Top 5 local winter activities

From skiing, sledding and snowshoeing to eating local food and dog sledding, Vermont is chock-full of winter activities. Addison County boasts some of the state’s best slopes, trails and hills, as well as delectable après-ski specials to sip on and cozy knitting classes to attend. Take a look at the 2011 Top Five local winter campus’
activities!

VERGENNES LAUNDRY: For a tasty treat and a warm drink, take a short drive to Vergennes Laundry, a recently opened bakery in the town of Vergennes, Vt. Owner Julianne Jones prides herself on a carefully designed menu, which offers everything from home-made pastries like croissants and canelés to breads baked fresh each day in a double decker oven. For something sweet, try a nougat bar or truffle. To wash it all down, enjoy an espresso, hot chocolate or Kombucha.
Vergennes Laundry is located on 247 Main St. and is open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information and a look at a complete menu, go to the bakery’s website at http://www.vergenneslaundry.com.

SNOWSHOEING: There are countless local trails to visit this January and a pair of snowshoes is all the baggage you need. The Blueberry Hill Ski Center, located in Goshen, Vt., invites students to explore its snowy paths. To make a reservation call the center at 800-448-0707 and general questions can be emailed to info@blueberryhillinn.com or call 802-247-6735.
Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests also has many options for avid snowshoers. Nestled in Rutland, Vt., it offers 14 unique trails. Visit the website to plan your route: there is information for each trail, including the path’s length, elevation, the fee to camp overnight and the trail’s amount of use, in addition to its difficulty level and what is “featured” on the path. One trail, the Chittenden Brook Area, is an 8.2 mile loop and snowshoers enjoy “wildlife, [a] stream, Long Trail access [and] camping” along the way. A shorter option, like the Silver Lake Area Trail, which winds through East Middlebury and Brandon Quads, offers views of the lake and a waterfall. Call the National Forest at 802-747-6700 for further information.
Nola Kevra, an avid snowshoer from Ripton, Vt., said she once thought snowshoeing was an “old-person’s” activity, but she has since come to realize it is actually a “magical” experience.
“I like to explore, and to go off the beaten path and see what critters have been doing. When you snowshoe, you do not damage the environment; you can be a visitor for a little while and then step back and say thank you,” she said.
Kevra, who has been snowshoeing for about 12 years, is also teaching a Winter Term snowshoeing workshop and she thinks all 20 students enjoyed their first class last weekend, “unless they are really good actors and actresses.”
“The best part about snowshoeing is setting your feet in the woods and going because you can walk anywhere there is snow,” Kevra said.

KNITTING: Keep warm this winter and knit yourself something cozy! With the help of Cacklin’ Hens: Vermont Yarn, Beads and Gift Emporium, located at 383 Exchange St. in Middlebury, you can make scarves, sweaters, gloves, hats and more. Opened this past June, the store offers a variety of classes in knitting, beading, basket weaving and craft. According to owner Cheryl Burnham, who operates the store with her daughter-in-law Amanda Burnham and friend Amy Quesnel, projects that require one skein (a length of loosely coiled yarn) have been most popular, as a single scarf can be made relatively quickly. Knitting and beading classes often fill up quickly; the store also offers private lessons and has a work area where customers can come in and create something on their own
“We had an awesome first Christmas and we’re excited about it,” said Burnham. “More and more people are coming in and learning about us.”
Burnham, who is also the coordinator at the College’s Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts, said that the store offers discounts through MiddKid and that flyers around campus have 10 percent off coupons attached. Students can take a 20-minute walk to the store, or can visit it by car or bus. Call (802) 388-2221 or visit http://www.vermonttybge.com for more information. Cacklin’ Hens is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and it is open on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

STOWE: Love the Snow Bowl, but seeking steeper slopes and fresh power? Visit Stowe! With a total of 123 inches of snowfall already this year, Stowe has much to brag about, including its 58 trails, which cover a total of 39 miles and 485 acres of scenic views. About a 90-minute drive from campus, the resort has ample parking available for all ski gurus. Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week and from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends, call the mountain at 802-253-3000 for additional information. While pricier than the Snow Bowl, as lift tickets run for about $84 per day, Stowe Mountain Resort offers skiers and boarders ample dining options, rentals and guided mountain tours. The famous Von Trapp Family Lodge is also located in the quaint town, which encourages people to go dog-sledding or snowmobiling if they choose not to explore the mountain.

SLEDDING: While there is no debate that the hill in front of Mead Chapel was born for sleds, Middlebury may be facing some competition. The Lincoln Gap Road sledding hill in Lincoln, Vt., about 30 minutes from campus, warns that only “serious, experienced sledders” are welcome. Each winter the road between Lincoln and Warren, Vt. is closed off, so the hill is vehicle-free. There is no parking near the trail either. The Middlebury Mountain Club offers trips to the hill and is venturing to the treacherous trail this weekend, so contact the MMC to join the group on Sunday, Jan. 16. Holly O’Donnell, MMC co-president, said a Lincoln resident, who lives next to the Lincoln Gap, grooms the path, so the snow is packed down.
“It is a very fun hill and you get a really long ride although it’s windy, so you have to steer some. It’s quite the hike up too, but definitely worth it,” she said.
The hill also leads to the trailhead for Mount Abe.