be on sale!

15

15 13

sponsored content

1

7

5

5

10

AROUND VERMONT

A STATE OF (RE)CREATION

100

EARL’S CYCLERY

2500 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT 802-864-9197 www.earlsbikes.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 10am–7pm Sat. 10am–6pm, Sun. 11am–5pm Earl’s has Vermont’s largest selection of mountain, road, hybrid, and kids’ bikes, clothing and accessories, helmets, shoes, and car racks. Plus an extensive women’s department, a full service department with a wide assortment of parts and tools on hand, ample parking, and a test ride trail!

We are the original home to Kingdom Trails. Located in the heart of town, we pride ourselves in expert knowledge while providing friendly customer service. A full service shop awaits you and your repair needs. We have 100 rental bikes with an enormous selection of clothing, parts, and accessories.

8

FROG HOLLOW BIKES

74 Main Street Middlebury VT 802-388-6666 www.froghollowbikes.com Hours: Fri. 9:30am–6:30pm, Sun. 11am–4pm Take advantage of the most advanced and courteous service in our region, including a quick turn-around in our service shop downstairs.

Upstairs in the sales room, we offer the best in new and used road, mountain, lifestyle, and children’s bikes and new gear. We carry brands that offer superior products that balance innovation and performance with reliability and value.

wenty years ago, I visited a town where time stood still. I worked for Bicycling magazine at the time. Our new editorial team was looking for a place where we could retreat from the summer heat of our Pennsylvania headquarters, ride quiet roads and rethink the magazine. We chose the white clapboard town of Grafton, Vt. and the Grafton Inn, beautifully preserved thanks to the Windham Foundation.

One of the oldest inns in the country, Grafton is a place that has sparked creativity for generations. Rudyard Kipling used to ride up from his home in Dummerston to sit in the porch rockers. The likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Daniel Webster, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson have all been visitors.

Before the Civil War, the town boomed thanks to the nearby soapstone mines and the population was over 1,500. As of the 2010 census, it was 675.

This August 2-3, I returned to Grafton for a very different retreat. Governor Scott’s newly-formed Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative invited a diverse group of stakeholders to consider what could be done to grow Vermont’s outdoor economy. As Windham Foundation’s Liz Bankowski put it, “The beauty of Grafton is that nothing seems to have changed here in the past 100 years. But that’s our challenge too: how do we grow Vermont’s rural towns?

How do we get young people to move here or businesses to grow here?”

Governor Scott noted in his opening remarks: “There are six fewer workers everyday when we wake up. There are three fewer kids in our public education system and nearly one baby born to an addictive mom every single day. That sums up our challenges and opportunities."

Can growing outdoor recreation help

solve this? Already, more than 51,000 direct jobs and $5.5 billion in consumer spending annually can be traced to outdoor recreation in Vermont, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

Rural towns such as East Burke have seen as much as $16 million in economic activity annually thanks to Kingdom Trails.

Others, such as Rochester, are hoping to reinvent themselves as backcountry ski and bike centers. New this year, Grafton added mountain biking to its trail network.

"We need to cater to a new generation," Bankowski acknowledged.

After two days, four key areas emerged as VOREC objectives: 1) To promote entrepreneurial and business opportunities for both for-profits and non-profits. 2) Strengthen the quality and extent of our recreational resources. 3) Strengthen stewardship of our recreational resources (both private and public). 4) Increase opportunities for diverse individuals and groups to participate, lead and own Vermont’s outdoor industry and culture.

This last point struck home. We all know people who have moved to Vermont because of the outdoors. And that's true for the two randomly selected winners of Vermont Sports recent Gregory Pack/ Merrell/Sugarbush/Green Mountain Club Summer Giveaway. One winner, Caroline Gambell, a hiker, moved to Vermont year ago to spend more time in the mountains.

The other, Eric Westphal and his wife (both physician's assistants) are moving from Boston this month.

How do we get more folks like them to move? Perhaps outdoor recreation is the answer. That trip to Grafton 20 years ago was a chance to recreate and re-create: riding the backroads of southern Vermont I fell in love with the state. Then, four years later, I moved here.

—Lisa Lynn,

New York’s Largest Canoe, Kayak & SUP Dealer!

Over 1,000 in stock!

www.MountainmanOutdoors.com

*Excludes Swift Canoes & Kayaks and BOTE SUPs

Rt. 28, Old Forge • (315) 369-6672 251 County Rd. 67, Saratoga Springs • (518) 584-0600

Featured in l, reet Journa W The all St l Gazette ea tr on M , be Boston Glo Pouce and Sur le SMOKED MEAT

LIBATIONS BREWERY

®

Daysies Winners 2012-2017

WHATEVER KIND OF PEEPING YOU’RE INTO THIS FALL, POP IN FOR A HOOCH BEFORE YOU GO! Brewery opens every day at 11:30AM for LUNCH + SUPPER 23 South Main Street • Waterbury, Vermont prohibitionpig.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 5

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

VERMONT

OP

SPORTS

ADVENTURE DOG CONTEST

3 | Labor Day 130K, Peru Ride 85 miles through southern Vermont with an elevation gain of 7,500 feet. Ride is unsupported and raises money for Rare Disease Research. rasopathiesnet.org

30 | Hungry Lion Bike Tour, Whitingham These 35-, 55- and 75-mile road bike rides are fully supported with rest stops, sag wagon, BBQ, music and beer. hungrylionbiketour.com

4 | Richard Tom Foundation Kids’ Criterium, Burlington This free, noncompetitive event is open to kids ages 7-11.

Kids ages 7-8 ride for two laps and 9-to 11-year olds ride for four laps. The Foundation was formed to honor Richard Tom, who was fatally struck by a speeding driver in 2015. bikereg.com/the-green-mountain-stage-race.

30 | Allen Clark Hill Climb, Waitsfield Climb 1,600 vertical feet in 6.2 miles from Route 100 to the top of Appalachian Gap. achillclimb.org

8 | Grand Grand Prix, Quebec City; 10 | Grand Grand Prix, Montreal The UCI WorldTour comes to Quebec and Montreal with world teams, professional continental teams and national teams going head-to-head in criterium-style races in historic Montreal and Quebec. gpcqm.ca

OCTOBER 2 | Triple Crown Enduro, Burke Burke Mountain Bike Park hosts the second of a threestop series, with riders competing on Burke’s downhill trails for more than $30,000 in cash. skiburke.com

MULTISPORT, WATERSPORTS & OTHER SEPTEMBER

EXTREME SCENES s BEST FACE SHOT s 0503 ). !#4)/. s G2%!4 34/2)%3

9 | 12th Annual Kelly Brush Ride, Middlebury With 20-, 50-, 65-, 85- or 100-mile options, this scenic, fully-supported ride through the Champlain Valley draws over 700 cyclists and dozens of handcyclists. Followed by a festive BBQ. kellybrushfoundation.org

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

10 | Cabot Ride the Ridges, Cabot With routes of 10, 30, 60 and 100K, this ride through Peacham and Cabot is for everyone. ridetheridges.net 23 | The Moose Redux, East Burke This 103-mile ride runs through on recently repaved roads.

The Team Challenge pits teams of 3 to 10 riders based on the cumulative fastest three times. kingdomgames.co

8-10 | 90-Miler Adirondack Canoe Classic, Old Forge, NY This three-day, 90-mile flatwater race follows the original highways of the Adirondacks from Old Forge to Saranac Lake, with a mix of lake and river paddling. macscanoe.com 11 | In Search of Memphre VI, Newport Swimmers take on a 25-mile swim from Newport, Vt. across the border to Magog, Quebec. kingdomgames.co 15 – 18 | FallFest at Smugglers’ Notch, Cambridge A weekend of fdisc golf, live music food, a limited beer release from Fiddlehead and guided climbing in the Notch

by Burlington’s Petra Cliffs. smuggs.com

15 | Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship, Jeffersonville Smugglers’ Notch hosts a point series of five tournaments as part Smuggler’s Notch Fall Fest. The top 48 in the series compete for a prize of $10,000. smuggs.com 16-17 | Spartan Race, Killington Obstacle course racers tackle the Beast of the East in the famously tough Spartan Race. Obstacles include walls, nets, sandbag carries and plenty of mud. killington.com 17 | 41st Annual Josh Billings Runaground Triathlon, Great Barrington, Ma. Run, bike and canoe/SUP/kayak through five towns in the Berkshires to the finish line at the Tanglewood Music Festival. joshbillings.com

OCTOBER 7 | Lunafest Women’s Film Festival, Burlington Lunafest is a national film festival that features short films by, for, and about women, hosted this year by Girls on the Run Vermont, with special speaker Karen Newman, world-class triathlete, cancer and eating disorder survivor, author, and dietitian. lunafest.org 7 | VT SKI + RIDE EXPO, Burlington The biggest ski show to hit Vermont comes to the waterfront Hilton in Burlington on Oct. 7. See the latest gear, find out about resort deals, watch new ski movie releases, enjoy live music from three bands and kick back at the Long Trail brew tent. Details and tickets at vtskiandride. com/expo2017/

24 | West Hill Grinder, Putney Start and finish these dirt road rides at High Meadows Farm. The moderate to challenging routes wind through Putney, Dummerston, and Westminster. Lunch by Taco Barn. Register by Sept. 17. bikereg.com/west-hill-grinder 26 | Stone Valley 50 Gravel Grinder, Poultney Gravel grinders can test themselves on either a 50-mile race; or a 20-mile noncompetitive tour. stonevalley50.com

35"-)4

14TH ANNUAL

yo

rk

on our website at vtsports.com

Ma

STORIES, PHOTOS & VIDEOS

By Sept 10, 2017 9-17

7). awesome prizes, including pup gear from

COURSE

2017

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17 2017

ur c

a le n d a r s!

18-mile & 6-mile timed runs, 2-mile family fun run/walk. All courses are loops on pristine trails through woods, farmland, meadow and river valleys, circumnavigating the town.

LOCATION Start & end at Wright Park in Middlebury, VT. Post-race celebration with refreshments, prizes & music.

All welcome, any ability.

VERMONT

SPORTS

Event hosted by the Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT).

All proceeds help to maintain & improve the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM).

Registration open now at http://www.maltvt.org SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 31

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

!"###$%&'"'(%')*%*'%#$+#%',%-./0%1'2#3%/'%,)(*4#(

!"#$#%&'((#)'*+,#%&'+-#.'/01#23450% Held at the Trapp Family Lodge, these friendly 5K and 10K $/,&(%/,.!-%,/!%,%)/!,$%*44*/$5#&$;%$*%$/;%*5$%$/,&(%/5##&#)=% $*%(**@%6*/%;*5/%4!/-*#,(%E!-$=%*/%$*%45$%$3!%4!1,(%1*2#% ,#1%)*%6*/%$3!%)*(1:%-&'./0102&"3/('4% !6789#$#:'&(44,#;/34*0&<0=3#.'/01#>+,?=4&% The Harpoon Brewery holds the annual 3.6-mile road /,.!=%6*((*2!1%E;%,#%N@$*E!/6!-$%*#%$3!%E/!2!/;%)/*5#1-:% Proceeds benefit the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer C!#$!/:%5042''$')&'6/47/-&40)/()'* !6#7#@9A@#$#B&+==C#D40E-#.F,,+,G#)'H(1#.+/EH4,?% Join trail running legend and Julbo Athlete Krissy Moehl, 6*/%,%2!!@!#17(*#)%/5##&#)%.,04%$3,$%2&((%&#.(51!%-@&((-=% )/*54%$/,&(%/5#-%6*/%,((%,E&(&$&!-=%.(,--/**0%4/!-!#$,$&*#-% and discussions, all at Cochran’s Ski Area. 89#6'()'* 89#$#.F,#<4&#%E0#:0'&31#D4&&+=I+--0% Copley Hospital organizes a 5K run at Oxbow Park, which .*##!.$-%$*%$3!%Q,0*&((!%O,((!;%T,&(%</,&(:%T5##!/-%2&((%6*(7 (*2%$3!%/,&(%$/,&(%E,.@%$*%$3!%6&#&-3:%)'2#/:3&('4%; 89#$#@63E#J,,F'-#23'&K#D4F,3'+,#:+--#)-+H*A.F,1# L'C=34,# Run from the Mad River Glen base lodge to the summit of Stark Mountain. This climb is part of Mad River Glen’s U/!!#%,#1%U*(1%D!!@!#1:%*014"3/4%#/$()'* 89#$#L&4,3#M4&/E0=#:'-<#D'&'3E4,1#N0--45=#L'--=% F%3,(6%0,/,$3*#%/5#-%$3/*5)3%$3!%"&((,)!%*6%B!((*2-%A,((-% ,#1%,(*#)%$3!%C*##!.$&.5$%T&"!/:%3&74'$&2'4)5/-50#7()'*

;)%;NO. @#$#P0'<#M00(0&=#:'-<#D'&'3E4,1#>'30&*F&C#% CVR’s fundraiser for the Harwood Union Boosters Club is an out-and-back on paved and dirt roads. Part of the CVR NT?%T,.!%?!/&!-:%#/072//2/4-50#7*040&5'$('4%; Q#$#J&3#%F?E4(0#@9B1#)E'&-4330% T5#%*#%,%6,-$%*5$7,#17E,.@%.*5/-!%2&$3%,%0&R%*6%1&/$%,#1% 4,"!1%/*,1-%,#1%4(!,-,#$%-.!#!/;%V%,44(!%*/.3,/1-=%"&!2-% ,(*#)%Q,@!%C3,04(,&#%,#1%,%.*"!/!1%E/&1)!:%A&#&-3!-%,$% ?3!(E5/#!%E!,.3:%%*00($/& R#$#L-C#34#M+0#B+,G?4H#D'&'3E4,1#>0=3#S-4I0&#% Kingdom Games’ 26.2-mile running (and bike) point-to4*&#$%/,.!%6*((*2-%1&/$%/*,1-%$3/*5)3%I$3!%)5$>%*6%$3!%

Northeast Kingdom. 17-, 13.5-, and 6-mile, run, bike or 3&@!%*4$&*#-:%!"$%1'*%0*/-()'% R#$#D'?#T'=E1#>'+3=<+0-?1#U3V#% Runners support the Mad River Path with a 10K and 5K /,.!:%C*005#&$;%(5#.3%6*((*2-:%*014"3/420&5()'*; R#$#W4&3E#L'/0#.'/0#34#3E0#2FHH+31#23&'334,% Stratton Mountain Resort hosts a race to the summit of the $,((!-$%0*5#$,&#%&#%-*5$3!/#%O!/0*#$=%,%1&-$,#.!%*6%J:KS% 0&(!-%2&$3%,#%!(!",$&*#%),&#%*6%J=KKM%6!!$:%-&40&&'$()'*; ; R#$#.+(34,#.+?G0#.F,1#.+(34,% <3!%T&4$*#%W(!0!#$,/;%?.3**(%3*-$-%&$-%,##5,(%65#1/,&-!/% with a 5K run, 10.4K run and a noncompetitive 5K fun 2,(@:%F((%.*5/-!-%-$,/$%,#1%6&#&-3%,$%$3!%T&4$*#%W(!0!#$,/;% ?.3**(:%4"2&'$4"1%/49$(011"-'$)/$&40#-9('4%% @"#$#>0=3H4&0#D4F,3'+,#)E'--0,G01#)E'&-0=34,% One day, five mountains, 26 miles. Hike the beautiful 0*5#$,&#%$/,&(-%*6%$3!%X*/$3!,-$%'&#)1*0%&#%65((%,5$50#% .*(*/:%A5((%,#1%3,(6%0,/,$3*#%/*5$!-%,",&(,E(!:%A&#&-3!-%,$% $3!%X*/$3D**1-%?$!2,/1-3&4%C!#$!/%(*1)!%2&$3%1&##!/% ,#1%4/&Y!-:;$'4&5.''1-)/$&/4('4% @"#$#)+&/FHNF&K0#D%N#)E'--0,G0#',?#%&'+-#.F,1# O'=3#NF&K0% <3&-%,##5,(%0*5#$,&#%E&@!%,#1%$/,&(%/5##&#)%/&$5,(%6*((*2-% an epic and brutal 26-plus miles around Burke and Z04&/!%0*5#$,&#-%*#%'&#)1*0%</,&(-%-&#)(!$/,.@:%)"4)9*< 694!/('4%; @"#$#%&'((#L'H+-C#P4?G0#D4F,3'+,#D'&'3E4,1# 23450% F%.3,((!#)&#)%3,(6%,#1%65((%0,/,$3*#%1&-$,#.!%$/,&(%/5#%&#% the heart of the Green Mountains during peak foliage sea7 -*#:%&4022*'9$&0"$*040&5'$()'* @"#$#2E0-*F&,0#L'&H=#XB1#2E0-*F&,0% B!)&##&#)%,#1%!#1&#)%,$%$3!%?3!(E5/#!%A,/0-%C*,.3%B,/#:% T5#%4,-$%Q,@!%C3,04(,&#=%$3/*5)3%$3!%6,/0%$/,&(-%,#1% fields before making your way past the Inn at Shelburne A,/0-%$*%$3!%6&#&-3%(&#!:;40)/3/4*'$&()'* @X#$#.F,#>+3E#%E0#:0&40=#XB1#>+--+=34, Support Special Olympics Vermont in this 5K, sponsored by the Williston Police and Fire Departments. The race is open $*%$3!%45E(&.%,#1%2&((%E!)&#%,#1%!#1%,$%$3!%D&((&-$*#% Community Park in Williston:;-2/)"0#'#:*2")-3/4*'$&('4%

!

@X#$#"Q3E#J,,F'-#S&00,#D4F,3'+,#D'&'3E4,1## 24F3E#:0&4## T5#%*5$%,#1%E,.@%*#%$3!%2!-$%-3*/!-%*6%?*5$3%[!/*%,#1% Grand Isle, on rolling terrain that passes farms, apple */.3,/1-%,#1%-500!/%.*$$,)!-=%&#%$3&-%.!/$&6&!1%0,/,$3*#% ,#1%3,(670,/,$3*#:%%*00($/&; !@#$#DF??CY=#NF??+0=#XB#>'-KA.F,1#2E0-*F&,0% A yearly tribute to Muddy, a sweet and gentle chocolate lab who never missed a race or a chance to make someone’s day. A portion of the net proceeds from this run/walk will go to local dog charities. Choose to run/walk with or with7 out a furry friend. Muddy wouldn’t want it any other way. <3!%.*5/-!%&-%,%\%(**4%.*5/-!%,/*5#1%$3!%)/*5#1-%*6% O!/0*#$%<!11;%B!,/:;40)/3/4*'$&()'*

W;UODNO. "#$#L'--0,#P0'I0=#XB1#D4,3(0-+0&% Part of a low-key, 3-race series. The flat and fast 5K course begins and ends on the Montpelier High School track and incorporates the Montpelier bike path. )349$$/4-('4% X#$#L'--#XBA@9B#Z#:'-<#D'&'3E4,1#2E0-*F&,0% The Half Marathon is a loop course that begins at Shelburne Field House, where you’ll run into the country7 -&1!=%4,-$%?3!(E5/#!%A,/0-%,#1%$*%$3!%?3!(E5/#!%?3&4;,/1% where you’ll turn around and head back home. 0)&"3/()'* !8#$#SDJJ#%F&K0C#%&431#NF&-+,G34,% A certified 5K on the University of Vermont women’s cross .*5#$/;%.*5/-!:%D,(@!/-%,/!%2!(.*0!%&#%$3&-%/,.!%E!#!6&$7 &#)%$3!%C3&$$!#1!#%W0!/)!#.;%A**1%?3!(6:%T,.!%-$,/$-%,$%LL% ,:0:%,$%$3!%U5$$!/-*#%A&!(1%[*5-!:%%*00($/&

!"#$%"&'()'*+,&-+./0+12+,3.+&#(+ ./$.)'+&*+0.)-+*4')&,+("5#+60.)+ 4"7#0'-8*+.&/'/)*0+4"7'*)6++&0+0.)+9:;+ <"'=(+>73+&0+?/==/#$0"#+0./*+,"#0.@+!

!./0/12

"#$%$!&'!"()*!+$*,-.

2OM%ODNO. @7"#$#S&00,#D4F,3'+,#23'G0#.'/01#>'+3=<+0-?#% The largest pro/amateur road stage race east of the Mississippi returns to Vermont with four days of time % $/&,(-=%./&$!/&50%/,.!-%,#1%,%)/,#%6*#1*:%%*-4("$7';

&'<;!E47002!I-.,787(1,7)9!I)+.2-2! ! !

R+06-.,!F+,@)).!I-9,-.S!L17.0--S!TC! !

Wilderness EMT Module!

Cost: "&;'!(meals, lodging, course materials)! Cost: "#$%!(meals, lodging, course materials)! !"&<'!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials)! !!!!!!!!!!!"%&'!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials)!

December 16-19!

Optional:!

American Heart Association CPR (Heartsaver)!

Cost: "=%!

EMT WILD Day! November 19-20!

Cost: "<#'!(lunch, course materials)!

Wilderness First Responder!

>1?!6-!+2-@!12!87.2,!3108!)8!1!AB>C!6.7@D-!! ()+.2-!57,3!EFGF:!

Cost: "H&%!(meals, lodging, course, materials)! !";='!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials)!

December 10-19! !

Wilderness First Responder Review (Recertification) Cost: $290 (meals, lodging, course, materials) !"&$'!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials) !"=%!I/J!J-K(-.,787(1,7)9!

November 18-19!

,-!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!9!!/0"102304!5678

!"#$%#&!$&'(!#%)(*+#*&,$+-&.$/)01#*&$(2+$ +-&!(2.#$&3-44#*&$"-!$5#*4)2!$

!R#$#%E0#B+,G?4H#)E'--0,G01#PC,?4,I+--0% F%.3,((!#)&#)%4*&#$7$*74*&#$%3,(6%0,/,$3*#%E!$2!!#% Q;#1*#"&((!%,#1%?$:%]*3#-E5/;:%C*5/-!%/5#-%$3/*5)3%6*5/% .*"!/!1%E/&1)!-:%&5/!"$%1'*)50##/$%/()'*

Wilderness First Aid / CPR

!

!"#$%&'()*+,& '"*-&."&/.

!"#$%&'(%)''"*

December 16!

2018 Course Dates will be available soon! /0-12-!(3-(4!)+.!5-627,-!8).!*).-!

798).*1,7)9:!

UU!<'V!>707,1.?!

M72()+9,!72!1W170160-!

8).!100!)8!)+.!E47002! !

I-.,787(1,7)9!I)+.2-2! !

! L).!*).-!798).*1,7)9!).!,)!.-D72,-.:!/0-12-!()9,1(,!G?99!M10?!1,!N'&K$$$K$='%!).!!

GOING DOWNHILL, FAST Ever just let loose downhill on a skateboard?

On September 7-9, more than 100 of the world’s top longboard downhill racers and lugers compete in the International Downhill Federation’s final World Cup !"!#$% &#% '&((&#)$*#+,% -./!,0&#)% 1!-.!#$% 1*2#% $3!% -$/,&)3$-% ,#1% 3,&/4&#% $5/#-% *6% Roundabout and East Mountain Roads.

“Last year, winner Carlos Paixao of Brazil hit 68 mph and Spanish luger Mikel Diez clocked 81 mph,” says race organizer Mike Gerard. There’s also a freeride option for #*#7-,#.$&*#!1% /&1!/-% 82&$3% ,#1% 2&$3*5$% 4/*$!.$&"!%(!,$3!/%)!,/9:% “In distance and steepness, it’s the

3,&/&!-$% .*5/-!% &#% $3!% .*5#$/;% ,#1% $3!% fastest IDF track in the world” says Girard, 23*% -5))!-$-% -4!.$,$*/-% (&#!% 54% 6*/% $3!% Sunday finals at what he calls “Tetanus <5/#=>% #,0!1% 6*/% $3!% /5-$;% )5,/1% /,&(:% ?4!.$,$*/% -35$$(!-% 2&((% (!,"!% 6/*0% $3!% ?@;!-3&4%)*#1*(,%4,/@&#)%,/!,:%A*/%1!$,&(-% -!!%!"##"$%&'$()'* Meanwhile, the A-Dog skate park on $3!% B5/(&#)$*#% 2,$!/6/*#$% 3*-$!1% -*0!% heavy talent in late August. Professional skateboarder and Mountain Dew team rider Sean Malto was in Vermont for the first time along with fellow Dew team /&1!/-% &#.(51&#)% C5//!#% C,4(!-% ,#1% Vermonters Jordan Maxham of Barre and

D&((&-$*#% 3*0!% E*;% C3/&-% C*(E*5/#:% F(-*% G*&#&#)% $3!% H!2% -@,$!% ./!2% 2!/!% 6*/0!/% pro skateboarding brothers Mark and Tino Razo of Bennington. The occasion?

A-Dog Day (Aug.25), celebrating the life of Burlington's DJ/turntablist Andy IF7H*)>% D&((&,0-=% 23*-!% 4,--&*#% &#% 05-&.=% -@,$!E*,/1&#)% ,#1% ,/$% !,/#!1% 3&0% /!.*)#&$&*#%,-%,%.5($5/,(%&.*#:%<3!%,##5,(% non-profit event brings awareness to Acute Myeloid Leukemia, the disease that cost F#1;%3&-%(&6!%E,.@%&#%H!.!0E!/%JKLM:%N"!/% the course of four days, Malto and friends 2!/!%-.3!15(!1%$*%"!#$5/!%,./*--%O!/0*#$% $*%-*0!%*6%$3!%0*-$%!4&.%-@,$!%-4*$-:%D,$.3% 6*/%,%6*((*2754%&#%*5/%N.$*E!/%&--5!:%+,(,

100-MILE SWIM SETS RECORD F$%MPMK%,:0:%*#%F5)5-$%LK=%C*(*/,1*%#,$&"!% ?,/,3% <3*0,-% -2,0% *#$*% ,% E!,.3% &#% Rouses Point, NY after swimming for 67 3*5/-% ,#1% LKK% 0&(!-% &#% Q,@!% C3,04(,&#:% <3!% 2!,$3!/% E/*5)3$% ,% 0&R% *6% .*#1&$&*#-P% 3!,12&#1-=% $,&(2&#1-=% .3*44&#!--=% /,&#% ,#1% E!,5$&65(% .,(0% 2,$!/-=% E5$% <3*0,-% was ready for it. The 35-year-old had 4/!"&*5-(;% E/*@!#% $3!% /!.*/1% 6*/% ,#% 5#,--&-$!1%-*(*%*4!#%2,$!/%-2&0%23!#%-3!% swam 82 miles in Arizona’s Lake Powell in 2016. With the Lake Champlain swim, she E/*@!%3!/%/!.*/1%E;%LS%0&(!-:% <3*0,-% -,;-% -3!% 4/!4,/!1% E;% swimming 25 to 30 hours every week until

(3-(4!)+.!5-627,-!3,,OPQQ,79?+.0:()*QRFIK&'<%KE47002!

/0"102304!!5678!!!9!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!+

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

Nothing to lose And a world to see.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

all out blaze 2

RACE & EVENT GUIDE

VERMONT

SPORTS

LISTING YOUR EVENT IN THIS CALENDAR IS FREE AND EASY. VISIT VTSPORTS.COM/ SUBMIT-AN-EVENT OR E-MAIL EDITOR@ VTSPORTS.COM. ALL AREA CODES ARE 802. ALL LOCATIONS ARE IN VERMONT, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. FEATURED EVENTS, IN YELLOW, PAY A NOMINAL FEE.

views of the Adirondacks. Proceeds support the Pride Center of Vermont. pridecentervt.org 9 | Fight For Air Climb, Bennington Race up 412 steps of the historic Bennington Battle Momument in the country’s only race of its kind. The event supports lung disease research. action.lung.org

SEPTEMBER

9 | Endurance Society’s Sky Run, Waitsfield Run a series of climbs to the summit of Gen. Stark Mountain. Pick the 5K Sky Run, with (2,000 feet of vertical climbing), or a 10K (3,700 feet of vertical). endurancesociety.org

2 | Northfield Savings Bank 5K, Northfield A certified 5K course as part of the CVR ORS Race Series.

Start and finish in front of the Northfield Savings Bank at the green in downtown Northfield, Vt. nsbvt.com

9 | Covered Bridge Half Marathon, Charlotte Race along mostly dirt and gravel roads, beginning and ending at Shelburne Beach on Lake Champlain. racevermont.com

2 | Hops For Hope 5K, West Dover Relay For Life hosts a 5K held in conjunction with Mount Snow’s Brewfest. The multi-terrain run/walk is beginner friendly while challenging to even the most seasoned of runners. facebook.com/hopsforhope

9 | SPROUTY Run, Sharon Run a 10K or run/walk a 5K along the White River on mostly dirt and gravel roads, beginning and ending at Shelburne Beach on Lake Champlain. There will be prizes, food and live music, as well as a gift for every race participant. runsignup.com

RUNNING & HIKING

2-3 | Jay Peak Trail Running Festival, Jay Head to northern Vermont for a series of trail races ranging from 5K to 50K. jaypeaktrailrun.com 3 | 49th GMAA Archie Post 5-Miler, Burlington The certified point-to-point course follows the South Burlington Bike Path. gmaa.net 9 | Maple Leaf Half Marathon & 5K, Manchester, Vt. The Make a Wish Foundation hosts a fall half-marathon and 5K race from downtown through picturesque villages and farmlands and back to the finish. runreg.com 9 | Stride For Pride, Burlington Follow the Burlington waterfront in this 5k, which boasts

10 | Old Stone House Fall Foliage Run, Walk and Bike, Brownington Runners, walkers and bikers compete on dirt roads in the Northeast Kingdom. Choose a half marathon or 5K walk/ run, bikers ride 12 miles. oldstonehousemuseum.org

23 | The Vermont Great 2.4.6.8K, Rutland Walk, do a 2K or 4K of the relay or run the whole 8K in downtown Rutland. Proceeds benefit the RRMC Foley Cancer Center. rrmc.org 24 | 25th Annual Vermont 50 Mountain Bike or Ultra Run, West Windsor Ascutney in West Windsor hosts the 22nd year of the 50-mile bike race and 50-mile run. The race also includes a 50K option, a team relay and a free kids fun-run option. vermont50.blogspot.com 24 | The Color Run, Essex Junction, Vt. Runners in this 5K are blasted with colored powder every kilometer while running under inflatable arches. All proceeds benefit The Chill Foundation. thecolorrun.com 23–24 | Adirondack Marathon, Schroon, N.Y. This two-day event includes both half marathon and marathon races, a 5K and 10K, a children’s fun run, dinners and award ceremonies. adirondackmarathon.org 24 | Vermont Sun Half Marathon, Lake Dunmore Run along the shores of Lake Dunmore in a 5K, 10K or half marathon. vermontsuntrithlonseries.com

16 | Common to Common 30K, Essex Junction This certified 30K (18.64 miles) goes through farm country between Essex Center and Westford Common. gmaa.net

24 | Island Vines 10K, South Hero Snow Farm Vineyard serves as the starting point for a flat and scenic 10K on South Hero roads. snowfarm.com

Caring for your active kids... whether at play or on a team With summer coming to a close now is the time to schedule your child’s well-child or fall sports clearance physicals.

Sunday, Sept 24th High Meadows Farm Putney, Vermont

Call today to schedule an appointment!

Gifford Pediatrics .........................728-2420

An adventure over the dirt roads and through the woods!

