One small Addison County miracle that readers might not be aware of: The Nordic skiing up at Bread Loaf/Rikert Nordic Center is quite wonderful.
Despite the worst winter in living memory, Mike Hussey and his crew have managed to keep five kilometers of beautiful groomed snow alive through the droughts and rains, which means that our impressive high schoolers and Bill Koch League kids and the dynamic college team have been able to keep skiing, and the rest of us too.
Last weekend there were maybe 10 kilometers of skiing anywhere in Vermont, and half of them were at Bread Loaf. We have the college and its benefactors to thank for the equipment that makes Rikert so special, of course, but the dedication it takes — in a year of constant thaw — to keep things open is exceptional. I was up there last Thursday, and there were 50 elementary school kids from down in the valley skiing and laughing and horsing around, and all I could think was, these are the only 50 schoolkids in Vermont enjoying winter today.
So thanks to all for their hard work (and pray for snow).
Bill McKibben
Ripton