Page 5 - Aug_2014

publisher commentary

by Angelo Lynn

A
dventurecomes in many packages.
So does the love affair that goes with it.
Consider Peter Macfarlane’s 740-mile, 28-day odyssey
along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail that goes from Old Forge,

N.Y., across northern Vermont (and parts of Canada), through
New Hampshire and a long way into northern Maine. He did it
solo with bare minimum gear — and it rained and rained. Giving
up wasn’t an option, but it was a cold, soggy trip that at times

pushed his limits. Why then did Macfarlane fall in love with the trail so much that he
now volunteers to maintain part of the trail through Vermont? It’s part of the mystery
of his story on Pages 12-13.

**********
Or consider fly fishing for carp. That’s right, carp — one of the ugliest, bottom-
feeding fish you’ve always been encouraged to despise.
But fishing guide Drew Price claims it’s the hottest thing going in the fly fishing

world, and he swears by the adventure found in plying the warm, still waters of Lake
Champlain’s shallows. The art is plopping the fly right near the carp’s nose without
spooking it, and then, when it strikes the fly, set the hook and get ready for a 20-min-

ute or 30-minute battle with a fighting fish that will often weigh 10 to 20 pounds.
Price’s biggest is 35 pounds.
Admittedly, it’s an adventure that first requires a mental re-evaluation of the
sport: catching dainty 8-inch trout with their brillantly colored skin is a far cry from

the uncouth appearance of a sucker fish long-considered distasteful, but, hey, who
says anyone is going to mount it, let alone eat it. If it’s the fight you’re after, Price
seems to think there are a lot of fisherman missing out on some great action and a new

kind of adventure. As for Price, he’s hooked.
Reporter Weyland Joyner covers the story, and then prepares a gear guide for
those readers who might want to box their tiny dry flies for a few weeks until the
water chills a bit, and buy some of the larger varieties for carp and pike — complete

with steel leaders and brightly colored flies that appear like they’re meant for deep
sea fishing.
**********

Mountain biking has taken the nation by storm over the past decade and continues
to evolve. While some prefer to climb up the hills they descend, others are in for the
thrill of going downhill fast. Real fast. Head-over-heels fast.
For those so inclined, reporter Evan Johnson donned protective gear and took

the lift to the top of Killington Peak for a hair-raising ride down the single-track on
a specially designed downhill bike. It was a first for Evan, and, as predicted, he went
flying head-over-heels for the sport, and came out not too battered in the end.

It’s a challenge involving necessary skills to learn, some gutspa and a fair amount Featured in
of testosterone to set the bike in motion down black-diamond steeps. Fun. Crazy. Ad- Wall Street Journal,
venturesome. He chronicles the experience on Pages 6-7.
The Globe, Montreal Gazette
WINNER Boston and Sur le Pouce
2012 Best New Restaurant 2013 Best Bartender
**********
Mountain biking in wilder places finds a different kind of adventure. In the very heart “Best beer town in New England.” - Boston Globe
of Vermont, in the tiny towns of Goshen and Ripton lies the Moosalamoo National
Recreation Area and more than 37 miles of point-to-point riding. There’s no trails Located in Waterbury, the food and beverage crossroads, we feature New England’s

that loop back on each other in this terrain park, no sloped bridges or contrived largest & best curated selection of craft beer, proper cocktails, eclectic wines with a
obstacles to surmount, just nature at its best that’s been tamed to the extent a good
full menu featuring barbecue, vegetarian and cozy American fare.
cyclist can make it up, over, through and around for miles on end.
24
The 10-mile Chandler Ridge Loop Trail was completed a couple years ago, and Including beers from Hill Farmstead,
the 7.6-mile Oak Ridge Trail is being worked on this summer in the hopes it can soon
tie into other trails that will complete a trail network expanding from Route 125 Lawson’s Finest Liquids,
in Ripton (that goes over Middlebury Gap) all the way to Brandon Gap on Route The Alchemist “Heady Topper” and
TAPS
73. Everything between is mountain biking terrain that connects wilderness camp- our very own Prohibition Pig Pale Ale
grounds, lots of single-track, some quaint logging roads, and some of the prettiest
low-elevation scenery and woods in Vermont.

You won’t see a lot of people. You provide your own power up and down, and
SUPPER 7 NIGHTS Brunch Specials
there’s no one but you to get you out of trouble if you run into a moose or bear (un-
likely, but entirely possible), and therein lies the adventure. It’s you and the terrain Lunch Fri, Sat & Sun
SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS
— in all its beauty and with its inherent challenges. Those are all reasons guys like

Bruce Acciavatti loves the 16,000 acres in the NRA, and why former VMBA Execu- $4 Fernet draughts everyday
tive Director Patrick Kell chose it as one of the sites to build new trails to bike. It is a 23 South Main Street Waterbury Vermont
place that beckons and creates a passion within.
• •
prohibitionpig.com
Find your adventure and enjoy.

AUGUST 2014
VTSPORTS.COM 5