OutdoorsVT 5-15-09

Pine Hill Park
A Droopy Muffin can nourish a hungry soul

Early this week I spent some time trekking around Pine Hill Park in Rutland in what may have been absolutely perfect conditions.



Temperatures were in the 60s Monday and the sun was bright overhead as I walked the trails in this recreation gem.



I hoofed it from the Giorgetti parking area on Upper Giorgetti to Trillium to Svelte Tiger. I hooked up with Droopy Muffin over to Underdog to Rocky Pond and on up to the Overlook where I sat for a bit enjoying the view.



This is such a great spot in Pine Hill Park and anybody who hasn’t invested shoe leather into reaching this spot should certainly do so.



But darkness was fast approaching. I had hit the trail well after 6 p.m. and, despite having an el cheapo headlamp with me (just in case) I really didn’t want to risk tripping over a rock or root in the trail in the dark, so I reluctantly moved on.



Following Overlook Trail over the new suspension bridge I hit Jersey Trail and then hooked up with Santa’s Helper back to Droopy Muffin.



I hate coming back the way I went in, however, so I did my best to retrace as few boot prints as possible, choosing a few trails I had never been on before.



I continued on Droopy Muffin over to the Upper Ledges trail and down to Tim’s Vista to the Birches and back out on Trillium and Upper Giorgetti.



I did find myself wondering as I walked, “where in the world did Svelte Tiger and Droopy Muffin come from?” Particularly Droopy Muffin. I couldn’t remember ever walking on a trail with a cooler name.



Whatever their names, those trails guided me through a few hours that couldn’t have been better spent.



After a lengthy outdoor dry spell, I’ve finally managed to get off the pavement several times lately and the Pine Hill Park trek was the ointment I needed to soothe my chapped soul.



The only thing that went wrong was when I pulled my camera out and watched the battery indicator go from “full” to “empty” in one press of the shutter button.



But while I didn’t manage to capture the photos I planned to take, I went home contented and with a greater appreciation for all that Pine Hill Park offers.



Pine Hill Park continues to be something to boast over and is quickly becoming one of the area’s best not-so-secret attributes.



Monday, on Svelte Tiger, I ran across Michael Smith — the one-man trail- and bridge-building hotshot who continues to be the driving force in the park.



With help, Smith has been the force behind much of the park’s growth and improvement in the last few years.



That day, Smith was working on the decking of a new bridge — a cool, serpentine-looking boardwalk that arcs around trees and flattens out a part of the trail that had suffered from runoff in the past.



He said the coming summer brings plenty more work with five planned bridges, more trail building and the always constant repair and improvements.



But Mike’s not alone in his work and many others have helped, and continue to help, in large and small ways.



This Saturday is the last work day of the spring and a good chance to do a little bit toward upkeep in the park that offers so much to so many.



The work day will kick off at 9 a.m. Plans include work on free ride trails, improving water bars on Giorgetti, “digging the Suez Canal” on Lonely Rock, as well as working on Rembrandt’s Brush, according to a press release.



Show up for whatever time you can offer. Bring water and a snack. Bugs weren’t too bad Monday, but bug spray isn’t a bad idea.




Darren Marcy is a local outdoor enthusiast. His Web site is www.darrenmarcy.com. E-mail him at darren@darrenmarcy.com.