Gifford Family Medicine ..............728-2445

Fundraiser for the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association

Bethel Health Center ...................234-9913

To conserve and make accessible lands along the Windmill Hill Ridge

Learn more: www.GiffordHealthCare.org

bikereg.com/west-hill-grinder

O U T- O F-T H E - B O X C O M F O R T F O R L I G H T H I K E S

20 | Sodom Pond 4-Miler, Adamant A rolling 4-mile dirt road course loops counter-clockwise around Adamant’s Sodom Pond. runvermont.org

15 | ShoeFly Trail Running Festival, East Burke This festival of trail running welcomes runners and walkers to try 50K, 12-hour, 24-hour solo/team relay, 25K, 10K, 5K or 1-mile races. shoeflytrailrun.org

West Hill Grinder

49 Brickyard Lane, Putney Vermont

17 | TAM Trek, Middlebury The 18-mile-long Trail Around Middlebury hosts a series of races. Runners can choose between 6-mile and 18- mile runs, a 2-mile family fun run and a 3-mile hike or a mountain bike. Course includes single and doubletrack trails, pavement and technical sections. maltvt.org

■

westhillshop.com

■

Gifford Health Care Caring for you... for life.

802-387-5718

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 29

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

VS: What kind of racing do you like best? MB:

FEATURED ATHLETE

I like gravel best. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unpredictable and you need bike handling skills, power and aerobic ability. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re riding in a bit of a pack, unlike mountain bike racing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an individual effort but you are racing with friends.

A BADASS DAD

MB: Part of my training revolves around commuting.

My most direct commute is seven miles on either mountain bike trails or roads but there are numerous other options that allow me to add to that commute.

The long way home can be as much as 75 miles.

VS: What are some other races you did this year?

At 44, Mike Barton is still beating pro racers half his age.

Photo courtesy Mike Barton

VS: How crazy was the Overland PavĂŠ Madness?

VS: How did you go from car racing to bike rac-

MB: We were traveling over four-wheel-drive jeep roads that were almost impossible to ride. There were boulders, wet terrain and steep ascents and descents.

We had to travel though 500 yards of beaver bog; the water was waist-deep so you had to carry your bike over your headâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but that was one of the easiest parts of the ride since it was such a hot day. We went down active flowing river beds, traversing back and forth, riding and running, and then there was a steep extended climb. The last few miles were pleasant gravel roads that were more traditional.

ing? MB: I was a stock car driver until I was 25, racing

VS: What kind of a bike do you use for that?

MB: It was the mountain bike version of cyclocross. I rode (and carried) my Cannondale Scalpel which is a dual suspension bike. It was perfect for the course with suspension lockout for the long, steep climbs, but plenty of cushion for the rocky, technical descents and stream crossings, but I still couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ride everything.

locally and regionally. Someone suggested I try mountain bike racing and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never raced on two wheels before but I jumped in and won my first race and moved up through the ranks. At 25 I went to college and raced with the University of New Hampshire team. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where I fell in love with road racing. I then got my masters at Dartmouth and raced my two years there. In 2003, Dartmouth won the national championship and in 2004, I won 9 out of 13 collegiate races and all five races at the national championship. I started working the day after graduation but I continued to race across New England and in New Mexico, California, Bermuda and Ireland. A lot of the folks I raced with ended up racing professionally like Ted King, Brent Bookwalter and Kevin Bouchard-Hall.

Kevin recently got back into racing. I followed him into triathlons and now we do these gravel races together.

MB: I rode the Tour of the Battenkill which had a new format this year. Dave Zabriskie [retired professional bike racer] was there and I beat him by seven minutes and won the race. I was part of a two-man breakaway for 70 miles of a 75-mile race. I did the Rasputista Spring Classic this year and came in third. Both of those Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to do again. I really like the Vermont 50.

I won that three years in a row and have the course record but last year I had a mechanical problem. In 2016, I did the Green Mountain Stage Race as a Master and I try to fit that in when I can. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a number of Ironman Triathlons but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided to focus more on cycling because of the demands of my family and my job which is fairly high stress. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a research and revelopment engineer and I work on projects as diverse as cryogenics, lasers, high-temperature superconductors and electro-mechanical systems. Because of work and family, I really have to pick and choose my events.

VS: Do you ride with your daughters?

MB: Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been riding in the chariot bike since they were born. Last year we did 1,300 miles together. They also have their own tricycles. Last year I got hit by a car and needed surgery to repair my thumb so I rode indoors and I made them both little stationary trainers so they could ride with me. Biking and being outdoors has become a way of life to them. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather be in the bike chariot than the car. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Phyl Newbeck LIM OF ITED FE R $ SUM

HALF MARATHON

14

A Complete Guide to Alpine Skiing Fitness Chapters on endurance, strength, power, speed and agility, with training plans for the entire year.

Includes reference material from over 30 years of research on elite skiers and athletes.

194 pages softcover.

R U N & T R I AT H L O N S E R I E S

t WFSNPOUTVO DPN 28 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

M

.95 ER

#SBOCVSZ 4UBUF 1BSL PO CFBVUJGVM -BLF %VONPSF

L L SVO 4FQUFNCFS t BN

says Jeff Spring, director of Mountain Biking, Disc Golf and Fall Fest at Smuggs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The New England region has really just exploded.â&#x20AC;?

He noted that while disc golf has become huge in other parts of New England, the sport is just taking off in Vermont.

The 2018 Worlds will take place at Smuggs from Sept. 5-8, and will host the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top disc golfers including Paul McBest. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total cash purse, with 200 competitors, was $80,000. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past few years, the top pros have been able to sustain themselves by touring,â&#x20AC;? Spring says.

For those who want a preview of the competition, Smuggs will hold the 2017 Green Mountain Championships for both amateur and pro disc golfers on September 15, as part of Fall Fest. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disc golf the festival also features mountain biking, rock climbing and kayaking, as well as craft foods and beverages. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;E.C.

VS: How do you have time to train?

Name: Mike Barton Age: 44 Lives in: Hanover, N.H. Family Wife Dorothea; twin 3 ½ year old daughters, Evelyn and Emmanuela Occupation: Engineer Primary sports: Cycling, running, triathlon When it comes to cycling, Mike Barton is a late bloomer. His main sport had been stock car racing but when he enrolled in college at age 25 he began to race mountain bikes. Sponsored by First Stop Bike and Ski Shop in Killington, Barton won the inaugural Vermont Overland PavÊ Madness, a 23-mile gravel bike race this past July beating a number of pro riders, including 22-year-old Ansel Dickey.

GREAT OUTDOORS

AVAILABLE NOW from www.befittoski.com

EXCLUSIVELY AT MERRELL .COM AND THESE PARTICIPATING RETAI LERS

Sarah Thomas and her husband in Burlington before her 100-mile swim Photo courtesy Phil White

the swim. She chose Lake Champlain because she wanted a big lake. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you start looking at lakes that are around 100 miles, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that many of them. Lake Champlain definitely fit the bill.â&#x20AC;?

She stayed awake for the 67 hours by taking small amounts of caffeine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The third night I was swimming I was so tired I felt like I was drunk,â&#x20AC;? she said, adding, "and I don't drink alcohol."

Thomas has traveled to Vermont a few times, mainly to swim in Lake Memphremagog with Kingdom Swim, and she said sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the most beautiful part of the country that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever been in,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Emma Cotton

MAT FRASER KEEPS HIS CROSSFIT CROWN Once again, Vermonter Mat Fraser has won the title â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fittest Man on Earth.â&#x20AC;? The Colchester native dominated at the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wis. on August 5-6, the second year in a row that Fraser has taken first place.

Crossfit called Fraserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most dominant performance in CrossFit Games history.â&#x20AC;?

Fraser finished with 1,132 out of 1,300 possible points, leaving the runner-up, Brent Fikowski, in the dust with 916 points. Fraser was the only competitor to place first in more than one event; in fact, he won three events: MuscleUp Clean Ladder, Heavy 17.5 and 2223 Intervals.

In 2014-15, Fraser took second place at the Lifestyle changes earned Fraser his Games. In an interview with title. Photo courtesy Mat Fraser Vermont Sports earlier this year, he called those years the â&#x20AC;&#x153;biggest disappointmentâ&#x20AC;? heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ever experienced, vowing to win in 2016.

In 2016, Fraser made well-rounded lifestyle changesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;he started with a regular sleep schedule, cut junk food from his diet, drank more water and stretched routinely after workouts. In training, he focused on his weaknesses, finding an expert in every category who helped him excel. It seems to have worked. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;E.C.

DISC GOLF WORLDS TO HEADED TO SMUGGS Smugglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Notch has officially won the bid to host the 2018 Disc Golf World Championships, marking a milestone for Vermontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s professional disc golf scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it says a lot about our venue,â&#x20AC;?

All out blaze 2

OLD SAYBROOK , CT N EW HAVEN , CT

Twin sisters and founders Elsie Smith and Serenity Forchion Smith are back leading the New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro.

Photo courtesy

CIRCUS AND BRATT CAVE BACK IN SWING Brattleboroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports scene has seen a few highs and lows this summer. After a dispute between board members and the firing of founders, twin sisters, Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion (above), the New England Center for Circus Arts (covered in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Circus School's Next Act,â&#x20AC;? Vermont Sports, Nov./Dec. 2016) saw protests, resignations and refund requests.

But in late July, the entire board of NECCA resigned and a new board was appointed. To the joy of many, the new board hired the sisters back and appointed Jeffrey Lewis, a former executive director of Brattleboro Development Credit Corp., to be interim executive director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really need to get our students back in here, get circus back in here. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our first priority,â&#x20AC;? Smith told the Brattleboro Reformer.

In other Brattleboro news, a new rock climbing gym, called the BrattCave, or Brattleboro Bouldering Gym, will open in the Cotton Mill at the beginning of September. The gymâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1,100 square feet of space has three 12-foot-tall walls: a 50-degree wall thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16 feet tall, a 13-degree overhang thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 18 feet long, a small vertical wall, and a moon boardâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;a 40-degree training wall that features an array of different handholds. Eager climbers can purchase monthly memberships for $40 and day passes for $10, and rental shoes will be $5 per use. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole community has been pitching in in one way or another,â&#x20AC;? said Tom Mizrahi, one of the three founders of the gym. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been getting a lot of enthusiastic feedback. â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;E.C.

TRAILBLAZER U N CASVILLE, CT

BRAT TLEBORO, VT KEEN E, N H HA DLEY, M A

RA M SEY, N J & SU CCASU N N A , N J

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 9

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

THE WEEKEND WARRIOR JetBoil MiniMo Stove Kit

r

try Cente ross-Coun

C

rica’s First North Ame g 50 Years Celebratin 8 1968-201

Be a part of the season long Trapp Family Lodge Cross-Country Ski Center 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Enjoy 37 miles of groomed cross country skiing trails and 62 miles of backcountry and snowshoeing trails suitable for all abilities.

Purchase your season pass by October 31 and save 20%!

Darn Tough's Switchback Sock

Black Diamond Moji Charging Station Lantern

Gregory Deva 60 Pack (Baltoro 65 for men)

SLICES • CREATIVE ENTRÉES • GLUTEN-FREE MENU • HEALTHY KIDS MENU CRAFT BEERS • GAME ROOM • DELIVERY

ORDER ONLINE

1899 M O U NRTOAAI ND

Merrell Moab Mid 2 WP

STOWE VT 05672 • 802.253.4411

Buy now at blog.trappfamily.com/online-shop

PIECASSO.COM

Nemo Dagger 3-Person Tent

Vermont’s Best Ski Value Vermont Pre-Season Deals* Kid’s Pass (Age 12 & Under)

FREE**

Mad Card

$169

Family Mad Card

$219

Teen Full Pass

$220

20’s Midweek Pass

$199

Midweek Pass

$308

Value Pass

$551

Full Pass

$771

Threesome College Pass

$380

Black Diamond Revolt rechargeable headlamp

Kammok Thylacine Twoin-One Sleeping Bag Arc'teyrx Atom SL Hoody

Unlimited access to Mad River Glen, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, and Sugarbush Mt. Ellen *Passes must be purchased before October 15. **Kids 12 & Under (as of 1/1/18) get free kids passes with the purchase of a Family Mad Card or any adult season pass prior to October 15.

FREE Kids

Passes*

Nemo Tensor Insulated Air Pads

*Free Kids Passes for Kids 12 & Under with purchase of a Family Mad Card or any Adult Season pass!

Photo credit: ©Brian ©Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto

Best Place to Bring Your Kids Up Skiing! 10 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

Powder Magazine

madriverglen.com

GSI Glacier Stainless Nonstick Fry Pan

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 27

'"$%'"*&$>#330$"*$9&'$4&+*;$ R"*$ 0"#*$ "9,$ D&*%",+/$ %1&/'&*$ M'1&$ %/&&D(,4$ 8+4NC$ !"#$ %&$ !'(()%*+$ !,#-.$ !/$00$($379) weighs in at just over a pound.

Its contoured mummy design packs down to the size of a football. The bag is filled with 850+ goose down, which will keep you warm through temperatures as low as 35 3&4*&&%C$%"$D&*1+D%$,"'$'1&$8&%'$21"(2&$)"*$ 2"/3&*$9&+'1&*C$8#'$4*&+'$()$0"#$+*&$%'+0(,4$ (,$+$1#';$!"#$2+,$/+0$'1+'$8+4$3"9,$",$'1&$ 12"-(#-"+%$ 3"&#)-$ 45)%"$ +5"",)67$ ,#8 ($159.95), whose patent-pending E'*(+,4#/+*$2"*&$>+'*(-G$D*"A(3&%$%'*#2'#*&$ and reflects your body heat back to you, all (,$+$D+2:+8/&$S$"I;$5 ="$ :&&D$ 2"":9+*&$ /(41'C$ '*0$ "#'$ '1&$ 9!:$ /&;."%$ :&;."% ($44.95). Lighter (2.6 oz) and smaller than the original, this little guy can boil a liter of water in 3.5 >(,#'&%;$M=1"#41$0"#$>+0$9+,'$'"$2+**0$+$ 8('$")$&-'*+$)#&/$+/",4T'1&$*"2:&'$2+,$8#*,$ "#'$ 0"#*$ '+,:$ +$ 8('$ )+%'&*$ '1+,$ '1&$ +A&*+4&$ stove.) The difference between this stove and other small tripods? The pot supports )"/3$3"9,$'"$'"$'1&$%(I&$")$+$D"2:&'$:,()&;$ U%$ )"*$ )""3C$ '1&*&$ +*&$ +$ '1"#%+,3$ #/'*+$ /(41'9&(41'$3*(&3$>&+/%$0"#$2+,$8*(,4$+/",4C$ 8#'$"#*$)+A"*('&$(%$9&'6%#)6$<&'+"$M?VN;$ W('1$ "D'(",%$ '1+'$ *+,4&$ )*">$ 8&&)$ %'&9$ to chicken with dumplings (4.6 oz and 15 4*+>%$ ")$ D*"'&(,$ )"*$ '9"$ %&*A(,4%N$ +,3$ macaroni and cheese, the meals are filling, /(41'$+,3$2",A&,(&,'/0$D+2:&3$(,$8+4%;$X#%'$ +33$1"'$9+'&*C$*&%&+/$'"$2"":C$+,3$'1&,$&+'$ )*">$'1&$8+4;$Y"$3(%1&%Z$ To get your fire started, the =>&%#;$ 3#6&!,#-.$ ?)72%"- ($26.95) at about 1+/)$+,$"#,2&C$+33%$+/>"%'$,"'1(,4$'"$0"#*$ 9&(41'$ "*$ %D+2&;$ U8"#'$ '1&$ %(I&$ ")$ 0"#*$ pinky, the flint-based sparker (read: no fuel) 1+%$+$9+'&*D*"")$2">D+*'>&,'$'"$2+**0$'1&$ L#(2:[(41'$ '(,3&*$ +8%$ '1+'$ 2">&$ 9('1$ '1&$ lighter. Like the E+Lite headlamp, it should 8&$D+*'$")$+,0$&>&*4&,20$:(';$ R"*$ +$ '1*"#41.+,3.'1*"#41$ #/'*+/(41'$ setup, your gear should fit the bill from 1&+3$ '"$ '"&;$ !;#-,#$ !,)6$ +/D(,&$ *#,,(,4$ shoes ($130) have a low-profile design and 9&(41$ (,$ +'$ +$ )&+'1&*0$ S;V$ "I;$ W1(/&$ 0"#$ >(41'$ 9+,'$ 1(41&*$ +,:/&$ 8""'%$ )"*$ +$ /",4$ '*&:C$ '1&$ B(8*+>$ "#'%"/&%$ +*&$ D&*)&2'$ )"*$ *#,,(,4$ 8&'9&&,$ D&+:%C$ +,3$ '1&$ 1(41. density rock plate will make sure you’re ,"'$ %'#88&3$ 80$ +,0$ %1+*D$ %#*D*(%&%$ ",$ '1&$ trail. Pair those with set of @#-($ %&$ @""%$ A#(#+;'+ ($22.50) hiking socks–made in the USA with all-American Merino wool for +$/(41'9&(41'$8/&,3$")$A&,'(/+'(",C$>"(%'#*&$ >+,+4&>&,'$+,3$"3"*$*&%(%'+,2&; If you’re hiking in Vermont, a rain jacket (%$ ,",.,&4"'(+8/&;$ [#2:(/0C$ '1&$ B'%8&&-$ :"+"#-;2$ <"5)'($ 00$ :#)6$ !2"55$ ($159) is 6.4 oz and packs down to the size of a pack of Ramen noodles. It’s windproof and includes a Pertex 2.5-layer of waterproof 8*&+'1+8/&$/+>(,+'&;$ =1&$/"%C5$=D?)%"$2"#85#(,$($29.95) 8&/",4%$ (,$ 0"#*$ D+2:C$ 3+0$ "*$ ,(41'C$ +%$ +,$ emergency light. Including batteries (at max

,-!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!-((!"#$"%&"'()*+,

!"#$%&&

THE FITNESS GAME

!"#$%"&'('!&)*'&"!+,"-!%'",'$'./0'&"1'!%"#0"1/")&'!1'"!"231+'(("-!%'"1*!1"1*'4"*/0'" 53.."*'.0""6#&+")!./&3'(7"BY EMMA COTTON

?<++')!"7'#&$')D(74E,)!$.+)>+F"'$,1)0(&5)$')9$,)<+#<"):&<4)&'5)0&<<;$':)&)-&0.)9+)3&5+)*<"3)&,9),-($'#,)9+)0&<%+51)-7((,)7-)"')#9+)G$'"",.$)6$%+<=) ( #./0/(;6("==7(>/00/?

D"9&*$('$1+%$V$1"#*%$")$8+''&*0$/()&NC$('$9&(41%$ +$%(,4/&$"#,2&$+,3$1+%$'9"$8*(41',&%%$/&A&/%$ (and shines at 50 lumens), so you can read– '1+'$(%C$()$0"#$+//"9&3$0"#*%&/)$'1&$/#-#*0$")$ 8*(,4(,4$'1&$4#(3&8"":;

THE WEEKEND WARRIOR If you’re headed out on the trail for a /",4$ 9&&:&,3C$ "*$ D/+,$ '"$ 3"$ %">&$ 2+,"&. camping/hiking, you still care about 9&(41';$ O#'$ 0"#$ >+0$ +/%"$ 2+*&$ >"*&$ +8"#'$ 2">)"*'$ +,3$ 3#*+8(/('0;$ W&$ +%:&3$ _&+>&*C$ as well as other experts, what they’d choose )"*$+$9&&:&,3$+9+0;$ ="$%'+*'$9('1C$()$0"#$9+,'$'"$2+**0$>"*&$ 4&+*C$ 0"#$ 9(//$ ,&&3$ +$ /+*4&*$ D+2:$ +,3$ ",&$ '1+'$9(//$8&$2">)"*'+8/&$#,3&*$+$/"+3;$U)'&*$ '&%'(,4$ /(41'&*$ +,3$ 21&+D&*$ D+2:%C$ 9&$ %'(//$ /(:&$'1&$L-"7&-H$J#5%&-&$PQ$$#68$A"K#$ PR (women’s version is the Deva 60) for multi-day hikes, and the 2017 model shaves 0.9 ounces off its predecessor. While it’s weight (5.1 lbs) and price ($299) may seem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`A&,$ ()$ 0"#$ +*&$ J#%'$ '9"C$ "D'(,4$ )"*$ +$ ].D&*%",$ '&,'$ >+:&%$ 2+>D(,4$ +$ /"'$ >"*&$ 2">)"*'+8/&;$3"(&G+$A#77"-$S ($499.95) 9&(41'$(,$+'$J#%'$+'$^$/8;$^$"I%$+,3$D+2:%$3"9,$ nicely. It’s a relatively roomy 43-square-foot floor with a 42-inch peak and doesn’t taper %"$0"#$2+,$%/&&D$&('1&*$3(*&2'(",C$&+%(/0C$+,3$ '1&$E/(41'$D"2:&'G$MD#'$0"#*$1&+3/+>D$(,$('N$

at the peak is a great touch. Most important, '1&$ /(41'9&(41'$ \6.$ +,3$ ]6.3&,(&*$ ,0/",$ fabric is bulletproof, justifying it’s price. One ")$ "#*$ '&%'&*%$ %/&D'$ (,$ ('$ %"#,3/0C$ M9('1"#'$ )&&/(,4$ +$ 3*"D$ ")$ >"(%'#*&N$ '1*"#41$ '1&$$ '"**&,'(+/$ *+(,%'"*>$ '1+'$ &+*,&3$ B&*>",'$ FEMA relief money over July 4 weekend. [+0$ 3"9,$ '1&$ 3"(&$ 1"6+&-$ 06+'5#%"8$ E)-$ /#8 ($149-$169) which (%$ %#D&*/(41'$ M5V$ "I$ >(,(>#>$ 9&(41'N$ +,3$ 2">&%$ 9('1$ ]$ (,21&%$ ")$ 2#%1(",(,4$ +,3$ Primaloft insulation. The pads come in a A+*(&'0$")$%(I&%C$'1&$%>+//&%'$")$91(21$*"//%$ #D$'"$'1&$%(I&$")$+$9+'&*8"''/&;$$ R"*$ +$ %/&&D(,4$ 8+4C$ 9&$ /(:&$ '"$ 1+A&$ "#*$ 8+%&%$ 2"A&*&3;$ F#((&;.G+$ 12H;#5)6"$ ($229-$528) is a two-in-one bag. The outer base bag (just 16 oz if you go with 3"9,N$ (%$ +$ *"">0$ 8+4C$ D&*)&2'$ )"*$ &+*/0$ fall, when temperatures don’t drop below )*&&I(,4;$ U,3$ )"*$ 9(,'&*$ 2+>D(,4$ M"*$ ()$ you’re climbing above snowline) there’s a 3"9,$ /(,&*$ (,%&*'$ '1+'$ 9(//$ '+:&$ 0"#$ 3"9,$ '"$6$3&4*&&%;$O"'1$8+4%$2">&$9('1$3"9,$"*$ synthetic fill options and cinch cords help you adjust the fit.

If you’re going light, you could get away 2+>D(,4$ 9('1$ J#%'$ +$ 5^."I;$ I"%J&)5$ 9)6)$ 9&$ +%&K" ($134.95)—where the burner, %'+,3C$ 2+,(%'&*$ %#DD"*'$ +,3$ 566.4*+>$ )#&/$ 2+,(%'&*$2+,$+//$%,+D$'"4&'1&*$+,3$D+2:$(,'"$ a cookpot that’s the size of a coffee can.

F*$ 0"#$ 2+,$ +/%"$ 8*(,4$ +/",4$ '1&$ ,&9$ L!0$ L5#;)"-$ !%#)65"++$ @-H$ /#6 ($34.95). At 23.8 oz, it’s more for canoe or car camping 8#'$ '1&$ 56.(,21$ )*0$ D+,$ M"*$ S.(,21N$ 1+%$ +$ )"/3(,4$ 1+,3/&$ +,3$ ('%$ ,",.%'(2:$ %'+(,/&%%$ %'&&/$ M+/#>(,#>$ 2"*&N$ %#*)+2&$ 9"*:%$ %#*D*(%(,4/0$9&//; How you outfit yourself is just as (>D"*'+,'$ +%$ 91+'$ 0"#$ D+2:;$ =1&$ 9"--"55$ 9&#M$ N$ 9)8$ O/ ($150), or lower shoe

with the GoreTex membrane (WP stands )"*$ 9+'&*D*"")NC$ (%$ '*(&3$ +,3$ '*#&$ +,3$ slightly improved for 2017. It’s not the shoe you’ll use for a through-hike in the Rockies 9('1$ +$ 1&+A0$ D+2:$ 8#'$ ('%$ %#DD"*'(A&$ +*21C$ (>D*"A&3$1&&/$2#%1(",(,4$+,3$B(8*+>$%"/&$ +*&$4""3$)"*$9&&:&,3$'*(D%;$ There’s no question about which sock: B&*>",'.>+3&$P+*,$="#41$1+%$)+%'$8&2">&$ '1&$ 3(%'+,2&$ 1(:(,4$ %'+,3+*3$ +,3$ '1&$ ,&9$ 9""/.8/&,3$ A#-6$ 1&'72$ !T)%;2M#;.

M?\6N$(%$8""'$1&(41'C$%&+>/&%%$+,3$)&+'#*&%$ /(41'$2#%1(",(,4;$[(:&$+//$P+*,$="#41$%"2:%C$ it’s guaranteed for life. @D$ '"DC$ '1&$ E-;*%"-H>$ E%&($ !?$ <&&8H$M?\\VN$(%$4*&+'$)"*$'1"%&$3+0%$91&,$ ('$%'+*'%$"#'$9+*>$",$'1&$'*+(/$8#'$'1&$'(>&$ 0"#$ *&+21$ '1&$ :*#>>1"/IC$ 0"#$ ,&&3$ '"$ 8*&+:$ "#'$ +$ /+0&*;$ =1&$ Q"*&/")'a$ Q">D+2'$ ^64$(,%#/+'(",$(%$#/'*+/(41'$+,3$8*&+'1+8/&;$ `A&,$8&''&*C$('$%L#(%1&%$3"9,$'"$+$/(''/&$8+//$ you can easily stuff in the lid of a pack and the outer layer sheds water. It’s also stretchy &,"#41$'"$4(A&$+$)#//$*+,4&$")$>"A&>&,'$()$ you’re, say, climbing ladders on the Long Trail, but has a low-profile so it could layer 8&,&+'1$+$1&+A(&*$%1&//; W&$ /"A&$ '1&$ ,&9$ 4&,&*+'(",$ ")$ *&21+*4&+8/&$1&+3/+>D%C$&%D&2(+//0$$J5#;.$ A)#(&68G+$:"K&5%$($59.95) which beams "#'$ ]66$ /#>&,%$ +,3$ (%$ 9+'&*D*"");$ O&''&*$ 0&'C$ ('$ #%&%$ &('1&*$ %'+,3+*3$ +/:+/(,&$ "*$ /('1(#>$ 8+''&*(&%$ "*$ ('%$ "9,$ *&21+*4&+8/&$ AAAs. It can recharge off anything from a 2(4+*&''&$/(41'&*$'"$+$@HO$D"*'$+,3C$4&'$'1(%C$ 1+%$ +$ >&'&*$ '1+'$ %1"9%$ 1"9$ >#21$ 8+''&*0$ D"9&*$ (%$ /&)';$ U,3$ 0"#$ 2+,$ 21+*4&$ ('$ 9('1$ 0"#*$ J5#;.$ A)#(&68$ 9&U)$ V2#-7)67$ !%#%)&6$ ?#6%"-6$ ($79.95) which has enough juice to give you 50 hours of power, 250 lumens of light and can charge up your 2&//$D1",&C$'"";$

!"#$%&#$"'&()*$#'+,,)&--,)($.+)/&0#1)2"34$+,)&'5)67'8))9&%+) 4+0"3+)97:+(;)-"-7(&<)$')#9+)-&,#),+%+<&();+&<,=)(

I

t’s 5:30 a.m., and your alarm is buzzing. !"#$%&'$('$)"*$+,$&-'*+.&+*/0$1"#*$%"$0"#$ 2"#/3$4&'$(,$+$567$*#,$8&)"*&$9"*:;$!"#$ hit ‘snooze’ and roll over as the debate plays "#'$(,$0"#*$1&+3<$!"#$%&'$"#())%$*#++,-*$'.$ +/,0$#(")%1$ =1&,$ 0"#$ *&>&>8&*<$ !"#$ 8&'$ ?56$ ",$ Pact, an app that gives you money if you complete your fitness goals. The bet: that you would run three times this week. If you go, you’ll make a $1. If you don’t, you’ll lose '1&$?56;$$ According to Lizzy Pope, Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the @,(A&*%('0$")$B&*>",'C$'1+'$%>+//$(,2&,'(A&$ >(41'$ 1&/D$ 0"#$ 4&'$ #D$ &+*/(&*C$ &A&,$ ()$ 0"#$ aren’t using the app and the money stops 2">(,4;$ EF,2&$ 0"#$ 1+A&$ +$ 1+8('$ %'+*'&3C$ it’s possible you will become intrinsically >"'(A+'&3CG$%1&$%+(3;$ Apps like Pact that motivate you to &-&*2(%&$ $ 1+A&$ %"+*&3$ (,$ D"D#/+*('0$ "A&*$ '1&$ /+%'$ %&A&*+/$ 0&+*%;$ H">&$ (,2&,'(A(I&$ fitness, whether the reward is actual >",&0C$ "*$ J#%'$ '1&$ 21+,2&$ '"$ 2">D&'&$ 9('1$

!

23$+/,-4$(5&'+$/&6$ ,7.&"+(-+$*&&8$#9#":,0#$ ,0$+&$*&&8$/#()+/$(-8$ 7#-+()$/#()+/;(-8$6#<"#$ ='0+$-&+$8&,-*$,+>$?&$6/%$ -&+$,-:#-+,@,A#$,+1B ;$C,AA%$D&.#

!

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

!"###$%&'"'(%')*%*'%#$+#%',%-./0%1'2#3%/'%,)(*4#(

friends. Others, like MyFitnessPal, allow you to track specifics about your exercise *"#'(,&K,#>8&*$")$%'&D%C$/&,4'1$")$+$*(3&K '"$1&/D$0"#$>&&'$4"+/%$+,3$2">D&'&$+4+(,%'$ yourself. Some, like Pokémon Go (whose

!&<:7+<$#+)>$44(+)*"7'5+5)?&3+)@9+"<;)$')ABCC=( #./0/(1/230456(%738423904(:9;;<4

popularity peaked last September at 27 million downloads per day) weren’t even designed to be fitness apps, but got people >"A(,4$+,09+0;$ ‘Gamification’—using gaming and

*&9+*3%$ '"$ >"'(A+'&$ +$ 8&1+A("*K>(41'$ 8&$ 8"">(,4$*(41'$,"9C$8#'$2+,$('$91(D$0"#$(,'"$ shape? Pope has spent several years trying '"$ +,%9&*$ '1+'$ L#&%'(",;$ H1&$ %'#3(&%$ '1&$ )+2'"*%C$ (,'*(,%(2$ M(,$ '1(%$ 2+%&C$ +$ 4&,#(,&$ love for fitness) and extrinsic (driven by (,2&,'(A&%$"*C$)"*$&-+>D/&C$'1&$3&%(*&$'"$/"":$ 4""3NC$'1+'$>"'(A+'&$#%$'"$&-&*2(%&;$ Most recently, she’s been testing gamification on the people who love games >"%'<$ :(3%C$ O#*/(,4'",$ 1(41$ %21""/$ :(3%C$ specifically. With the help of Marguerite P(88/&$ +,3$ 1&*$ '&+>$ +'$ O#*/(,4'",.8+%&3$ game design company Game Theory, Pope 2*&+'&3$Q+>D$Q",L#&*<$+$4+>&$'1+'$D('%$'1&$ 566$D+*'(2(D+'(,4$1(41$%21""/&*%$+4+(,%'$&+21$ other in an epic virtual water balloon fight.

