On Our Mountains

Trapp Family Lodge One of Parents Magazine top 10 Resorts

by Jennifer Vincent, Marketing Manager

Parents Magazine chose their 10 Best Snow Resorts for Families and Trapp Family Lodge landed at number 7!! We’re happy and honored to be included in such a great list of national resorts.

From Eastern Slopes
“And, at #7 comes the classic of family ski resorts. The Trapp Family Lodge has more “family” history than any other…who else can lay claim to the family from “The Sound of Music”? An exquisite setting and old-world style make this more an experience than a ski vacation. The downhill skiing is at Stowe, just a few minutes away, so you know it’s world-class, and on-site snoweshoeing and cross-country trails (plus great hot chocolate!) may just keep you right there at the lodge. If you have any “Sound of Music” fans in the house, choosing the Trapp Family Lodge is a no-brainer.”

Parents Magazine
“At Parents we know that a winter vacation is a real treat, but tight budgets and the challenge of finding a kid-friendly destination can make planning a trip tricky,” said Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents. “The ten affordable resorts on our list have thought of absolutely everything families could want while on vacation. Whether you’re interested in skiing or s’more-making, an ice rink or a heated pool, there is something for everyone at Parents’ top picks.”

Click here to visit Parents Magazine (note registration required)
 

Autumn Gardens

by Kim Earley, Gardener

As the trees put on their Autumn show and the scents of the season fill the air there is much to be done before the snow begins to fall. The gardening crew have been busy replacing annual flowers (this part hurts...we've nurtured these from seeds, but we thank them, and in to the compost they go) with mums, cabbage and kale. We enjoy making this transition and creating with these fall plants–it's an instant colorful display of fully grown plants.

It seems like we've picked up the pace a bit with the onset of cooler temperatures. We realize that all outdoor gardening needs to be completed by the first of November. And so, we've entered into Fall clean-up mode, and our spades and Felcos are getting a workout. The landscape is changing in our cutting garden with the cutting back of perennials and noticably vacant spots in the veggie garden. We're trying to fit in the time here and there to dig out some of the perennials and to add much needed compost to those areas (this task is always so satisfying when completed).

Of course, one of the final tasks of fall is the planting of many spring blooming bulbs! More on that later as we transition into the next season. Meanwhile, we're enjoying this fine weather.

Happy gardening! 

The Transitory Nature of the Season

by Jan D. Axtell, Trapp Family Lodge Naturalist

I love coming to work early in the morning. Things are so peaceful up here to begin with, but before the Lodge’s daily operations begin it is even more so. Especially in the fall when either the snake fog fills the valleys or when the mountains are shrouded in mist. As the sun rises and slowly burns off the low clouds they reveal the changes in the landscape that characterize the ebb and flow of the seasons that are so dramatic here in the Green Mountains.

The morning of October 1st, we were greeted by snow covered mountain tops - the first of the year. There is a clearly defined boundary high on the mountain side where last night’s precipitation changed from rain to snow. An architect’s tee square could not draw a truer line. The snow stands out in stark contrast to the bright foliage that seems to set the landscape on fire. Snow above and fire below, it is a paradigm that is fleeting, at best, in nature.

I am mindfully aware of how transitory fall has become and how inevitable winter is. Sure, this morning’s snow will disappear in short order and the apex of foliage is yet to come, but the tug of war between the seasons has begun. Winter muscles in and fall gives way, fall pushes back and winter retreats. Back and forth until one morning you wake to find a permanent blanket of snow that will be around until late April. Your thought process rapidly changes from migrating birds and colorful leaves to what color wax to put on the skis.

Between now and then, though, there is a lot of work to get done. My woodpile is looking a little paltry. I had 3 large maples that were too close to the house fell this summer. They will be next year’s firewood and need to be limbed, bucked, split, and stacked. The old adage is that: “Wood warms you twice, once when you chop it and once when you burn it.” Based on the last couple of weeks I think it might be more than that. There is something wonderfully satisfying about the process of splitting wood with an axe or maul. It appeals to a woodsman’s sensibilities. Sure, the new hydraulic splitters make the job far more efficient, but, in my mind, far less satisfying. Moreover, it is great exercise; the “working man’s workout.” No gym membership required.

