Blog #5: Leg 2

Hailey finding a bit of snow to enjoy.

The Beech Tree

A poem by: Bea Bittenbender

“There she stands

Growing from this beautiful land

Branches contrast the sky blue

Clouds roll by

And still she stands

Arms up in the sky

Her reach is grand

You see her leaves shake and quiver

As the wind blows

The same wind that makes you shiver

There are so many things she knows

Just sit and listen”

After two work filled days at our Farm and Wilderness layover, we set out into the rolling Green Mountains of Vermont, ready to greet the Catamount Trail. On the morning we were set to begin leg two, we had a tough decision on our hands. Would we even bring skis on this leg, due warm temperatures and lack of snow? This would turn this leg of the expeditions into a backpacking trip, however the alternative would be to bring skis that we might only have the opportunity to use a few times over the course of the next 14 days. After a community discussion, we decided that backpacking made the most sense, and so after a hearty breakfast, we set out on foot up into the wilds of Vermont. We traveled 5.5km in the day’s 50° weather, due west, climbing 1000ft up Ingalls Hill. Upon arrival at our campsite, we learned that setting up camp here is completely different than setting our home was in the Uapishka Mountains, and we shaved two hours off our set up time. The drastic transition to this lifestyle, one of temperatures 90 degrees warmer than those where we just were, the change from snow to bare ground, the large trees in mixed deciduous and coniferous forests compared to the small spruce of Uapishka, are significant. These changes are welcome, and we feel at home here, however it will take us some time to adjust to our new lifestyle.

Day 2: Yesterday’s warmth turned cold overnight, as fierce north winds blew into our camp. After a hot breakfast, we set off into the shadowed forest, traveling 3km west over icy logging roads, until we met the Catamount Trail. We turned northwest and sauntered through rocky beech forests, and continued on for 5km. Skies were clear and winds were calm. We set camp on the north side of Little Killington next to a little rushing stream at 2500 ft.

Day 3: A wintery mix poured down overnight and with skies continuing to precipitate, no one wants to budge an inch. The warmth of the tent, mixed with the scent of fir boughs and the promise of time to read and enjoy each others’ company beckons. A live-over day it must be! Snow and rain and everything in between continued to fall all day, coating everything in shimmering ice.

Day 4: Today we continued north through the woods of Vermont, following trails and old logging roads, and crossing many bubbling brooks. Occasional snow showers fell throughout the day. After 11 km, we found camp about 3 kilometers south of route 4. We are getting used to walking in “mickey mouse boots” and are feeling our legs strengthen in new ways as our hiking muscles develop.

Day 5: Today we continued hiking north and crossed bustling Route 4 early in the day, at the same place where the Appalachian Trail crosses. We followed a winding wooded trail with a base of solid ice for 2.5km down a steep hill. After one too many falls, many of us resorted to the exciting new idea of using our packs as sleds and we began to slide down the slick path. Many bruises followed, however there was much laughter as we watched each others’ sledding techniques. After our descent, we trekked over little gravel roads until we reached the magnificent Chittenden Reservoir. We made camp here in amongst the trees at the edge of the reservoir, after traveling a total of 10km. From here, the mountains of the Breadloaf Wilderness surrounded us in a tight embrace and we all agreed that this was a beautiful spot to call home for the night.

An Excerpt from Claudia “Carrier-of-the-Stove” Danford’s Essay:

“The Stove: Princess of Beast?”

“This princess-stove grants no forgiveness on a fall. I watch my peers slide down sheets of ice, squealing and grinning ear to ear as they go for a little joyride, all while resting on soft packs with insulate pads for additional cushioning. Meanwhile, with chains on my feet and care in every step, I slowly make my way around the ice. One day as we were trudging along, Tanner proudly explained to me his step-by-step falling strategy. It simply included falling backwards to let his pack bear all of the impact, allowing him to fall on layers of clothing, sleeping bags and food. But the stove, though she may come across as a monstrous beast, is actually the most precious and delicate item we carry on trail. Falling while carrying the stove results in a cling-clang-clonk. Unlike my peers, there is no clothing, multiple sleeping bags, or butter to cushion my fall, for the stove is wrapped in the thinnest, most worn out insulate pad that is hardly recognizable as a sleeping pad. And the frame pack that is the throne to this royal stove only supports pinching and bruising. And so I trudge along with caution in every step, not only for the stove, but for myself as well.”

