Kroka Vermont Semester 2014: Vermont Semester Update #8

Sky Meadow!!!!

We have arrived at our spring location that just two and a half months ago, seemed so far away. It is miraculous!

On the final leg of the winter expedition, we split into two groups. The boys went with Oliver and the girls with Becky. We were traveling along the same exact route, and at times we would come across each other’s tracks and even stumbled across one another a time or two. The girls were skiing behind the guys on the trail for most of the time and so we had a full lesson on tracking. It was quite entertaining to see where one of the boys had fallen on the hills and speculate as to whom it could have been.

We will be spending the next two and a half weeks here at Sky Meadow Retreat in Stannard, VT, busily preparing for our spring leg on the water and then over the Green Mountains. We will be busy weaving pack baskets from ash strips and transferring our big jobs. Yes that is correct, I will not be writing to you anymore. I have really enjoyed it and I know that my successor will be able to keep you well informed about our spring journey and adventures in the months to come.

Goodbye!

Maja

Winter Expedition - Leg 4

The report from the girls:

As we left Trapp Family Lodge, the snowfall turned to rain. It drizzled and misted for the next 2 days, but after that, we had clear skies and beautiful sunny days. Spring is definitely on its way even though there is still a good foot and a half of snow on the ground. We skied along the remaining portion of the Catamount Trail that veered east for a while before the trail turns north again along an old railroad bed.

Traveling along the railroad bed was a bit sketchy and haphazard at times. There were a lot of bridges missing along the route and the ones that remained were quite old. The wooden cross beams have moved out of position making the gaps between them alarmingly large at times. A train track bed is completely flat and since snowmobiles have already driven on it, the going was very smooth and fast.

Leg 4 Day 5 4/1/14

Today was fun. We had good weather and good travels. It is spring now and we were able to remove many layers of clothing to celebrate it while coming off of Mount Elmore. It is nice to feel free. We stopped to buy toothpaste at a general store in town and then left the Catamount Trail and got on a snowmobile trail. It is sad and weird to realize that we will never again ski on the Catamount Trail.

Distance: 14 km

Weather: sunny and warm, high 45, low 15 degrees Fahrenheit

Location: ½ km NE of the dam in Portersville, VT

-Meg (daily journal)

It was a totally different experience traveling in a group of eight instead of sixteen. There was more work to do, but I felt like I had more time to acknowledge each person, and get to know them better.

On day six, we passed through the town of Hardwick. The people at the co-op know Cassandra and she knew that they take "on-the-spot community service help" so we decided to stop by. We spent an hour or so washing windows, folding menus, and sorting multivitamins. It was really fun just to pop by like that as the people there were very generous and gave us clementines and oranges. The fresh fruit was so spectacularly delicious and refreshing!

One morning, I was on cook chore and so I had to wake up a little earlier than everyone else to start the stove and get breakfast going. I asked Becky and she agreed that she would wake me up even earlier so I could watch the sunrise. I got up, started the stove and then set off down the trail. I couldn’t see the sun very well from where we were camped and so I ran along the railway for a bit, startling some birds that I believe were grouses. I continued until I saw some rocky outcroppings and boulders. I climbed up on top of one of the rocky hills and did morning stretching as the delicate first sunrays washed over me. It was super invigorating! Once the sun was fully up, I headed back to the tent and sang the rest of my groggy group awake.

- Maja

Winter Expedition - Leg 4

The report from the boys:

Who knew that we’d be here so soon? We left Trapp Family Lodge what seemed hours before, like our last leg had been only a relaxed dream. We traveled faster compared to traveling as a whole group - fewer people meant quicker decisions and simplified logistics. Every time we had a meal pot to clean, it was done immediately and with joyous vigor.

It has absolutely been one of my favorite legs of the winter expedition. Our skills were sharper than before, our attitudes more mellow, and our goals more closely aligned. From day one, each of us had a goal to move well but without hurry, to do what needed to be done so that we could collectively enjoy our time on trail together. Our intentions came to complete fruition on our last day and night of travel in what Per and Finn called: “Operation Wild Rumpus”.

The plan was simple and easy to remember. We would start the day normally, breaking camp after a 6:30am cook’s wake-up call and head out on the trail. Instead of searching for camp in the late afternoon, we would just continue skiing straight through the evening and night until we arrived at Sky Meadow. We discussed this plan all week and we slowly refined it.

It began with a parody by our fearless leader, Oliver Mednick. Modeled after Aragorn’s inspirational speech featured in the film “The Return of the King,” we changed words here and there to suit our unique circumstance and then off we went! Down the road to the snowmobile trail heading east to Hardwick, we made stellar time, doing thirteen minutes per kilometer. Around noon, Adrian’s right ski binding came off of his ski so we all stopped in the sun to wait while Forest fixed it with epoxy. The day was extremely warm; mid 40’s to low 50’s Fahrenheit. We sat on our backpacks in the sun and dozed under the pretense that the glue was drying, although in reality John and Oliver were battling to determine who would finish a tough Sudoku puzzle first. Zac and I took the time to both read and soak in the sun.

We traveled slower after that long momentum-stealing break, but the conditions were beautiful and the snow stayed slick and fast. Walking through the town of Hardwick, a very sweet lady named Stephanie came out of her house and offered us water to drink. We drank several pitchers and shared our story with her. It really was a blessing - who knew you could sweat so much at the end of winter?

The trail was thankfully quite flat all day as the Lamoille River valley was accommodating of our dear Operation Wild Rumpus. In the late afternoon we caught up with the girls just before crossing the river over an old railroad bridge and stopped again to chat for a little while. They were covered in sunscreen and very hungry. Both groups expressed interest in joining up before we continued on, but it was decided that we would carry on separately. Shortly after our meet-up, the girls stopped to make camp.

Two more kilometers along we halted when John’s ski pole snapped in half. We had a half hour debate on the merit of doing a dinner boil-up or just doing a hot chocolate stop and a dinner boil-up later; considering every option in between on a sliding scale. At last we (laughingly) agreed to just eat then and there. We set our fire screen on a fir tree and next to an adjacent stump that was labeled “NO TRESPASSING.” We ate our macaroni and cheese with rehydrated jalapenos down by the riverbank. After the sun sank behind the distant hills, we donned our headlamps, strapped skis on, and were under way.

The beginning of the night was a big challenge. The soft snow of the day had begun to freeze and left a crust on top of the trail and cracked and grabbed our skis. Finally, we reached a more established snow-mobile track and from there on it was smooth sailing. Oliver timed us again: ten minutes per kilometer on the smooth, hard trail.

We ended our “Operation Wild Rumpus” with five kilometers of road walk before reaching our goal. In the near pitch dark, we stopped and lined up on a long, frozen mud road. Oliver pointed out the cathedral trees and the star lined ceiling of our triumph and we stopped on a “pew” to revel in our accomplishment. In my mind I saw the image he painted and also the ice puddles as a stained glass floor.

At our last corner, Adrian fell asleep standing up and Forest yelled for him to wake up when he noticed him snoring on his feet. We would have all fallen over laughing if we hadn’t all been so tired ourselves! We walked into Sky Meadow silent as we could, over the icy trails to a lean-to. We laid our pads in the snow and fell asleep at 3:00 am, having traveled approximately 35 kilometers.

It was something that none of us had ever done before, and something that few people ever do. We were proud of each other and ourselves. “Operation Wild Rumpus” was our crowning achievement and a worthy pinnacle to the end of the winter expedition. It is a night that, although done half-asleep, we won’t soon forget.

- Kevin