Here’s how it works: the participants, +*&$ 4(A&,$ R('O('%$ '"$ 2"#,'$ '1&(*$ %'&D%$ +,3$$ divided up into two teams, red and blue. In '1&$4+>&C$%'&D%$'#*,$(,'"$4"/3$2"(,%C$91(21$ can be cashed in for different sizes and L#+/('(&%$ ")$ 9+'&*$ 8+//"",%;$ =1&$ >"*&$ 0"#$ 9+/:$ "*$ *#,C$ '1&$ >"*&$ +,3$ 8&''&*$ 8+//"",%$ 0"#$4&';$

!"#$"%&"'()*+,!!!-!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!++

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider Pack

THE MINIMALISTS

Scarpa Spin

Thermarest NeoAir XLite mattress

When she's not running, UVM researcher Lizzy Pope studies what motivates people to work out. Photo courtesy Lizzie Pope In the mornings, the kids log into Camp Conquer on their computers to load up their water balloons and choose strategic positions in the game’s virtual playing field.

Then, in the middle of the day, the fight automatically plays out. Usually, the team with the most and best water balloons– meaning the team that has collectively taken the most steps–wins.

Pope wants to know if the game will motivate these high schoolers, who are mandated by Vermont State Law to exercise for at least 30 minutes during the school day, to exercise more than they normally would.

She won’t see the results for another few months, but if it works, she hopes the game will be worked into school curriculums around the state.

“Kids are on their screens a lot as it is, so if they’re going to play games, why not play this game, where the currency comes from being active?” she said.

But as with any fitness app, in order to make the game effective, it needed motivational tools that were strong enough to pull kids away from other temptations— phones, friends, sleeping—and make them want to exercise.

With adults, that extrinsic motivation may come from money, but for teenagers, it’s socializing. Pope and Dibble designed the game so that team members succeed when more people participate. Plus, the players who bring in the most gold coins get the title “MVP,” which comes with an honorary gem.

Pope admits that it seems a bit backwards to use a screen as a gateway to exercise, but if it creates a habit, she says she’s done her job.

“The hope is that you can get someone intrinsically motivated to exercise, but realistically, research has shown that for some people, you need to try to increase their extrinsic motivation by providing outside rewards,” she said.

Pope has tested this theory with other studies, one of which involved paying firstyear college students to go to the gym.

12 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

Over a course of two semesters, she split 117 first-year college students into three groups: a group that received no incentive for going to the gym, a group that received $5 for each gym visit in the first semester and no incentive in the second semester, and a group that received $5 per gym visit both semesters. Pope measured gym visits when the students used their IDs to swipe into the fitness center.

It worked: 62 percent of the students who were paid to work out met their fitness goals, while only 13 percent of the control group, which was not receiving incentive, met their goals. But through surveys, she also found that the incentivized students were happy with the way they felt while going to the gym, indicating that the students had gained intrinsic motivation to be physically fit. “It appears that provision and then discontinuation of monetary incentives did not negatively impact intrinsic motives to exercise for our participants,” her study concludes.

For Pope, that’s reason enough to keep the incentives coming. “I think about the American population, and how important good exercise is to good health, and also mental health, and we’re just not doing it,” she says. “So then it’s like, why not incentivize it?”

Then there are those of us who don’t need incentives—the endorphins, fresh air and the satisfaction of pushing ourselves is enough. But maybe we need a little help waking up early, or maybe we enjoy comparing our daily stats with our friends’. Maybe earning a dollar every time we show up at the fitness center is easy money in our pockets.

“I’m a weird case, because you’d have to pay me not to exercise,” Pope says. “We’re just throwing out a bunch of motivational strategies. Some will work for one person or another, but none of them will work for everyone. We need all these things in our toolbox to encourage people to get out there."

GAMIFY YOUR WORKOUTS: LIZZIE POPE'S 7 FAVORITE APPS

N

eed some extra motivation to get out there? There’s an app for that.

Some present a virtual reality, some give you (or your favorite charity) real cash, and some allowi you to compete against yourself or friends.

According to Lizzy Pope, these seven apps are good tools to get you started.

SAVE VIRTUAL HUMANITY In Zombies, Run! (free), you are “Runner 5,” a survivor escaping from a zombie apocalypse that has destroyed the world. An audiobook narrative feeds you a storyline to encourage frequent “expeditions.” Interspersed with your main mission objectives (gathering intel and supplies), you’ll be instructed to run from the undead who are gaining speed behind you, making this app perfect for interval trainers. Created by Six to Start, the same team that created Zombies, Run!, The 7-Minute Superhero Workout ($2.99) has a camera-activated motion tracker, which counts reps of activities like crunches and wall-sits, along with your burned calories. The more activities you complete, the more weapons, shields and abilities you unlock to perform your world-saving duties.

EARN CASH FOR YOURSELF OR A CHARITY If money motivates you, Pact (free) is a no-brainer. Create a profile and decide how many gym visits, runs or bike rides you’re up for each week–but make sure you’re committed enough to put money down on it. If you check in at your exercise location, you earn a small amount of money that grows as you play. If you don’t show, your money (choose either $5 or $10) goes into the pot for loyal gym-goers to claim. While you’ll lose more if you bail than you’ll win if you go, the amount you can win increases over time, and every won cent goes straight into your bank account.

With the help of corporate sponsors, Charity Miles (free) lets you earn money for charities every time you walk, run or bike. Scroll through the app’s list of charities, pick your favorite and...go!

TRACK AND CRUSH YOUR PERSONAL BEST (OR COMPETE WITH FRIENDS) With FitBit’s three-axis accelerometer–the size of a clothespin and worn on the pants pocket or a bra strap–and its corresponding app (free), you can track the steps you take, distance, calories consumed, and how well you sleep. A flower, shown on the FitBit’s small OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen, grows to full size as you draw closer to completing your fitness goals. Each time you come within 15 feet of the FitBit’s wireless base station, it uploads all of your data.

Strava (free) will test you on the running and biking routes you know best.

Track and time your run or ride, then compete against yourself or choose from a leaderboard of folks who have done the same course. Take the top time up your favorite hill, and be dubbed king or queen of the mountain, “KOM” or "QOM." How many calories have you eaten in a day? MyFitnessPal (free) can tell you.

Plug in what you eat and how you exercise. It logs how many net calories you’ve burned and consumed. The calorie counter has one of the largest databases for foods around. Create a profile and share your accomplishments and cheer others on as you go.

Outdoor Research Helium II rain shell

Sea to Summit Spark II sleeping bag

MSR Flylite Tent

MSR Pocket Rocket

Exotac NanoSpark lighter

Farm to Feet Damascus Socks

Mountain House meals

Petzl E+Lite headlamp

So what’s changed since 1917? The short answer: everything. Enter Chris Reamer, Outdoor Gear Exchange’s backpacking expert who has hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail several times over. He sports a Gandolf-sized beard and if he had a slogan, it might be, “there’s a pack for that.”

This year. he notes, there’s even more cool gear than ever. We stopped by the Church Street store to see what he’d recommend.

Reamer pulled a white pack off the shelves. The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider weighs in at just 28.2 oz. It looks like it’s made out of parchment paper, and it’s handmade in Maine.

“My girlfriend and I are planning on doing the Pacfic Crest Trail next year, and the key out there is doing it as light as possible, so this is the pack I’ll use.” he said.

“This pack isn’t going to work well with a

heavy load. With a pack like this, your base weight (which is everything you’re going to carry minus food, fuel and water) ideally would be sub-ten pounds.”

Reamer walks around the store, pointing to ultra-light or ultra-comfortable gear that modern day hikers can use to make the Long Trail more enjoyable. There are roomy tents that weigh less than two pounds, sleeping bags for every condition, camp chairs that stretch to be love-seatsized, queen-sized sleeping pads, bowls, pots and sporks that all fit inside each other.

Above (and on the following pages), Reamer suggests the ultimate gear packages for ultra-light hikers and minimalists and for weekend warriors who care about creature comforts.

There’s everything you need for the trail… except ice cream.

THE MINIMALISTS There are plenty of reasons to go ultra-light while backpacking. Maybe you’re planning to run up to one of the Long Trail lean-tos for the night and then run back down. Maybe you’re hitting up some of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers and don’t want to be bogged down by extra weight. Maybe you just want to see how minimalist you can be. If that’s your thing, you could pack everything shown above (including pack, tent, shoes and three meals) and it wouldn’t add up to more than 7 lbs. That’s nearly a third of the weight (18 lbs) of all the gear in the Weekend Warrior section (see following page).

For a pack, Reamer recommends the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider ($300), Handmade in Maine and just 1.76

pounds, it won’t add much to your base weight, and the tarpish, waxy, 100-percent waterproof material, made from Dyneema® Composite Fabrics, is more durable than it looks. The bag is completely zipper-less; three black mesh pockets on the exterior give you easy access and allow gear to dry quickly. Its roll-top closure system helps you compress the pack down vertically, and straps on the side and top help secure your gear and compress the pack even more.

The tried and true dogma of ultralight hikers is this: bring multi-purpose equipment. At 1 lb. 6 oz., the two-person MSR Flylite Tent ($350) uses your trekking poles as tent poles, and even leaves plenty of room for you and a buddy.

Mesh vents in the sides and back of the tent keep condensation under control, and the wide-reaching rain fly gives plenty of space

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 25

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

A (R)Evolution in Backpacking A CENTURY AGO, A PACK MIGHT HAVE WEIGHED IN AT 35 LBS. TODAY, YOU CARRY EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR AN OVERNIGHT IN UNDER 7 LBS. HERE’S HOW.

BY EMMA COTTON & LISA LYNN

During the summer of 1927, three women, nicknamed "The Three Musketeers," hiked the Long Trail using the recommended "high boots and knickers" and carrying pack baskets. We've come a long way, baby.

Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society.

I

f you’ve ever been on a multi-day hike on the Long Trail, there’s a good chance you’ve given thanks, at some point, for modern gear: Bug spray, steady packs, a waterproof tent, your cookware–it’s all relatively lightweight and convenient. And this year, thanks to new technology and modern man’s never-ending quest to be efficient, your pack of gear could be even better and lighter (a little as 7 lbs!), as you’ll see from our gear picks on the following pages.

But what about people who set the trails through the Green Mountains 100 years ago? For them, the Long Trail Guidebook, first published by the Green Mountain Club in 1917, was the source of advice on what to bring: "Heavy, high shoes will be found easiest on an all day’s hike. Any of several makes of knapsacks will carry all that one really needs."

This summer, knickers and leather boots made a come-back on the Long Trail.

In celebration of the Long Trail Guide’s centennial edition, Mike DeBonis, president of the Green Mountain Club, hiked the trail in retro style. Carrying the 1917 guidebook,

24 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

he followed much of the original advice, packing bread, cheese, bacon and canned fish. He waterproofed a cotton sheet to make a tarp and even wove his own pack from ash splints he carved himself.

“This is fashioned after the style of the Adirondack pack basket,” he said as he showed his pack off at a trail pit-stop along the Winooski last July. “I put socks on the strapsandles. One of the challenges I had was that the leather was cutting in [to my shoulders], and I needed to have some additional padding. People were way tougher back then than I am now, that’s for sure,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is that modern gear is amazing. It makes the trail so much more accessible.”

The 1917 Long Trail Guide recommended that men wear “Shoes with hobnails, felt hat, ‘generous sized’ silk bandana, inchwide leather belt with cup attached, wool underwear, wool shirt and stout wool trousers.” For women? High, laced leather boots with “Hungarian nails,” and wool bloomers.

“Upstairs, downstairs, all wool,” DeBonis said, “which is good, but on those

90-degree days, it can be a little warm.” He does admit to using modern wool though, and wore under layers from Ibex.

The Long Trail—envisioned by James P. Taylor, a headmaster of the Vermont Academy for Boys at Saxton’s River—was officially born in 1910 (10 years earlier than the Appalachian Trail) after Taylor and 22 others gathered in Burlington to found the Green Mountain Club. By 1917, the first guidebook was published, and by 1920, 209 miles of trails had been completed, running from Johnson south to the Massachusetts border. The goal, stated by the newly-minted GMC, was to “make the Vermont Mountains play a larger part in the life of people.”

With 700 members in the first decade, the Green Mountain Club was reaching its goal, and it kept growing. Ten years later, during the summer of 1927, the trail was made famous by “The Three Musketeers,” three women, Hilda Kurth (25 at the time), Catherine Robbins (also 25), and Kathleen Norris (18) who took on the task of hiking the entirety of the Long Trail, unaccompanied by male figures—a daring feat, back in the day.

The women were an overnight

media sensation, covered by every local newspaper, all of whom printed photos of their knickers, lace-up boots and bandanas.

The Vermont Historical Society later interviewed Robbins, who talks about a surprise that GMC president Taylor arranged for the women.

“I heard someone yell, ‘Yoohoo!’”

Robbins said. “There was a perfectly civilized man in white slacks and a white jacket, and he said, ‘I’m looking for the Three Musketeers! Come on down, I have a gallon of ice cream for you.’ Boy, did I go down that mountain fast, and sure enough, they had a whole gallon of ice cream. We ate it all up. It was terrific.”

Two years later, by 1928, the Guide had updated its recommendations.

“Of all the personal equipment, the most important is good shoes. They should be broken in, loose, and well oiled. Munson last army shoes are advised, better yet in all weathers, if hobnailed,” it reads. And, to the relief of women everywhere: “Women should not wear skirts, even divided skirts; riding breeches are advised, of khaki or close-woven material.”

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 13

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

broad views across the water.

The

reservoir

winds

through

the

mountains, filling a valley that was once home to farms and a Civilian Conservation Corps

camp.

Old

stone

foundations,

chimneys and ancient apple trees still mark the presence of an earlier time, but the hillsides that slope steeply down to the water are completely undeveloped, giving a sense of wilderness.

Little River State Park is open May 19Oct. 22; remote campsites are free and firstcome, first served. vtstateparks.com Day Hikes & Bikes: The remote campsites are

all

paddle-to,

but

with

some

bushwhacking you can rejoin a trail on the western shore. Otherwise, head for Little River State Park where you can connect to a network of trails. Feeling adventurous, you can take the Dalley Loop trail to Ricker Farm Trail and connect to the Cottonbrook Trail (an old logging road) which spills out in Stowe. It’s not a difficult hike but about

WINTER STARTS ON OCTOBER 7

EXP October October7-8, 7-8,2017 2018

Waterfront Hilton, Burlington, VT

THE NEW 2018 GEAR DEMOS CLINICS DEALS ON LIFT TICKETS LIVE MUSIC CLINICS SKI FILMS & MORE

8 miles one way and largely in the woods.

GREEN RIVER RESERVOIR STATE PARK, MORRISVILLE With 27 remote campsites that are only accessible

to

paddlers,

a

no-motors

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Camping ethics dictate you should leave no trace and around Vermont, where many sites are on state land, that’s especially true. Make sure you know what land you are on before you go as policies change depending on whether it’s a state park, state forest, recreation area or national forest land. Here’s our cheat sheet: VERMONT STATE PARKS Most campsites in Vermont State Parks require a reservation and a fee (generally $25 for a lean-to, $18 per campsite and $5 per person at Green

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Vermont’s only ski and winter sports show comes to downtown Burlington.

Brought to you by The Rotary Club of Burlington and Vermont Ski + Ride.

Sponsored by University of Vermont Medical Center and Farrell DIstributing/ Long Trail. Benefitting the Flyin’ Ryan Foundation.

Tickets & info at vtskiandride.com/expo/ 14 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

River Reservoir). However, many of the remote campsites are first-come, first-serve and free, unless there is a

policy, island campsites and 19 miles of undeveloped shoreline, Green River Reservoir was long the best-kept secret campsite in the state. Word got out and now it’s tough to get a campsite reservation on the Vermont State Parks site—and it is definitely reservation-only as the long access road has limited parking and a ranger on-site keeps close tabs.

However, t is possible to get reservations if there is a last-minute cancellation, and you can also apply for a post-season permit.

Score a site and you’ll be rewarded with one of the more serene camping experiences in Vermont Green River doesn’t feature the mountain views you might get from Kettle Pond or Silver Lake, but it’s squiggly, rocky coastline is dotted with a variety of hardwoods that put on a crazy-quilt show of color come fall. Beaver may wake you with their slapping tails and loons and geese are often your only neighbors. You will need to bring your own boat or SUP and with no real hiking trails, limited parking and a no-day-use policy, Green River isn’t your typical state park. But that’s why we love it.

Green River Reservoir is open May 19-Columbus Day, but after Nov. 1 you can camp with a permit. vtstateparks.com or call 1.888.409.7579. Fees are $5 per person.

camping zones” where you can pitch a tent. For a list of these and other policies see fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/ home PRIMITIVE CAMPING Primitive camping is not generally allowed in Vermont State Parks, but is within designated areas of selected state lands, including state forests and wildlife management areas. To find out where or to secure a permit, check

vtstateparks.com/camping.

html#primitiveCamping If you are camping in the wild, always camp at least 100 feet away from any stream or body of water, 200 feet away from any trail or property line, and 1,000 feet away from any traveled road. Camping is limited to not more than three consecutive nights in the same area and groups

day use/entry fee to park. Check with

of eleven or more individuals must

vtstateparks.com to confirm when the

obtain a permit in order to primitive

parks are open, make reservations

camp. Make a firepit and use only

and check on policies around pets.

dead and down trees or branches for firewood.

GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL

Camping

above

2,500

feet

FOREST

in elevation is prohibited unless

Camping in designated sites is free in

otherwise designated. Dig pits for

most of the Green Mountain National

human waste and for everything else,

Forest and on a first-come, first-serve

if you carry it in, carry it out. Leave

basis. In addition to the mapped sites,

your campsite so clean that no one

GMNF designates certain “dispersed

knew you were there.

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 23

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

!"###$%&'"'(%')*%*'%#$+#%',%-./0%1'2#3%/'%,)(*4#(

$T.7"+'(5#'!*#!+%'7*&#,/!#'8#>"/#-%<$#J/*!#"($# fall weekend, don’t miss the easy, 3.2-mile trek up to Owl’s Head from Osmore Pond (or %#7"(5$+#7"".#8+":#U$!!7$D6#;-$#<'$1*#8+":# !-$#7""9"/!#%!#!-$#!".#"8#!-$#9("77#'(#8"7'%5$# *$%*"(# %+$# !-$# !>.$# !-%!# :%9$# 0%7$()%+*W# rolling hills, a pond set among flaming leaves and farmland off in the distance. The 4+"**?@$+:"(!# ;+%'7# +/(*# !-+"/5-# R+"!"(# 3!%!$#P"+$*!#-$+$#%*#1$77&#%()#>"/#0%(#,'9$# for miles on the old Montpelier Rail Trail, all the way to Marshfield.

&";<.(-,%@A%"-%'*,%'/%B,#;'*-7.%*,3,.-%.-"-,%<"#8.:%C'22?7.%D"22.%E'*0:%.(-.% '1-%'*%"%<#';'*-'#?%3(-$%=(,3.%'/%-$,%.1##'1*0(*)%;'1*-"(*.%"*0%/'#,.-4% & -1232&42563789&A76=2@3&$3>37&->6B8

RoOtS GeTtInG BaCk To OuR

MOLLY’S FALLS POND STATE PARK, MARSHFIELD X/*!# NY# :'7$*# ("+!-1$*!# "8# A%++$&# %!# !-$# ("+!-$+(# $()# "8# !-$# R+"!"(# 3!%!$# P"+$*!&# sits Molly’s Falls Pond State Park. It’s a .%+9#>"/#.+",%,7>#($<$+#-$%+)#"86##;-%!#:%># be because it’s new. On Oct. 30, 2015, the @$+:"(!#L%()#;+/*!#*"7)#N&OEZ#%0+$*#!"#!-$# *!%!$#"8#@$+:"(!#%()#%!#!-$#0$(!$+#"8#!-"*$#'*# a gem of a reservoir, Molly’s Falls Pond. The .%+9#'*#,"+)$+$)#,>#B"/!$#E#%()#)%::$)#"(# one end, but most of it (more than 35,000 8$$!D#'*#/()$<$7".$)#*-"+$7'($6 It’s a great pond for fishing and *1'::'(5#1'!-#%#,"%!#7%/(0-#($%+#!-$#)%:# $()#%()#.7$(!>#"8#)+'<$?!"#0%:.*'!$*#%7"(5# "7)#B"/!$#E6#A/!#!-$#*1$$!#*."!*#"(#!-$#7%9$# are remote campsites 4, 5, 6, and 7 which let you hunker down on rocky fingers at the far end of the lake. Campsite 5 even sits on a *:%77#'*7%()6#;-$#+$:"!$#0%:.*'!$*#%+$#8+$$# and first-come, first serve. !"#"$"%&$'(#) *+, ,'9$# !+%'7# %()# 0"(($0!*# !"# !-$# L$'0$*!$+# M"77"1# ;+%'7# 8"+# %# NO6F?:'7$# 7"".6# P"+# "($# "8# !-$# ,$*!# 8"7'%5$# -'9$*# '(# !-$# *!%!$&# -$%)# ("+!-#"8#!-$#0%:.5+"/()#!"#!-$#B%!!7$*(%9$# Cliffs trail. From the cliffs themselves you 0%(# 7""9# *"/!-# %()# 1$*!# %!# L%9$# Q/(:"+$# %()#1'77#-%<$#<'$1*#!"#!-$#H)'+"()%09*6#

WATERBURY RESERVOIR, LITTLE RIVER STATE PARK

KETTTLE & OSMORE PONDS, GROTON STATE FOREST ;-$+$# %+$# .7$(!># "8# 7%9$*# %()# .7$(!># "8# 0%:.*'!$*# '(# R+"!"(# 3!%!$# P"+$*!&# 1-'0-# '*# -":$#!"#*$<$(#*!%!$#.%+9*6#A/!#'8#>"/#1%(!# !"#5$!#%1%>#8+":#!-$#0+"1)*#%()#B@*&#*9'.# Lake Groton and Ricker Pond and head to "($# "8# !-$# ."()*# 1'!-# +$:"!$# 0%:.*'!$*6# You can drive up to Kettle Pond’s eastern end, where there’s a boat launch (for campers only) and 26 lean-to sites set in groups of five with toilets nearby. While !-$*$#%+$#('0$&#!-$#:"($>#*."!*S'8#>"/#0%(# *0"+$# +$*$+<%!'"(*&# 1-'0-# >"/# *-"/7)# !+># 8"+# ("1# %!# !"#"$"%&$'(#)*+,S%+$# !-$# *'T# +$:"!$# 0%:.*'!$*# 1'!-# 7$%(?!"*# %()# *!"($# fireplaces and the one, #10, that’s a simple campsite with picnic tables and a fire ring.

And if you’re really lucky, get the lean-to at site #12 and you’ll have the whole south *-"+$#!"#>"/+*$786# I"/#.%>#"($#8$$#!"#/*$#%(>#"8#!-$#*$<$(# .%+9*#'(#R+"!"(#3!%!$#8"+$*!#%()#8+":#U$!!7$##

--!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!+&&$,-%,./,0&'()*

F/%?'17#,%$,"0,0%-'%!(2=,#%G"8,:%+#(*)%?'1#%+(8,.4%H$,%&$"*02,#%6(0),%H#"(2%#1*.%#()$-%+?%-$,%2"8,4% & -1232&<9&/6C>@&.216D,=<76-1232&

it’s a five mile hike (or an easy bike along an old Wells to Montpelier rail trail or the %00$**# +"%)D# !"# !-$# *"/!-# $()# "8# R+"!"(# Pond and Ricker Pond.

Just east of Kettle, Osmore Pond (accessible via Discovery State Park) is just 48 acres. Motorized boats are banned on !-$# ."()# %()# !-$# 8"/+# 7$%(?!"*# %()# !-+$$# !$(!# *'!$*# %+$# "(7># %00$**',7$# ,># -'9'(5# "+# .%))7'(56# # I"/# 0%(# $<$(!# +$(!# %# 0%("$# %!# Little Discovery State Park as part of a $60 A"%!# !"# B$:"!$# .%09%5$# !-%!# '(07/)$*# !-$#

$25 lean to fee and the $35 canoe rental.

“If you pick a weeknight—or even a nonholiday weekend, there’s a good chance you’ll have the pond to yourself. It’s one "8# !-$# K/'$!$*!# "8# %77# !-$# *!%!$# .%+9*&2# *%>*# B"0-$77$# 39'(($+&# @$+:"(!# 3%+9V*# *%7$*# %()# *$+<'0$# :%(%5$+6# A"!-# *'!$*# +$K/'+$# +$*$+<%!'"(*#,>#.-"($6#!"#"$"%&$'(#)*+,#"+# call 1-888-409-7579.

Day Hikes & Bikes: It would be easy !"# *.$()# %# 1$$9# '(# R+"!"(# 3!%!$# P"+$*!#

H!# !-$# *"/!-# $()# "8# =%!$+,/+># B$*$+<"'+&# Little River State Park has become a virtual .7%>5+"/()#8"+#J/*!#%,"/!#%(>#*."+!#>"/#0%(# imagine. Just off the park, there’s a waterski course. Nearby, Umiak Outfitters in Stowe rents canoes, SUPS and other craft. There’s $<$(#%(#"00%*'"(%7#C%()#+%!-$+#8%*0'(%!'(5D# 5/')$)#!"/+#"8#!-$#)%:#!-%!#1%*#./!#'(#.7%0$# in the 1930s. The reservoir, 860 acres and 100 feet deep in places, has great fishing and there’s a growing network of mountain bike trails, including a new 4.5 mile “flow” trail built by Sinuosity in late 2016.

I"/#0%(&#"8#0"/+*$&#*!%>#%!#"($#"8#!-$#FN# !$(!#%()#B@#*'!$*#+'5-!#%!#!-$#.%+9&#"+#5"#7/T$# and rent one of five timber-frame cabins. ;-$+$#%+$#$<$(#0"'(?".$+%!$)#-"!#*-"1$+*6# A/!# '8# >"/# 1%(!# !"# 5$!# %1%># 8+":# '!# all, paddle north to one of the 27 remote campsites that dot the reservoirs’ fingerlike points and wooded shores. It’s firstcome, first-serve, carry-in/carry-out and !-$+$#%+$#("#8%0'7'!'$*6#A/!#!-$#1%!$+#'*#07$%+# and often deep and the Green Mountains +'*$#*!$$.7>#%,"<$6#;-$#*'!$*#!-$:*$7<$*#%+$# 8%'+7># )'*.$+*$)# *"# >"/# 1'77# -%<$# %# 8$$7'(5# you are on your own. Midway north, the ("?1%9$# ["($# *!%+!*# %()# '8# >"/# 0%(# *0"+$# campsite 11 or 17, you’ll have privacy and

DO YOU HAVE THE BASIC SKILLS TO SURVIVE IN THE WILD?

BY EMMA COTTON

51#(*)%6''-.7%3,,8,*0%92"..,.:%.-10,*-.%9";<%(*%"%#(=,#/#'*-%;,"0'34%>*%2'*),#%92"..,.:%%?'1722%+,% +1(20(*)%?'1#%'3*%.$,2-,#.%(*%-$,%3''0.4%% -1232&<9&,==>&?2332@

I

like to think about a fire as a living creature. It needs a home, it needs !"# $%!&# '!# ($$)*# %'+# !"# ,+$%!-$&# %()# '!# .+")/0$*#1%*!$&2#*%')#3%+%-#4"++'5%(#%*#*-$# knelt beside a stone fire pit, gathering twigs '(!"#%#0"($#*-%.$6# Turning away from the fire structure, Corrigan began the process of making a fire 1'!-#%#,"1#)+'776#3-$#.'(($)#-$+#8+"(!#8""!# )"1(# "(# %# ("!0-$)# .7%(9# "8# 1"")&# .'09'(5# /.#%#*:%77#,"1#:%)$#8+":#%#!1'5#%()#%#.'$0$# "8#0"+)6#;1'*!$)#'(!"#!-$#,"1#1%*#%#0%+<$)# *.'()7$&#1-'0-#*-$#./*-$)&#."'(!#)"1(&#'(!"# !-$#.7%(9#1'!-#-$+#7$8!#-%()6# 4"++'5%(#)+$1#!-$#,"1#,%09#%()#8"+!-&# )+'77'(5# !-$# *.'()7$# '(!"# !-$# 1"")# 1'!-# '(0+$%*'(5#*.$$)&#)%+9#.'$0$*#"8#-%'+#8%77'(5# 8+":#-$+#,+%')6#='!-'(#*$0"()*&#%#!-'(#1'*.# of smoke rose from the spindle’s point. She ./77$)#!-$#,"1#%1%>&#$:.!>'(5#!-$#%*-#'(!"# a bundle of tinder and blew on it lightly. I watched in awe as flames popped from the $:,$+*6# Stretched out behind Corrigan was 35 %0+$*# "8# +'<$+?8+"(!# .+".$+!># '(# 4"+'(!-&# @$+:"(!&#1-$+$#*-$#%()#-$+#-/*,%()&#A+%)# 3%7"(&#"1(#%()#".$+%!$#B""!*&#%#*0-""7#!-%!# !$%0-$*# .+':'!'<$# %()# !+%)'!'"(%7# *9'77*# !"# %(>"($#1'!-#%(#'(!$+$*!6# This was the first afternoon session of Root’s weekend-long Wilderness Self-

!"#"$%&'##()"*%+#,"-$,.%/(#,%(*-'%"%-(*0,#%+1*02,%"/-,#%.-"#-(*)%(-%1.(*)%"%+'3%0#(224%%% -1232&42563789&2:&02238&$4122;

B$7'%(0$# 0"/+*$&# 1-'0-# -%)# %!!+%0!$)# C%:"(5# "!-$+*D# *$<$+%7# *0-""7!$%0-$+*&# %# 0"/.7$# 0$7$,+%!'(5# !-$'+# EF!-# %(('<$+*%+>&# %# <$!$+%(&# %()# %# 1":%(# 1-"# )+"<$# 8+":# Philadelphia. In total, we were 16 students

1-"# -%)# 0":$# !"# 7$%+(# -"1# !"# 5%'(# '()$.$()$(0$#'(#!-$#1"")*6# That morning, we had dropped off our "<$+('5-!#.%09*#%()#5%!-$+$)#'(#%#,'5#+"":# inside Roots’ post-and-beam schoolhouse

8"+# %(# '(!+")/0!'"(# %()# .$.# !%79# "8# *"+!*# 8+":# 3%7"(# %()# 4"++'5%(6# GH# ,'5# .%+!# "8# 1-%!#1$#!$%0-#'*#%77"1'(5#>"/#!"#+$:$:,$+# >"/+#"+'5'(%7#.+"5+%::'(5&2#3%7"(#*%')&#-'*# tone at once encouraging and gruff, like he 1'*-$)#8"+#"/+#*%9$*#!-%!#1$#%7+$%)>#9($1# !-$*$#!-'(5*6#GI"/#%77#*-%+$#%#7'($%5$#%()#%(# %(0$*!+>#1'!-#$<$+>,")>#"(#!-$#.7%($!&#%()# >"/#-%<$#1-%!#'!#!%9$*#!"#7'<$#'(#!-$#1"")*62 But it wasn’t going to be effortless.

