Stowe, Thursday, July 24, 2025
After breakfast from the Trapp bakery, we got a reasonably early start on our expedition to the Wiessner Woods, a large undeveloped tract of land off of Edson Hill Road. It is dedicated to the memory of Fritz Wiessner, a German-American climber who made all kinds of first ascents on rock in Europe and North America and participated in several expeditions to the Himalayas. He and his wife spent their last years in Stowe.
Here’s the hardy crew approaching the trailhead.
And here’s the trailhead itself.
The woods are really a lovely spot for a stroll on a summer morning.
After 20 minutes or so, the boys discovered a magical kingdom hidden in the woods!
There were dozens of gnomes in, under, and around the trees here. And they made people happy!
Next stop was the old sugar house–a facility for boiling down maple sap into our favorite syrup–that was now long abandoned. Or rather repurposed: it now serves as a warming hut for skiers on the Catamount Trail, a nordic trail that runs the length of Vermont.
Even the hardiest of long-distance hikers sometimes need a boost!
Just before we finished our loop, the boys discovered the biggest of the streams that flow through these woods.
And with that, our walk was done.
We had lunch at the Edelweiss Deli on the Mountain Road, during which I introduced the boys to a very close facsimile of my mother’s famous trail snack.
We pottered around the village while Emily had a restorative massage; the boys took their time picking their souvenirs at Shaw’s General Store. Alex’s eyes lit on a lovely little bell (the boys are a bit obsessed with The Polar Express, even in July, and bells have a special meaning); he also picked out a motorcycle (!) Christmas Ornament, while Nathaniel grabbed a light-up Sugar House to hang on their tree.
Everybody retired to the house for some play and relaxation. We had an early dinner at Piecasso, where the boys were fascinated by the painted cow on the waitress’s tee-shirt. We showed them the genuine article as we left.
Andrew also had a massage; when I picked him up, we headed for the Alchemist so that he could lay in a winter’s supply of Heady Topper. The pull of the hand-pulled, creamy, luxurious Heady was too much to resist, and we split one on the deck overlooking the brewery meadow.
We spent the late evening on the deck outside again and watched the stars come out over Stowe!