Day 6: After the bright morning sun had warmed our cheeks and camp had been broken, we walked at a brisk pace for 3km along the edge of the reservoir. Turning away from this beautiful place, we left the reservoir and walked along the Catamount Trail, which took us along the New Boston trail, an ancient road where we found many old buildings and apple trees, telling stories of times long past. We learned to read that which was left behind, using these trees and foundations as clues to interpret the history of the landscape. Continuing on, we met paved roads, and finished our day with camp set up just north of a little beaver pond along Hewitt brook. The clouds and southerly wind foretell rain, so it has been decided that tomorrow will be another live-over day.

Day 7: Upon waking we realized that we had read the weather incorrectly, and rain was nowhere to be found! Yet after three long days of hiking, we decided that all would benefit from a day of rest and repair. It is a crystal clear day. Birds call from all directions, and the sun shines upon our grateful bodies. We take freezing cold baths in the stream that runs by our tent, learning to wash ourselves in the icy flow. We mend that which needs mending, take time to ourselves, and most importantly, prepare and digest a delicious pancake breakfast.

Day 8: On this day we broke camp and bushwhacked east until we found we found an old dirt road, which wound its way northward. We followed it for 6km until we found a little stream. Today instead of our usual day food mix of nuts, jerky, and dried fruit, we stopped here to make a steaming hot lunch, and an expedition favorite, bread on a stick over a roaring open fire. Snow fell in flurries today yet their was little to no accumulation. The temperature hovered around 32°, but we stayed warm in our woolen ware and down jackets. We finished the day on the north shore of a large old beaver pond, complete with several majestic dams. One appeared to be old, and perhaps left behind while the other seemed to be active. We also were excited to stumble upon a camp of a semester past. On this day, we totaled 12km, and our camp rests at an elevation of 2150ft.

Nothing beats a hot lunch

Day 9: Using the beaver homes as an outdoor classroom, we explored and learned about beaver livelihood. This lesson included crawling up inside an old beaver lodge, which was an exciting sight to behold. After our morning exploration, we followed the Catamount Trail north and crossed the busy Route 73. We descended down onto paved roads, and crossed through the trails of Blueberry Hill Nordic Center, just east of Hogback Mountain, continuing northward to the south shore of Sugarhill Reservoir. Our total distance of travel was 14km.

Someone is looking for a new dwelling, this time with the beavers!

Day 10: We broke camp after a delightful slow morning, and walked north along the west shore of the Sugarhill Reservoir. Heading east on a dirt trail, through stands of beech and birch and old red pine, we hiked together, identifying the trees we met along our path. Crossing Route 125, we learned that our path took us quite close to a historic residency of Robert Frost. The weather was incredibly warm, reading 63° at noon, yet rain looked probable. We continued north along dirt roads and trails for 12km, crossing many streams and brooks rushing fast with the melting snow. Our group took a brief stop at a cool clear spring for a sweet drink of fresh mountain water. After our second long day in a row, we made camp along the natural turnpike, in the little valley of the gurgling Blue Bank Brook.

Day 11: A warm rain fell overnight, showering those who had chosen to sleep outside of the tent in the warm evening air. In the middle of the night there was a mad dash for the safety of the tent and we were woken to our peers walking quietly amongst us, looking for a spot to snuggle into. Today will be a live-over day, allowing us an opportunity to rest and heal our worn feet in preparation for our final push.

Day 12: Today we broke camp early in the morning, and began our walk north once more. The morning conditions were cold, clammy, and the group was quiet as we began moving together. The cold rain turned to light snow and as we hiked onward, the cool north wind began to push the weather away, much to our relief. We followed paved and dirt roads throughout the day, along the New Haven river, and turned east to head up into the famed Lincoln Gap. We camped here, at the base of Mt. Abraham after a day of traveling 13km. When night fell, the stars shone brilliantly in the clear night sky, and we spent time before bed staring up into the heavens, doing our best to identify the constellations that we could pick apart from the smattering of stars. The orange crescent moon glimmered low over the horizon, and it seemed to us that cool, clear weather was on its way.

Day 13: We decided to not travel with packs today and instead chose to use this brilliantly beautiful day to enjoy exploring Mt. Abraham. Without heavy packs we summited the rocky peak of Mt. Abraham in no time at all. The clear blue sky let us see all around the mountains and valley’s below. At 4006ft in elevation, we could see all the way east to the jagged White Mountains. To the south we could see the path of our past, and as we looked westward, we could pick out the path of our future: our spring route down the length of Lake Champlain. We hiked back down the mountain, and spent the afternoon taking solos next to our own fires until darkness fell all around. This was a wonderful time for us to slow down and enjoy meditation and reflection away from the group.

