Take a Hike and Call Me in the Morning
In a partnership with the Ottauquechee Health Center and other local organizations, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont, welcomed nearly 200 hikers to its first annual Peak to Peak celebration, Saturday October 13, 2012. The partnership with the Health Center promoted outdoor exercise and healthy eating, fulfilling Action #6 of NPS Director Jon Jarvis's call to action: "Take a Hike and Call Me in the Morning!" explained assistant superintendent Christina Marts.
Enthusiastic hikers joined in ranger-led walks on Mount Peg (1080 ft) and Mount Tom (1,250 ft) and the eponymous peak-to-peak hike including both Peg and Tom!
With their spectacular views of the Ottauquechee River, the twin peaks are favorite places for hiking, picnicking and dog-walking, and also provide important foci for interpreting the conservation stewardship history of the area.
For the event, water color paints and supplies were available on both peaks, encouraging visitors to pause, observe, contemplate and interpret the inspiring views for themselves, just as the Hudson River School painters represented in the Park's mansion house collection had done in the nineteenth century. Down on the village green, conveniently located between the peaks, conservation organizations staffed information booths, rangers led children's activities and local high school students prepared and sold heart-healthy food.
Event organizer Marissa Jager, a Student Conservation Association intern at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park said: "This first annual peak-to-peak celebration was a healthy family-friendly event that emphasized the importance of Woodstock's trail system and gave people a chance to see some of the recent restoration work carried out on Mount Tom's Faulkner Trail by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps."