“You’ll watch Sarah start a bow drill fire, and she’s going to make it look ridiculously easy,” he said. “And then you’re going to do it, and you’re going to feel like you have four %+:*62# 3/+$# $("/5-&# %8!$+# 0%+<'(5# *.'()7$*# and notching our own wood planks, I knelt beside the fire pit. Twisting the spindle into my bow, I braced my arm against my shin %()#./*-$)#!-$#,"1#,%09#%()#8"+!-&#J/*!#7'9$# 3%+%-# -%)6# A/!# !-$# :"!'"(# 1%*# %191%+)&# J$+9>&# %()# 7$**# (%!/+%7# !-%(# 3%+%-# -%)# :%)$#'!#7""96#;-$#*.'()7$#*K/$%9$)#%5%'(*!# !-$# 1"")&# 0+$%!'(5# ,7%09# *0+%!0-$*&# ,/!# ("# flame.

THE ORIGINAL MANUAL Unlike other ‘survival’ schools, Roots is not )$*'5($)# !"# -$7.# -/:%(*# .+$.%+$# 8"+# !-$# apocalypse. It’s not founded on spirituality, and it’s not meant to celebrate any specific

!"#"$%&'()*&!!+!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!+, $,-%,./,0&'()*!!!+!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!+,

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim culture. Corrigan and Salon roll their eyes at the mention of shows like “Survivor” and “Naked and Afraid.” Really, the couple’s desire to practice traditional skills is based in practicality.

“I find that the skills save the day in a more day-to-day way,” Salon tells me, sitting on his porch a few hundred feet from the schoolhouse. “Somebody loses their dog, and I track the dog. Somebody loses their keys, and I track the person to where they were and find their keys. You went out for a picnic in which you were going to cook something, but the lighter won’t light, and I’m like, ‘actually, I could start a fire in like 15 minutes. I have a knife and I have a piece of cord–I can just make one.’”

Roots, which stands for ‘Reclaiming Our Origins through Traditional Skills,’ teaches traditional craft and knowledge from crafting stone tools to basketry to animal tracking to bow building. A nine-month course called Origins, which culminates with a week-long “stone age” trip, allows students to practice living only from tools they’ve made themselves. In two days, Wilderness Self-Reliance covers the basics: shelter, water, fire and food.

Salon, 35, and Corrigan, 33, started Roots ten years ago after casually teaching friends how to create bows, forage for wild edibles and make fires. For wilderness gurus, both hail from unlikely regions– Corrigan grew up in suburban New Jersey, and Salon, suburban Connecticut.

“One of the things that happens in the modern world, especially growing up in the suburbs, is we have it too easy,” Salon said.

“If you’re not into sports and academics aren’t doing it for you, the challenge of these skills–seeing that there’s something much, much tougher than you–I think that’s definitely kept me coming back to it.”

The couple met at a wilderness school in New Jersey. Since then, they’ve traveled across the country together, attending schools and programs that teach traditional skills. Corrigan is an herbalist and a certified Wilderness First Responder; Salon designed his own Bachelor of Arts program at Goddard College in primitive bow hunting. To hone their knowledge, they read constantly, talk to experts, and plunge themselves into the history of human tradition.

“In some ways I feel like we’re preserving the original manual for being a human on the planet,” Salon said. “That information used to be really common, and now everybody’s forgetting it. I feel like it’s important for somebody to be holding this knowledge: how do you skin an animal?

How do you turn bark into a vessel? How do you turn skin into clothing, or a stick into a bow?”

DON’T BE AN ALIEN Before lunch on Saturday, Salon led the 16 of us on a short walk to a grassy meadow near the school’s garden. We formed a large

campsites on the northeastern shore of the pond with fire rings and picnic tables and views toward Stratton Mountain.

Grout is not a deep pond—30 feet is the maximum depth—and one end of the pond is shallow and marshy (and it can be buggy in the spring and summer) but the park entrance end has an area that’s good for swimming. fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/home Day Hikes & Bikes: From the Grout Pond campsites, hike the West Trail (2.8 miles) over to Somerset Reservoir or take the East Trail (3.8 miles), which passes another smaller pond to the northeast. The terrain is mostly flat here and many of the trails can be biked. The sites are open year-round, are first-come, first serve and there’s a donation box at the entrance. Visit: fs.usda.gov and search for “Grout Pond.”

CHITTENDEN RESERVOIR, GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST

A teen group at Roots makes a thatched conical lodge using hand-dug spruce roots.

Photo courtesy of Roots

semi-circle facing Brad.

This hour’s lesson: awareness. Reteaching basic human instinct, he listed off the senses. In the woods, for example, we should try to see more broadly, keeping ourselves in this so-called wide-angle vision until something calls attention. Then, zoom in, inspect the distractor, and zoom out again. This is how animals see when they move throughout the forest.

“We walk with focused vision. We pick our next spot, and we go there,” he said.

“The birds see that, and they make a sound signaling that there are weird predators around. Then, everything hears the birds, and those animals go away. You can hike the entire Appalachian Trail and see two squirrels and a bird because, based on the way that you were walking, you were plowing all the animals away from you.”

For those on a quest to see wildlife, Salon suggests notching that quick-paced

stride down to a wandering meander. While through-hikers on the AT might be sticking to a schedule, the rest of us can relax and take slow, careful steps while practicing awareness.

“When we distribute behavior that shows that we’re not paying attention to anything going on around us,” Salon said, “the animals see us as alien.”

REQUIRED EDUCATION As Saturday came to a close, I walked with a student, Teresa Dillon, from our campsite to the schoolhouse, where dinner would be served. A yoga teacher from Boston, Dillon came to Roots after learning survival skills at the Firefly Skills Gathering in North Carolina. At Roots, she hoped to learn skills that would apply to her life in New England– the types of wood that make the best fire, the best edible plants in this corner of the country, the potential dangers here, etc.

“This should be required education,” she

told me. “The root of anxiety is the question ‘can I survive?’ But when we’re in nature, and when we’re learning these skills, that kind of anxiety fades away.”

I knew what she meant. Roots had taught us physical skills–how to make a fire, how to carve and fold a bark container for water–but in doing so, the class showed us how far removed we are from our basic, natural instincts. As the program wrapped up, I felt almost gypped, like I was learning these skills decades too late.

Corrigan and Salon served a homemade dinner with ingredients from the garden, and afterwards, students gathered around the bonfire to practice bow drill for the remainder of the night.

Corrigan strolled from student to student, correcting technique. “You want to really lean over it,” she told one woman.

“Put your body weight on the spindle.”

At the edge of the lawn, smoke rose

Holly Knox spends a lot of time in the woods—that’s part of her job as Recreation Program Manager for the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts in the Green Mountain National Forest. But when the weekend comes along, she’s still ready to head off camping with her family. When we asked for her favorite campsites she hesitated. “Really? Give up my secrets?” she asked with a laugh. But she gave in.

Chittenden Reservoir is where she and her husband Ryan and two daughters head for a quiet on-the-water campsite. The 702acre body of water is tucked high in the mountains and other than the Mountain Top Inn, which sits up on the hillside looking down on the reservoir, there’s no development or sign of civilization. At dawn, it’s not uncommon to see moose wandering down to drink at the lake and at night loons call across the water.

While the waters get busy with paddlers and fishermen during the day, by evening you can glide off to one of the more remote campsites that are tucked just back (200 feet, by regulation) from the lake and feel like you have the place to yourself. “The campsites are unimproved (meaning no one technically maintains them) but campers have carved out spots around the lake and in some places, created some really cool stonework with firepits and even stone

For the ultimate quiet campsite, paddle to one of Grout Pond's remote sites midweek.

Photo by Caleb Kenna

couches and tables,” says Knox. “The lake has so many nooks and crannies, you rarely see another campsite from yours.”

The camping is all primitive and Knox asks that you bury all human waste and consider “adopting” a site to help maintain it. There are no reservations (get there early to improve your chances of a site) and no fees. fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/home.

Day Hikes & Bikes: From the trailhead at Lefferts Pond, the 4.9 mile Round Robin trail is an easy, low-elevation trail around the Reservoir that joins mountain bike trails and heads up to the Mountain Top Inn for a 10-mile loop. Halfway around the east side of the reservoir, you leave Round Robin on the North Pond Cutoff for a short hike up to the Long Trail and views west of the reservoir and mountains. If you want to extend the hike, head south on the Long Trail which traverses the western ridge.

of the Greens in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, just above Lake Dunmore.

There are two accesses. From Forest Lake Rd. you can take Silver Lake Rd. to a parking area that’s just a short (0.6 mile) downhill hike on the Goshen Trail to the lake. But for a waterfall hike, park just south of Branbury State Park on Route 53 and hike about a mile and a half up the forest road past the plunging 100-foot-tall Falls of Lana. Either way, the reward is a pristine lake with more than a dozen dispersed campsites on the eastern shores. Set up camp on a rocky outcropping beneath the pines and you’ll get the last rays of western light. The lake is stocked with trout and you might catch an eagle diving or one of the resident peregrine falcons circling overhead.

Silver Lake has a seasonal campground

manager and enclosed vault toilets but no drinking water, trash or other facilities, so come prepared. On weekends, get ready for foot traffic along the trail, but the sites themselves are rarely all taken, are free and it’s first-come, first serve. moosalamoo.org Day Hikes & Bikes: The Chandler Ridge trail runs along the western ridge above Silver Lake and has spectacular views west to Lake Dunmore and across to the Adirondacks.

It’s maintained as a challenging mountain

SILVER LAKE, MOOSALAMOO NATIONAL RECREATION AREA Another of Holly Knox’s favorite sites is Silver Lake. It’s hard to say what’s prettier, the hike there or the quiet lake itself, which sits tucked into the western flanks

HOW TO MAKE A WATER FILTER

While hand-made water filters will not cut biocontaminants like E. coli and giardia from your water supply, it will get rid of suspended materials like plant matter. In a best case scenario, your filter could take out abiotic materials like mercury and cyanide, but (especially for first-time filter makers), don’t count on it.

Step 1. Find or make a cylindrical or cone-shaped container using white pine, basswood, elm or birch bark.

Step 2. Fill the container’s opening with large pebbles, topped with grass.

Step 3. Fill the container with layers of sand, charcoal, grass, more sand, topped with grass.

Step 4. Place a container below the filter’s opening. Pour water through the top of the filter. Be prepared to be patient: the water will slowly drip from the filter, and may take a few hours to fully collect.

For a front row seat for foliage, it's hard to beat Green River Reservoir.Photo by

Brian

Mohr/EmberPhoto

16 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 21

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

from Dillon’s wooden plank. Carefully, she emptied the ashes into the dry leaves and bark she had gathered into a tinder bundle. Cupping the mass in her hands, she blew slowly, once, twice, three times.

Then, suddenly, a flame popped from the embers.

MAKE A BARK WATER CONTAINER

Maiana and Lenora Mohr take a fall school break for a little paddle-to camping in Groton State Forest.

Photo by Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto.

I

t’s September. Kids are back in school.

The black flies and mosquitoes have grown lethargic. Even on cooler mornings, the fresh water of the lake feels soft and warm on bare skin as you slide a toe in to test it. The only thing disrupting the glassy silence of the lake before you is the call of migrating geese as they come in for a splashdown.

While the rest of the world is coming to Vermont to blaze a trail up Mt. Mansfield or Stratton Mountain, we like to hide. Well, not exactly hide. But it’s the time of year we try to get off the roads, avoid the most popular trails and escape to the quieter corners of the state to set up camp.

We polled our staff, as well as experts such as Green Mountain National Forest Recreation Manager Holly Knox and Rochelle Skinner of Vermont State Parks to find their favorite sites around the state.

What we came up with is a list of truly quiet waterfront campsites—places where no RV will hook up next to you. These are sites where at night the only sounds will be the long mournful call of loons and the brightest light in the night sky is the sparkle of the Milky Way. Many of these sites are easily accessed by canoe, or for the confident, SUP. Most also have trails with enough variety,

20 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

Some of Waterbury Reservoir's remote campsites even feature their own beaches.

Photo by Jesse Schloff

challenge and terrain to burn off the s’mores you roasted the night before. Best of all, these are all prime spots for foliage, many with outcroppings or cliffs you can hike to.

Pitch a tent, start a fire, kick up your feet, watch for moose and count shooting stars. It’s your chance to savor the last warm days of the season.

And if you are a planner, keep in mind that you can reserve a Vermont State Park site 11 months ahead. So if you really want that primo waterfront site for next August, reserve now.

GROUT POND, GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST (SOUTH) One of Vermont’s wildest areas lies in the 200,000-acre section of Green Mountain National Forest between Bennington and Stratton. The mountains rise up and then flatten to what feels almost like an alpine plateau. Here you’ll find Vermont’s largest wild lake (meaning, a lake that doesn’t cross state borders and has no development along its shores), Somerset Reservoir.

The five-mile long reservoir is both a

paddler’s and a hiker’s dream, with more than 12 islands to explore, 16 miles of shoreline and miles of trails spiderwebbing out from it. There’s a 10 mph speed limit on the water so boat traffic is limited. The one downside: camping is not permitted here.

But just a short hike away, it is at Grout Pond Recreation Area.

Don’t let the name fool you: at 86 acres, Grout Pond feels more like a small lake, and there’s no sign of grout anywhere. It isn’t the most secret spot in southern Vermont, but as the air turns crisp, the summer crowds disperse and come sunset, the day hikers head home. If you time it right, you can snag one of the hike-to (or paddle-to) shoreside campsites and settle in for the night.

“We sort of found it by accident looking at a map one day,” says Caleb Kenna, a professional photographer from Brandon who has canoed many of Vermont’s waterways, including the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. “It’s this little gem that not too many people seem to know about and it was easy to paddle to a secluded campsite.”

Near the host cabin there are 6 drive-up campsites, a day-use area and toilets as well as drinking water. But don’t stop there. If you follow the relatively flat Pond Loop trail (or have a canoe or SUP), you’ll find 11 more

Hopefully, you’ll never find yourself in the woods without a container for water. But if your stove or heatproof water container is the victim of a midnight bear robbery (not a totally unlikely scenario), you’ll need to improvise.

Step 1: Identify a small tree with soft, workable bark. Birch, pine and basswood work well.

Step 2: Find an easily-accessible area of the tree without knots or branches. Using a sharp knife, carve a vertical line about five inches long into the trunk. Your knife should cut about a quarter-inch deep, through the first layer of bark. Along the top and bottom of the vertical cut, carve two lines around the circumference of the tree, keeping your knife a quarterinch deep, so that the cuts create two horizontal flaps. When you’ve cut around the entire tree, peel the bark back from the vertical cut. If your cuts are deep enough, you should be able to remove the bark easily. You should have a rectangular piece of bark.

Step 3: On the outside of the bark, carve shallow lines diagonally from the corners. Fold the corners of the bark on these lines, pinching them together as if you’re wrapping a present. To hold the corners in place, cut small, sturdy pieces of branch and split them to the middle to make pins.

Pin the corners to the side of the bark container.

Step 4: Fill your container with water. Make a fire, and place a few stones into it. When the stones are hot, carefully move them (using sticks) into the bark container, keeping a safe distance in case the hot water splashes. Allow the water to boil. Pro tip: Avoid rocks that have been sitting in water for a prolonged period of time as the air bubbles in them may cause them to explode.

MAKE A FIRE WITH BOW DRILL

STEP 1. Collect your materials. The simplest bow drill kit consists of a bow, a spindle, a handhold, a board and a bundle of tinder. You’ll need a sharp carving knife to create some of these components.

The bow: Find or cut a live, sturdy but lightweight branch about the width of your index finger and about as long as the space between your finger tips and elbow.

Split both ends of the branch two inches down, and tie a cord into the splits using a square knot. The cord can be nylon, cotton, leather or rawhide and should be one and a half times the length of your bow. When you’ve connected the cord to the branch, the bow should bend slightly, and the cord should be taut.

The spindle: The spindle and the board should be made from the same type of dead, dry wood so that they burn at an even pace when you apply friction. Find a soft, non-resinous wood, like cedar or basswood. Take a thin piece of this wood and carve it into a straight dowel that measures about nine inches long and one inch in diameter. Carve the last inch of each end into sharp points.

The board: By the time you’ve used the board for several fires, it will loosely resemble the board game Mancal—a flat piece of wood with lines of marble-sized indents. Using the same type of wood you used for the spindle (dead and dry), find a branch that measures about three to fours inches in diameter, and split it evenly down the middle. Continue to split the branch until you have a flat board, about one inch thick and three inches wide. Carve the board’s face to remove any protrusions. When the face is relatively smooth, carve a small, round indent the size of your spindle’s point about a half-inch from the edge of the board.

The handhold: You’ll hold this atop the rotating spindle to keep it steady and protect your hand from burns. To make a handhold from a branch, cut it to the size of your palm and then split in half. Carve a small depression into the center of the flat side where the tip of the spindle will go. A smooth, palm-sized stone

with a small depression on its underside works well as a handhold, too.

The tinder: The tinder bundle is the first “food” a fire will consume, and an effective bundle will help start your fire quickly. Gather a large handful of dry, fibrous material. The more surface area per mass, the better.

You can use dead grass and leaves, dry pine needles, and dead inner bark from fibrous trees like poplar, cedar and oak. Dead plants like milkweed, dogbane and stinging nettle can create the same fibrous effect. Be sure to avoid dangerous materials, like poison ivy vines, which are harmful to breathe when burned. To construct the bundle, shred your tinder into strings. Buff the fibers by holding them lengthwise and moving your hands in a bicycle motion. Work the largest fibers into the shape of a bird’s nest, and place the small remaining dusty bits into the nest’s center.

STEP 2. Make the fire. The bow drill helps you create a friction fire that’s made when the downward-facing spindle point is ground into the wooden board. You’ll use your bow to spin the spindle, which creates friction.

With the proper form, that friction will create an ember, which you’ll place in your tinder bundle to make a flame.

Proper positioning: Kneel on the ground with one leg straight back. Place your right foot on the board, just to the left of the indent where your spindle will go.

Twist your spindle into the bow so that it’s looped on the outside of the bow’s cordage, then place the spindle, with the hand hold on top of it, into the board’s indent with your left hand. Bracing your left wrist against your upright shin, place your body weight on top of the spindle and handhold.

Create friction: Gripping the curved bow with your right hand, push the bow back and forth to grind the spindle into the board. Move your arm quickly and fluidly, avoiding jerky movements and pauses. When the board starts to smoke, pull the spindle away, and empty the smoky dust you’ve created onto a small, flat scrap of wood or stone. Don’t discard this dust—you’ll need it later.

Carve a notch: Using your knife, carve a triangular notch into the side of your board. The notch should look like an arrow pointing to the center of the hole you just drilled into the board. Be sure that the notch reaches the hole. You should have an entire triangular gap in the board when you’re finished.

Create an ember: Place the triangular notch in your board on top of the flat piece of wood or stone with your dust. Resume the bow drill position, and drill the spindle into the board at a fast pace. You should see dark solids oozing from the notch. When you see smoke, remove the spindle and carefully tap the loose matter– your ember–on top of the dust. Move the ember to your tinder bundle and close the tinder loosely around it.

Blow on the ember until you see a flame.

HOW TO KILL WATERBORNE PATHOGENS If you’re on a wilderness trip in New England, your two biggest potential dangers are hypothermia and unsafe water. Water from Vermont rivers, lakes and streams is not safe to drink without treatment. Biological contaminants from farm animals, sewers and boat toilets, to name a few, can give you a nasty bout of any of the diseases below. Whenever possible, find a spring (water that’s coming directly out of the ground), or water that’s clear and moving quickly. When in doubt, boil your water. Water’s boiling point is 212ºF, a temperature that will kill any of the common waterborne diseases in New England.

Parasites (like giardia and cryptosporidium): Die at 131ºF Bacteria (like cholera, E.coli, salmonella, roto virus): Die at 140ºF Hepatitis A: Dies at185ºF To learn more of these skills and classes, visit rootsvt.com

SEPTBEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 17

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

On the Waterfront

E F T 6

M B V "OO BU 4BMF #P

IF YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE LOOKING TO SAVOR THE LAST BIT OF SUMMER, GET OFF THE BEATEN TRACK AND HEAD TO ONE OF THESE REMOTE LAKEFRONT CAMPSITES. BY LISA LYNN

3&/5"-4 4"-& 50634

[ MANSFIELD

O R T H O PA E D I C S

4UPXF

3JDINPOE

4 .BJO 4U 4UPXF 7 5 .PO 4VO

8 . B J O 4 U 3JDINPOE 7 5 5VFT 4 BU

www.UMIAK.com

]

Get back on track by hitting the trails.

Welcome to the 21st century community hospital.

Welcome to Copley.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let chronic knee, hip, or shoulder pain keep you from hitting the trails you love. The experts at Mansfield Orthopaedics can help with state-of-the-art treatments designed specifically for you. Match that with the warm, personalized care Copley is known for. Top medical care to help you get back to the activities you love.

Paddle out on Chittenden Reservoir and you'll find nearly a dozen secluded campsites tucked along the shore.

Photo by Brooks Curran

Our physicians: Nicholas Antell, MD; Brian Aros, MD; Bryan Huber, MD; John Macy, MD; Joseph McLaughlin, MD and Saul Trevino, MD.

To make an appointment with a Mansfield Orthopaedic Specialist at Copley Hospital, call 802.888.8405 ORTHOPEDICS | OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY | CARDIOLOGY EMERGENCY SERVICES | GENERAL SURGERY | ONCOLOGY UROLOGY | REHABILITATION SERVICES | DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING

528 Washington Highway, Morrisville, VT 6 North Main Street, Waterbury, VT

copleyvt.org

EXCEPTIONAL CARE. COMMUNITY FOCUSED.

18 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 19

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

On the Waterfront

E F T 6

M B V "OO BU 4BMF #P

IF YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE LOOKING TO SAVOR THE LAST BIT OF SUMMER, GET OFF THE BEATEN TRACK AND HEAD TO ONE OF THESE REMOTE LAKEFRONT CAMPSITES. BY LISA LYNN

3&/5"-4 4"-& 50634

[ MANSFIELD

O R T H O PA E D I C S

4UPXF

3JDINPOE

4 .BJO 4U 4UPXF 7 5 .PO 4VO

8 . B J O 4 U 3JDINPOE 7 5 5VFT 4 BU

www.UMIAK.com

]

Get back on track by hitting the trails.

Welcome to the 21st century community hospital.

Welcome to Copley.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let chronic knee, hip, or shoulder pain keep you from hitting the trails you love. The experts at Mansfield Orthopaedics can help with state-of-the-art treatments designed specifically for you. Match that with the warm, personalized care Copley is known for. Top medical care to help you get back to the activities you love.

Paddle out on Chittenden Reservoir and you'll find nearly a dozen secluded campsites tucked along the shore.

Photo by Brooks Curran

Our physicians: Nicholas Antell, MD; Brian Aros, MD; Bryan Huber, MD; John Macy, MD; Joseph McLaughlin, MD and Saul Trevino, MD.

To make an appointment with a Mansfield Orthopaedic Specialist at Copley Hospital, call 802.888.8405 ORTHOPEDICS | OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY | CARDIOLOGY EMERGENCY SERVICES | GENERAL SURGERY | ONCOLOGY UROLOGY | REHABILITATION SERVICES | DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING

528 Washington Highway, Morrisville, VT 6 North Main Street, Waterbury, VT

copleyvt.org

EXCEPTIONAL CARE. COMMUNITY FOCUSED.

18 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 19

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

from Dillon’s wooden plank. Carefully, she emptied the ashes into the dry leaves and bark she had gathered into a tinder bundle. Cupping the mass in her hands, she blew slowly, once, twice, three times.

Then, suddenly, a flame popped from the embers.

MAKE A BARK WATER CONTAINER

Maiana and Lenora Mohr take a fall school break for a little paddle-to camping in Groton State Forest.

Photo by Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto.

I

t’s September. Kids are back in school.

The black flies and mosquitoes have grown lethargic. Even on cooler mornings, the fresh water of the lake feels soft and warm on bare skin as you slide a toe in to test it. The only thing disrupting the glassy silence of the lake before you is the call of migrating geese as they come in for a splashdown.

While the rest of the world is coming to Vermont to blaze a trail up Mt. Mansfield or Stratton Mountain, we like to hide. Well, not exactly hide. But it’s the time of year we try to get off the roads, avoid the most popular trails and escape to the quieter corners of the state to set up camp.

We polled our staff, as well as experts such as Green Mountain National Forest Recreation Manager Holly Knox and Rochelle Skinner of Vermont State Parks to find their favorite sites around the state.

What we came up with is a list of truly quiet waterfront campsites—places where no RV will hook up next to you. These are sites where at night the only sounds will be the long mournful call of loons and the brightest light in the night sky is the sparkle of the Milky Way. Many of these sites are easily accessed by canoe, or for the confident, SUP. Most also have trails with enough variety,

20 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

Some of Waterbury Reservoir's remote campsites even feature their own beaches.

Photo by Jesse Schloff

challenge and terrain to burn off the s’mores you roasted the night before. Best of all, these are all prime spots for foliage, many with outcroppings or cliffs you can hike to.

Pitch a tent, start a fire, kick up your feet, watch for moose and count shooting stars. It’s your chance to savor the last warm days of the season.

And if you are a planner, keep in mind that you can reserve a Vermont State Park site 11 months ahead. So if you really want that primo waterfront site for next August, reserve now.

GROUT POND, GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST (SOUTH) One of Vermont’s wildest areas lies in the 200,000-acre section of Green Mountain National Forest between Bennington and Stratton. The mountains rise up and then flatten to what feels almost like an alpine plateau. Here you’ll find Vermont’s largest wild lake (meaning, a lake that doesn’t cross state borders and has no development along its shores), Somerset Reservoir.

The five-mile long reservoir is both a

paddler’s and a hiker’s dream, with more than 12 islands to explore, 16 miles of shoreline and miles of trails spiderwebbing out from it. There’s a 10 mph speed limit on the water so boat traffic is limited. The one downside: camping is not permitted here.

But just a short hike away, it is at Grout Pond Recreation Area.

Don’t let the name fool you: at 86 acres, Grout Pond feels more like a small lake, and there’s no sign of grout anywhere. It isn’t the most secret spot in southern Vermont, but as the air turns crisp, the summer crowds disperse and come sunset, the day hikers head home. If you time it right, you can snag one of the hike-to (or paddle-to) shoreside campsites and settle in for the night.

“We sort of found it by accident looking at a map one day,” says Caleb Kenna, a professional photographer from Brandon who has canoed many of Vermont’s waterways, including the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. “It’s this little gem that not too many people seem to know about and it was easy to paddle to a secluded campsite.”

Near the host cabin there are 6 drive-up campsites, a day-use area and toilets as well as drinking water. But don’t stop there. If you follow the relatively flat Pond Loop trail (or have a canoe or SUP), you’ll find 11 more

Hopefully, you’ll never find yourself in the woods without a container for water. But if your stove or heatproof water container is the victim of a midnight bear robbery (not a totally unlikely scenario), you’ll need to improvise.

Step 1: Identify a small tree with soft, workable bark. Birch, pine and basswood work well.

Step 2: Find an easily-accessible area of the tree without knots or branches. Using a sharp knife, carve a vertical line about five inches long into the trunk. Your knife should cut about a quarter-inch deep, through the first layer of bark. Along the top and bottom of the vertical cut, carve two lines around the circumference of the tree, keeping your knife a quarterinch deep, so that the cuts create two horizontal flaps. When you’ve cut around the entire tree, peel the bark back from the vertical cut. If your cuts are deep enough, you should be able to remove the bark easily. You should have a rectangular piece of bark.

Step 3: On the outside of the bark, carve shallow lines diagonally from the corners. Fold the corners of the bark on these lines, pinching them together as if you’re wrapping a present. To hold the corners in place, cut small, sturdy pieces of branch and split them to the middle to make pins.

Pin the corners to the side of the bark container.

Step 4: Fill your container with water. Make a fire, and place a few stones into it. When the stones are hot, carefully move them (using sticks) into the bark container, keeping a safe distance in case the hot water splashes. Allow the water to boil. Pro tip: Avoid rocks that have been sitting in water for a prolonged period of time as the air bubbles in them may cause them to explode.

MAKE A FIRE WITH BOW DRILL

STEP 1. Collect your materials. The simplest bow drill kit consists of a bow, a spindle, a handhold, a board and a bundle of tinder. You’ll need a sharp carving knife to create some of these components.

The bow: Find or cut a live, sturdy but lightweight branch about the width of your index finger and about as long as the space between your finger tips and elbow.

Split both ends of the branch two inches down, and tie a cord into the splits using a square knot. The cord can be nylon, cotton, leather or rawhide and should be one and a half times the length of your bow. When you’ve connected the cord to the branch, the bow should bend slightly, and the cord should be taut.

The spindle: The spindle and the board should be made from the same type of dead, dry wood so that they burn at an even pace when you apply friction. Find a soft, non-resinous wood, like cedar or basswood. Take a thin piece of this wood and carve it into a straight dowel that measures about nine inches long and one inch in diameter. Carve the last inch of each end into sharp points.

The board: By the time you’ve used the board for several fires, it will loosely resemble the board game Mancal—a flat piece of wood with lines of marble-sized indents. Using the same type of wood you used for the spindle (dead and dry), find a branch that measures about three to fours inches in diameter, and split it evenly down the middle. Continue to split the branch until you have a flat board, about one inch thick and three inches wide. Carve the board’s face to remove any protrusions. When the face is relatively smooth, carve a small, round indent the size of your spindle’s point about a half-inch from the edge of the board.

The handhold: You’ll hold this atop the rotating spindle to keep it steady and protect your hand from burns. To make a handhold from a branch, cut it to the size of your palm and then split in half. Carve a small depression into the center of the flat side where the tip of the spindle will go. A smooth, palm-sized stone

with a small depression on its underside works well as a handhold, too.

The tinder: The tinder bundle is the first “food” a fire will consume, and an effective bundle will help start your fire quickly. Gather a large handful of dry, fibrous material. The more surface area per mass, the better.

You can use dead grass and leaves, dry pine needles, and dead inner bark from fibrous trees like poplar, cedar and oak. Dead plants like milkweed, dogbane and stinging nettle can create the same fibrous effect. Be sure to avoid dangerous materials, like poison ivy vines, which are harmful to breathe when burned. To construct the bundle, shred your tinder into strings. Buff the fibers by holding them lengthwise and moving your hands in a bicycle motion. Work the largest fibers into the shape of a bird’s nest, and place the small remaining dusty bits into the nest’s center.

STEP 2. Make the fire. The bow drill helps you create a friction fire that’s made when the downward-facing spindle point is ground into the wooden board. You’ll use your bow to spin the spindle, which creates friction.

With the proper form, that friction will create an ember, which you’ll place in your tinder bundle to make a flame.

Proper positioning: Kneel on the ground with one leg straight back. Place your right foot on the board, just to the left of the indent where your spindle will go.

Twist your spindle into the bow so that it’s looped on the outside of the bow’s cordage, then place the spindle, with the hand hold on top of it, into the board’s indent with your left hand. Bracing your left wrist against your upright shin, place your body weight on top of the spindle and handhold.

Create friction: Gripping the curved bow with your right hand, push the bow back and forth to grind the spindle into the board. Move your arm quickly and fluidly, avoiding jerky movements and pauses. When the board starts to smoke, pull the spindle away, and empty the smoky dust you’ve created onto a small, flat scrap of wood or stone. Don’t discard this dust—you’ll need it later.

