White Rocks / Okemo State Forest
Killington to Weston, VT | Hiking in White Rocks National Recreation Area | Hiking in Okemo State Forest | Camping in Greendale Campground in Green Mountain National Forest | July 2024
When we left our boondocking site in Killington Resort, we had several ‘chores’ that needed to be done in town, and the closest town to us happened to be Rutland. Rutland is where we stayed last year during the week of Charlotte’s surgery, so many of our memories from there are emotionally charged, starting with feeling helpless and questioning everything when we arrived, to hopeful and holding new dreams when we left. But in spite of the sadness that we experienced here during that time, we were able to return happily today, having been blessed with a year and a half more of life with our blind but healthy puppy, and now driving the van that we had first started thinking about when we were here. Being able to drive through town and think about how God has carried us throughout the past year was a reminder of His faithfulness, and I was thankful for this chance to return under better circumstances.
It also helped that since we were here before, we already knew just where to go for recycling, groceries, and a walk! After finishing our in-town chores, we decided to return to White Rocks National Recreation Area. We had attempted to hike just a quarter mile to an overlook last year, a few days before Charlotte’s surgery, but weren’t able to finish it. Today, we returned and made it all the way up together — just in completely different conditions, since last time we were here it was still covered in early spring snow. We remembered the switchbacks being too confusing for Charlotte back when she was newly blind, but today she trotted right up them, following our guidance as she’s now been trained to do. We enjoyed the mossy forest and spotted several bright orange newts on our way up. However, today was the first day that we really experienced heat and humidity after being so far North and higher in elevation for the past several weeks. It definitely wasn’t worth hiking to the ice caves today, so instead we returned to the picnic area for lunch and to get some work done. We were all alone here for a while, but then several different groups all arrived at the same time, so we took that as our cue to leave.
Next, we drove over to the town of Ludlow, where there was another ski resort, but more importantly, another peak for Curtis’ hiking challenge. We took advantage of the road that went almost to the top, then walked the remaining half mile to the summit together. After making it to the top of the main ski lift, Curtis went out to the true summit and firetower and back. The view was socked in with clouds, but over time we got little peaks here and there. A few other groups came up as we were leaving, though they seemed to have hiked up the whole way. We might have been able to boondock here like we did at Killington, but there was no one else camping here and it just didn’t have the same welcoming vibe, so instead we continued on our way.
We continued heading South and ended up finding a spot in Greendale campground in the national forest to stay for the night. I think on a nice day it would be a pleasant spot to stay — deep in the woods, next to a babbling brook — but tonight was raining off and on, buggy, and humid, so we mostly stayed in the van… Except for Charlotte, who decided (near midnight, long after dark) that outside was the perfect place to be, and just wanted to walk around the campground and sit in the road. At first we wondered if she was smelling a wild animal or something, but no, all she wanted was a midnight stroll. We’re still not sure what that was all about, but she eventually settled back down and slept through the remainder of the night.
