The Place where People get Swallowed by the Woods - Per Tonn

There is this place in the middle of Montpelier, Vermont where people seem to get swallowed by the woods. There are really only two main intersections in town, and I'm talking about what's at the south-west corner of one of them. It's the intersection of Routes 2 and 12, or where Main Street/Northfield Street (up the hill to National Life) meets US-2.

While waiting at the light I have seen people sort of disappearing into the woods on what looks like a set of stairs made of rocks. Today I decided to go and find out for myself what it's all about, and it turns out, it’s a worthwhile little trip.

I packed up our little son into the carrier, strapped him to my chest and off we went. The trail that goes off this busy intersection starts with a couple of stairs made of stone, which are necessary as the trail pretty much runs straight up the hill. Climbing up this steep portion of the trail I could feel nothing of the supposedly cold temperatures for late April in Vermont. I was breathing hard, but to be out with Elliot in the carrier, hiking trails in the sun, it was well worth the short climb uphill.

Up top, the view to the east was stunning and beautiful, and the trail turned more into some rolling terrain, accompanied by numerous ‘Parcourse’ fitness stations. Carrying the little guy and walking, not running, I skipped those but ended up walking around the entire National Life building on a beautiful single-track hiking trail in the woods with a great view over Camel's Hump in the west.

So close to home, and to downtown Montpelier, this is a great trail for a quick hike. I will probably return soon – maybe even for some running and those workouts. The only real difficulty is the very first part of it, the part that goes straight up the hill and is almost a little too steep to walk. Obviously though, it's manageable, since that is where people get swallowed by the woods on a regular basis.

More on the trail:
http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/july/groundbreaking-ceremony-national-life-trail-project-tuesday