Carve a notch: Using your knife, carve a triangular notch into the side of your board. The notch should look like an arrow pointing to the center of the hole you just drilled into the board. Be sure that the notch reaches the hole. You should have an entire triangular gap in the board when you’re finished.

Create an ember: Place the triangular notch in your board on top of the flat piece of wood or stone with your dust. Resume the bow drill position, and drill the spindle into the board at a fast pace. You should see dark solids oozing from the notch. When you see smoke, remove the spindle and carefully tap the loose matter– your ember–on top of the dust. Move the ember to your tinder bundle and close the tinder loosely around it.

Blow on the ember until you see a flame.

HOW TO KILL WATERBORNE PATHOGENS If you’re on a wilderness trip in New England, your two biggest potential dangers are hypothermia and unsafe water. Water from Vermont rivers, lakes and streams is not safe to drink without treatment. Biological contaminants from farm animals, sewers and boat toilets, to name a few, can give you a nasty bout of any of the diseases below. Whenever possible, find a spring (water that’s coming directly out of the ground), or water that’s clear and moving quickly. When in doubt, boil your water. Water’s boiling point is 212ºF, a temperature that will kill any of the common waterborne diseases in New England.

Parasites (like giardia and cryptosporidium): Die at 131ºF Bacteria (like cholera, E.coli, salmonella, roto virus): Die at 140ºF Hepatitis A: Dies at185ºF To learn more of these skills and classes, visit rootsvt.com

SEPTBEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 17

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim culture. Corrigan and Salon roll their eyes at the mention of shows like “Survivor” and “Naked and Afraid.” Really, the couple’s desire to practice traditional skills is based in practicality.

“I find that the skills save the day in a more day-to-day way,” Salon tells me, sitting on his porch a few hundred feet from the schoolhouse. “Somebody loses their dog, and I track the dog. Somebody loses their keys, and I track the person to where they were and find their keys. You went out for a picnic in which you were going to cook something, but the lighter won’t light, and I’m like, ‘actually, I could start a fire in like 15 minutes. I have a knife and I have a piece of cord–I can just make one.’”

Roots, which stands for ‘Reclaiming Our Origins through Traditional Skills,’ teaches traditional craft and knowledge from crafting stone tools to basketry to animal tracking to bow building. A nine-month course called Origins, which culminates with a week-long “stone age” trip, allows students to practice living only from tools they’ve made themselves. In two days, Wilderness Self-Reliance covers the basics: shelter, water, fire and food.

Salon, 35, and Corrigan, 33, started Roots ten years ago after casually teaching friends how to create bows, forage for wild edibles and make fires. For wilderness gurus, both hail from unlikely regions– Corrigan grew up in suburban New Jersey, and Salon, suburban Connecticut.

“One of the things that happens in the modern world, especially growing up in the suburbs, is we have it too easy,” Salon said.

“If you’re not into sports and academics aren’t doing it for you, the challenge of these skills–seeing that there’s something much, much tougher than you–I think that’s definitely kept me coming back to it.”

The couple met at a wilderness school in New Jersey. Since then, they’ve traveled across the country together, attending schools and programs that teach traditional skills. Corrigan is an herbalist and a certified Wilderness First Responder; Salon designed his own Bachelor of Arts program at Goddard College in primitive bow hunting. To hone their knowledge, they read constantly, talk to experts, and plunge themselves into the history of human tradition.

“In some ways I feel like we’re preserving the original manual for being a human on the planet,” Salon said. “That information used to be really common, and now everybody’s forgetting it. I feel like it’s important for somebody to be holding this knowledge: how do you skin an animal?

How do you turn bark into a vessel? How do you turn skin into clothing, or a stick into a bow?”

DON’T BE AN ALIEN Before lunch on Saturday, Salon led the 16 of us on a short walk to a grassy meadow near the school’s garden. We formed a large

campsites on the northeastern shore of the pond with fire rings and picnic tables and views toward Stratton Mountain.

Grout is not a deep pond—30 feet is the maximum depth—and one end of the pond is shallow and marshy (and it can be buggy in the spring and summer) but the park entrance end has an area that’s good for swimming. fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/home Day Hikes & Bikes: From the Grout Pond campsites, hike the West Trail (2.8 miles) over to Somerset Reservoir or take the East Trail (3.8 miles), which passes another smaller pond to the northeast. The terrain is mostly flat here and many of the trails can be biked. The sites are open year-round, are first-come, first serve and there’s a donation box at the entrance. Visit: fs.usda.gov and search for “Grout Pond.”

CHITTENDEN RESERVOIR, GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST

A teen group at Roots makes a thatched conical lodge using hand-dug spruce roots.

Photo courtesy of Roots

semi-circle facing Brad.

This hour’s lesson: awareness. Reteaching basic human instinct, he listed off the senses. In the woods, for example, we should try to see more broadly, keeping ourselves in this so-called wide-angle vision until something calls attention. Then, zoom in, inspect the distractor, and zoom out again. This is how animals see when they move throughout the forest.

“We walk with focused vision. We pick our next spot, and we go there,” he said.

“The birds see that, and they make a sound signaling that there are weird predators around. Then, everything hears the birds, and those animals go away. You can hike the entire Appalachian Trail and see two squirrels and a bird because, based on the way that you were walking, you were plowing all the animals away from you.”

For those on a quest to see wildlife, Salon suggests notching that quick-paced

stride down to a wandering meander. While through-hikers on the AT might be sticking to a schedule, the rest of us can relax and take slow, careful steps while practicing awareness.

“When we distribute behavior that shows that we’re not paying attention to anything going on around us,” Salon said, “the animals see us as alien.”

REQUIRED EDUCATION As Saturday came to a close, I walked with a student, Teresa Dillon, from our campsite to the schoolhouse, where dinner would be served. A yoga teacher from Boston, Dillon came to Roots after learning survival skills at the Firefly Skills Gathering in North Carolina. At Roots, she hoped to learn skills that would apply to her life in New England– the types of wood that make the best fire, the best edible plants in this corner of the country, the potential dangers here, etc.

“This should be required education,” she

told me. “The root of anxiety is the question ‘can I survive?’ But when we’re in nature, and when we’re learning these skills, that kind of anxiety fades away.”

I knew what she meant. Roots had taught us physical skills–how to make a fire, how to carve and fold a bark container for water–but in doing so, the class showed us how far removed we are from our basic, natural instincts. As the program wrapped up, I felt almost gypped, like I was learning these skills decades too late.

Corrigan and Salon served a homemade dinner with ingredients from the garden, and afterwards, students gathered around the bonfire to practice bow drill for the remainder of the night.

Corrigan strolled from student to student, correcting technique. “You want to really lean over it,” she told one woman.

“Put your body weight on the spindle.”

At the edge of the lawn, smoke rose

Holly Knox spends a lot of time in the woods—that’s part of her job as Recreation Program Manager for the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts in the Green Mountain National Forest. But when the weekend comes along, she’s still ready to head off camping with her family. When we asked for her favorite campsites she hesitated. “Really? Give up my secrets?” she asked with a laugh. But she gave in.

Chittenden Reservoir is where she and her husband Ryan and two daughters head for a quiet on-the-water campsite. The 702acre body of water is tucked high in the mountains and other than the Mountain Top Inn, which sits up on the hillside looking down on the reservoir, there’s no development or sign of civilization. At dawn, it’s not uncommon to see moose wandering down to drink at the lake and at night loons call across the water.

While the waters get busy with paddlers and fishermen during the day, by evening you can glide off to one of the more remote campsites that are tucked just back (200 feet, by regulation) from the lake and feel like you have the place to yourself. “The campsites are unimproved (meaning no one technically maintains them) but campers have carved out spots around the lake and in some places, created some really cool stonework with firepits and even stone

For the ultimate quiet campsite, paddle to one of Grout Pond's remote sites midweek.

Photo by Caleb Kenna

couches and tables,” says Knox. “The lake has so many nooks and crannies, you rarely see another campsite from yours.”

The camping is all primitive and Knox asks that you bury all human waste and consider “adopting” a site to help maintain it. There are no reservations (get there early to improve your chances of a site) and no fees. fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/home.

Day Hikes & Bikes: From the trailhead at Lefferts Pond, the 4.9 mile Round Robin trail is an easy, low-elevation trail around the Reservoir that joins mountain bike trails and heads up to the Mountain Top Inn for a 10-mile loop. Halfway around the east side of the reservoir, you leave Round Robin on the North Pond Cutoff for a short hike up to the Long Trail and views west of the reservoir and mountains. If you want to extend the hike, head south on the Long Trail which traverses the western ridge.

of the Greens in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, just above Lake Dunmore.

There are two accesses. From Forest Lake Rd. you can take Silver Lake Rd. to a parking area that’s just a short (0.6 mile) downhill hike on the Goshen Trail to the lake. But for a waterfall hike, park just south of Branbury State Park on Route 53 and hike about a mile and a half up the forest road past the plunging 100-foot-tall Falls of Lana. Either way, the reward is a pristine lake with more than a dozen dispersed campsites on the eastern shores. Set up camp on a rocky outcropping beneath the pines and you’ll get the last rays of western light. The lake is stocked with trout and you might catch an eagle diving or one of the resident peregrine falcons circling overhead.

Silver Lake has a seasonal campground

manager and enclosed vault toilets but no drinking water, trash or other facilities, so come prepared. On weekends, get ready for foot traffic along the trail, but the sites themselves are rarely all taken, are free and it’s first-come, first serve. moosalamoo.org Day Hikes & Bikes: The Chandler Ridge trail runs along the western ridge above Silver Lake and has spectacular views west to Lake Dunmore and across to the Adirondacks.

It’s maintained as a challenging mountain

SILVER LAKE, MOOSALAMOO NATIONAL RECREATION AREA Another of Holly Knox’s favorite sites is Silver Lake. It’s hard to say what’s prettier, the hike there or the quiet lake itself, which sits tucked into the western flanks

HOW TO MAKE A WATER FILTER

While hand-made water filters will not cut biocontaminants like E. coli and giardia from your water supply, it will get rid of suspended materials like plant matter. In a best case scenario, your filter could take out abiotic materials like mercury and cyanide, but (especially for first-time filter makers), don’t count on it.

Step 1. Find or make a cylindrical or cone-shaped container using white pine, basswood, elm or birch bark.

Step 2. Fill the container’s opening with large pebbles, topped with grass.

Step 3. Fill the container with layers of sand, charcoal, grass, more sand, topped with grass.

Step 4. Place a container below the filter’s opening. Pour water through the top of the filter. Be prepared to be patient: the water will slowly drip from the filter, and may take a few hours to fully collect.

For a front row seat for foliage, it's hard to beat Green River Reservoir.Photo by

Brian

Mohr/EmberPhoto

16 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 21

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

!"###$%&'"'(%')*%*'%#$+#%',%-./0%1'2#3%/'%,)(*4#(

$T.7"+'(5#'!*#!+%'7*&#,/!#'8#>"/#-%<$#J/*!#"($# fall weekend, don’t miss the easy, 3.2-mile trek up to Owl’s Head from Osmore Pond (or %#7"(5$+#7"".#8+":#U$!!7$D6#;-$#<'$1*#8+":# !-$#7""9"/!#%!#!-$#!".#"8#!-$#9("77#'(#8"7'%5$# *$%*"(# %+$# !-$# !>.$# !-%!# :%9$# 0%7$()%+*W# rolling hills, a pond set among flaming leaves and farmland off in the distance. The 4+"**?@$+:"(!# ;+%'7# +/(*# !-+"/5-# R+"!"(# 3!%!$#P"+$*!#-$+$#%*#1$77&#%()#>"/#0%(#,'9$# for miles on the old Montpelier Rail Trail, all the way to Marshfield.

&";<.(-,%@A%"-%'*,%'/%B,#;'*-7.%*,3,.-%.-"-,%<"#8.:%C'22?7.%D"22.%E'*0:%.(-.% '1-%'*%"%<#';'*-'#?%3(-$%=(,3.%'/%-$,%.1##'1*0(*)%;'1*-"(*.%"*0%/'#,.-4% & -1232&42563789&A76=2@3&$3>37&->6B8

RoOtS GeTtInG BaCk To OuR

MOLLY’S FALLS POND STATE PARK, MARSHFIELD X/*!# NY# :'7$*# ("+!-1$*!# "8# A%++$&# %!# !-$# ("+!-$+(# $()# "8# !-$# R+"!"(# 3!%!$# P"+$*!&# sits Molly’s Falls Pond State Park. It’s a .%+9#>"/#.+",%,7>#($<$+#-$%+)#"86##;-%!#:%># be because it’s new. On Oct. 30, 2015, the @$+:"(!#L%()#;+/*!#*"7)#N&OEZ#%0+$*#!"#!-$# *!%!$#"8#@$+:"(!#%()#%!#!-$#0$(!$+#"8#!-"*$#'*# a gem of a reservoir, Molly’s Falls Pond. The .%+9#'*#,"+)$+$)#,>#B"/!$#E#%()#)%::$)#"(# one end, but most of it (more than 35,000 8$$!D#'*#/()$<$7".$)#*-"+$7'($6 It’s a great pond for fishing and *1'::'(5#1'!-#%#,"%!#7%/(0-#($%+#!-$#)%:# $()#%()#.7$(!>#"8#)+'<$?!"#0%:.*'!$*#%7"(5# "7)#B"/!$#E6#A/!#!-$#*1$$!#*."!*#"(#!-$#7%9$# are remote campsites 4, 5, 6, and 7 which let you hunker down on rocky fingers at the far end of the lake. Campsite 5 even sits on a *:%77#'*7%()6#;-$#+$:"!$#0%:.*'!$*#%+$#8+$$# and first-come, first serve. !"#"$"%&$'(#) *+, ,'9$# !+%'7# %()# 0"(($0!*# !"# !-$# L$'0$*!$+# M"77"1# ;+%'7# 8"+# %# NO6F?:'7$# 7"".6# P"+# "($# "8# !-$# ,$*!# 8"7'%5$# -'9$*# '(# !-$# *!%!$&# -$%)# ("+!-#"8#!-$#0%:.5+"/()#!"#!-$#B%!!7$*(%9$# Cliffs trail. From the cliffs themselves you 0%(# 7""9# *"/!-# %()# 1$*!# %!# L%9$# Q/(:"+$# %()#1'77#-%<$#<'$1*#!"#!-$#H)'+"()%09*6#

WATERBURY RESERVOIR, LITTLE RIVER STATE PARK

KETTTLE & OSMORE PONDS, GROTON STATE FOREST ;-$+$# %+$# .7$(!># "8# 7%9$*# %()# .7$(!># "8# 0%:.*'!$*# '(# R+"!"(# 3!%!$# P"+$*!&# 1-'0-# '*# -":$#!"#*$<$(#*!%!$#.%+9*6#A/!#'8#>"/#1%(!# !"#5$!#%1%>#8+":#!-$#0+"1)*#%()#B@*&#*9'.# Lake Groton and Ricker Pond and head to "($# "8# !-$# ."()*# 1'!-# +$:"!$# 0%:.*'!$*6# You can drive up to Kettle Pond’s eastern end, where there’s a boat launch (for campers only) and 26 lean-to sites set in groups of five with toilets nearby. While !-$*$#%+$#('0$&#!-$#:"($>#*."!*S'8#>"/#0%(# *0"+$# +$*$+<%!'"(*&# 1-'0-# >"/# *-"/7)# !+># 8"+# ("1# %!# !"#"$"%&$'(#)*+,S%+$# !-$# *'T# +$:"!$# 0%:.*'!$*# 1'!-# 7$%(?!"*# %()# *!"($# fireplaces and the one, #10, that’s a simple campsite with picnic tables and a fire ring.

And if you’re really lucky, get the lean-to at site #12 and you’ll have the whole south *-"+$#!"#>"/+*$786# I"/#.%>#"($#8$$#!"#/*$#%(>#"8#!-$#*$<$(# .%+9*#'(#R+"!"(#3!%!$#8"+$*!#%()#8+":#U$!!7$##

--!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!+&&$,-%,./,0&'()*

F/%?'17#,%$,"0,0%-'%!(2=,#%G"8,:%+#(*)%?'1#%+(8,.4%H$,%&$"*02,#%6(0),%H#"(2%#1*.%#()$-%+?%-$,%2"8,4% & -1232&<9&/6C>@&.216D,=<76-1232&

it’s a five mile hike (or an easy bike along an old Wells to Montpelier rail trail or the %00$**# +"%)D# !"# !-$# *"/!-# $()# "8# R+"!"(# Pond and Ricker Pond.

Just east of Kettle, Osmore Pond (accessible via Discovery State Park) is just 48 acres. Motorized boats are banned on !-$# ."()# %()# !-$# 8"/+# 7$%(?!"*# %()# !-+$$# !$(!# *'!$*# %+$# "(7># %00$**',7$# ,># -'9'(5# "+# .%))7'(56# # I"/# 0%(# $<$(!# +$(!# %# 0%("$# %!# Little Discovery State Park as part of a $60 A"%!# !"# B$:"!$# .%09%5$# !-%!# '(07/)$*# !-$#

$25 lean to fee and the $35 canoe rental.

“If you pick a weeknight—or even a nonholiday weekend, there’s a good chance you’ll have the pond to yourself. It’s one "8# !-$# K/'$!$*!# "8# %77# !-$# *!%!$# .%+9*&2# *%>*# B"0-$77$# 39'(($+&# @$+:"(!# 3%+9V*# *%7$*# %()# *$+<'0$# :%(%5$+6# A"!-# *'!$*# +$K/'+$# +$*$+<%!'"(*#,>#.-"($6#!"#"$"%&$'(#)*+,#"+# call 1-888-409-7579.

Day Hikes & Bikes: It would be easy !"# *.$()# %# 1$$9# '(# R+"!"(# 3!%!$# P"+$*!#

H!# !-$# *"/!-# $()# "8# =%!$+,/+># B$*$+<"'+&# Little River State Park has become a virtual .7%>5+"/()#8"+#J/*!#%,"/!#%(>#*."+!#>"/#0%(# imagine. Just off the park, there’s a waterski course. Nearby, Umiak Outfitters in Stowe rents canoes, SUPS and other craft. There’s $<$(#%(#"00%*'"(%7#C%()#+%!-$+#8%*0'(%!'(5D# 5/')$)#!"/+#"8#!-$#)%:#!-%!#1%*#./!#'(#.7%0$# in the 1930s. The reservoir, 860 acres and 100 feet deep in places, has great fishing and there’s a growing network of mountain bike trails, including a new 4.5 mile “flow” trail built by Sinuosity in late 2016.

I"/#0%(&#"8#0"/+*$&#*!%>#%!#"($#"8#!-$#FN# !$(!#%()#B@#*'!$*#+'5-!#%!#!-$#.%+9&#"+#5"#7/T$# and rent one of five timber-frame cabins. ;-$+$#%+$#$<$(#0"'(?".$+%!$)#-"!#*-"1$+*6# A/!# '8# >"/# 1%(!# !"# 5$!# %1%># 8+":# '!# all, paddle north to one of the 27 remote campsites that dot the reservoirs’ fingerlike points and wooded shores. It’s firstcome, first-serve, carry-in/carry-out and !-$+$#%+$#("#8%0'7'!'$*6#A/!#!-$#1%!$+#'*#07$%+# and often deep and the Green Mountains +'*$#*!$$.7>#%,"<$6#;-$#*'!$*#!-$:*$7<$*#%+$# 8%'+7># )'*.$+*$)# *"# >"/# 1'77# -%<$# %# 8$$7'(5# you are on your own. Midway north, the ("?1%9$# ["($# *!%+!*# %()# '8# >"/# 0%(# *0"+$# campsite 11 or 17, you’ll have privacy and

DO YOU HAVE THE BASIC SKILLS TO SURVIVE IN THE WILD?

BY EMMA COTTON

51#(*)%6''-.7%3,,8,*0%92"..,.:%.-10,*-.%9";<%(*%"%#(=,#/#'*-%;,"0'34%>*%2'*),#%92"..,.:%%?'1722%+,% +1(20(*)%?'1#%'3*%.$,2-,#.%(*%-$,%3''0.4%% -1232&<9&,==>&?2332@

I

like to think about a fire as a living creature. It needs a home, it needs !"# $%!&# '!# ($$)*# %'+# !"# ,+$%!-$&# %()# '!# .+")/0$*#1%*!$&2#*%')#3%+%-#4"++'5%(#%*#*-$# knelt beside a stone fire pit, gathering twigs '(!"#%#0"($#*-%.$6# Turning away from the fire structure, Corrigan began the process of making a fire 1'!-#%#,"1#)+'776#3-$#.'(($)#-$+#8+"(!#8""!# )"1(# "(# %# ("!0-$)# .7%(9# "8# 1"")&# .'09'(5# /.#%#*:%77#,"1#:%)$#8+":#%#!1'5#%()#%#.'$0$# "8#0"+)6#;1'*!$)#'(!"#!-$#,"1#1%*#%#0%+<$)# *.'()7$&#1-'0-#*-$#./*-$)&#."'(!#)"1(&#'(!"# !-$#.7%(9#1'!-#-$+#7$8!#-%()6# 4"++'5%(#)+$1#!-$#,"1#,%09#%()#8"+!-&# )+'77'(5# !-$# *.'()7$# '(!"# !-$# 1"")# 1'!-# '(0+$%*'(5#*.$$)&#)%+9#.'$0$*#"8#-%'+#8%77'(5# 8+":#-$+#,+%')6#='!-'(#*$0"()*&#%#!-'(#1'*.# of smoke rose from the spindle’s point. She ./77$)#!-$#,"1#%1%>&#$:.!>'(5#!-$#%*-#'(!"# a bundle of tinder and blew on it lightly. I watched in awe as flames popped from the $:,$+*6# Stretched out behind Corrigan was 35 %0+$*# "8# +'<$+?8+"(!# .+".$+!># '(# 4"+'(!-&# @$+:"(!&#1-$+$#*-$#%()#-$+#-/*,%()&#A+%)# 3%7"(&#"1(#%()#".$+%!$#B""!*&#%#*0-""7#!-%!# !$%0-$*# .+':'!'<$# %()# !+%)'!'"(%7# *9'77*# !"# %(>"($#1'!-#%(#'(!$+$*!6# This was the first afternoon session of Root’s weekend-long Wilderness Self-

!"#"$%&'##()"*%+#,"-$,.%/(#,%(*-'%"%-(*0,#%+1*02,%"/-,#%.-"#-(*)%(-%1.(*)%"%+'3%0#(224%%% -1232&42563789&2:&02238&$4122;

B$7'%(0$# 0"/+*$&# 1-'0-# -%)# %!!+%0!$)# C%:"(5# "!-$+*D# *$<$+%7# *0-""7!$%0-$+*&# %# 0"/.7$# 0$7$,+%!'(5# !-$'+# EF!-# %(('<$+*%+>&# %# <$!$+%(&# %()# %# 1":%(# 1-"# )+"<$# 8+":# Philadelphia. In total, we were 16 students

1-"# -%)# 0":$# !"# 7$%+(# -"1# !"# 5%'(# '()$.$()$(0$#'(#!-$#1"")*6# That morning, we had dropped off our "<$+('5-!#.%09*#%()#5%!-$+$)#'(#%#,'5#+"":# inside Roots’ post-and-beam schoolhouse

8"+# %(# '(!+")/0!'"(# %()# .$.# !%79# "8# *"+!*# 8+":# 3%7"(# %()# 4"++'5%(6# GH# ,'5# .%+!# "8# 1-%!#1$#!$%0-#'*#%77"1'(5#>"/#!"#+$:$:,$+# >"/+#"+'5'(%7#.+"5+%::'(5&2#3%7"(#*%')&#-'*# tone at once encouraging and gruff, like he 1'*-$)#8"+#"/+#*%9$*#!-%!#1$#%7+$%)>#9($1# !-$*$#!-'(5*6#GI"/#%77#*-%+$#%#7'($%5$#%()#%(# %(0$*!+>#1'!-#$<$+>,")>#"(#!-$#.7%($!&#%()# >"/#-%<$#1-%!#'!#!%9$*#!"#7'<$#'(#!-$#1"")*62 But it wasn’t going to be effortless.

“You’ll watch Sarah start a bow drill fire, and she’s going to make it look ridiculously easy,” he said. “And then you’re going to do it, and you’re going to feel like you have four %+:*62# 3/+$# $("/5-&# %8!$+# 0%+<'(5# *.'()7$*# and notching our own wood planks, I knelt beside the fire pit. Twisting the spindle into my bow, I braced my arm against my shin %()#./*-$)#!-$#,"1#,%09#%()#8"+!-&#J/*!#7'9$# 3%+%-# -%)6# A/!# !-$# :"!'"(# 1%*# %191%+)&# J$+9>&# %()# 7$**# (%!/+%7# !-%(# 3%+%-# -%)# :%)$#'!#7""96#;-$#*.'()7$#*K/$%9$)#%5%'(*!# !-$# 1"")&# 0+$%!'(5# ,7%09# *0+%!0-$*&# ,/!# ("# flame.

THE ORIGINAL MANUAL Unlike other ‘survival’ schools, Roots is not )$*'5($)# !"# -$7.# -/:%(*# .+$.%+$# 8"+# !-$# apocalypse. It’s not founded on spirituality, and it’s not meant to celebrate any specific

!"#"$%&'()*&!!+!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!+, $,-%,./,0&'()*!!!+!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!+,

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

broad views across the water.

The

reservoir

winds

through

the

mountains, filling a valley that was once home to farms and a Civilian Conservation Corps

camp.

Old

stone

foundations,

chimneys and ancient apple trees still mark the presence of an earlier time, but the hillsides that slope steeply down to the water are completely undeveloped, giving a sense of wilderness.

Little River State Park is open May 19Oct. 22; remote campsites are free and firstcome, first served. vtstateparks.com Day Hikes & Bikes: The remote campsites are

all

paddle-to,

but

with

some

bushwhacking you can rejoin a trail on the western shore. Otherwise, head for Little River State Park where you can connect to a network of trails. Feeling adventurous, you can take the Dalley Loop trail to Ricker Farm Trail and connect to the Cottonbrook Trail (an old logging road) which spills out in Stowe. It’s not a difficult hike but about

WINTER STARTS ON OCTOBER 7

EXP October October7-8, 7-8,2017 2018

Waterfront Hilton, Burlington, VT

THE NEW 2018 GEAR DEMOS CLINICS DEALS ON LIFT TICKETS LIVE MUSIC CLINICS SKI FILMS & MORE

8 miles one way and largely in the woods.

GREEN RIVER RESERVOIR STATE PARK, MORRISVILLE With 27 remote campsites that are only accessible

to

paddlers,

a

no-motors

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Camping ethics dictate you should leave no trace and around Vermont, where many sites are on state land, that’s especially true. Make sure you know what land you are on before you go as policies change depending on whether it’s a state park, state forest, recreation area or national forest land. Here’s our cheat sheet: VERMONT STATE PARKS Most campsites in Vermont State Parks require a reservation and a fee (generally $25 for a lean-to, $18 per campsite and $5 per person at Green

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Vermont’s only ski and winter sports show comes to downtown Burlington.

Brought to you by The Rotary Club of Burlington and Vermont Ski + Ride.

Sponsored by University of Vermont Medical Center and Farrell DIstributing/ Long Trail. Benefitting the Flyin’ Ryan Foundation.

Tickets & info at vtskiandride.com/expo/ 14 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

River Reservoir). However, many of the remote campsites are first-come, first-serve and free, unless there is a

policy, island campsites and 19 miles of undeveloped shoreline, Green River Reservoir was long the best-kept secret campsite in the state. Word got out and now it’s tough to get a campsite reservation on the Vermont State Parks site—and it is definitely reservation-only as the long access road has limited parking and a ranger on-site keeps close tabs.

However, t is possible to get reservations if there is a last-minute cancellation, and you can also apply for a post-season permit.

Score a site and you’ll be rewarded with one of the more serene camping experiences in Vermont Green River doesn’t feature the mountain views you might get from Kettle Pond or Silver Lake, but it’s squiggly, rocky coastline is dotted with a variety of hardwoods that put on a crazy-quilt show of color come fall. Beaver may wake you with their slapping tails and loons and geese are often your only neighbors. You will need to bring your own boat or SUP and with no real hiking trails, limited parking and a no-day-use policy, Green River isn’t your typical state park. But that’s why we love it.

Green River Reservoir is open May 19-Columbus Day, but after Nov. 1 you can camp with a permit. vtstateparks.com or call 1.888.409.7579. Fees are $5 per person.

camping zones” where you can pitch a tent. For a list of these and other policies see fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/ home PRIMITIVE CAMPING Primitive camping is not generally allowed in Vermont State Parks, but is within designated areas of selected state lands, including state forests and wildlife management areas. To find out where or to secure a permit, check

vtstateparks.com/camping.

html#primitiveCamping If you are camping in the wild, always camp at least 100 feet away from any stream or body of water, 200 feet away from any trail or property line, and 1,000 feet away from any traveled road. Camping is limited to not more than three consecutive nights in the same area and groups

day use/entry fee to park. Check with

of eleven or more individuals must

vtstateparks.com to confirm when the

obtain a permit in order to primitive

parks are open, make reservations

camp. Make a firepit and use only

and check on policies around pets.

dead and down trees or branches for firewood.

GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL

Camping

above

2,500

feet

FOREST

in elevation is prohibited unless

Camping in designated sites is free in

otherwise designated. Dig pits for

most of the Green Mountain National

human waste and for everything else,

Forest and on a first-come, first-serve

if you carry it in, carry it out. Leave

basis. In addition to the mapped sites,

your campsite so clean that no one

GMNF designates certain “dispersed

knew you were there.

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 23

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

A (R)Evolution in Backpacking A CENTURY AGO, A PACK MIGHT HAVE WEIGHED IN AT 35 LBS. TODAY, YOU CARRY EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR AN OVERNIGHT IN UNDER 7 LBS. HERE’S HOW.

BY EMMA COTTON & LISA LYNN

During the summer of 1927, three women, nicknamed "The Three Musketeers," hiked the Long Trail using the recommended "high boots and knickers" and carrying pack baskets. We've come a long way, baby.

Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society.

I

f you’ve ever been on a multi-day hike on the Long Trail, there’s a good chance you’ve given thanks, at some point, for modern gear: Bug spray, steady packs, a waterproof tent, your cookware–it’s all relatively lightweight and convenient. And this year, thanks to new technology and modern man’s never-ending quest to be efficient, your pack of gear could be even better and lighter (a little as 7 lbs!), as you’ll see from our gear picks on the following pages.

But what about people who set the trails through the Green Mountains 100 years ago? For them, the Long Trail Guidebook, first published by the Green Mountain Club in 1917, was the source of advice on what to bring: "Heavy, high shoes will be found easiest on an all day’s hike. Any of several makes of knapsacks will carry all that one really needs."

This summer, knickers and leather boots made a come-back on the Long Trail.

In celebration of the Long Trail Guide’s centennial edition, Mike DeBonis, president of the Green Mountain Club, hiked the trail in retro style. Carrying the 1917 guidebook,

24 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

he followed much of the original advice, packing bread, cheese, bacon and canned fish. He waterproofed a cotton sheet to make a tarp and even wove his own pack from ash splints he carved himself.

“This is fashioned after the style of the Adirondack pack basket,” he said as he showed his pack off at a trail pit-stop along the Winooski last July. “I put socks on the strapsandles. One of the challenges I had was that the leather was cutting in [to my shoulders], and I needed to have some additional padding. People were way tougher back then than I am now, that’s for sure,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is that modern gear is amazing. It makes the trail so much more accessible.”

