Vermont State Parks

By:Judith Ensor I’m at the top of Jay Peak. It took just about an hour and 15 minutes to climb up this time. I’ve already been rewarded for my effort as the weather has cleared and I am enjoying a beautiful view. This morning, I really struggled with whether to make the trip over from St. Albans Bay. The paper called for “partly cloudy” skies and a chance of afternoon thunderstorms but tomorrow didn’t look any more promising. So, I decided to take a chance. For a good part of the trek up, I had to remind myself that the hike itself is part of the fun. Every once in a while, as I made my way along the trail, the sun would peek out and I’d feel rushed to get to the top before the storms came. Then, I’d make myself slow down and just enjoy the walk. “Put one foot in front of the other. Let your mind wander,” I told myself. “Get into a steady rhythm. Breathe. Relax. This is vacation, not a race.” I wondered how many times have I made this climb? I’ve probably been coming here for over 30 y...

Bill and Janey Schreiber came to Coolidge in 2000. Bill became Park Ranger mid-season of 2000. Bill and Janey’s son, Pete Corradino was a naturalist for the State of Vermont and presented nature programs for campers at Jamaica State Park . He would also present programs at Coolidge when he had time. Bill and Janey envisioned CSP having it’s own nature center. Because the State of Vermont couldn’t give the park financial backing for such a project, Bill and Janey began fund raising to fulfill their vision. Unfortunately Janey passed away suddenly on December 27, 2005. Not wanting to let their dream slip away, Bill continues to work diligently towards the completion of the nature center. The nature center will be named the “Janey Schreiber Memorial Nature Center”. Over the years fund raising has included such items as: Specialized CSP t-shirts Cutting Boards CSP Photo Frames During the 2009 season, Bill made a jewelry box and held a silent auction to raise funds for the nature center. T...

My special location is Mount Ascutney in Vermont, about seven miles from my home in Claremont, New Hampshire. Why is it special to me? Because this is where I went for physical healing after an accident forced me to have a total knee replacement a year ago. There I also found spiritual and emotional comfort, as well inspiration for new hobbies I’d like to pursue --- such as nature photography and animal track identification. In short, Mount Ascutney gave my life a whole new start. I’d like to quote two people who have also found Mount Ascutney a place of special meaning and joy: Maxfield Parrish, who lived and worked much of his life in Cornish, New Hampshire, in full view of Mount Ascutney, is quoted in Fables of Abundance: A Cultural History of Advertising in America by Jackson Lears: After years of producing enormously successful calendars for General Electric, Parrish finally announced, “It’s an awful thing to be a rubber stamp. I’m quitting my rut now while I’m still able.” He de...

I love to hike. my partner and i spent endless days and weeks hiking and backpacking when we first met and still with our young daughter strapped to our backs after she was born. so it was a commonly enjoyable suggestion when last weekend we decided to hike Mt. Worcester. being new to the area we thought it would be great to explore our nearby forests. friends heard i was to do this ahead of time and said..."wow...really, you are nearly 8 months pregnant!!" but i said of course i could do this. certainly i did make the hike!! such a beautiful hike it was over streams and through beautiful woods along the brook. My 3 year old daughter hiked on her own for quite a distance, maybe even a mile, jumping over streams and balancing on rocks. then came the scramble. she went up on daddy's back and i began huffing and puffing. what a climb. the weight of my belly and my balance questionable as i waddled up the large boulders. my daughter calling out to me wondering why, just why, ...

"Ride Guide" is a mountain travel TV series, where the hosts and guest pros, share their travels of skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking from locations throughout the world. "Ride Guide" is distributed into 60 million homes in 60 countries worldwide. Throughout Canada, Ride Guide airs on OLN, Rush HD, Shaw Video On Demand, Rogers On Demand, and Men TV. "Ride Guide" can be seen in 20 million homes across the USA on The Ski Channel. Ride Guide is broadcast into 55 countries throughout Europe on The Extreme Sports Channel and into 1 million homes in Australia on Fuel TV. Ride Guide is also distributed on-line through Dose.Ca, BikeMag.Com, and Norco.Com. We'd like to share a few clips from their Vermont edition with you. Ride Guide "Vermont" - Segment 1 (East Burke / Kingdom Trails) Ride Guide "Vermont" - Segment 2 (Pittsfield) Ride Guide "Vermont" - Segment 3 (Killington) Ride Guide "Vermont" - Segment 4 (Rutla...

Have you ever wondered who cares for all the plants in Grand Isle State Park ? Or even where they all came from? Maybe you are just interested in flower gardens no matter where they are. Click below to read Doris Sless' story of Grand Isle's flower gardens and one woman who tends them. Summer Trip to Grand Isle Last summer Gary and I camped in Grand Isle State Park, outside of Burlington, Vermont. After setting up camp we walked around the grounds, noticing many beautiful flowers in the woods. I have never seen such beauty in a campground. Within a day I spotted a woman on hands and knees, tending to a group of native flowers. I figured she was the person responsible for all this natural beauty, so started a conversation with her. I was very impressed by her dedication, showing what one person and a love of nature can do. This is Kim Jackson’s story: “I first started working here 3 years ago in the butterfly garden, planting mostly annuals that first year and now, finally, the...

In an effort to make it easier for you to "visit" some of the features of our state parks, we've put Burton Island's North Shore Nature Trail on-line, complete with color pictures and text from the brochure.