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A Love Letter to Vermont
Verdancy, Ver-mud, & Verisimilitude
I had to look up that last word, too. It means “the appearance of something true or real.”
Vermont’s real name comes from the French colonists who wanted to describe the emerald hills stretched before them like a Christmas garland: ver = green; mont = mountains.
Dear Vermont,
I’ve wanted to come to you for as long as I can remember. While eating my cereal as a kid, staring at a laminated US-map placemat, I loved looking at the shape of the green-colored state of you, like a “V.” I loved your hard-to-spell capital city. I marveled at your little pie-sliver of a state, sandwiched between New Hampshire and New York, with your own magical lake to the left.
When I watched “White Christmas” on repeat, it was you they wanted to reach- Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney on that train up north. They sang of your snow while draping cloth napkins over salt and pepper shakers to simulate your ski slopes.
At 19, when I wrote my favorite author Frederick Buechner, by way of Harper Collins publisher, it was your name on the return address when he sent me a hand-written letter weeks later. “Pawlet, Vermont,” it said. The best people lived in your land, I concluded, and I knew I would someday see for myself.
Hiking through
For AT hikers, you are famous for your mud and known as as the gateway to the hardest best stuff that lies ahead. That is, the last 600 miles of the trail replete with rocks, elevation, and exhaustion. You don’t let us off easy. You force us to dig deep and maneuver each step.
But you are a feast for the senses, bar none, fair one: showing off your endless fields of ferns, singing us to sleep to the lullaby of rain, suctioning our feet into the muck of your damp earth, smelling of sweet pine and purest mountain air, tasting like pure maple syrup.
With fewer people inhabiting your space, you spread out your continental jungle of green, your unimpeded power of stream and forest. You give off the appearance of being real, and of pointing to something true.
Beyond Burlington
Burlington, your biggest city, is impossible to resist. I once came close to taking a job there and fell for at least two men with ties to that town. Its farmers market, steep streets, campus architecture, and outdoorsy vibe all lure you in. But it’s the waters of Lake Champlain, whispering a fairy tale world of enchantment, that beckon you further.
Not every glittering love lives up to its promises, and my new heart goes out to the rest of you: your woods and mountains, small towns and surprises. It’s the part of your landscape that has to be earned, sweated out, scrambled up, that calls to me now.
Six ways I’m smitten
Your quiet
Thank you for being less urban, less populated, less trafficked than the A.T. states below you. You make space for me to think and cry and breathe.
Your flower baskets and berries
I savor your subtle charms like paper-over-plastic, composting, flower baskets and well-tended towns, your roadsigns for strawberries. You show us what it means to take care of the little things.
Your towns
You meet my hiker needs for amenities, then knock my Darn-Tough socks off with museums and monuments, Grandma Moses and maple creemees. You bring the Revolutionary War to life and birth Ben & Jerry’s into being, so we can independently enjoy Chunky Monkey for days.
From Bennington to Manchester, Wallingford to Rutland, you sit me down to share your past. You tell me of wars and change, of farm plans and fruit stands and car shows. You weep over opioids and addiction and trying to save lives. You talk over tea about why young men despair, even when they’re surrounded by beauty. “Hearts hurt everywhere,” you say.
Your light
I keep telling people- there’s something about the light here. It comes at a slant, the way autumn sun does elsewhere. Is it the earth’s tilt? The angle of the planets? The latitudinal shift? All I know is your light never looks like the mid Atlantic or Midwest or anywhere else I’ve lived. It’s like you have a spotlight all your own.
Your shelters
Providing a roof for both Long Trail and AT hikers, your shelters resemble cabins, complete with thoughtful windows, doors, and well-carved beams. You welcome us home from a long day of miles and moleskin with structures that seem to say, “Stay a while.” Thank you for your bear boxes and compost privies and lakeside accommodations. It’s all unnecessary, but 1600 miles in, we love you for it.
Your longevity
When it comes to the Appalachian Trail, you were there at its inception. Your Green Mountains inspired James Taylor to create the Long Trail in the early 1900s, a trail spanning the length of your state. That then gave Benton MacKaye the idea for a trail spanning the whole eastern seaboard- i.e., the A.T.
Your roots and rocks and mud tell a story of erosion and overuse, yes- but also the story of how it all started. When I pull my shoe out of the quicksand of your swamps, I know I’m also forging my way back to the beginnings.
More than topography
Here’s the thing, Vermont- you make me believe again. You make me see beyond the big city, the obvious appeal, the lost loves, the missed job.
You show me a world that lies beyond the one I can reach by car and ferry and plane. In your mountains, I have to work harder, with the rewards richer. You point to something truer than failure, something realer than regret.
You teach me that toughness and tenacity aren’t just about recovering from an injury- be that of the body or soul. They’re about exploring the woods away from the beaten path: about resting on rocks and imagining what I haven’t yet seen, who I haven’t yet met, and whom I might still become.
And when I need a push to keep going
I love that the first people to do a thru-hike of your Long Trail (which is what I’ve been hiking along these past 80 miles of the AT) were young women.