The 1917 Long Trail Guide recommended that men wear “Shoes with hobnails, felt hat, ‘generous sized’ silk bandana, inchwide leather belt with cup attached, wool underwear, wool shirt and stout wool trousers.” For women? High, laced leather boots with “Hungarian nails,” and wool bloomers.

“Upstairs, downstairs, all wool,” DeBonis said, “which is good, but on those

90-degree days, it can be a little warm.” He does admit to using modern wool though, and wore under layers from Ibex.

The Long Trail—envisioned by James P. Taylor, a headmaster of the Vermont Academy for Boys at Saxton’s River—was officially born in 1910 (10 years earlier than the Appalachian Trail) after Taylor and 22 others gathered in Burlington to found the Green Mountain Club. By 1917, the first guidebook was published, and by 1920, 209 miles of trails had been completed, running from Johnson south to the Massachusetts border. The goal, stated by the newly-minted GMC, was to “make the Vermont Mountains play a larger part in the life of people.”

With 700 members in the first decade, the Green Mountain Club was reaching its goal, and it kept growing. Ten years later, during the summer of 1927, the trail was made famous by “The Three Musketeers,” three women, Hilda Kurth (25 at the time), Catherine Robbins (also 25), and Kathleen Norris (18) who took on the task of hiking the entirety of the Long Trail, unaccompanied by male figures—a daring feat, back in the day.

The women were an overnight

media sensation, covered by every local newspaper, all of whom printed photos of their knickers, lace-up boots and bandanas.

The Vermont Historical Society later interviewed Robbins, who talks about a surprise that GMC president Taylor arranged for the women.

“I heard someone yell, ‘Yoohoo!’”

Robbins said. “There was a perfectly civilized man in white slacks and a white jacket, and he said, ‘I’m looking for the Three Musketeers! Come on down, I have a gallon of ice cream for you.’ Boy, did I go down that mountain fast, and sure enough, they had a whole gallon of ice cream. We ate it all up. It was terrific.”

Two years later, by 1928, the Guide had updated its recommendations.

“Of all the personal equipment, the most important is good shoes. They should be broken in, loose, and well oiled. Munson last army shoes are advised, better yet in all weathers, if hobnailed,” it reads. And, to the relief of women everywhere: “Women should not wear skirts, even divided skirts; riding breeches are advised, of khaki or close-woven material.”

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 13

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider Pack

THE MINIMALISTS

Scarpa Spin

Thermarest NeoAir XLite mattress

When she's not running, UVM researcher Lizzy Pope studies what motivates people to work out. Photo courtesy Lizzie Pope In the mornings, the kids log into Camp Conquer on their computers to load up their water balloons and choose strategic positions in the game’s virtual playing field.

Then, in the middle of the day, the fight automatically plays out. Usually, the team with the most and best water balloons– meaning the team that has collectively taken the most steps–wins.

Pope wants to know if the game will motivate these high schoolers, who are mandated by Vermont State Law to exercise for at least 30 minutes during the school day, to exercise more than they normally would.

She won’t see the results for another few months, but if it works, she hopes the game will be worked into school curriculums around the state.

“Kids are on their screens a lot as it is, so if they’re going to play games, why not play this game, where the currency comes from being active?” she said.

But as with any fitness app, in order to make the game effective, it needed motivational tools that were strong enough to pull kids away from other temptations— phones, friends, sleeping—and make them want to exercise.

With adults, that extrinsic motivation may come from money, but for teenagers, it’s socializing. Pope and Dibble designed the game so that team members succeed when more people participate. Plus, the players who bring in the most gold coins get the title “MVP,” which comes with an honorary gem.

Pope admits that it seems a bit backwards to use a screen as a gateway to exercise, but if it creates a habit, she says she’s done her job.

“The hope is that you can get someone intrinsically motivated to exercise, but realistically, research has shown that for some people, you need to try to increase their extrinsic motivation by providing outside rewards,” she said.

Pope has tested this theory with other studies, one of which involved paying firstyear college students to go to the gym.

12 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

Over a course of two semesters, she split 117 first-year college students into three groups: a group that received no incentive for going to the gym, a group that received $5 for each gym visit in the first semester and no incentive in the second semester, and a group that received $5 per gym visit both semesters. Pope measured gym visits when the students used their IDs to swipe into the fitness center.

It worked: 62 percent of the students who were paid to work out met their fitness goals, while only 13 percent of the control group, which was not receiving incentive, met their goals. But through surveys, she also found that the incentivized students were happy with the way they felt while going to the gym, indicating that the students had gained intrinsic motivation to be physically fit. “It appears that provision and then discontinuation of monetary incentives did not negatively impact intrinsic motives to exercise for our participants,” her study concludes.

For Pope, that’s reason enough to keep the incentives coming. “I think about the American population, and how important good exercise is to good health, and also mental health, and we’re just not doing it,” she says. “So then it’s like, why not incentivize it?”

Then there are those of us who don’t need incentives—the endorphins, fresh air and the satisfaction of pushing ourselves is enough. But maybe we need a little help waking up early, or maybe we enjoy comparing our daily stats with our friends’. Maybe earning a dollar every time we show up at the fitness center is easy money in our pockets.

“I’m a weird case, because you’d have to pay me not to exercise,” Pope says. “We’re just throwing out a bunch of motivational strategies. Some will work for one person or another, but none of them will work for everyone. We need all these things in our toolbox to encourage people to get out there."

GAMIFY YOUR WORKOUTS: LIZZIE POPE'S 7 FAVORITE APPS

N

eed some extra motivation to get out there? There’s an app for that.

Some present a virtual reality, some give you (or your favorite charity) real cash, and some allowi you to compete against yourself or friends.

According to Lizzy Pope, these seven apps are good tools to get you started.

SAVE VIRTUAL HUMANITY In Zombies, Run! (free), you are “Runner 5,” a survivor escaping from a zombie apocalypse that has destroyed the world. An audiobook narrative feeds you a storyline to encourage frequent “expeditions.” Interspersed with your main mission objectives (gathering intel and supplies), you’ll be instructed to run from the undead who are gaining speed behind you, making this app perfect for interval trainers. Created by Six to Start, the same team that created Zombies, Run!, The 7-Minute Superhero Workout ($2.99) has a camera-activated motion tracker, which counts reps of activities like crunches and wall-sits, along with your burned calories. The more activities you complete, the more weapons, shields and abilities you unlock to perform your world-saving duties.

EARN CASH FOR YOURSELF OR A CHARITY If money motivates you, Pact (free) is a no-brainer. Create a profile and decide how many gym visits, runs or bike rides you’re up for each week–but make sure you’re committed enough to put money down on it. If you check in at your exercise location, you earn a small amount of money that grows as you play. If you don’t show, your money (choose either $5 or $10) goes into the pot for loyal gym-goers to claim. While you’ll lose more if you bail than you’ll win if you go, the amount you can win increases over time, and every won cent goes straight into your bank account.

With the help of corporate sponsors, Charity Miles (free) lets you earn money for charities every time you walk, run or bike. Scroll through the app’s list of charities, pick your favorite and...go!

TRACK AND CRUSH YOUR PERSONAL BEST (OR COMPETE WITH FRIENDS) With FitBit’s three-axis accelerometer–the size of a clothespin and worn on the pants pocket or a bra strap–and its corresponding app (free), you can track the steps you take, distance, calories consumed, and how well you sleep. A flower, shown on the FitBit’s small OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen, grows to full size as you draw closer to completing your fitness goals. Each time you come within 15 feet of the FitBit’s wireless base station, it uploads all of your data.

Strava (free) will test you on the running and biking routes you know best.

Track and time your run or ride, then compete against yourself or choose from a leaderboard of folks who have done the same course. Take the top time up your favorite hill, and be dubbed king or queen of the mountain, “KOM” or "QOM." How many calories have you eaten in a day? MyFitnessPal (free) can tell you.

Plug in what you eat and how you exercise. It logs how many net calories you’ve burned and consumed. The calorie counter has one of the largest databases for foods around. Create a profile and share your accomplishments and cheer others on as you go.

Outdoor Research Helium II rain shell

Sea to Summit Spark II sleeping bag

MSR Flylite Tent

MSR Pocket Rocket

Exotac NanoSpark lighter

Farm to Feet Damascus Socks

Mountain House meals

Petzl E+Lite headlamp

So what’s changed since 1917? The short answer: everything. Enter Chris Reamer, Outdoor Gear Exchange’s backpacking expert who has hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail several times over. He sports a Gandolf-sized beard and if he had a slogan, it might be, “there’s a pack for that.”

This year. he notes, there’s even more cool gear than ever. We stopped by the Church Street store to see what he’d recommend.

Reamer pulled a white pack off the shelves. The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider weighs in at just 28.2 oz. It looks like it’s made out of parchment paper, and it’s handmade in Maine.

“My girlfriend and I are planning on doing the Pacfic Crest Trail next year, and the key out there is doing it as light as possible, so this is the pack I’ll use.” he said.

“This pack isn’t going to work well with a

heavy load. With a pack like this, your base weight (which is everything you’re going to carry minus food, fuel and water) ideally would be sub-ten pounds.”

Reamer walks around the store, pointing to ultra-light or ultra-comfortable gear that modern day hikers can use to make the Long Trail more enjoyable. There are roomy tents that weigh less than two pounds, sleeping bags for every condition, camp chairs that stretch to be love-seatsized, queen-sized sleeping pads, bowls, pots and sporks that all fit inside each other.

Above (and on the following pages), Reamer suggests the ultimate gear packages for ultra-light hikers and minimalists and for weekend warriors who care about creature comforts.

There’s everything you need for the trail… except ice cream.

THE MINIMALISTS There are plenty of reasons to go ultra-light while backpacking. Maybe you’re planning to run up to one of the Long Trail lean-tos for the night and then run back down. Maybe you’re hitting up some of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers and don’t want to be bogged down by extra weight. Maybe you just want to see how minimalist you can be. If that’s your thing, you could pack everything shown above (including pack, tent, shoes and three meals) and it wouldn’t add up to more than 7 lbs. That’s nearly a third of the weight (18 lbs) of all the gear in the Weekend Warrior section (see following page).

For a pack, Reamer recommends the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider ($300), Handmade in Maine and just 1.76

pounds, it won’t add much to your base weight, and the tarpish, waxy, 100-percent waterproof material, made from Dyneema® Composite Fabrics, is more durable than it looks. The bag is completely zipper-less; three black mesh pockets on the exterior give you easy access and allow gear to dry quickly. Its roll-top closure system helps you compress the pack down vertically, and straps on the side and top help secure your gear and compress the pack even more.

The tried and true dogma of ultralight hikers is this: bring multi-purpose equipment. At 1 lb. 6 oz., the two-person MSR Flylite Tent ($350) uses your trekking poles as tent poles, and even leaves plenty of room for you and a buddy.

Mesh vents in the sides and back of the tent keep condensation under control, and the wide-reaching rain fly gives plenty of space

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 25

'"$%'"*&$>#330$"*$9&'$4&+*;$ R"*$ 0"#*$ "9,$ D&*%",+/$ %1&/'&*$ M'1&$ %/&&D(,4$ 8+4NC$ !"#$ %&$ !'(()%*+$ !,#-.$ !/$00$($379) weighs in at just over a pound.

Its contoured mummy design packs down to the size of a football. The bag is filled with 850+ goose down, which will keep you warm through temperatures as low as 35 3&4*&&%C$%"$D&*1+D%$,"'$'1&$8&%'$21"(2&$)"*$ 2"/3&*$9&+'1&*C$8#'$4*&+'$()$0"#$+*&$%'+0(,4$ (,$+$1#';$!"#$2+,$/+0$'1+'$8+4$3"9,$",$'1&$ 12"-(#-"+%$ 3"&#)-$ 45)%"$ +5"",)67$ ,#8 ($159.95), whose patent-pending E'*(+,4#/+*$2"*&$>+'*(-G$D*"A(3&%$%'*#2'#*&$ and reflects your body heat back to you, all (,$+$D+2:+8/&$S$"I;$5 ="$ :&&D$ 2"":9+*&$ /(41'C$ '*0$ "#'$ '1&$ 9!:$ /&;."%$ :&;."% ($44.95). Lighter (2.6 oz) and smaller than the original, this little guy can boil a liter of water in 3.5 >(,#'&%;$M=1"#41$0"#$>+0$9+,'$'"$2+**0$+$ 8('$")$&-'*+$)#&/$+/",4T'1&$*"2:&'$2+,$8#*,$ "#'$ 0"#*$ '+,:$ +$ 8('$ )+%'&*$ '1+,$ '1&$ +A&*+4&$ stove.) The difference between this stove and other small tripods? The pot supports )"/3$3"9,$'"$'"$'1&$%(I&$")$+$D"2:&'$:,()&;$ U%$ )"*$ )""3C$ '1&*&$ +*&$ +$ '1"#%+,3$ #/'*+$ /(41'9&(41'$3*(&3$>&+/%$0"#$2+,$8*(,4$+/",4C$ 8#'$"#*$)+A"*('&$(%$9&'6%#)6$<&'+"$M?VN;$ W('1$ "D'(",%$ '1+'$ *+,4&$ )*">$ 8&&)$ %'&9$ to chicken with dumplings (4.6 oz and 15 4*+>%$ ")$ D*"'&(,$ )"*$ '9"$ %&*A(,4%N$ +,3$ macaroni and cheese, the meals are filling, /(41'$+,3$2",A&,(&,'/0$D+2:&3$(,$8+4%;$X#%'$ +33$1"'$9+'&*C$*&%&+/$'"$2"":C$+,3$'1&,$&+'$ )*">$'1&$8+4;$Y"$3(%1&%Z$ To get your fire started, the =>&%#;$ 3#6&!,#-.$ ?)72%"- ($26.95) at about 1+/)$+,$"#,2&C$+33%$+/>"%'$,"'1(,4$'"$0"#*$ 9&(41'$ "*$ %D+2&;$ U8"#'$ '1&$ %(I&$ ")$ 0"#*$ pinky, the flint-based sparker (read: no fuel) 1+%$+$9+'&*D*"")$2">D+*'>&,'$'"$2+**0$'1&$ L#(2:[(41'$ '(,3&*$ +8%$ '1+'$ 2">&$ 9('1$ '1&$ lighter. Like the E+Lite headlamp, it should 8&$D+*'$")$+,0$&>&*4&,20$:(';$ R"*$ +$ '1*"#41.+,3.'1*"#41$ #/'*+/(41'$ setup, your gear should fit the bill from 1&+3$ '"$ '"&;$ !;#-,#$ !,)6$ +/D(,&$ *#,,(,4$ shoes ($130) have a low-profile design and 9&(41$ (,$ +'$ +$ )&+'1&*0$ S;V$ "I;$ W1(/&$ 0"#$ >(41'$ 9+,'$ 1(41&*$ +,:/&$ 8""'%$ )"*$ +$ /",4$ '*&:C$ '1&$ B(8*+>$ "#'%"/&%$ +*&$ D&*)&2'$ )"*$ *#,,(,4$ 8&'9&&,$ D&+:%C$ +,3$ '1&$ 1(41. density rock plate will make sure you’re ,"'$ %'#88&3$ 80$ +,0$ %1+*D$ %#*D*(%&%$ ",$ '1&$ trail. Pair those with set of @#-($ %&$ @""%$ A#(#+;'+ ($22.50) hiking socks–made in the USA with all-American Merino wool for +$/(41'9&(41'$8/&,3$")$A&,'(/+'(",C$>"(%'#*&$ >+,+4&>&,'$+,3$"3"*$*&%(%'+,2&; If you’re hiking in Vermont, a rain jacket (%$ ,",.,&4"'(+8/&;$ [#2:(/0C$ '1&$ B'%8&&-$ :"+"#-;2$ <"5)'($ 00$ :#)6$ !2"55$ ($159) is 6.4 oz and packs down to the size of a pack of Ramen noodles. It’s windproof and includes a Pertex 2.5-layer of waterproof 8*&+'1+8/&$/+>(,+'&;$ =1&$/"%C5$=D?)%"$2"#85#(,$($29.95) 8&/",4%$ (,$ 0"#*$ D+2:C$ 3+0$ "*$ ,(41'C$ +%$ +,$ emergency light. Including batteries (at max

,-!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!-((!"#$"%&"'()*+,

!"#$%&&

THE FITNESS GAME

!"#$%"&'('!&)*'&"!+,"-!%'",'$'./0'&"1'!%"#0"1/")&'!1'"!"231+'(("-!%'"1*!1"1*'4"*/0'" 53.."*'.0""6#&+")!./&3'(7"BY EMMA COTTON

?<++')!"7'#&$')D(74E,)!$.+)>+F"'$,1)0(&5)$')9$,)<+#<"):&<4)&'5)0&<<;$':)&)-&0.)9+)3&5+)*<"3)&,9),-($'#,)9+)0&<%+51)-7((,)7-)"')#9+)G$'"",.$)6$%+<=) ( #./0/(;6("==7(>/00/?

D"9&*$('$1+%$V$1"#*%$")$8+''&*0$/()&NC$('$9&(41%$ +$%(,4/&$"#,2&$+,3$1+%$'9"$8*(41',&%%$/&A&/%$ (and shines at 50 lumens), so you can read– '1+'$(%C$()$0"#$+//"9&3$0"#*%&/)$'1&$/#-#*0$")$ 8*(,4(,4$'1&$4#(3&8"":;

THE WEEKEND WARRIOR If you’re headed out on the trail for a /",4$ 9&&:&,3C$ "*$ D/+,$ '"$ 3"$ %">&$ 2+,"&. camping/hiking, you still care about 9&(41';$ O#'$ 0"#$ >+0$ +/%"$ 2+*&$ >"*&$ +8"#'$ 2">)"*'$ +,3$ 3#*+8(/('0;$ W&$ +%:&3$ _&+>&*C$ as well as other experts, what they’d choose )"*$+$9&&:&,3$+9+0;$ ="$%'+*'$9('1C$()$0"#$9+,'$'"$2+**0$>"*&$ 4&+*C$ 0"#$ 9(//$ ,&&3$ +$ /+*4&*$ D+2:$ +,3$ ",&$ '1+'$9(//$8&$2">)"*'+8/&$#,3&*$+$/"+3;$U)'&*$ '&%'(,4$ /(41'&*$ +,3$ 21&+D&*$ D+2:%C$ 9&$ %'(//$ /(:&$'1&$L-"7&-H$J#5%&-&$PQ$$#68$A"K#$ PR (women’s version is the Deva 60) for multi-day hikes, and the 2017 model shaves 0.9 ounces off its predecessor. While it’s weight (5.1 lbs) and price ($299) may seem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`A&,$ ()$ 0"#$ +*&$ J#%'$ '9"C$ "D'(,4$ )"*$ +$ ].D&*%",$ '&,'$ >+:&%$ 2+>D(,4$ +$ /"'$ >"*&$ 2">)"*'+8/&;$3"(&G+$A#77"-$S ($499.95) 9&(41'$(,$+'$J#%'$+'$^$/8;$^$"I%$+,3$D+2:%$3"9,$ nicely. It’s a relatively roomy 43-square-foot floor with a 42-inch peak and doesn’t taper %"$0"#$2+,$%/&&D$&('1&*$3(*&2'(",C$&+%(/0C$+,3$ '1&$E/(41'$D"2:&'G$MD#'$0"#*$1&+3/+>D$(,$('N$

at the peak is a great touch. Most important, '1&$ /(41'9&(41'$ \6.$ +,3$ ]6.3&,(&*$ ,0/",$ fabric is bulletproof, justifying it’s price. One ")$ "#*$ '&%'&*%$ %/&D'$ (,$ ('$ %"#,3/0C$ M9('1"#'$ )&&/(,4$ +$ 3*"D$ ")$ >"(%'#*&N$ '1*"#41$ '1&$$ '"**&,'(+/$ *+(,%'"*>$ '1+'$ &+*,&3$ B&*>",'$ FEMA relief money over July 4 weekend. [+0$ 3"9,$ '1&$ 3"(&$ 1"6+&-$ 06+'5#%"8$ E)-$ /#8 ($149-$169) which (%$ %#D&*/(41'$ M5V$ "I$ >(,(>#>$ 9&(41'N$ +,3$ 2">&%$ 9('1$ ]$ (,21&%$ ")$ 2#%1(",(,4$ +,3$ Primaloft insulation. The pads come in a A+*(&'0$")$%(I&%C$'1&$%>+//&%'$")$91(21$*"//%$ #D$'"$'1&$%(I&$")$+$9+'&*8"''/&;$$ R"*$ +$ %/&&D(,4$ 8+4C$ 9&$ /(:&$ '"$ 1+A&$ "#*$ 8+%&%$ 2"A&*&3;$ F#((&;.G+$ 12H;#5)6"$ ($229-$528) is a two-in-one bag. The outer base bag (just 16 oz if you go with 3"9,N$ (%$ +$ *"">0$ 8+4C$ D&*)&2'$ )"*$ &+*/0$ fall, when temperatures don’t drop below )*&&I(,4;$ U,3$ )"*$ 9(,'&*$ 2+>D(,4$ M"*$ ()$ you’re climbing above snowline) there’s a 3"9,$ /(,&*$ (,%&*'$ '1+'$ 9(//$ '+:&$ 0"#$ 3"9,$ '"$6$3&4*&&%;$O"'1$8+4%$2">&$9('1$3"9,$"*$ synthetic fill options and cinch cords help you adjust the fit.

If you’re going light, you could get away 2+>D(,4$ 9('1$ J#%'$ +$ 5^."I;$ I"%J&)5$ 9)6)$ 9&$ +%&K" ($134.95)—where the burner, %'+,3C$ 2+,(%'&*$ %#DD"*'$ +,3$ 566.4*+>$ )#&/$ 2+,(%'&*$2+,$+//$%,+D$'"4&'1&*$+,3$D+2:$(,'"$ a cookpot that’s the size of a coffee can.

F*$ 0"#$ 2+,$ +/%"$ 8*(,4$ +/",4$ '1&$ ,&9$ L!0$ L5#;)"-$ !%#)65"++$ @-H$ /#6 ($34.95). At 23.8 oz, it’s more for canoe or car camping 8#'$ '1&$ 56.(,21$ )*0$ D+,$ M"*$ S.(,21N$ 1+%$ +$ )"/3(,4$ 1+,3/&$ +,3$ ('%$ ,",.%'(2:$ %'+(,/&%%$ %'&&/$ M+/#>(,#>$ 2"*&N$ %#*)+2&$ 9"*:%$ %#*D*(%(,4/0$9&//; How you outfit yourself is just as (>D"*'+,'$ +%$ 91+'$ 0"#$ D+2:;$ =1&$ 9"--"55$ 9&#M$ N$ 9)8$ O/ ($150), or lower shoe

with the GoreTex membrane (WP stands )"*$ 9+'&*D*"")NC$ (%$ '*(&3$ +,3$ '*#&$ +,3$ slightly improved for 2017. It’s not the shoe you’ll use for a through-hike in the Rockies 9('1$ +$ 1&+A0$ D+2:$ 8#'$ ('%$ %#DD"*'(A&$ +*21C$ (>D*"A&3$1&&/$2#%1(",(,4$+,3$B(8*+>$%"/&$ +*&$4""3$)"*$9&&:&,3$'*(D%;$ There’s no question about which sock: B&*>",'.>+3&$P+*,$="#41$1+%$)+%'$8&2">&$ '1&$ 3(%'+,2&$ 1(:(,4$ %'+,3+*3$ +,3$ '1&$ ,&9$ 9""/.8/&,3$ A#-6$ 1&'72$ !T)%;2M#;.

M?\6N$(%$8""'$1&(41'C$%&+>/&%%$+,3$)&+'#*&%$ /(41'$2#%1(",(,4;$[(:&$+//$P+*,$="#41$%"2:%C$ it’s guaranteed for life. @D$ '"DC$ '1&$ E-;*%"-H>$ E%&($ !?$ <&&8H$M?\\VN$(%$4*&+'$)"*$'1"%&$3+0%$91&,$ ('$%'+*'%$"#'$9+*>$",$'1&$'*+(/$8#'$'1&$'(>&$ 0"#$ *&+21$ '1&$ :*#>>1"/IC$ 0"#$ ,&&3$ '"$ 8*&+:$ "#'$ +$ /+0&*;$ =1&$ Q"*&/")'a$ Q">D+2'$ ^64$(,%#/+'(",$(%$#/'*+/(41'$+,3$8*&+'1+8/&;$ `A&,$8&''&*C$('$%L#(%1&%$3"9,$'"$+$/(''/&$8+//$ you can easily stuff in the lid of a pack and the outer layer sheds water. It’s also stretchy &,"#41$'"$4(A&$+$)#//$*+,4&$")$>"A&>&,'$()$ you’re, say, climbing ladders on the Long Trail, but has a low-profile so it could layer 8&,&+'1$+$1&+A(&*$%1&//; W&$ /"A&$ '1&$ ,&9$ 4&,&*+'(",$ ")$ *&21+*4&+8/&$1&+3/+>D%C$&%D&2(+//0$$J5#;.$ A)#(&68G+$:"K&5%$($59.95) which beams "#'$ ]66$ /#>&,%$ +,3$ (%$ 9+'&*D*"");$ O&''&*$ 0&'C$ ('$ #%&%$ &('1&*$ %'+,3+*3$ +/:+/(,&$ "*$ /('1(#>$ 8+''&*(&%$ "*$ ('%$ "9,$ *&21+*4&+8/&$ AAAs. It can recharge off anything from a 2(4+*&''&$/(41'&*$'"$+$@HO$D"*'$+,3C$4&'$'1(%C$ 1+%$ +$ >&'&*$ '1+'$ %1"9%$ 1"9$ >#21$ 8+''&*0$ D"9&*$ (%$ /&)';$ U,3$ 0"#$ 2+,$ 21+*4&$ ('$ 9('1$ 0"#*$ J5#;.$ A)#(&68$ 9&U)$ V2#-7)67$ !%#%)&6$ ?#6%"-6$ ($79.95) which has enough juice to give you 50 hours of power, 250 lumens of light and can charge up your 2&//$D1",&C$'"";$

!"#$%&#$"'&()*$#'+,,)&--,)($.+)/&0#1)2"34$+,)&'5)67'8))9&%+) 4+0"3+)97:+(;)-"-7(&<)$')#9+)-&,#),+%+<&();+&<,=)(

I

t’s 5:30 a.m., and your alarm is buzzing. !"#$%&'$('$)"*$+,$&-'*+.&+*/0$1"#*$%"$0"#$ 2"#/3$4&'$(,$+$567$*#,$8&)"*&$9"*:;$!"#$ hit ‘snooze’ and roll over as the debate plays "#'$(,$0"#*$1&+3<$!"#$%&'$"#())%$*#++,-*$'.$ +/,0$#(")%1$ =1&,$ 0"#$ *&>&>8&*<$ !"#$ 8&'$ ?56$ ",$ Pact, an app that gives you money if you complete your fitness goals. The bet: that you would run three times this week. If you go, you’ll make a $1. If you don’t, you’ll lose '1&$?56;$$ According to Lizzy Pope, Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the @,(A&*%('0$")$B&*>",'C$'1+'$%>+//$(,2&,'(A&$ >(41'$ 1&/D$ 0"#$ 4&'$ #D$ &+*/(&*C$ &A&,$ ()$ 0"#$ aren’t using the app and the money stops 2">(,4;$ EF,2&$ 0"#$ 1+A&$ +$ 1+8('$ %'+*'&3C$ it’s possible you will become intrinsically >"'(A+'&3CG$%1&$%+(3;$ Apps like Pact that motivate you to &-&*2(%&$ $ 1+A&$ %"+*&3$ (,$ D"D#/+*('0$ "A&*$ '1&$ /+%'$ %&A&*+/$ 0&+*%;$ H">&$ (,2&,'(A(I&$ fitness, whether the reward is actual >",&0C$ "*$ J#%'$ '1&$ 21+,2&$ '"$ 2">D&'&$ 9('1$

!

23$+/,-4$(5&'+$/&6$ ,7.&"+(-+$*&&8$#9#":,0#$ ,0$+&$*&&8$/#()+/$(-8$ 7#-+()$/#()+/;(-8$6#<"#$ ='0+$-&+$8&,-*$,+>$?&$6/%$ -&+$,-:#-+,@,A#$,+1B ;$C,AA%$D&.#

!

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

!"###$%&'"'(%')*%*'%#$+#%',%-./0%1'2#3%/'%,)(*4#(

friends. Others, like MyFitnessPal, allow you to track specifics about your exercise *"#'(,&K,#>8&*$")$%'&D%C$/&,4'1$")$+$*(3&K '"$1&/D$0"#$>&&'$4"+/%$+,3$2">D&'&$+4+(,%'$ yourself. Some, like Pokémon Go (whose

!&<:7+<$#+)>$44(+)*"7'5+5)?&3+)@9+"<;)$')ABCC=( #./0/(1/230456(%738423904(:9;;<4

popularity peaked last September at 27 million downloads per day) weren’t even designed to be fitness apps, but got people >"A(,4$+,09+0;$ ‘Gamification’—using gaming and

*&9+*3%$ '"$ >"'(A+'&$ +$ 8&1+A("*K>(41'$ 8&$ 8"">(,4$*(41'$,"9C$8#'$2+,$('$91(D$0"#$(,'"$ shape? Pope has spent several years trying '"$ +,%9&*$ '1+'$ L#&%'(",;$ H1&$ %'#3(&%$ '1&$ )+2'"*%C$ (,'*(,%(2$ M(,$ '1(%$ 2+%&C$ +$ 4&,#(,&$ love for fitness) and extrinsic (driven by (,2&,'(A&%$"*C$)"*$&-+>D/&C$'1&$3&%(*&$'"$/"":$ 4""3NC$'1+'$>"'(A+'&$#%$'"$&-&*2(%&;$ Most recently, she’s been testing gamification on the people who love games >"%'<$ :(3%C$ O#*/(,4'",$ 1(41$ %21""/$ :(3%C$ specifically. With the help of Marguerite P(88/&$ +,3$ 1&*$ '&+>$ +'$ O#*/(,4'",.8+%&3$ game design company Game Theory, Pope 2*&+'&3$Q+>D$Q",L#&*<$+$4+>&$'1+'$D('%$'1&$ 566$D+*'(2(D+'(,4$1(41$%21""/&*%$+4+(,%'$&+21$ other in an epic virtual water balloon fight.

Here’s how it works: the participants, +*&$ 4(A&,$ R('O('%$ '"$ 2"#,'$ '1&(*$ %'&D%$ +,3$$ divided up into two teams, red and blue. In '1&$4+>&C$%'&D%$'#*,$(,'"$4"/3$2"(,%C$91(21$ can be cashed in for different sizes and L#+/('(&%$ ")$ 9+'&*$ 8+//"",%;$ =1&$ >"*&$ 0"#$ 9+/:$ "*$ *#,C$ '1&$ >"*&$ +,3$ 8&''&*$ 8+//"",%$ 0"#$4&';$

!"#$"%&"'()*+,!!!-!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!++

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

THE WEEKEND WARRIOR JetBoil MiniMo Stove Kit

r

try Cente ross-Coun

C

rica’s First North Ame g 50 Years Celebratin 8 1968-201

Be a part of the season long Trapp Family Lodge Cross-Country Ski Center 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Enjoy 37 miles of groomed cross country skiing trails and 62 miles of backcountry and snowshoeing trails suitable for all abilities.

Purchase your season pass by October 31 and save 20%!

