One of the most popular outdoor assets located immediately in the town of Middlebury is the TAM, or the Trail Around Middlebury. It is a 16 mile path that completely circles the town, moving through both settled streets and scenic forests. It is an interesting peek into the layout of the town itself. In just minutes, one can go from the urban feel of downtown to not being able to see any markers of civilization.

The trail is maintained by the Middlebury Area Land Trust, which is completely supported by donations and support from the National Land Trust. Construction of the trail involved building two pedestrian foot bridges, as well as an intense network of planks and path variations to help walkers and runners during the wet season. There are picnic tables on the path of the trail to stop and sit.

The trail’s claim to fame is the TAM Trek, an 18 mile race that occurs every Fall. It serves as both a fundraising event for trail maintenance, and  to increase the notoriety of the tail for distance runners across the state of Vermont. There are also 6 mile and 2 mile options for those who are not so interested in the whole shebang. For those technical runners out there, the website for the race says the course gains and loses 1000 feet of elevation during the course, with some sections more difficult than others. For those incoming freshman with an inclinations towards athletics, the TAM Trek is a great introduction to the town where you will be spending the next four years.

Map of the trail

Site for the TAM Trek

I am (unofficially) Middlebury’s number one sports fan, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. (I am puny, hence fan not player, and can do about zero damage)

Unfortunately, there are no #sports during the summer. That has not stopped me though! Instead I have latched onto the US women’s soccer bid for the World Cup and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s bid for the Stanley Cup. I’m still sad that the Blackhawks beat the Lightning but I digress. I’ve also registered for a marathon!

I ran all year round for my high school but am nowhere near fast enough to compete here. I used to row crew, but the time commitment proved too much for me. Now, as a non-athletic regular person, I have decided to rekindle my love for running. It started with the Maple run (Middlebury’s half marathon), and somehow translated to the New Hampshire Marathon in October. (It’s all hills. I’m going to die)

One of my recent runs took me through the Organic Farm, and I just had to stop to take pictures of the beautiful scenery (It had nothing to do with needing to catch my breath ok I was FINE stop asking). In another post I will talk more about the farm in details. The surrounding area is hilly, but provides some lovely looking runs. Now if you need me, I’ll be laying down for a while to let my legs rest.

After work at the Admissions Office, a friend of mine and I biked five miles to the Abbey Pond Trail, hiked for one mile, and then finished the last mile with a run. The lake was absolutely gorgeous. You could see a beaver dam, and it was nice to appreciate the stillness of nature. If you want to check out the trail you should click here: Abbey Pond Trail Information. I would highly recommend it!

We ran, hiked, and biked back to Middlebury. Before we reached the college we stopped at Shaw’s (a grocery store) and picked up food to make homemade chili. As we biked up the hill toward Mead Chapel I was almost positive that I wouldn’t be able to make it. My legs were extremely tired and all that I wanted to do was collapse on the ground and go to sleep. Once we reached the dorms, ate dinner, and showered, however, we weren’t quite so tired. Our evening ended with a rousing game of Smash Brothers and Avalon.

There are so many fun outdoor adventures here in Vermont, and I will try to keep you posted on all of the hikes and adventures that I go on. One of my goals this summer is to hike all of the trails in and around Middlebury. There are a lot of them, so we shall see! If you are interested in more hiking/running trails here on campus you can also click here: Middlebury Trail Runner. Until next time!

This weekend, I was supposed to go on a much larger hike in Green Mountain National Forest, but Sunday turned out to not have the nicest weather. With one of my close friends, we instead headed to Snake Mountain, located 20 minutes from campus.

The hike up Snake Mountain is a classic experience for many Middlebury students. Many travel with their res life staff the week of orientation, because the summit provides a beautiful view of the Vermont countryside and massive Lake Champlain. It’s a four mile loop, and not to difficult, even for the older crowd.

Getting there: Take route 125 from Middlebury west until you get to route 22A. Head north until you come to Wilmarth Road on the right. Take Wilmarth till the end, and turn left onto Mountain Road. The trailhead will be within the immediate vicinity, and parking will be further down the street on the left. 

So this past weekend (before Vermont went back to not believing in summer and the temperature dropped to 50) I went to Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore for the first time with a crew of summer student employees. Dunmore during the year, when students have the free time and the weather permits, is one of the more popular relaxtion spots around Middlebury.   For one reason or another I just never got the chance to go during the school year. I was lucky enough to have this trip organized by the summer RA and happily spent 4.5 hours lounging on the grass by the lake while reading a book, eating snacks, and hanging out with friends. Dunmore has docks, boat/kayak rentals, and a concessions stand as well as a dock with a slide to keep the day busy and fun. Having a massive and beautiful lake only a 15 minute drive from campus makes the summer just a little sweeter and the hot and humid days a lot more bearable.