The Hills Are Alive

... in Vermont. Where else?

In June I made a little journey to the wild North, where I stayed at the Trapp Family Lodge. Besides being a great location for recreation such as hiking and skiing (in the winter), the Lodge now has a brewery on site, which is set to open... now-ish?

While I was there, I discovered a new beautiful (and naturally, completely invasive) flower.. hawkweed! Apparently hawkweek is native to Europe, so I guess it's somewhat appropriate that it be found at the Trapp Lodge, since it was founded by Austrian musicians.

There was plenty of hiking and wandering to do in nearby Stowe. Here's the iconic view from Sunset Rock looking down into the village.

What trip would be complete without a little Appalachian Trail action (or in Vermont, the Long Trail)? Here's Mt. Mansfield, from a safe distance on the rec path. The nose is the hooked peak on the left, and the chin has lots of cloud cover touching it.

It took a few hours, rock scrambling, and lots of sweat and encouragement, but I made it to the top along with my cousin and two uncles. Here's a view from the chin itself, complete with cousin's head. Needless to say, going down is much easier.