Darn Tough's Switchback Sock

Black Diamond Moji Charging Station Lantern

Gregory Deva 60 Pack (Baltoro 65 for men)

SLICES • CREATIVE ENTRÉES • GLUTEN-FREE MENU • HEALTHY KIDS MENU CRAFT BEERS • GAME ROOM • DELIVERY

ORDER ONLINE

1899 M O U NRTOAAI ND

Merrell Moab Mid 2 WP

STOWE VT 05672 • 802.253.4411

Buy now at blog.trappfamily.com/online-shop

PIECASSO.COM

Nemo Dagger 3-Person Tent

Vermont’s Best Ski Value Vermont Pre-Season Deals* Kid’s Pass (Age 12 & Under)

FREE**

Mad Card

$169

Family Mad Card

$219

Teen Full Pass

$220

20’s Midweek Pass

$199

Midweek Pass

$308

Value Pass

$551

Full Pass

$771

Threesome College Pass

$380

Black Diamond Revolt rechargeable headlamp

Kammok Thylacine Twoin-One Sleeping Bag Arc'teyrx Atom SL Hoody

Unlimited access to Mad River Glen, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, and Sugarbush Mt. Ellen *Passes must be purchased before October 15. **Kids 12 & Under (as of 1/1/18) get free kids passes with the purchase of a Family Mad Card or any adult season pass prior to October 15.

FREE Kids

Passes*

Nemo Tensor Insulated Air Pads

*Free Kids Passes for Kids 12 & Under with purchase of a Family Mad Card or any Adult Season pass!

Photo credit: ©Brian ©Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto

Best Place to Bring Your Kids Up Skiing! 10 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

Powder Magazine

madriverglen.com

GSI Glacier Stainless Nonstick Fry Pan

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 27

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

VS: What kind of racing do you like best? MB:

FEATURED ATHLETE

I like gravel best. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unpredictable and you need bike handling skills, power and aerobic ability. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re riding in a bit of a pack, unlike mountain bike racing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an individual effort but you are racing with friends.

A BADASS DAD

MB: Part of my training revolves around commuting.

My most direct commute is seven miles on either mountain bike trails or roads but there are numerous other options that allow me to add to that commute.

The long way home can be as much as 75 miles.

VS: What are some other races you did this year?

At 44, Mike Barton is still beating pro racers half his age.

Photo courtesy Mike Barton

VS: How crazy was the Overland PavĂŠ Madness?

VS: How did you go from car racing to bike rac-

MB: We were traveling over four-wheel-drive jeep roads that were almost impossible to ride. There were boulders, wet terrain and steep ascents and descents.

We had to travel though 500 yards of beaver bog; the water was waist-deep so you had to carry your bike over your headâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but that was one of the easiest parts of the ride since it was such a hot day. We went down active flowing river beds, traversing back and forth, riding and running, and then there was a steep extended climb. The last few miles were pleasant gravel roads that were more traditional.

ing? MB: I was a stock car driver until I was 25, racing

VS: What kind of a bike do you use for that?

MB: It was the mountain bike version of cyclocross. I rode (and carried) my Cannondale Scalpel which is a dual suspension bike. It was perfect for the course with suspension lockout for the long, steep climbs, but plenty of cushion for the rocky, technical descents and stream crossings, but I still couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ride everything.

locally and regionally. Someone suggested I try mountain bike racing and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never raced on two wheels before but I jumped in and won my first race and moved up through the ranks. At 25 I went to college and raced with the University of New Hampshire team. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where I fell in love with road racing. I then got my masters at Dartmouth and raced my two years there. In 2003, Dartmouth won the national championship and in 2004, I won 9 out of 13 collegiate races and all five races at the national championship. I started working the day after graduation but I continued to race across New England and in New Mexico, California, Bermuda and Ireland. A lot of the folks I raced with ended up racing professionally like Ted King, Brent Bookwalter and Kevin Bouchard-Hall.

Kevin recently got back into racing. I followed him into triathlons and now we do these gravel races together.

MB: I rode the Tour of the Battenkill which had a new format this year. Dave Zabriskie [retired professional bike racer] was there and I beat him by seven minutes and won the race. I was part of a two-man breakaway for 70 miles of a 75-mile race. I did the Rasputista Spring Classic this year and came in third. Both of those Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to do again. I really like the Vermont 50.

I won that three years in a row and have the course record but last year I had a mechanical problem. In 2016, I did the Green Mountain Stage Race as a Master and I try to fit that in when I can. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a number of Ironman Triathlons but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided to focus more on cycling because of the demands of my family and my job which is fairly high stress. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a research and revelopment engineer and I work on projects as diverse as cryogenics, lasers, high-temperature superconductors and electro-mechanical systems. Because of work and family, I really have to pick and choose my events.

VS: Do you ride with your daughters?

MB: Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been riding in the chariot bike since they were born. Last year we did 1,300 miles together. They also have their own tricycles. Last year I got hit by a car and needed surgery to repair my thumb so I rode indoors and I made them both little stationary trainers so they could ride with me. Biking and being outdoors has become a way of life to them. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather be in the bike chariot than the car. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Phyl Newbeck LIM OF ITED FE R $ SUM

HALF MARATHON

14

A Complete Guide to Alpine Skiing Fitness Chapters on endurance, strength, power, speed and agility, with training plans for the entire year.

Includes reference material from over 30 years of research on elite skiers and athletes.

194 pages softcover.

R U N & T R I AT H L O N S E R I E S

t WFSNPOUTVO DPN 28 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

M

.95 ER

#SBOCVSZ 4UBUF 1BSL PO CFBVUJGVM -BLF %VONPSF

L L SVO 4FQUFNCFS t BN

says Jeff Spring, director of Mountain Biking, Disc Golf and Fall Fest at Smuggs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The New England region has really just exploded.â&#x20AC;?

He noted that while disc golf has become huge in other parts of New England, the sport is just taking off in Vermont.

The 2018 Worlds will take place at Smuggs from Sept. 5-8, and will host the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top disc golfers including Paul McBest. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total cash purse, with 200 competitors, was $80,000. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past few years, the top pros have been able to sustain themselves by touring,â&#x20AC;? Spring says.

For those who want a preview of the competition, Smuggs will hold the 2017 Green Mountain Championships for both amateur and pro disc golfers on September 15, as part of Fall Fest. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disc golf the festival also features mountain biking, rock climbing and kayaking, as well as craft foods and beverages. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;E.C.

VS: How do you have time to train?

Name: Mike Barton Age: 44 Lives in: Hanover, N.H. Family Wife Dorothea; twin 3 ½ year old daughters, Evelyn and Emmanuela Occupation: Engineer Primary sports: Cycling, running, triathlon When it comes to cycling, Mike Barton is a late bloomer. His main sport had been stock car racing but when he enrolled in college at age 25 he began to race mountain bikes. Sponsored by First Stop Bike and Ski Shop in Killington, Barton won the inaugural Vermont Overland PavÊ Madness, a 23-mile gravel bike race this past July beating a number of pro riders, including 22-year-old Ansel Dickey.

GREAT OUTDOORS

AVAILABLE NOW from www.befittoski.com

EXCLUSIVELY AT MERRELL .COM AND THESE PARTICIPATING RETAI LERS

Sarah Thomas and her husband in Burlington before her 100-mile swim Photo courtesy Phil White

the swim. She chose Lake Champlain because she wanted a big lake. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you start looking at lakes that are around 100 miles, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that many of them. Lake Champlain definitely fit the bill.â&#x20AC;?

She stayed awake for the 67 hours by taking small amounts of caffeine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The third night I was swimming I was so tired I felt like I was drunk,â&#x20AC;? she said, adding, "and I don't drink alcohol."

Thomas has traveled to Vermont a few times, mainly to swim in Lake Memphremagog with Kingdom Swim, and she said sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the most beautiful part of the country that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever been in,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Emma Cotton

MAT FRASER KEEPS HIS CROSSFIT CROWN Once again, Vermonter Mat Fraser has won the title â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fittest Man on Earth.â&#x20AC;? The Colchester native dominated at the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wis. on August 5-6, the second year in a row that Fraser has taken first place.

Crossfit called Fraserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most dominant performance in CrossFit Games history.â&#x20AC;?

Fraser finished with 1,132 out of 1,300 possible points, leaving the runner-up, Brent Fikowski, in the dust with 916 points. Fraser was the only competitor to place first in more than one event; in fact, he won three events: MuscleUp Clean Ladder, Heavy 17.5 and 2223 Intervals.

In 2014-15, Fraser took second place at the Lifestyle changes earned Fraser his Games. In an interview with title. Photo courtesy Mat Fraser Vermont Sports earlier this year, he called those years the â&#x20AC;&#x153;biggest disappointmentâ&#x20AC;? heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ever experienced, vowing to win in 2016.

In 2016, Fraser made well-rounded lifestyle changesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;he started with a regular sleep schedule, cut junk food from his diet, drank more water and stretched routinely after workouts. In training, he focused on his weaknesses, finding an expert in every category who helped him excel. It seems to have worked. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;E.C.

DISC GOLF WORLDS TO HEADED TO SMUGGS Smugglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Notch has officially won the bid to host the 2018 Disc Golf World Championships, marking a milestone for Vermontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s professional disc golf scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it says a lot about our venue,â&#x20AC;?

All out blaze 2

OLD SAYBROOK , CT N EW HAVEN , CT

Twin sisters and founders Elsie Smith and Serenity Forchion Smith are back leading the New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro.

Photo courtesy

CIRCUS AND BRATT CAVE BACK IN SWING Brattleboroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports scene has seen a few highs and lows this summer. After a dispute between board members and the firing of founders, twin sisters, Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion (above), the New England Center for Circus Arts (covered in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Circus School's Next Act,â&#x20AC;? Vermont Sports, Nov./Dec. 2016) saw protests, resignations and refund requests.

But in late July, the entire board of NECCA resigned and a new board was appointed. To the joy of many, the new board hired the sisters back and appointed Jeffrey Lewis, a former executive director of Brattleboro Development Credit Corp., to be interim executive director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really need to get our students back in here, get circus back in here. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our first priority,â&#x20AC;? Smith told the Brattleboro Reformer.

In other Brattleboro news, a new rock climbing gym, called the BrattCave, or Brattleboro Bouldering Gym, will open in the Cotton Mill at the beginning of September. The gymâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1,100 square feet of space has three 12-foot-tall walls: a 50-degree wall thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16 feet tall, a 13-degree overhang thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 18 feet long, a small vertical wall, and a moon boardâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;a 40-degree training wall that features an array of different handholds. Eager climbers can purchase monthly memberships for $40 and day passes for $10, and rental shoes will be $5 per use. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole community has been pitching in in one way or another,â&#x20AC;? said Tom Mizrahi, one of the three founders of the gym. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been getting a lot of enthusiastic feedback. â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;E.C.

TRAILBLAZER U N CASVILLE, CT

BRAT TLEBORO, VT KEEN E, N H HA DLEY, M A

RA M SEY, N J & SU CCASU N N A , N J

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 9

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

Nothing to lose And a world to see.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

all out blaze 2

RACE & EVENT GUIDE

VERMONT

SPORTS

LISTING YOUR EVENT IN THIS CALENDAR IS FREE AND EASY. VISIT VTSPORTS.COM/ SUBMIT-AN-EVENT OR E-MAIL EDITOR@ VTSPORTS.COM. ALL AREA CODES ARE 802. ALL LOCATIONS ARE IN VERMONT, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. FEATURED EVENTS, IN YELLOW, PAY A NOMINAL FEE.

views of the Adirondacks. Proceeds support the Pride Center of Vermont. pridecentervt.org 9 | Fight For Air Climb, Bennington Race up 412 steps of the historic Bennington Battle Momument in the country’s only race of its kind. The event supports lung disease research. action.lung.org

SEPTEMBER

9 | Endurance Society’s Sky Run, Waitsfield Run a series of climbs to the summit of Gen. Stark Mountain. Pick the 5K Sky Run, with (2,000 feet of vertical climbing), or a 10K (3,700 feet of vertical). endurancesociety.org

2 | Northfield Savings Bank 5K, Northfield A certified 5K course as part of the CVR ORS Race Series.

Start and finish in front of the Northfield Savings Bank at the green in downtown Northfield, Vt. nsbvt.com

9 | Covered Bridge Half Marathon, Charlotte Race along mostly dirt and gravel roads, beginning and ending at Shelburne Beach on Lake Champlain. racevermont.com

2 | Hops For Hope 5K, West Dover Relay For Life hosts a 5K held in conjunction with Mount Snow’s Brewfest. The multi-terrain run/walk is beginner friendly while challenging to even the most seasoned of runners. facebook.com/hopsforhope

9 | SPROUTY Run, Sharon Run a 10K or run/walk a 5K along the White River on mostly dirt and gravel roads, beginning and ending at Shelburne Beach on Lake Champlain. There will be prizes, food and live music, as well as a gift for every race participant. runsignup.com

RUNNING & HIKING

2-3 | Jay Peak Trail Running Festival, Jay Head to northern Vermont for a series of trail races ranging from 5K to 50K. jaypeaktrailrun.com 3 | 49th GMAA Archie Post 5-Miler, Burlington The certified point-to-point course follows the South Burlington Bike Path. gmaa.net 9 | Maple Leaf Half Marathon & 5K, Manchester, Vt. The Make a Wish Foundation hosts a fall half-marathon and 5K race from downtown through picturesque villages and farmlands and back to the finish. runreg.com 9 | Stride For Pride, Burlington Follow the Burlington waterfront in this 5k, which boasts

10 | Old Stone House Fall Foliage Run, Walk and Bike, Brownington Runners, walkers and bikers compete on dirt roads in the Northeast Kingdom. Choose a half marathon or 5K walk/ run, bikers ride 12 miles. oldstonehousemuseum.org

23 | The Vermont Great 2.4.6.8K, Rutland Walk, do a 2K or 4K of the relay or run the whole 8K in downtown Rutland. Proceeds benefit the RRMC Foley Cancer Center. rrmc.org 24 | 25th Annual Vermont 50 Mountain Bike or Ultra Run, West Windsor Ascutney in West Windsor hosts the 22nd year of the 50-mile bike race and 50-mile run. The race also includes a 50K option, a team relay and a free kids fun-run option. vermont50.blogspot.com 24 | The Color Run, Essex Junction, Vt. Runners in this 5K are blasted with colored powder every kilometer while running under inflatable arches. All proceeds benefit The Chill Foundation. thecolorrun.com 23–24 | Adirondack Marathon, Schroon, N.Y. This two-day event includes both half marathon and marathon races, a 5K and 10K, a children’s fun run, dinners and award ceremonies. adirondackmarathon.org 24 | Vermont Sun Half Marathon, Lake Dunmore Run along the shores of Lake Dunmore in a 5K, 10K or half marathon. vermontsuntrithlonseries.com

16 | Common to Common 30K, Essex Junction This certified 30K (18.64 miles) goes through farm country between Essex Center and Westford Common. gmaa.net

24 | Island Vines 10K, South Hero Snow Farm Vineyard serves as the starting point for a flat and scenic 10K on South Hero roads. snowfarm.com

Caring for your active kids... whether at play or on a team With summer coming to a close now is the time to schedule your child’s well-child or fall sports clearance physicals.

Sunday, Sept 24th High Meadows Farm Putney, Vermont

Call today to schedule an appointment!

Gifford Pediatrics .........................728-2420

An adventure over the dirt roads and through the woods!

Gifford Family Medicine ..............728-2445

Fundraiser for the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association

Bethel Health Center ...................234-9913

To conserve and make accessible lands along the Windmill Hill Ridge

Learn more: www.GiffordHealthCare.org

bikereg.com/west-hill-grinder

O U T- O F-T H E - B O X C O M F O R T F O R L I G H T H I K E S

20 | Sodom Pond 4-Miler, Adamant A rolling 4-mile dirt road course loops counter-clockwise around Adamant’s Sodom Pond. runvermont.org

15 | ShoeFly Trail Running Festival, East Burke This festival of trail running welcomes runners and walkers to try 50K, 12-hour, 24-hour solo/team relay, 25K, 10K, 5K or 1-mile races. shoeflytrailrun.org

West Hill Grinder

49 Brickyard Lane, Putney Vermont

17 | TAM Trek, Middlebury The 18-mile-long Trail Around Middlebury hosts a series of races. Runners can choose between 6-mile and 18- mile runs, a 2-mile family fun run and a 3-mile hike or a mountain bike. Course includes single and doubletrack trails, pavement and technical sections. maltvt.org

■

westhillshop.com

■

Gifford Health Care Caring for you... for life.

802-387-5718

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 29

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

!"###$%&'"'(%')*%*'%#$+#%',%-./0%1'2#3%/'%,)(*4#(

!"#$#%&'((#)'*+,#%&'+-#.'/01#23450% Held at the Trapp Family Lodge, these friendly 5K and 10K $/,&(%/,.!-%,/!%,%)/!,$%*44*/$5#&$;%$*%$/;%*5$%$/,&(%/5##&#)=% $*%(**@%6*/%;*5/%4!/-*#,(%E!-$=%*/%$*%45$%$3!%4!1,(%1*2#% ,#1%)*%6*/%$3!%)*(1:%-&'./0102&"3/('4% !6789#$#:'&(44,#;/34*0&<0=3#.'/01#>+,?=4&% The Harpoon Brewery holds the annual 3.6-mile road /,.!=%6*((*2!1%E;%,#%N@$*E!/6!-$%*#%$3!%E/!2!/;%)/*5#1-:% Proceeds benefit the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer C!#$!/:%5042''$')&'6/47/-&40)/()'* !6#7#@9A@#$#B&+==C#D40E-#.F,,+,G#)'H(1#.+/EH4,?% Join trail running legend and Julbo Athlete Krissy Moehl, 6*/%,%2!!@!#17(*#)%/5##&#)%.,04%$3,$%2&((%&#.(51!%-@&((-=% )/*54%$/,&(%/5#-%6*/%,((%,E&(&$&!-=%.(,--/**0%4/!-!#$,$&*#-% and discussions, all at Cochran’s Ski Area. 89#6'()'* 89#$#.F,#<4&#%E0#:0'&31#D4&&+=I+--0% Copley Hospital organizes a 5K run at Oxbow Park, which .*##!.$-%$*%$3!%Q,0*&((!%O,((!;%T,&(%</,&(:%T5##!/-%2&((%6*(7 (*2%$3!%/,&(%$/,&(%E,.@%$*%$3!%6&#&-3:%)'2#/:3&('4%; 89#$#@63E#J,,F'-#23'&K#D4F,3'+,#:+--#)-+H*A.F,1# L'C=34,# Run from the Mad River Glen base lodge to the summit of Stark Mountain. This climb is part of Mad River Glen’s U/!!#%,#1%U*(1%D!!@!#1:%*014"3/4%#/$()'* 89#$#L&4,3#M4&/E0=#:'-<#D'&'3E4,1#N0--45=#L'--=% F%3,(6%0,/,$3*#%/5#-%$3/*5)3%$3!%"&((,)!%*6%B!((*2-%A,((-% ,#1%,(*#)%$3!%C*##!.$&.5$%T&"!/:%3&74'$&2'4)5/-50#7()'*

;)%;NO. @#$#P0'<#M00(0&=#:'-<#D'&'3E4,1#>'30&*F&C#% CVR’s fundraiser for the Harwood Union Boosters Club is an out-and-back on paved and dirt roads. Part of the CVR NT?%T,.!%?!/&!-:%#/072//2/4-50#7*040&5'$('4%; Q#$#J&3#%F?E4(0#@9B1#)E'&-4330% T5#%*#%,%6,-$%*5$7,#17E,.@%.*5/-!%2&$3%,%0&R%*6%1&/$%,#1% 4,"!1%/*,1-%,#1%4(!,-,#$%-.!#!/;%V%,44(!%*/.3,/1-=%"&!2-% ,(*#)%Q,@!%C3,04(,&#%,#1%,%.*"!/!1%E/&1)!:%A&#&-3!-%,$% ?3!(E5/#!%E!,.3:%%*00($/& R#$#L-C#34#M+0#B+,G?4H#D'&'3E4,1#>0=3#S-4I0&#% Kingdom Games’ 26.2-mile running (and bike) point-to4*&#$%/,.!%6*((*2-%1&/$%/*,1-%$3/*5)3%I$3!%)5$>%*6%$3!%

Northeast Kingdom. 17-, 13.5-, and 6-mile, run, bike or 3&@!%*4$&*#-:%!"$%1'*%0*/-()'% R#$#D'?#T'=E1#>'+3=<+0-?1#U3V#% Runners support the Mad River Path with a 10K and 5K /,.!:%C*005#&$;%(5#.3%6*((*2-:%*014"3/420&5()'*; R#$#W4&3E#L'/0#.'/0#34#3E0#2FHH+31#23&'334,% Stratton Mountain Resort hosts a race to the summit of the $,((!-$%0*5#$,&#%&#%-*5$3!/#%O!/0*#$=%,%1&-$,#.!%*6%J:KS% 0&(!-%2&$3%,#%!(!",$&*#%),&#%*6%J=KKM%6!!$:%-&40&&'$()'*; ; R#$#.+(34,#.+?G0#.F,1#.+(34,% <3!%T&4$*#%W(!0!#$,/;%?.3**(%3*-$-%&$-%,##5,(%65#1/,&-!/% with a 5K run, 10.4K run and a noncompetitive 5K fun 2,(@:%F((%.*5/-!-%-$,/$%,#1%6&#&-3%,$%$3!%T&4$*#%W(!0!#$,/;% ?.3**(:%4"2&'$4"1%/49$(011"-'$)/$&40#-9('4%% @"#$#>0=3H4&0#D4F,3'+,#)E'--0,G01#)E'&-0=34,% One day, five mountains, 26 miles. Hike the beautiful 0*5#$,&#%$/,&(-%*6%$3!%X*/$3!,-$%'&#)1*0%&#%65((%,5$50#% .*(*/:%A5((%,#1%3,(6%0,/,$3*#%/*5$!-%,",&(,E(!:%A&#&-3!-%,$% $3!%X*/$3D**1-%?$!2,/1-3&4%C!#$!/%(*1)!%2&$3%1&##!/% ,#1%4/&Y!-:;$'4&5.''1-)/$&/4('4% @"#$#)+&/FHNF&K0#D%N#)E'--0,G0#',?#%&'+-#.F,1# O'=3#NF&K0% <3&-%,##5,(%0*5#$,&#%E&@!%,#1%$/,&(%/5##&#)%/&$5,(%6*((*2-% an epic and brutal 26-plus miles around Burke and Z04&/!%0*5#$,&#-%*#%'&#)1*0%</,&(-%-&#)(!$/,.@:%)"4)9*< 694!/('4%; @"#$#%&'((#L'H+-C#P4?G0#D4F,3'+,#D'&'3E4,1# 23450% F%.3,((!#)&#)%3,(6%,#1%65((%0,/,$3*#%1&-$,#.!%$/,&(%/5#%&#% the heart of the Green Mountains during peak foliage sea7 -*#:%&4022*'9$&0"$*040&5'$()'* @"#$#2E0-*F&,0#L'&H=#XB1#2E0-*F&,0% B!)&##&#)%,#1%!#1&#)%,$%$3!%?3!(E5/#!%A,/0-%C*,.3%B,/#:% T5#%4,-$%Q,@!%C3,04(,&#=%$3/*5)3%$3!%6,/0%$/,&(-%,#1% fields before making your way past the Inn at Shelburne A,/0-%$*%$3!%6&#&-3%(&#!:;40)/3/4*'$&()'* @X#$#.F,#>+3E#%E0#:0&40=#XB1#>+--+=34, Support Special Olympics Vermont in this 5K, sponsored by the Williston Police and Fire Departments. The race is open $*%$3!%45E(&.%,#1%2&((%E!)&#%,#1%!#1%,$%$3!%D&((&-$*#% Community Park in Williston:;-2/)"0#'#:*2")-3/4*'$&('4%

!

@X#$#"Q3E#J,,F'-#S&00,#D4F,3'+,#D'&'3E4,1## 24F3E#:0&4## T5#%*5$%,#1%E,.@%*#%$3!%2!-$%-3*/!-%*6%?*5$3%[!/*%,#1% Grand Isle, on rolling terrain that passes farms, apple */.3,/1-%,#1%-500!/%.*$$,)!-=%&#%$3&-%.!/$&6&!1%0,/,$3*#% ,#1%3,(670,/,$3*#:%%*00($/&; !@#$#DF??CY=#NF??+0=#XB#>'-KA.F,1#2E0-*F&,0% A yearly tribute to Muddy, a sweet and gentle chocolate lab who never missed a race or a chance to make someone’s day. A portion of the net proceeds from this run/walk will go to local dog charities. Choose to run/walk with or with7 out a furry friend. Muddy wouldn’t want it any other way. <3!%.*5/-!%&-%,%\%(**4%.*5/-!%,/*5#1%$3!%)/*5#1-%*6% O!/0*#$%<!11;%B!,/:;40)/3/4*'$&()'*

W;UODNO. "#$#L'--0,#P0'I0=#XB1#D4,3(0-+0&% Part of a low-key, 3-race series. The flat and fast 5K course begins and ends on the Montpelier High School track and incorporates the Montpelier bike path. )349$$/4-('4% X#$#L'--#XBA@9B#Z#:'-<#D'&'3E4,1#2E0-*F&,0% The Half Marathon is a loop course that begins at Shelburne Field House, where you’ll run into the country7 -&1!=%4,-$%?3!(E5/#!%A,/0-%,#1%$*%$3!%?3!(E5/#!%?3&4;,/1% where you’ll turn around and head back home. 0)&"3/()'* !8#$#SDJJ#%F&K0C#%&431#NF&-+,G34,% A certified 5K on the University of Vermont women’s cross .*5#$/;%.*5/-!:%D,(@!/-%,/!%2!(.*0!%&#%$3&-%/,.!%E!#!6&$7 &#)%$3!%C3&$$!#1!#%W0!/)!#.;%A**1%?3!(6:%T,.!%-$,/$-%,$%LL% ,:0:%,$%$3!%U5$$!/-*#%A&!(1%[*5-!:%%*00($/&

!"#$%"&'()'*+,&-+./0+12+,3.+&#(+ ./$.)'+&*+0.)-+*4')&,+("5#+60.)+ 4"7#0'-8*+.&/'/)*0+4"7'*)6++&0+0.)+9:;+ <"'=(+>73+&0+?/==/#$0"#+0./*+,"#0.@+!

!./0/12

"#$%$!&'!"()*!+$*,-.

2OM%ODNO. @7"#$#S&00,#D4F,3'+,#23'G0#.'/01#>'+3=<+0-?#% The largest pro/amateur road stage race east of the Mississippi returns to Vermont with four days of time % $/&,(-=%./&$!/&50%/,.!-%,#1%,%)/,#%6*#1*:%%*-4("$7';

&'<;!E47002!I-.,787(1,7)9!I)+.2-2! ! !

R+06-.,!F+,@)).!I-9,-.S!L17.0--S!TC! !

Wilderness EMT Module!

Cost: "&;'!(meals, lodging, course materials)! Cost: "#$%!(meals, lodging, course materials)! !"&<'!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials)! !!!!!!!!!!!"%&'!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials)!

December 16-19!

Optional:!

American Heart Association CPR (Heartsaver)!

Cost: "=%!

EMT WILD Day! November 19-20!

Cost: "<#'!(lunch, course materials)!

Wilderness First Responder!

>1?!6-!+2-@!12!87.2,!3108!)8!1!AB>C!6.7@D-!! ()+.2-!57,3!EFGF:!

Cost: "H&%!(meals, lodging, course, materials)! !";='!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials)!

December 10-19! !

Wilderness First Responder Review (Recertification) Cost: $290 (meals, lodging, course, materials) !"&$'!()**+,-.!(lunch, course materials) !"=%!I/J!J-K(-.,787(1,7)9!

November 18-19!

,-!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!9!!/0"102304!5678

!"#$%#&!$&'(!#%)(*+#*&,$+-&.$/)01#*&$(2+$ +-&!(2.#$&3-44#*&$"-!$5#*4)2!$

!R#$#%E0#B+,G?4H#)E'--0,G01#PC,?4,I+--0% F%.3,((!#)&#)%4*&#$7$*74*&#$%3,(6%0,/,$3*#%E!$2!!#% Q;#1*#"&((!%,#1%?$:%]*3#-E5/;:%C*5/-!%/5#-%$3/*5)3%6*5/% .*"!/!1%E/&1)!-:%&5/!"$%1'*)50##/$%/()'*

Wilderness First Aid / CPR

!

!"#$%&'()*+,& '"*-&."&/.

!"#$%&'(%)''"*

December 16!

2018 Course Dates will be available soon! /0-12-!(3-(4!)+.!5-627,-!8).!*).-!

798).*1,7)9:!

UU!<'V!>707,1.?!

M72()+9,!72!1W170160-!

8).!100!)8!)+.!E47002! !

I-.,787(1,7)9!I)+.2-2! !

! L).!*).-!798).*1,7)9!).!,)!.-D72,-.:!/0-12-!()9,1(,!G?99!M10?!1,!N'&K$$$K$='%!).!!

GOING DOWNHILL, FAST Ever just let loose downhill on a skateboard?

On September 7-9, more than 100 of the world’s top longboard downhill racers and lugers compete in the International Downhill Federation’s final World Cup !"!#$% &#% '&((&#)$*#+,% -./!,0&#)% 1!-.!#$% 1*2#% $3!% -$/,&)3$-% ,#1% 3,&/4&#% $5/#-% *6% Roundabout and East Mountain Roads.

“Last year, winner Carlos Paixao of Brazil hit 68 mph and Spanish luger Mikel Diez clocked 81 mph,” says race organizer Mike Gerard. There’s also a freeride option for #*#7-,#.$&*#!1% /&1!/-% 82&$3% ,#1% 2&$3*5$% 4/*$!.$&"!%(!,$3!/%)!,/9:% “In distance and steepness, it’s the

3,&/&!-$% .*5/-!% &#% $3!% .*5#$/;% ,#1% $3!% fastest IDF track in the world” says Girard, 23*% -5))!-$-% -4!.$,$*/-% (&#!% 54% 6*/% $3!% Sunday finals at what he calls “Tetanus <5/#=>% #,0!1% 6*/% $3!% /5-$;% )5,/1% /,&(:% ?4!.$,$*/% -35$$(!-% 2&((% (!,"!% 6/*0% $3!% ?@;!-3&4%)*#1*(,%4,/@&#)%,/!,:%A*/%1!$,&(-% -!!%!"##"$%&'$()'* Meanwhile, the A-Dog skate park on $3!% B5/(&#)$*#% 2,$!/6/*#$% 3*-$!1% -*0!% heavy talent in late August. Professional skateboarder and Mountain Dew team rider Sean Malto was in Vermont for the first time along with fellow Dew team /&1!/-% &#.(51&#)% C5//!#% C,4(!-% ,#1% Vermonters Jordan Maxham of Barre and

D&((&-$*#% 3*0!% E*;% C3/&-% C*(E*5/#:% F(-*% G*&#&#)% $3!% H!2% -@,$!% ./!2% 2!/!% 6*/0!/% pro skateboarding brothers Mark and Tino Razo of Bennington. The occasion?