Day 14: Our final day of travel to our Sugarbush layover was a long one. We woke before sunrise, and left our final camp as the sun was rising in pink streaks across the sky. We hiked across the east flank of Mt. Abraham, and down to roads across the bottom of the Sugarbush Resort. After 17km, we arrived at our layover at last. We were tired, grubby and smelly and happy. After two weeks of ice, snow, rain and mountain exploration, we feel accomplished, tired, and ready for a bit of a rest before our final winter leg.

This portion of our expedition has been quite different than our time in the mountains of Uapishka. With weather patterns, temperatures, and terrain entirely different than what we became used to in Canada, we are settling into a new rhythm, which although different, is just as exciting, in its own way. We are growing stronger day by day. Both as a community, and within ourselves, we are tending to internal fires. Our time in the forest shapes us in countless ways.

Julian and Sam navigating happily.

Hailey and Bea laughing, maybe at the lack of winter this season.

Finn with a smile

Kendal and Adam boiling water for the crew over the fire screen.

Students making their nature observations.

Blog #4: Winter Expedition Leg 1 - Uapishka Mountains Expedition - Feb 13-25, 2016

(Kendal)

L’esprit de Aventure Nomade :

(Hailey)

·      Formation a l’autonomie

·      Engagement physique

·      Partage des responsabilités

·      Longue durée, le temps d’apprendre

·      Pas de télécommunication

·      Pas de police d’assurances

·      On ne défie pas la nature…on s’y adapte, merci

Tu embarques, quand même ?

Tant mieux…

[“The spirit of a Nomad Adventure: Formation of independence, physical engagement, sharing of responsibility, long duration with time to learn, no telecommunication, no police assurances…One cannot defy nature…one can adapt. Do you want to go anyways? If so, all the better.”]

-Jacques Duhoux, Mountain Guide, Adventure Nomad Canada

Our group gathers by the Saint Lawrence River, en route to the Uapishka Mountains.

Sebi skis to camp with the winter tent in tow.

            On February 25^th, the Vermont Semester laid tracks down a final stream bed of freshly fallen white. We skied over snow-capped boulders, down waterfalls where the torrents had frozen and suspended in the form of icy ribbons, and around occasional patches where open water brought a musical flow to the silence. We arrived at the home of Jacques Duhoux, a friend of Kroka’s, a mountain guide, and a homesteader who has made life for more than thirty years at the base of the Uapishka Mountains. Jacques is now more than 80 years old but welcomed us outside his cabin, a smile shining on the face weathered and hardened with the wisdom of so many seasons in the mountains. We had made it: we were back home.

Winter camp set among the spruce.

            In the preceding thirteen days, we completed a 45-kilometer traverse of the eastern side of the Uapishka (Groulx) Mountains, traveling between the cabins of Jacques and Michel Denis (another friend and guide) from North to South. We carried heavy packs and skied in untouched powder up and down stream beds and the slopes of mountain plateaus. We set five winter camps along the way, packing snow, collecting and laying boughs, harvesting, bucking, and splitting firewood, carving blocks to build a snow wall, setting the winter tent, assembling the winter stove, and melting snow for water. We kept ourselves warm and our belongings dry as we traveled and we loaded the woodstove in the tent to burn through the night. We navigated the open terrain, matching topographic lines on the map to drainages and rises on the landscape. We sketched spruce and fir trees and fed whiskey jack birds from the palms of our hands. We sang from the tops of mountains in round and joined hands in a circle before meals in the evenings. Temperatures dipped to -40 degrees Celsius, and yet, we learned how as a community not only to live, but also to thrive. And, we returned home to Vermont, a safe group of sixteen, ready to journey on.

A whiskey jack (gray jay) eats a dehydrated apple out of Kendal's hand.

            Following is a story of our expedition, told as a weaving of journey entries, daily logs, sketching, and reflections (daily accounts written by Caleb).

Day 1: Pulling off the desolate highway above the 51st parallel, we stepped out of the van after 15 hours of driving to meet a temperature of -35° C. We strapped on our bags, slipped on our skis and started our journey.

“Being away from Modern Society was a welcome change. There was no rush all the time, no speeding cars, no advertisements blaring from every radio, and no hand-held devices sucking attention from the world around me. Here, life was simple.” - Hailey

The group cuts switchbacks up a mountain pass.

