Hinesburgers Explore a Local Treasure
On the Saturday before Father’s Day my long-promised excursion to Williams Woods in Charlotte came to be. My two daughters, my wife and I got in the car and set off around 10 a.m. But first we had to go back to the house to connect to Google maps so as to find our way (there was no signal in the car). It was clear that nobody but me trusted in my ability to find Williams Woods without help. I protested but was, as usual, out-voted – Father’s Day weekend privileges not-withstanding.
Secretly, though, I planned on driving there exactly how I knew to go, ignoring my oldest daughter’s warning that if I deviated from Google’s designated path, I would hear about it.
We arrived at Williams Woods without any berating or incident. It is off Greenbush Road in Charlotte, and the entrance is easily missed as it’s barely more than a brief bit of extra road shoulder with a smallish sign.
Now, I’d heard from Ethan Tapper, a local forester and author, that Williams Woods was one of the only remaining old-growth forests in Vermont. He advised to go there if you wanted to see what Vermont looked like hundreds of years ago. He said not to expect a nice-looking, park-like experience. It would be quite messy, with much undergrowth, and a wide variety of tree species, both standing and fallen over.
So, when we looked at the trailhead, we were not surprised that it was a bit narrow and overgrown. Three of the four of us, and I’m not naming names, immediately suggested we plan on doing this another day – someday, many, many Father’s Day weekends into the future.
I boldly stepped into the path. My family had little choice but to follow, mainly because I had the car keys, I think. Flapping at non-existent mosquitos, listening for all variety of rabid creatures, and fearing blood-sucking ticks, my family followed me onward, bless their hearts, and into the woods we went. Now, by now you must realize that my daughters and wife, while appreciative of all of Vermont’s natural beauty, and are not exactly hard-core nature-lovers.
While hiking years back, my wife once mistook my stomach gurgling for an actual bear, growling, nearby.
Thus, when we heard a hefty hoot from an owl during the first ten minutes, I had to talk nearly everybody off the edge.
Encountering a large tree leaning at a 45-degree angle directly over the path, I was warned not to go under it. This was not because the tree might fall on me. No, it was because, no doubt, witches had set it there and it was extremely bad luck to go under it.
Ditto for the U-shaped sapling encountered a bit further on. The fact that I had no explanation for why it was so, was considered absolute proof of the infestation of this forest with witches.
But once we got going, we realized Williams Woods was indeed very special, witches and all. While not beautiful in typical ways, it was none-the-less a glorious experience. The path turned out to be fairly well-maintained – the white sneakers donned by one daughter got no dirt or mud on them (thank heaven)! It was very, very green. Add in what you imagine as being the most dappled of dappled sunlight, and sometimes the green seemed actually golden.
Toward the end we encountered a racoon. We think we woke him up. He scrabbled down a dry creek bed and under a log where, looking like a little masked bandit, he kept a steady eye on us.
We made it back to the car and then stopped at the Old Brick Store in Charlotte for some coffee and scones.
I highly recommend Williams Woods for some easy and interesting walking on Father’s Day or any day.
Find out more about Williams Woods at tinyurl.com/WilliamsWoods.