A-Dog Day (Aug.25), celebrating the life of Burlington's DJ/turntablist Andy IF7H*)>% D&((&,0-=% 23*-!% 4,--&*#% &#% 05-&.=% -@,$!E*,/1&#)% ,#1% ,/$% !,/#!1% 3&0% /!.*)#&$&*#%,-%,%.5($5/,(%&.*#:%<3!%,##5,(% non-profit event brings awareness to Acute Myeloid Leukemia, the disease that cost F#1;%3&-%(&6!%E,.@%&#%H!.!0E!/%JKLM:%N"!/% the course of four days, Malto and friends 2!/!%-.3!15(!1%$*%"!#$5/!%,./*--%O!/0*#$% $*%-*0!%*6%$3!%0*-$%!4&.%-@,$!%-4*$-:%D,$.3% 6*/%,%6*((*2754%&#%*5/%N.$*E!/%&--5!:%+,(,

100-MILE SWIM SETS RECORD F$%MPMK%,:0:%*#%F5)5-$%LK=%C*(*/,1*%#,$&"!% ?,/,3% <3*0,-% -2,0% *#$*% ,% E!,.3% &#% Rouses Point, NY after swimming for 67 3*5/-% ,#1% LKK% 0&(!-% &#% Q,@!% C3,04(,&#:% <3!% 2!,$3!/% E/*5)3$% ,% 0&R% *6% .*#1&$&*#-P% 3!,12&#1-=% $,&(2&#1-=% .3*44&#!--=% /,&#% ,#1% E!,5$&65(% .,(0% 2,$!/-=% E5$% <3*0,-% was ready for it. The 35-year-old had 4/!"&*5-(;% E/*@!#% $3!% /!.*/1% 6*/% ,#% 5#,--&-$!1%-*(*%*4!#%2,$!/%-2&0%23!#%-3!% swam 82 miles in Arizona’s Lake Powell in 2016. With the Lake Champlain swim, she E/*@!%3!/%/!.*/1%E;%LS%0&(!-:% <3*0,-% -,;-% -3!% 4/!4,/!1% E;% swimming 25 to 30 hours every week until

(3-(4!)+.!5-627,-!3,,OPQQ,79?+.0:()*QRFIK&'<%KE47002!

/0"102304!!5678!!!9!!!"#$%&'#$()&*!!!+

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

VERMONT

OP

SPORTS

ADVENTURE DOG CONTEST

3 | Labor Day 130K, Peru Ride 85 miles through southern Vermont with an elevation gain of 7,500 feet. Ride is unsupported and raises money for Rare Disease Research. rasopathiesnet.org

30 | Hungry Lion Bike Tour, Whitingham These 35-, 55- and 75-mile road bike rides are fully supported with rest stops, sag wagon, BBQ, music and beer. hungrylionbiketour.com

4 | Richard Tom Foundation Kids’ Criterium, Burlington This free, noncompetitive event is open to kids ages 7-11.

Kids ages 7-8 ride for two laps and 9-to 11-year olds ride for four laps. The Foundation was formed to honor Richard Tom, who was fatally struck by a speeding driver in 2015. bikereg.com/the-green-mountain-stage-race.

30 | Allen Clark Hill Climb, Waitsfield Climb 1,600 vertical feet in 6.2 miles from Route 100 to the top of Appalachian Gap. achillclimb.org

8 | Grand Grand Prix, Quebec City; 10 | Grand Grand Prix, Montreal The UCI WorldTour comes to Quebec and Montreal with world teams, professional continental teams and national teams going head-to-head in criterium-style races in historic Montreal and Quebec. gpcqm.ca

OCTOBER 2 | Triple Crown Enduro, Burke Burke Mountain Bike Park hosts the second of a threestop series, with riders competing on Burke’s downhill trails for more than $30,000 in cash. skiburke.com

MULTISPORT, WATERSPORTS & OTHER SEPTEMBER

EXTREME SCENES s BEST FACE SHOT s 0503 ). !#4)/. s G2%!4 34/2)%3

9 | 12th Annual Kelly Brush Ride, Middlebury With 20-, 50-, 65-, 85- or 100-mile options, this scenic, fully-supported ride through the Champlain Valley draws over 700 cyclists and dozens of handcyclists. Followed by a festive BBQ. kellybrushfoundation.org

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

10 | Cabot Ride the Ridges, Cabot With routes of 10, 30, 60 and 100K, this ride through Peacham and Cabot is for everyone. ridetheridges.net 23 | The Moose Redux, East Burke This 103-mile ride runs through on recently repaved roads.

The Team Challenge pits teams of 3 to 10 riders based on the cumulative fastest three times. kingdomgames.co

8-10 | 90-Miler Adirondack Canoe Classic, Old Forge, NY This three-day, 90-mile flatwater race follows the original highways of the Adirondacks from Old Forge to Saranac Lake, with a mix of lake and river paddling. macscanoe.com 11 | In Search of Memphre VI, Newport Swimmers take on a 25-mile swim from Newport, Vt. across the border to Magog, Quebec. kingdomgames.co 15 – 18 | FallFest at Smugglers’ Notch, Cambridge A weekend of fdisc golf, live music food, a limited beer release from Fiddlehead and guided climbing in the Notch

by Burlington’s Petra Cliffs. smuggs.com

15 | Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship, Jeffersonville Smugglers’ Notch hosts a point series of five tournaments as part Smuggler’s Notch Fall Fest. The top 48 in the series compete for a prize of $10,000. smuggs.com 16-17 | Spartan Race, Killington Obstacle course racers tackle the Beast of the East in the famously tough Spartan Race. Obstacles include walls, nets, sandbag carries and plenty of mud. killington.com 17 | 41st Annual Josh Billings Runaground Triathlon, Great Barrington, Ma. Run, bike and canoe/SUP/kayak through five towns in the Berkshires to the finish line at the Tanglewood Music Festival. joshbillings.com

OCTOBER 7 | Lunafest Women’s Film Festival, Burlington Lunafest is a national film festival that features short films by, for, and about women, hosted this year by Girls on the Run Vermont, with special speaker Karen Newman, world-class triathlete, cancer and eating disorder survivor, author, and dietitian. lunafest.org 7 | VT SKI + RIDE EXPO, Burlington The biggest ski show to hit Vermont comes to the waterfront Hilton in Burlington on Oct. 7. See the latest gear, find out about resort deals, watch new ski movie releases, enjoy live music from three bands and kick back at the Long Trail brew tent. Details and tickets at vtskiandride. com/expo2017/

24 | West Hill Grinder, Putney Start and finish these dirt road rides at High Meadows Farm. The moderate to challenging routes wind through Putney, Dummerston, and Westminster. Lunch by Taco Barn. Register by Sept. 17. bikereg.com/west-hill-grinder 26 | Stone Valley 50 Gravel Grinder, Poultney Gravel grinders can test themselves on either a 50-mile race; or a 20-mile noncompetitive tour. stonevalley50.com

35"-)4

14TH ANNUAL

yo

rk

on our website at vtsports.com

Ma

STORIES, PHOTOS & VIDEOS

By Sept 10, 2017 9-17

7). awesome prizes, including pup gear from

COURSE

2017

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17 2017

ur c

a le n d a r s!

18-mile & 6-mile timed runs, 2-mile family fun run/walk. All courses are loops on pristine trails through woods, farmland, meadow and river valleys, circumnavigating the town.

LOCATION Start & end at Wright Park in Middlebury, VT. Post-race celebration with refreshments, prizes & music.

All welcome, any ability.

VERMONT

SPORTS

Event hosted by the Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT).

All proceeds help to maintain & improve the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM).

Registration open now at http://www.maltvt.org SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 31

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

End of Season Canoe, Kayak and SUP Clearance Sale!

THE START

IKE SHOPS

91

89 7

2

14

4

ALPINE SHOP

1184 Williston Rd. South Burlington, VT 802-862-2714

ALPINE SHOP V

E

R

M

O

N

www.AlpineShopVT.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10am–6pm; Sun. 10am–5pm (Hours change seasonally) Specializing in mountain, hybrid and commuter bikes from Norco and Felt, Alpine Shop is a full service Bike Shop conveniently located off Exit 14E with ample parking & riding space. Plus 15,000 square feet of stylish clothing for men and women with a full inventory of gear, shoes and apparel for tennis. Vermont’s favorite outdoor gear and apparel store since 1963.

2

BATTENKILL BICYCLES

99 Bonnet St. Manchester, VT 802-362-2734 www.battenkillbicycles.com Hours: 9:30am–5:30pm every day Full selection of men and women’s clothing.

Rentals available. Great back roads. Road rides Thursdays at 6 pm, Beginner Rides Fridays at 6 pm.

3

BELGEN CYCLES

24 Bridge St, Richmond VT 802-434-4876 www.belgencycles.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10:30am–6:30pm Closed Sundays Belgen Cycles offers custom and stock bicycles supported by 39 years of hands on experience.

Focused on the right bike for you covering the spectrum from road to ‘cross and mountain to fat with selections from Salsa, Xprezo, Moots, Parlee, Litespeed, Lynskey and Soma. Full service maintenance and repair as well as fitting solutions. In business as Village Bicycle in Richmond for 19 years.

32 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

T

6 Burlington 1

15

89

2

93

2

17

7

2

Montpelier

100

12

16

302

91 125

We are a full service bike shop at the base of the Mt. Greylock State reservation. We also border a beautiful 12 mile, paved rail trail. We carry Jamis, Rocky Mtn. and GT. We offer sales, repairs, and hybrid bike rentals for the rail trail.

89

125

BERKSHIRE OUTFITTERS

5

73 7

100

9

Photo by Lisa Lynn

11

T

103

7

Manchester Center 2

91 100

5

9

CHUCK’S BIKES

7

103

18

45 Bridge St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-7642

The Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative gathering at the Grafton Inn in August.

4

Rutland

4

berkout@bcn.net

9 100

EAST BURKE SPORTS

439 Route 114 East Burke VT 802-626-3215 www.eastburkesports.com Hours: 9am-6pm every day

4

www.chucksbikes802.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–5:30pm Sat. 9am–3pm, closed Sundays Putting smiles on people’s faces for 35ish years.

Bikes by Transition, Norco, KHS, Surly, Raleigh, Marin and Diamondback.

6

3

8

RR 169 e t da s

413-743- 5900

5

Save 20% to 40% on Every New, Used & Demo Canoe, Kayak, & SUP in Stock!* Visit our Paddlesports Stores in Old Forge and Saratoga Springs September 22 -24! Every Canoe, Kayak and SUP in stock will be on sale!

15

15 13

sponsored content

1

7

5

5

10

AROUND VERMONT

A STATE OF (RE)CREATION

100

EARL’S CYCLERY

2500 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT 802-864-9197 www.earlsbikes.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 10am–7pm Sat. 10am–6pm, Sun. 11am–5pm Earl’s has Vermont’s largest selection of mountain, road, hybrid, and kids’ bikes, clothing and accessories, helmets, shoes, and car racks. Plus an extensive women’s department, a full service department with a wide assortment of parts and tools on hand, ample parking, and a test ride trail!

We are the original home to Kingdom Trails. Located in the heart of town, we pride ourselves in expert knowledge while providing friendly customer service. A full service shop awaits you and your repair needs. We have 100 rental bikes with an enormous selection of clothing, parts, and accessories.

8

FROG HOLLOW BIKES

74 Main Street Middlebury VT 802-388-6666 www.froghollowbikes.com Hours: Fri. 9:30am–6:30pm, Sun. 11am–4pm Take advantage of the most advanced and courteous service in our region, including a quick turn-around in our service shop downstairs.

Upstairs in the sales room, we offer the best in new and used road, mountain, lifestyle, and children’s bikes and new gear. We carry brands that offer superior products that balance innovation and performance with reliability and value.

wenty years ago, I visited a town where time stood still. I worked for Bicycling magazine at the time. Our new editorial team was looking for a place where we could retreat from the summer heat of our Pennsylvania headquarters, ride quiet roads and rethink the magazine. We chose the white clapboard town of Grafton, Vt. and the Grafton Inn, beautifully preserved thanks to the Windham Foundation.

One of the oldest inns in the country, Grafton is a place that has sparked creativity for generations. Rudyard Kipling used to ride up from his home in Dummerston to sit in the porch rockers. The likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Daniel Webster, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson have all been visitors.

Before the Civil War, the town boomed thanks to the nearby soapstone mines and the population was over 1,500. As of the 2010 census, it was 675.

This August 2-3, I returned to Grafton for a very different retreat. Governor Scott’s newly-formed Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative invited a diverse group of stakeholders to consider what could be done to grow Vermont’s outdoor economy. As Windham Foundation’s Liz Bankowski put it, “The beauty of Grafton is that nothing seems to have changed here in the past 100 years. But that’s our challenge too: how do we grow Vermont’s rural towns?

How do we get young people to move here or businesses to grow here?”

Governor Scott noted in his opening remarks: “There are six fewer workers everyday when we wake up. There are three fewer kids in our public education system and nearly one baby born to an addictive mom every single day. That sums up our challenges and opportunities."

Can growing outdoor recreation help

solve this? Already, more than 51,000 direct jobs and $5.5 billion in consumer spending annually can be traced to outdoor recreation in Vermont, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

Rural towns such as East Burke have seen as much as $16 million in economic activity annually thanks to Kingdom Trails.

Others, such as Rochester, are hoping to reinvent themselves as backcountry ski and bike centers. New this year, Grafton added mountain biking to its trail network.

"We need to cater to a new generation," Bankowski acknowledged.

After two days, four key areas emerged as VOREC objectives: 1) To promote entrepreneurial and business opportunities for both for-profits and non-profits. 2) Strengthen the quality and extent of our recreational resources. 3) Strengthen stewardship of our recreational resources (both private and public). 4) Increase opportunities for diverse individuals and groups to participate, lead and own Vermont’s outdoor industry and culture.

This last point struck home. We all know people who have moved to Vermont because of the outdoors. And that's true for the two randomly selected winners of Vermont Sports recent Gregory Pack/ Merrell/Sugarbush/Green Mountain Club Summer Giveaway. One winner, Caroline Gambell, a hiker, moved to Vermont year ago to spend more time in the mountains.

The other, Eric Westphal and his wife (both physician's assistants) are moving from Boston this month.

How do we get more folks like them to move? Perhaps outdoor recreation is the answer. That trip to Grafton 20 years ago was a chance to recreate and re-create: riding the backroads of southern Vermont I fell in love with the state. Then, four years later, I moved here.

—Lisa Lynn,

New York’s Largest Canoe, Kayak & SUP Dealer!

Over 1,000 in stock!

www.MountainmanOutdoors.com

*Excludes Swift Canoes & Kayaks and BOTE SUPs

Rt. 28, Old Forge • (315) 369-6672 251 County Rd. 67, Saratoga Springs • (518) 584-0600

Featured in l, reet Journa W The all St l Gazette ea tr on M , be Boston Glo Pouce and Sur le SMOKED MEAT

LIBATIONS BREWERY

®

Daysies Winners 2012-2017

WHATEVER KIND OF PEEPING YOU’RE INTO THIS FALL, POP IN FOR A HOOCH BEFORE YOU GO! Brewery opens every day at 11:30AM for LUNCH + SUPPER 23 South Main Street • Waterbury, Vermont prohibitionpig.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 5

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

Trim

BEGINS WITH U.S. FINISHES WITH Y U.

LYCRA® IS A TRADEMARK OF INVISTA

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Mountains-To-Sea Trail Lightweight Hikers COMFORT COMPRESSION USING LYCRA® FIBER

All day comfort and minimizes foot fatigue.

IMPACT CUSHIONING & VENTILATION ZONES

37 Church St. Burlington, VT 802-860-0190

www.greenmountainbikes.com Hours: 7 days a week 10am–6pm

9 RTE 17 Waitsfield VT 05673 802-496-4800

www.gearx.com Hours: Mon.–Thurs. 10am–8pm Fri.–Sat. 10am–9pm, Sun. 10am–6pm

Find us on Facebook Hours: Tues.-Fri. 9am-6pm * Close at 5pm on Thursdays for Shop ride.

Sat. 9am-4pm, Sun. 9am-1pm, closed on Mon.

www.highpeakscyclery.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–6pm, Sun. 9am–5pm

Provides extra protection on the top of the foot, while also facilitating adequate air flow around the foot.

M’s & W’s Elkin Valley

Named after sections of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail

East Burke –Victory, Vermont

Run it: 26 mile trail circuit

Lake Placid’s source for bicycling and outdoor gear since 1983! Sales, Service, Rentals and Tours. Bikes

by Yeti, Foundry, Salsa, Surly, Giant and Scott. Your information headquarters for Lake Placid and the Adirondacks for gravel road, mountain biking and road riding adventures. Free maps. ADK80 and Ironman race info and course conditions.

EXCHANGE

OGE offers Burlington riders a premier bike shop with a knowledgeable, friendly, and honest staff. We have commuters and gravel grinders from Marin and KHS, mountain bikes from Pivot, Transition, Rocky Mountain, and Yeti, and a wide consignment selection as well as demo fleet so you can try it before you buy it. Our service department is capable of everything from tuning your vintage road bike to servicing your new mountain bike and offers full Fox shock service.

Come on down and see us on Church St!

14 POWER PLAY SPORTS 35 Portland St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-6557 www.powerplaysports.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–6pm, Sat. 8:30am–5pm Sun. 10am–4pm North Central Vermont’s Trek and Giant Dealer.

With over 200 new and used bikes PPS has a bike for everyone. Service and rentals too!

17 WATERBURY SPORTS 46 South Main St. Waterbury, VT 802-882-8595 www.waterburysportsvt.com Hours: 7 days a week Mon.–Thurs. 10am–6pm, Fri.–Sat. 9am–7pm Sun. 10am–4pm WBS sells Trek and Giant bikes of every flavor from high end mountain bikes to kids, hybrids and cross bikes. Our service techs are among the best in northern VT. We also rent and Demo from our downtown location right near the Perry Hill Trails.

18 WEST HILL BIKE SHOP

20 Hanover St. Lebanon, NH 603-448-3522

85 Main St. Burlington, VT 802-658-3313

49 Brickyard Ln. Putney, VT 802-387-5718

www.omerandbobs.com Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9am–6pm, Sat. 9am–5pm Closed Sundays

www.skirack.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10am–7pm, Sun. 11am–5pm

www.westhillshop.com Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10am–6pm

Locally owned since 1969, Skirack provides gear, clothing, expert fitting and accessories for all cyclists, with full service tuning and repairs...plus complete bike suspension service on most forks and rear shocks. Designated one of America’s Best Bike Shops, Skirack is blocks from Lake Champlain.

Open 8am Mon-Sat for bike service, car racks and rentals. Road and mountain bike rentals at rentals. www.skirack.com.

Since 1971, the West Hill Shop has been a low-key, friendly source for bikes ‘n gear, service and rare wisdoms. We are known regionally as the go-to place for problem-solving technicians. Our bike fitters specialize in comfort without sacrificing efficiency. Recently, we’ve focused on stocking gravel road bikes, with awesome dirt road riding right out our door. Join us for our Annual West Hill Grinder Sept. 24. It’s truly a rural adventure with loops on scenic gravel roads or wily trails.

20 Langdon St. Montpelier, VT 802-229-9409

Runners register at https://www.runreg.com/6841

Located at the lowest spot in the Mad River Valley so you can coast in when you break your bike on a ride! 20 years of advise, directions and fixing anything that pedals. You know you want a Yeti. Come try one of ours!

15 SKIRACK

12 ONION RIVER SPORTS

For more information go to www.circumburke.org.

BIKE WORKS

11OMER & BOB’S

The Upper Valley’s bike shop since 1964. We carry road bikes, mountain bikes and kids bikes from specialty brands including Trek, Specialized and Colnago. Featuring a full service department offering bike fitting, bike rentals and a kids’ tradein, trade-up program.

Winner of Vermont Sports Black Diamond Award for 3 years running, the challenging 26.2 mile CircumBurke course circles Burke and Umpire mountains on the famed Kingdom Trails network and the remote singletrack of the Victory Hill Sector.

With over 3,000 feet of climbing and descending each lap, CircumBurke challenges runners and mountain bikers to push their limits, while enjoying the sweet Vermont singletrack in a fun, laid back atmosphere.

4 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

105 N. Main St. Rochester, VT 800-767-7882

BIKES

2733 Main St. Lake Placid, NY 518-523-3764

Marathon Trail Run & MTB Challenge • Oct. 14, 2017

Bikers register at; https://www.bikereg.com/33111

16 STARK MOUNTAIN

10 HIGH PEAKS CYCLERY

FEATURING

Ride it: 26 or 52-mile trail circuit

13 OUTDOOR GEAR

Located in the center of Vermont, the heart of the Green Mountains, we are surrounded by terrain that calls to mountain and road bikers alike.

Whether you ride twisting trails or back to back gaps, we service, sell, and rent all styles of bicycles, featuring Kona, Jamis, Juliana, Raleigh, Santa Cruz, Transition, and Hinderyckx bikes - hand crafted by our own Rochester boy Zak Hinderyckx. So STOP READING and RIDE YOUR BIKE!

NOW AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE IN BOTH MEN’S & WOMEN’S

9 GREEN MOUNTAIN

www.onionriver.com Hours: Mon.–Thurs. 9am–6pm, Fri. 9am–8pm, Sat. 9am–5pm, Sun. 11am–4pm

The friendly, expert staff at Onion River Sports will help you find the perfect bike for every adventure, whether it’s a mountain, gravel, hybrid, road, kids, or fat bike — plus cycling accessories, apparel, car racks, and more outdoor gear. We also offer professional, comprehensive bike services, rentals, and bike shipping.

GEAR UP & JOIN THE PACK! ADVERTISE HERE.

Call Christy to get your bike shop listed.

802-388-4944 • ads@vtsports.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 33

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no further

ENDGAME

S

ometimes, the best thing you can have on a long hike is a good friend.

During my third year of college, I studied abroad in New Zealand. My first big venture was a 37-mile hike through the Fjordlands on a “Great Walk” called Kepler. I wasn’t exactly ready for it. I had backpacked in the Adirondacks and in the Greens, my home turf. I knew what to bring: tent, sleeping bag, stove—the works.

But as soon as I set foot on the trail, I knew I could have done a few more preparatory runs, (or maybe that trick where you walk the stair machine with a loaded pack), before attempting to hike three 10-plusmile, mostly-vertical days.

Ally, a college friend, was also in New Zealand for the semester, and we were in the same boat. As we set off on the first day of the three-day trek, Ally and I formed the caboose of our group of eight, groaning (more me than her) about our aches and pains and showing off our hip bruises. On one particularly strenuous section, we fell into a fit of giggles, rolling our eyes as we remembered how eager we had been to hike this track.

But as much as we lamented our decision, Ally pushed herself. By the end of day one, she had become my motivational guide, coaxing me like a tuckered-out puppy up switchback after switchback.

When my complaints became louder, she reminded me that our only option was to walk forward, one foot in front of the other.

While I was wishing that I had chosen an easier hike, she was appreciating the mountains, the fjord and the rainbow that greeted us when we summited the track’s highest peak, sweaty and euphoric.

“I like to think I would never let physical pain stop me from doing anything,” she told me as we trudged up the 4,000-foot vertical gain on the second day. I snapped a photo of her on a ridgeline just after the cloudy skies cleared, blue mountains rippling behind her, her smile radiantly wide.

We were both ready for more. Later in the semester, Ally decided to squeeze in another trek before winter set in and the mountain terrain would become impassible.

On April 23, 2015, she left for a trek on the west coast, called the Gillespie Pass Circuit, with two friends.

The forecast called for rain, so the three women took precautions. With two river crossings ahead of them, they decided to hike the track in a reverse direction from what they had originally planned, giving them a bridge crossing on the rainy day, when the water would likely be dangerous for crossing.

But Gillespie Pass Circuit, a 36-mile trek over steep, rocky terrain, was less maintained than the popular ‘Great Walks’

34 VTSPORTS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2017

THE STEEPEST TREK

WHEN THINGS TURN BAD ON THE MOUNTAIN, THE HARDEST PART CAN BE EVERYTHING THAT COMES AFTER. BY EMMA COTTON

VERMONT

SPORTS

NEW ENGLAND’S OUTDOOR MAGAZINE ON THE COVER: Canoe camping at Green River Reservoir Photo by Brian Mohr/ EmberPhoto

PUBLISHER

Angelo Lynn - publisher@vtsports.com

EDITOR/CO-PUBLISHER

Lisa Lynn - editor@vtsports.com

STAFF WRITER

Emma Cotton emma@vtsports.com

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Shawn Braley

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Nathan Endres, Dr. David Lisle, Dr. James Slauterbeck —University of Vermont Robert Larner College of Medicine; Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation; Jamie Sheahan, M.S., R.D.

CONTRIBUTORS

Sarah Tuff Dunn, Brian Mohr, Phyl Newbeck

ADVERTISING MANAGER Ally sits on a ridgeline while hiking New Zealand's Kepler Track two months before she set off for Gillespie Pass Circuit.

Photo by Emma Cotton

like Kepler. Longer and steeper than what we had hiked before, the trail totaled nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain, with 4,000 of those feet rising in the last three miles before the tallest point. The middle of the track’s grade map spikes like the point of a knife.

When Ally and our friends summited, there was no rainbow to greet them, and no fjord to look down on. Instead, they were pelted with rain. Gusts of wind up to 70 miles-per-hour beat them to their hands and knees. New Zealand is known for these freak storms, and at high elevations, they come with force and without warning.

In the storm’s madness, the three lost each other. Two of the women made it down the mountain and took the bridge over the Young River, whose water was so violent the waves splashed 20 feet in the air as they hit the rocks. Finally, the two arrived at the hut where they had planned to spend the night.

They made dinner. They left a plate out for Ally. They waited through the night. She never came.

The next morning, the rain continued.

My friends ran for help, half-sprinting the hike’s remaining 10 miles so they could contact a search and rescue team. I met them in Wanaka, the closest town, and we huddled in a hotel room. The owner, who had heard about the missing American girl in the mountains, comped our room.

Christy Lynn | (802) 388-4944 ads@vtsports.com

ADVERTISING SALES A search team set out. Soon more than 60 rescuers from Land SAR, Marine SAR and the Coast Guard were combing the track. Helicopters with stretchers flew over our hotel. Waiting, we tried to channel bestcase scenarios. “She’s just lost,” we told each other. “She’s going to have a crazy story to tell when she gets out of there.”

We got updates. They found her sock.

Her shirt. Her raincoat. A narrative started to form. Ally had descended into the Young Valley at dusk, right when records from nearby rivers indicated the water level spiked. “She hasn’t made a bad decision to cross the river,” police and search and rescue coordinator Aaron Nicholson told the local newspaper at the time. “She’s just been walking the track and gotten to bits where the river has swelled over the track quite significantly. So she’s had to negotiate that. I would anticipate a realistic situation where she has fallen or tripped or slipped into that water.”

When they found her pack at the edge of the Young River—the waist strap still clipped—the rescue team gave the verdict: Survival, they told us, was “highly unlikely.”

Seven days after Ally went missing, the team embarked on a final search. It was midday when they found her. Their suspicions were confirmed.

The following days and weeks marked a new uphill climb. Ally’s father had arrived

in New Zealand, receiving word of his daughter’s fate with a grace and strength I’ve never seen in another human being.

Becoming inseparable, several of us—her closest friends in the country— pushed our beds together, retelling “Ally stories” each night as we fell asleep.

Ally had been right: physical pain doesn’t count for much. I would have run circles around the Kepler track to see her smile again. But strangely enough, in this new territory of bereavement, this punishing summit-less mountain, her words still applied. Our only choice was to walk forward, one foot in front of the other.

For the rest of the semester, we set out on small hikes in the mountains. Each time, infallibly, a rainbow would appear. It was as if Ally were letting us know she’d always be on the hike with us, always there to get us through the climb.

Two and a half years later, I often find myself wandering up a steep section of Mount Abe or Camel’s Hump, or on a hilly ride that’s a hair beyond my comfort zone.

The lactic acid builds in my legs, and I start to feel discouraged. Every time, I see Ally, one switchback ahead, smiling through her pain and telling me I can do it. With her, I always make it to the top.

Emma Cotton is a Vermont Sports staff writer, and graduated from Eckerd in 2016.

Canoe camping is the only way to access the remote campsites and islands on Green River Reservoir. And the bonus? You can bring a cooler.

Photo by Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto

Greg Meulemans | (802) 366-0689 greg@vtsports.com Chris George | (802) 388-4944 chrisg@addisonindependent.com Dave Honeywell | (802) 583-4653 dave_golfhouse@madriver.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS, PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION Lisa Razo - lisar@addisonindependent.com

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION OFFICE Vermont Sports | 58 Maple Street Middlebury, Vt. 05753 | 802-388-4944

Vermont Sports is independently owned and operated by Addison Press Inc., 58 Maple Street, Middlebury, Vt. 05753. It is published 9 times per year. Established in 1990. Vermont Sports subscriptions in the U.S.: one year $25. Canada: (US funds), please add $5 per year postage.

Email lisar@addisonindependent.com

BE SOCIAL!

www.facebook.com/VermontSportsMagazine Twitter: @Vermont_Sports www.instagram.com/vtsportsmag

5 The Start

15

Vermont looks at new ways to grow our rural towns.

Big Leagues Come to VT

Know how to start a fire without a match, make a water container from bark or build a twig shelter? This school can teach you to survive in the wild.

Pro skateboarders go downhill fast, a 100-mile swim record, world champ disc golf and more.

19

The State of (Re)Creation

7 Great Outdoors

11 Fitness

The Fitness Game At University of Vermont, research into what motivates people to work out has some interesting finds: These games and 7 apps could help you be healthier.

Fall Camping Skills

Back to our Roots

24

Fall Camping Gear

(R)Evolution in Backpacking With this new gear, you can carry everything you need for an overnight in minimalist pack that totals under 7 lbs.

27 Featured Athlete The Badass Dad Fall Campsite Guide

On the Waterfront At these seven secluded lakefront campsites your nearest neighbors may be loons. From south to north, here are 7 of our hidden favorites.

At 44, Mike Barton is still beating cycling pros half his age.

28

Calendar

Race & Event Guide

34 Endgame

The Steepest Trek When things turn bad on the mountain, the hardest part can be everything that comes next.

VERMONT SPORTS IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

ADVERTISERS! The deadline for the October issue of Vermont Sports is September 18. Contact ads@vtsports.com today to reserve your space!

SEPTEMBER 2017 | VTSPORTS.COM 3

HYDRATION TRANSFORMED

The great outdoors just got greater. The Seeker™ is HydraPak’s ultra-light, durable water storage system for camping, backpacking, you name it. It packs down to the size of a fist, attaches to your pack or hangs from a tree. You can freeze it to use as an ice pack or fill it with hot water to keep you warm. Katadyn® BeFree™ filtration compatible.

Find one at a dealer near you hydrapak.com

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Bleeed color out to edge of pink boxes no

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU REALLY NEED? | THE BADASS DAD | 50 COOL FALL RACES

VERMONT WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK

FREE

SPORTS

New England’s Outdoor Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2017

SIGN UP AT VTSPORTS.COM

SO YOU CAN

GET BACK TO YOUR LIFE Dr. Kevin McGuire is a board-certified surgeon who brings 13 years of experience in spinal surgery to Dartmouth-Hitchcock. As part of the physician team for the award-winning Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), Dr. McGuire takes care of the most complex spine needs at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the only comprehensive joint replacement and spine surgery practice in the region.

See how our team of renowned surgeons can get you back to a pain-free life as soon as possible. Make an appointment at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon today.

LEARN MORE AT D-H.org/stepahead OR CALL (866) 429-9756

FALL CAMPING GUIDE

THE BEST NEW BACKPACKING GEAR 6 AMAZING LAKEFRONT CAMPSITES SURVIVAL TACTICS | ULTRALIGHT HIKING and MORE