Vermont State Parks

One of the greatest things about camping in Vermont State Parks is meeting other friendly people. I have met people with many adventure stories about their travels and I have learned about some places I would really enjoy visiting in my future travels. I spent quite a bit of time at Woodford State Park (and other parks as part of my invasive species research internship). While there, I saw another loon! At night, I heard a barred owl right above my tent site. The loons and owls together make such awesome vocal melodies. This past weekend my family visited from New York for Fathers Day with their new puppy (seen above by my shoe). We went to the lake in Woodford and had a great time kayaking, hiking, and playing Pictionary in my tent just like we used to do when we were kids. There was plenty of laughter, great weather, and delicious campfire cooked food. A few days later, I arrived in Molly Stark State Park where I took the Mt. Olga trail to see the fire tower where you see mo...

Wood up close Let it be known that today, Sunday, June 12th I have built a fire outdoors with damp firewood. This is my first fire starting ever. It took more fire starters then probably acceptable for a boy scout but I needed a fire to dry off my long socks, the two pairs of shoes I brought and my warmest sweatshirt so I was persistent. The wood was sizzling, foaming and dripping water from the end of its logs for a long time and for quite a while the wood was just some coals and then all of a sudden it became a lasting fire and I kept running back to the car to get more things to dry off. It's so nice to have these articles of clothing back. When your outside everything somehow gets wet. I wanted to have a dog when I went camping but my loyal car which I call Siddhartha is just like one. It travels with me as a companion, it protects me, and smells like a wet dog. I don't know if that means I smell dog like but I try to keep it under control. pink lady's slipper T...

I have been living in Vermont State Parks for a week now and it has been awesome. I am taking pictures for Invasive Species Research and various other subjects for the state parks. Everyone who I have met working for the parks are very friendly. So far I have seen many chipmunks, red squirrels, newts, garter snakes, turtles and one skunk. My favorite campsite so far has been the Ash lean-to in Coolidge State Park. There you overlook the green mountains and it looks like they go on for an eternity. Branbury is a great park with the beautiful falls of Lana and crystal clear lake to lounge or swim in. I am really looking forward to the rest of the summer exploring new places and finding myself in various adventures for the rest of the summer. -Ellie

Currently, a junior majoring in Biomedical Photographic Communications at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Ellie Stover is into Macrophotography. Basically, she takes pictures of microscopic things, like cells and creates images that we can see. Born and raised in Middletown, New York, Ellie has lived in New York all her life; however, she’s been lucky enough to do some traveling all over the world. From New Zealand to Europe to across the U.S., Ellie has been aware of and interested in the natural world around her, which lead her to taking certain courses at RIT and choosing her major. GIS mapping and remote sensing are two fields involving her background that Ellie feels will be used to survey invasive species in the future. She explained that certain plants radiate a unique infared signature which can distinguish them from other plants. Using this technology, huge areas could be surveyed accurately, showing where invasive species have the greatest density. For her degree, ...