Early June–Nearby Hiking

June 6-11, 2024                                                          Most Recent Posts:
Moose River Campground                                The Tale of Going to Vermont
Site 15                                                            A Fun Birthday and Heading North
St Johnsbury, Vermont

June 6  Dog Mountain

Dog Mountain, a 150 acre leash free dog retreat,  is the closest set of hiking trails to Moose River.  Even though I don’t have a dog at this point in my life,  I joined “The Pack”  buying an annual membership to support this wonderful place.

I now plan to come once a week to hike the same trails and  see the changes in the flowers and birds as summer moves along. 

I park in the lot and hike up the connecting trail to Blue, turn left to yellow turn left onto yellow.  Then I go down Pink, back up yellow to do the section I missed by going down pink and then over to the  Angel Dog overlook and back up and around.   About 10K steps and 4.9 miles.

This is my first hike here this summer.

The ferns are lush.  With all the rain, no wonder.

The summer wildflowers are already in bloom.

Not too muddy YET but boards are in place.  Plan on muddy dog paws though.

I have heard that this spring was early in Vermont.  It was uncustomarily warm in the beginning of April.  As a result, I have found that nearly all the ephemeral wildflowers had come and gone by the time I arrived in early June.

This one False Solomon's Seal is all I found.  Last time I found pink ladyslipper on this trail.

 

The Angel Dog of Dog Mountain. 

You have to have read founder artist Stephen Huneck’s books.

I feel lucky not to have missed the lupines blooming.

It’s a special place.  More pictures on future on future visits.

June 7  Lamoille Valley Rail Trail

Another nearby hike is the beginning of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail which starts in St. Johnsbury and runs 93 miles to Swanton.  It is the longest rail trail in New England and connects 18 towns.  It is open for walking, hiking, cycling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dogsledding, and snowmobiling each in its appropriate season.

Last year I found several ephemerals including Jack in the Pulpit at this same time.  But not this year.  Again I am too late.   The summer flowers are in bloom, wild phlox and daisies in specific.

I’m here on a Friday-day morning and see no one walking or biking.

Crossing over this bridge, I do see someone down by the river.

June 8  The Clock Surprise

I love the cast iron street clock at the corner of Main Street and Eastern Avenue across from the beautiful Library.  Once an inside clock, for the last 100 years the clock has rested on its concrete pedestal outdoors, watching everything from horse-drawn buggies to electric cars pass through St. Johnsbury. It is really a town project as volunteers and fundraisers keep it ticking.

I walk by it often and on this day I was coming back from my usual route along the beautiful houses with a stop at the labyrinth when it started raining AGAIN.  As I moved quickly up the street to my car, I saw time fly.   I’m so glad I thought to zoom in on the clock face from a distance.    Take a look at this video of what surprised me.    In the video, look closely at the clock face, the darkness of the rain makes it hard to see.

It was one of the volunteers winding and resetting the clock but it sure surprised me since at first I didn’t see him  I jut saw the clock hands running fast forward.

RAIN

I’m very lucky I was able to get out for the two hikes I’ve talked about and a short buzz around town since 4 out of  the last 7 days it has rained and I’ve been inside looking out.

The clouds do make for some lovely sunsets also out my window.

June 11  Observatory Knob 

All my hiking for the first week was nearby since I could never count on a dry day. Observatory Knob is the highest point in St Johnsbury and people have been hiking up it since the 1880’s.    It once hosted an observatory from which it gets its name but the original one was destroyed by winds in 1894 and its replacement was destroyed in 1914.    I guess they gave up at that point.

The knob is owned by the town now after the Vermont Land Trust saved it from sale in 2020. 

It’s pretty much a straight up hike through woodland and open fields.

At the top is a bench installed by longtime neighbor (since 1966)  David Brown, who added the mailbox with a logbook for hikers to make notes.  He permits the  trail system to continue behind the bench and down onto his own property.

The views from the bench of Burke Mountain, Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor are beautiful even with a sky full of clouds.

You can return back down after enjoying the views or continue the hike behind the bench to another down up trail across the Brown property.

But either way, this is the trail down Observatory Knob.   The same one you climbed up.  I’d advise long pants and your socks over your cuffs through the grass.

I hope this milkweed will be in bloom when I return and the monarchs will have found it.

I love that there are such great places so nearby to get my daily hiking exercise.