One of the things we were so looking forward to on this trip was to go to Townshend State Park and hike up Bald Mt. We have done it twice before and it was on our priority list. I made eggs and bacon over the fire for breakfast, and after camp chores were done, we headed out in the late morning. We went north to Bondville first so Mrs could take some pictures of a barn that may become the subject of a future art project.
Access to Townshend can be made from two directions. We chose to enter via the dam at Townshend Lake Recreation Area. On the way in, we passed a VT State Parks truck pulling a trailer with some sort of wooden bins on the back. I recognized them, but at that moment I didn't understand what it meant. We arrived at the park only to find the Townshend State Park sign removed and the gate closed with a sign that read closed for the season. UGH! The bins on the trailer were the wooden recycle bins used by VSP. They must have been taking them to a storage facility somewhere. We could find no place on any map or in any guide that indicated other places to park or access the mountain.
We left the area completely bummed out and, after a stop at River Bend Market, headed back to Jamaica State Park where we hiked the Overlook Loop again. At least the pups got another good romp in.
Thursday - September 13
Another long and restful night's sleep. At one point I was dreaming about pointers, though I don't recall exactly what the dream was about. Anyway, I felt something poking me gently in the face, and when I stirred I received a face full of tongue. I guess I expected Harry, but when I reached up to pet the source of the tongue, I found a pointy-eared mutt. I made a space in the sleeping bag, and Luna dove in and wiggled her way down to my ankles, nose-first. I was able to get her turned around and gave her a place to get some air.
Mrs decided we should head over to the Green Mountain National Forest and try a hike around Grout Pond. Grout Pond is maintained by The US Forest Service with a number of loop trails and camping sites accessible by foot or a quick paddle. We chose to walk the Pond Loop trail which is an easy 3 mile walk. There were few enough people around that the dogs were able to be off leash most of the time. Harry zoomed around and crashed through the woods, and waded in the pond. Luna was a bit more reserved, though she did get some good running in.
This was a nice hike and more of the loops could easily be done during the same day. Most remarkable this day was the weather. Sunny and warm in the upper 70s.
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