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Day 59 Stowe
Wonder of wonders this morning Vince slept in. Margaret tried to wake him but he continued sleeping. Her movements in the room and noise of the shower and he still blissfully snoozed on. It wasn't until the kettle on the stove began to whistle that he finally woke.
It was another misty morning so when we set out we headed up the hill above the low lying mist. About 2 miles away is the Trapp Family Lodge. When the Von Trapp family escaped Austria they fled to America and after travelling around as the singing Trapp Family they settled in Stowe, Vermont. The initial lodge had 27 rooms where they would take in tourists. The lodge burnt down in 1980 and the current 97 room lodge was built.
In the grounds is a low fenced private area which is the graveyard to members of the family. The cross marking Maria's grave is easily read but we could not make out the names on the other smaller grave markers. We assume the larger central grave would be Georg's.
We then drove back up to Smuggler's Notch. We managed to get a park on the side of the road and we went for a walk. The trails are not well marked but quite steep. At least half of our climb was climbing using all fours (Marg's suggestion. Hah there was no choice on the trail Vince chose!). Needless to say the climb down was interesting!
We headed back into town and asked at the information centre for some additional places to see in the area. We settled on the Summit Pinnacle, just out of town. We were told it had a good view over the town and the surrounding area.
It is just over 2 ½ km walk each way with most of it being an uphill climb. Very reminiscent of the steepness of the walks in the Rockies. The one big difference is that this path is littered with granite rocks and tree routes so rather than a smooth path you are constantly stepping over obstacles.
It was a great view from the Summit. Seeing the colours of the surrounding forests and the areas of cleared fields. We could even make out the Trapp Family Lodge on the ridge across the valley. It was quite cool at the top as there was a decent breeze blowing. It was nice sitting in the afternoon sun, out of the wind, and looking at the view.
Heading home, we had a quick cuppa and sandwich then headed out for a quick walk on a section of the recreation pathway around town. This is path that runs for a 5-mile stretch along the river in Stowe. It was an easy walk but quite enjoyable. We came across a small baby animal petting enclosure by the entrance to a corn maze. As it was by now about 6.00pm the maze was closed but we did get to pet the calves and goats.
Once the sun had officially set we headed back to the car in the twilight and then on to home.
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