In Philip D’Anieri’s Appalachian Trail: A Biography, he includes this picture of the earliest LT thru-hikers in 1927:
Whenever I get discouraged, panting uphill and cursing my pack, I think of these smiling hiker chicks nearly a century ago, in their knee-high leather boots and decidedly-not-ultralight gear, and say, “Green Mountains? We got this.”
The blessing of the mountains
At the dawn of the industrial age, the Green Mountains were seen as an obstacle to commerce and transportation- an unwelcome impediment to farming and settlement.
But Long Trail founder James Taylor imagined a future where a different reality might come true:
“Whatever else they may be, the Vermonters are mountaineers. The fastnesses of the mountains are known to boy and man, to child and grandsire, in peace and in war, in work and in play. The visitor finds every mountain hospitality: guide-book and map, road and trail, shelter and hotel. The mountains are the companions of the people, supreme blessings vouchsafed by a supreme Providence.”
Green State shaped like a “V,” you are what you appear to be. Thank you for keeping it real and true. Thank you for making me earn every mile, and for testing the limits of my age and ability. Beyond the maps and movies and books and boys, you’re more than I could’ve dreamed.
Thank you blessed mountains, for bringing me back for another chance. Whatever happens on the trail ahead- I’m glad I made it to you.
Love,
Sprout 🌱
p.s.- with huge thanks to friends and strangers alike who read these blogs and send notes of encouragement. When my knees tell me to quit, your words remind me, “Keep hiking for all of us.”
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Comments 59
I love reading about your adventures.
Your puppy is getting a quite the workout!!!!!
Love it.
Be safe/hike on🙏❤️🌞
Kim
Aw thank you, Kim!! Great to see your name come up on here again. And yes, little Ollie (my dog) had the adventure of his life. Love that little guy. XO
Thanks for your Vermont blog – I was getting a tiny bit worried! I agree about Lake Champlain! and Vermont! Special love to you and Ollie!
Aw, thank you so much, Lee. Miss you!! Hope to see you on zoom and in real life, this fall! XO
Cari – Thanks for describing my home state so lovingly and clearly. I know you are shining your light on everything and everyone you meet and I thank you for that too!
Wonderful Cary- thank you for commenting on this!! You are one of my most favorite Vermonters!! XO
I love reading your posts. You are an amazing writer! So glad you are back on the trail! May God give you strength, courage, wisdom, good health and a closer relationship with Him!
Thank you Cheryl! Great to see your name pop up on here again. And what a beautiful prayer you wished for me. I receive that blessing, and I do feel that what you wrote came true! Peace to you this summer and always.
As I’ve said before I love your writing! Now I want to go to Vermont! It does sound like a bit of a struggle with that mud. Hope you at least have cool weather.
Thanks Bob! One day you’ll drive up from Mississippi to Vermont; I just know it!!
I am truly blessed by your commentaries, and inspired to get out there. Living nestled in the green mountains here sure is beautiful, and you have highlighted some of the best aspects. Thank you for sharing your journey with such touching and heartwarming words. Power on!
Thank you, Jen!! Lucky you, to be a card-carrying resident of this fair state! Savor every square foot of it 🙂
Ahhhh, so awesome to read this Carrie! Your writing is beautiful! It so well conveys your experiences and the beauty of this wonderful place I’m lucky to call home. Love that pic of some of the original women hikers and what fun to see another familiar face! Snag me when you get to Burlington sometime, and know you have a place to stay here anytime!
Oh thank you so, Sharon! What a gift to see your name pop up here!!! I would love to see you again up in BTN, and I will forever be grateful that you introduced me to the healing work of acupuncture! XO
Awesome writing! Thank you! Good luck through to Katadin!
You have a gift from God for writing straight from your heart. I would hope that after you get off the trail, you would consider publishing more of your wonderful thoughts on living life to the fullest to the glory of God. You have blessed us all who have had the pleasure to read your account if your AT experiences. Blessings to you.
Dennis
This is so encouraging, Dennis; thank you! I am in fact working on a book as we speak, of all these various blogposts I’ve written, and more new additions, besides. Thank you for believing in me!
Thank you so much, Mary! That means a lot.
Thanks for your post about Vermont. I thru hiked the AT in 2019 (stopped 46 miles short at Whitehouse Landing but went back 6 weeks later to finish in 3 days-long story). 54 miles of LT in 2021 NOBO-bad blisters-and remaining 218 in 2022. July 10th this year going SOBO on LT. Love the LT. Good luck on finishing the AT! Jabez 1st Chronicles 4:10
Hi Jabez / Jeff- congrats on all your thru-hiking! I would love to finish the LT sometime! So grateful for the recommend. May God keep “expanding your borders”! Peace, Cari
Amazing description of Vermont. I loved its beauty too, and have been there many times. Fun to read your blog. Happy you are Ollie are doing well. Hugs
Thank you Barbara!! Ollie says “hi” too! XO
Amazing description of Vermont. I loved its beauty too, and have been there many times. Fun to read your blog. Happy you and Ollie are doing well. Hugs
So glad to read this. Best to you and Ollie. I spent the summer of 1985 in Vermont — all over the state — teaching VBS for the UCC. What a wonderful reminder of this beautiful place. Be safe and know that you are being held in prayer as you walk. Blessings on your journey!
