Growing older, warming climate changes baselines

“In the Champlain Valley, where the baseline has changed so much in just the first quarter of this century, you need to find some nostalgic old person like me to remember those days of 15 to 30 below zero.”

Matthew Dickerson reflects on “Writing Rivers,” a class he teaches that gets first-year Middlebury College students outside.

“Fall is a delightful time to fish in Vermont.”

On the final night of a three-night, four-day visit to Quebec’s Eastern Townships, Matthew Dickerson hiked through an illuminated forest.

“My overall impression of the Eastern Townships was of a people who value lovingly and thoughtfully prepared food, art and culture, and the region they call home.”

“Nestled between mountainous bluffs on the Tennessee River Valley…Chattanooga is an amazing city for lovers of the outdoors.”

My wife and I discovered a new outdoor team sport this summer. We call it Extractigating. Though some know it by its older terminology: Invasive Plant Removal.

When I was young (and my definition of “young” now includes anything less than a half century) I assumed that outdoors and comfort were mutually exclusive. Not so now that I’m not so young.

It was my friend Drew YoungeDyke who introduced me to the term “bluelining.” At the time, Drew had recently taken a job as national communications director for Trout Unlimited, and we were both serving on the board of directors for the Outdoor Writers Ass … (read more)

We had not been on the trail for more than a few minutes peddling up a hill west of Gorham when the first tiger swallowtail appeared, fluttering up from the forest understory—or perhaps from some wet sand where it had been licking salt — and out in front … (read more)

Thought of the day: I’ve been living in Addison County for more than 35 years now, and I continue to find more to discover and enjoy in the many outdoor opportunities that abound in and around our county and state: new places to fish, new places to hike ( … (read more)

Magnolia warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, pine warbler, mourning warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, orange-crowned warbler and yellow warbler.

Last week I went on a field trip with a class on “Water Resources and Hydrogeology” in Middlebury College’s Earth and Climate Science Department, taught by Professor Peter Ryan.

“My mind is never empty or idle at the joinings of streams.” These words come from Wendell Berry, in his beautiful essay “A Native Hill.” But the sentiment is mine, also.

The entire budget of Glacier National Park — a million acres and more than a hundred year-round employees and several hundred seasonal employees — is less than the salary of a single good NFL quarterback. All while bringing in far more revenue than they c … (read more)