Day 3: In the morning we felt the wind and knew a change in the weather was coming. This morning was the bone-rattling cold at near -40°C. We sat up and could see the steam rising off each other’s bodies. After a bowl of kasha, we stepped out of the tent and gazed upward into a crystal clear, azure sky. It had been decided that we would bring our food up the stream and break camp tomorrow, bringing with us the rest of our gear. We skied up a frozen river through many feet of snow. At certain points we could hear the sound of water under the ice.

“Now we know what the true cold feels like. There are struggles and challenges on a whole new level, only amplified by the cold. However, none of us regret coming here for an instant. There is so much more to come.” - Caleb

Day 4: Today was stunning. Crystal clear skies accompanied our 5 km trek south into the mountain plateau. We continued to follow the river that led us to a notch. This was a passage between two mountains. Sparse, low trees dotted windswept tundra. We descended through the notch and down to a frozen lake, to our camp nestled at the northwest corner of lake Boissinot at 909 meters.

The group pauses for a photograph at the top of a mountain pass.

A wind-swept plateau.

Day 7: The storm from the last few days left us with 20 inches of fresh powder. We skied southward 5 km back to the plateau through frozen lakes and spruce forests and up a steep drainage, which forced us into tight switchbacks. Once at the top, we had our first panoramic view, which was simply breathtaking. To the north, the majestic snowcapped mountains rose tall; to the west, we could look out over endless evergreen forests; to the south and east, we looked down into the valley where we will camp tomorrow; beyond that, there lay more pristine mountains. We skied onwards, found a camp for the next day, and returned to camp as night fell.

“I reached the summit of Mont Veyrier, stretched out my arms, and shrieked at the top of my lungs, 'I’m on top of the world!' I looked out and there was nothing but blue sky above me. To the East was a powdery valley with a plateau on the other side. To the west was more of Mont Veyrier, then snowy tops of spruce and fir trees for as far as the eye could see. One lone squirrel raced across the snow, then back into the warmth of the ground. To think that we were two days away from experiencing this vast, breath-taking wilderness that left me awe-struck every day – I was truly experiencing a dream, and I couldn’t ask for a better dream.” – Claudia

The group skis up to the plateau.

Day 10: Today we ate breakfast as the sun was rising, broke camp, and ventured across Lac Joyel, the crown of the Groulx Mountains. Lac Joyel is 3 km long and is nestled into the high mountain plateau. Snow coated mountains rise up all around, and Mount Veyrier, the tallest of the Groulx Mountains looms high to the southeast. We skied the length of the lake and turned to head SW, skiing 6.5 km down into a valley and set camp just north of lake Magique.

We traveled with Homer's The Odyssey in our packs and on our minds. In the journey of Odysseus, we were able to reflect upon our own rites of passage. We each wrote an essay connecting the text to our own lives and experience.

Savannah in the winter tent during class.

“In my reading of The Odyssey, I have learned that a hero’s traits in ancient Greece are different than a hero’s traits today. In The Odyssey, a hero was viewed as an immortal on the battlefield with great skill in fighting. Today, a hero is viewed as a person who does not steal from others, but gives.” - Tanner

“I think the actions of Penelope are those of a strong woman, but not a totally loyal one. To me, loyalty does not follow logic. Penelope turning down the suitors is an action that would be loyal to Odysseus, even though it may not be the logical choice. I see loyalty as a direct commitment to a person or creature. I see myself as loyal to my family and I see my loyalty developing more this semester. I have a bind with this group and feel us growing more loyal to each other bit by bit.” – Bea

“Cunning Odysseus went, ... cloaked in the fine furs of marten and reindeer, the noble king began on foot, following the frozen roads of the wilderness. Here, young dawn rose late in the blessed day, and the great wheel in the sky stayed low and south, never warming his hardened face. As he climbed higher and higher into the tundra….a surge of strength pulsed through him, and with the last of his energy he plowed through the huge flows of billowing snow towards safety.” – Finn

Skiing among the spruce.

Day 12: It is our final day in the plateau. We broke camp and skied into the valley of lake Magique. We rounded a corner and headed due southwest up into the mountains for the final time. Wind whipped around us as we made a steep icy traverse with magnificent views. Saying goodbye to the mountains, we skied back down into the forest to find our final camp. Tomorrow will be the last day of our expedition in the Groulx Mountains.

Total distance: 45km

Total snowfall: 25”

Average morning temperature: -17°

Average evening temperature: -5°

“This epic adventure was nothing short of magical. True wilderness is very rare in our modern world, and it is here in this raw, untouched land that it is impossible not to feel an intimate connection to the natural world. Although struggles were many, they only brought our group closer and closer together.” – Caleb

(Julian)

Ready to descend from the Uapishka Mountains: on to the next step of the journey.