What a beautiful message, Jen- thank you! And great to hear from you! I have such fond memories of you from Interim Minister training and also zoom coaching. Peace to you, friend!
Cari, Great post! One of my favorite memories of vermont is a week’s ski trip to Mt. Snow with Phil and our son Philip. One day we had fresh powder and when I got to the top for the first run the snow was pristine and I stood there for a long time just awed by the beauty and the silence. I’m sure it didn’t compare to the views you are experiencing. Thinking of you and wishing you the best!
Thank you Violet! That is a stunning image you shared, and I can only imagine Vermont in the snowy season is even more spectacular! Great to hear from you, XO, Cari
Thank you for your writing – it’s the best and inspirational and unlike others but I love it. Good luck.
Thanks, DMFINO!
Very happy to see you back on trail and writing! As others have said, your talent for prose is exceptional. Why not write a letter to each AT state? Make it a book…just a thought.
What a cool idea! Thanks, Rick!
I’ve been thinking about you and little Ollie-by-golly. Your blog is wonderful (as are the photos) — and you write so well, my dear. Stay safe, enjoy the journey, and know we all miss you and love you. Happy trails. xo
Love hearing from you, Lynne! And can’t wait to see you and Montine again very soon- and the little pups too! Ollie says hi 😀 love cari
That was a beautiful and inspiring letter.
Thank you
Thank you, Bill!
Love the picture of the old chairlift counterweight on top of Big Bromley! It’s been a directional for the AT as long as my memory serves me. Thanks for writing about the place I called home for 35 years. It has been my pleasure to keep it as pretty as I could for everyone to enjoy!
Well, on behalf of all of us hikers who went through the state of VT this summer, Thank you for your work out there, Scott!!
I feel like I traveled with you through Vermont Cari! Now I’m determined to visit that state again! Safe travels! Xo
Aw thank you, Alexis- yes, I do hope you get back there soon!
I really enjoyed your love letter to my home state. Vermont stole my heart back in 1979 and I moved here in 1982 I’ve never looked back.
Sounds like these ancient Green Mountains have also stolen your heart. She’s waiting for your return.
Thank you, Kevin!! Where in VT did you end up settling? Any downsides to the great green state? I can’t see any!
Dear Cari,
You have definitely tapped into a very pleasant poetic vein, as you valiantly venture through the vast variegated vertical V-state. *
Thank You !
* sorry, I couldn’t help myself
( +;
You win for the most “v” words in this, Sean! Peace to you, Cari
I loved this post. Happy hiking.
Thank you so much, Wanda! I loved writing it.
The description of the slanted autumn light gave me chills. I love Vermont. So proud of you for continuing this journey! You’re a strong, inspiring woman. Be safe and happy!
Why thank you, Sara!! The light really is extraordinary there.
Sounds like quite an invigorating journey through the green state, I love the poetic flow of your words. Almost hiked the trail this year decided I should tend to the farm instead. Thank you for giving me a little glimpse of the feelings I so miss about being out there with everything I need on my back. I hope these rains only wash away the ick and bring clarity for you and your pupperoni!! To freedom 🌳 💚
Thanks, Alex! Amen- “to freedom,” in the truest sense. May your farm be prosperous and abundant!
so glad to have this window onto the trail. You’re a true sojourner. I like the fostering idea. in The Love, jim
Thank you for reading along, Jim! Looking forward to seeing you and Sue very soon! In the love, Cari
Vermont was nothing but mud. It was aweful.
I can see why you say that, Prime. But my experience was mud *and* MARVEL! So much to behold.
A gorgeous encomium to Vermont, straight from the spirit. You’ve given me extra inspiration to get up there and do the 58 miles I have left on the Vermont portion of the AT. If only I can get two or three dry days in the forecast!
Good luck to you, Jeff! Hope you got out to finish those 58 miles this summer!
Your love letter was read by our minister in church this Sunday am. He admitted before he began that he may get emotional at some point. Why? All V’ters have been through one of the toughest 10 days of a nameless rain storm that has drenched Farmers homes & fields, flooded our state capital, Montpelier, carried away homes & buildings of folks who love their babbling brooks until they grow torrential devastating. But, we all carry on & get through our rebuilding of our roads, homes, and land. It is the “support network” of family & friends, strangers becoming friends, who lend a hand helping everyone to endure and carry on. That neighborly gift is like our perpetual Greeness, always there. Thanks for your lovely and clearly defined definition of “V”.
Oh Curt, what a beautiful comment- thank you for taking the time to write it. First of all, I am humbled and honored that your pastor quoted from my blog in a church service. But secondly, I am even more touched by your description of how Vermonters take care of each other and rise the occasion- even when that means rising floodwaters. I pray your neighborhood and surrounding environs are restored and rebuilt in a timely fashion! Peace to you, Cari
Love the “Love letter to Vermont”. Such a positive message about love, nature, and beauty. With all the craziness here in Florida, Vermont seems like a cool refuge of relief up there in the misty mountains. Your writing flows like a stream in my head, inspiring me to think of the things that really matter. Thank you!