The Trail to Lake Paran Take Two

August 9, 2021                                                               Most Recent Posts:
Camping on the Battenkill                           The Bridges of Bennington County
Arlington, Vermont                                           Robert Frost’s Stone House

On Monday I went back to the Robert Frost Stone House to do the trail I had abandoned previously.  See the previous Robert Frost Stone House Post above for details.  This time I was armed with my phone and insect repellent.  It was scheduled to be in the 80’s but I thought being in the woods, it would be fine.

The Robert Frost trail head goes directly off the parking lot for the Robert Frost Stone House.  It is described as a 2 mile footpath that ends at Lake Paran in North Bennington.  Somehow the word footpath is more charming than trail. 

The trail’s first mile is on the Frost property begins as a mowed field path,  goes by the remnants of his apple orchard and the sign at the trailhead said through his stand of red pines. I didn’t see a stand of pines so I wonder how old the information sign is. 

I did see narrow brushy paths which eventually led into the woods.  Unfortunately for me the heat in Vermont in the 80’s feels like Virginia or Florida in the 90’s.  The humidity was sweat producing and the mosquitoes were again very bothersome.  

Of course in the woods there was fungi.  This was quite a large colony.

Strangely, the woods did not provide mosquito relief.  This is really the first place and turned out to be the only place the mosquitoes were a real nuisance.

I was back to the very narrow brushy paths when I reached the bridge over Paran Creek which is at mile 1.15 or about half way.

On the other side of the creek “two roads diverged”.  I decided to make it a loop trail by taking the high road first and the low road back.  On the sign, the high road had been described as offering “long views before heading back down to the lake”.  Hope to see the green mountains in the distance.

No views from up here.  At least not for someone 5 foot tall.

No views from here

But I thought Mother Nature’s lichen was very artistic.

Finally on the way back down there were some  obstructed views of the lake  through the trees but the long views of perhaps mountains I was hoping for were not anywhere.  Further evidence that the sign is old and out of date.

At the bottom of the hill a boardwalk began and went along the lake to the public beach.

While putting this post together, I was surprised to find that these were the only pictures I took of the beach area where I remember people were swimming and there was a concession stand.  I spoke with two women who had taken the low road and was sure I had taken pictures there but if so, they weren’t on my camera.  Suffice it to say that being in the water on the beach or playing on this slide would have been much better than battling mosquitoes in the heat on the “footpath”.

After wishing I was wearing a swimming suit under my hiking clothes, I headed back on the low road.

Look carefully in the picture below for the shite dot in the middle of the photo beyond the cloud reflection.

It’s one of two waterfowl I saw on my return walk.

This was the only impediment on the trail other than the narrowness of some of the areas of overgrowth.  Tick habitat I fear but I was well dressed for it with long pants and long sleeves despite the hot for Vermont weather.

On the return trip I stopped for a bit on the lovely bridge.

It is beautifully built and a wonderful place to sit and ponder the poetry of Frost posted there.

If you’ve read my previous post on the Frost Stone House then you know why this poem was posted here but I still think it should have The Road Not Taken since there are two choices of “roads” as you hike toward the Lake, the high road and the low road.   Not sure that either one makes all the difference though.

With the heat, humidity and bothersome mosquitoes, even though it was a very nice hike which I would be happy to do it again on a day with less of all those things, I was very glad to see the farm and the end of the  trail.