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| The West River, Brattleboro |
Saturday, April 27. I've missed a week, due to a family visit to Virginia, and flew back to Boston Friday. Mike picked me up and we drove to Brattleboro, Vermont, to meet our new rescue dog from Georgia! More on her in another post.
After dinner with lots of wine, a night in the cool downtown Latchis Hotel, and breakfast at Putney, we went looking for fun things to do. A cup of cocoa each from Burdick's in NH put Mike close to seizure territory and had me feeling queasy. A hike on the
West River Trail in Brattleboro was just the thing.
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| I-91 thunders over our heads |
The trail is the old right of way for the
West River Railroad of southern Vermont, which ran from 1880 to 1936. It was plagued by washouts, derailments, deaths, snowstorms, stranded passengers, and other troubles, leading a 1903 newspaper editorial to call it the "try-daily -- they go down in the morning and try to get back at night." The trail follows the West River, which joins the Connecticut River at Brattleboro.
The day was gorgeous and the trail super easy, which suited our hungover, chocolate-amped state. At one point the trail crosses under I-91, which is carried over the West River on two rusty green iron bridges, larger versions of the Ur-bridge that exists in every New England mill town.
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| Wood turtle |
After about an hour we left the trail and scrambled onto a small island in the river. There we saw a pretty wood turtle napping in the sun. I didn't really know what it was; I had to send a picture to my friend Jane who knows all animals. Turns out she had one as a pet for a while as a kid. It's noted for the pyramidal markings on its upper shell.
We took a break and lay in the sun for a bit on the way back to the trailhead, and there I snapped this picture for posterity.
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| Happy hungover hiker |
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