A black capped chickadee never visited a gas powered splitter, but they have been good companions, many times, while I swing the maul splitting big rounds into small pieces of firewood. I think it is the chopping noise that draws their attention. I make time to observe these little forest birds that come to forage in the heap of freshly cut firewood. They are a common, if not ubiquitous, site across the forests of the northern part of the country who toughs out the winters here as opposed to migrating south to warmer climes. Their “chick –a - dee – dee – dee” call is a welcome song and an invitation to put down the axe for a bit.

Much like the area ravens; the chickadees represent the hearty, wild, and native character of our forests and the animals that call it home. I am not sure life here would be complete without them. They understand the transitory nature of the season better than I do and there isn’t a moment spent watching black capped chickadees that is in vain. I often return with a greater understanding of the inherent nature of all things and their place on our mountains and in our forests after time spent observing their day to day activities.

These are great days and I hope you all get the opportunity to come visit. There is no better place to watch the interplay of seasons, mark the transition of fall and winter, and wander away from your own proverbial woodpiles.
 

Beech Trees and Black Bears

by Jan D. Axtell, Trapp Family Lodge Naturalist

As summer rapidly slips to fall, all things in our forest start to bear fruit; both physically and metaphorically. It is a time of great transition marked by the shortening days and a color drenched landscape that draws people from around the world. Look closely and you will see many of the plants going to seed, full bushel baskets in from the gardens, and beech trees laden with their burr covered mast. It is a time of great bounty and the animals that we share this little corner of the world with are hard at work either caching winter stores or putting on weight for the long snowy Vermont winter.

These days I am always looking for stands of the American beech tree (Fagus grandifolia) in the forest. They are the host to many animals who come to feed on the largess of the beech nuts that, when in season, cling from the ends of the branches and litter the forest floor.

Beech trees are characterized by their elliptical toothed leaves, lancelate or spear like buds, and smooth gray bark. Stands of beech trees are indicative of older age class or mature forests headed toward a climax state.

However, it is the smooth gray bark that draws my attention and peaks my curiosity. It can be easily marred, and the evidence that I look for comes in the way of animal tracks and claw marks in the bark proper. Every animal in our forests will come here to feed. Most specifically, I am looking for black bear tracks.

The fall beech nut crop is a favorite food of the omnivorous black bear (Ursus americana). In fact, they will migrate great distances away from their established home ranges to stands of American beech to gorge themselves on the mast. During the fall, before the bears head for their winter dens, they enter a physiologic state (hyperphagia) of increased caloric intake to put on weight for the winter. Beech nuts play a big role in their diet during the fall.

Before the beech nuts fall to the ground the black bears climb up into the trees and feed. They find a sturdy branch and then pull the smaller branches toward them. They leave behind large tangles of branches around their feeding locations up in the trees. Talk to any old time Vermonter and he will tell you that these large masses of broken branches are called “bear nests”. Moreover, they leave their claw prints in the gray bark. A permanent record left behind by a reclusive solitary animal.

I like to watch the reactions on people’s faces when I point out the bear tracks in the gray bark. More times than not it is the first time they have ever seen them. At first their mouth opens a little, their eyes get really big, and then they ask if I am kidding or not. When I tell them it’s true they tend to get pretty excited about hiking the same forest as its ursine inhabitants. Rarely, I have to reassure folks that black bears are reclusive and pose little to no threat to humans. Most of the time, the bear tracks in the bark inspires a long conversation about the black bear’s biology, ecology, and significance to different cultures all over the world.

It’s that time of year, here at the Lodge, where the scenery in the mountains is becoming surreal. The harvest is coming in and all the plants and animals are tying up loose ends before the arrival of the first snow; it’s a lot closer than you think. You will find me looking for new stands of American beech. In my mind they represent the bounty of fall, and I am always curious as to what animals I will see while there. Of course, my hope is to meet a bear, but if they bolt before I get there, their tracks in the thin gray bark of the American beech will do nicely.