This was in an old CTA Newsletter:
"Six Day Tour in Southern Vermont 2009: 6 Days + 1 Day - 1 Day + 1 Day = 7 Days!" by Sheri Larsen
The “Six Day Tour in Southern Vermont” last March was advertised in the CTA 2009 Winter Events Calendar as a tour covering five sections of the Catamount Trail over a period of six days. Included were Sections 2-5 from Harriman Dam to Kendall Farm Road and Section 11 from Ninevah to Tin Shanty. The tour was described by tour organizer Sam Bartlett as follows: “ This tour provides a true backcountry experience on moderate terrain in some very beautiful forests of southern Vermont....[P]articipants may sign up for as many days as they wish.”
Because the tour description was so appealing and participants could ski just one day or every day, the event drew a lot of inquiries. Counting trip leaders, a total of 44 people ended up participating. And, there were 129 skier days over seven days. What a great turnout, but wasn’t the tour supposed to be only six days? This is what actually happened: Prior to the beginning of the tour, Sam was asked if a Day 0 could be added so participants could ski Section 1 from the Massachusetts border to Harriman Dam. He graciously added a day to the tour. Then, several days into the tour – when the snow conditions were deteriorating and bodies were getting tired – participants interested in doing Section 11 wanted to ski it in one day instead of over two days. The trip leaders agreed to that adjustment. So, that brought the number of days back to six. But, then there were a few die-heart skiers who hadn’t had enough and decided to add another day to ski Section 10 from Healdville to Ninevah.
A few more statistics are in order: Of the 44 participants, about 20 were new people to CTA and the Catamount Trail. Seven skiers skied the six days of the organized tour. And, three skiers – Phil Kivlin, Rich Larsen, and Sheri Larsen – finished skiing the length of the CT on this tour!
The trip lived up to its description in terms of beautiful scenery. We skied by several reservoirs, along river banks and through lovely woods. The stretch between Harriman Dam and Route 9 was particularly scenic, especially the rock walls with icicles hanging on them. The temperatures were relatively warm so we were able to stand around for group pictures, stop for leisurely lunches and a few skiers even wore shorts one day! We never had rain during the day but there was rain on two nights, which resulted in wet and heavy snow. Those conditions ended up causing some problems on our fifth day of skiing. The forecast for the sixth day was pretty grim – freezing temperatures and a wintry mix. The driving to the trailhead was difficult, but the wintry mix turned out to be about 5 inches of new snow in that part of Vermont. So, we ended up with enough powder to ski the longest and most difficult section of the tour. The new snow was a great ending to the official tour.
Tour organizer Sam Bartlett deserves a huge “thank you” for all the work he did to make the “Six Day Tour of Southern Vermont” a very successful event. Thanks are also due to the trip leaders for each segment of the trail: Sam Bartlett, Tim Marr, Jim and Mary Lou Briggs, Andrew Harper, Bill Michels and Paul Burgess. And, finally, thanks go to those CTA members who provided lodging to some participants and especially to Jim and Chickie Goodine and their friends, who hosted a terrific “Gluttony Fest” at their home in Bennington one evening and opened up their sauna so we could relax after a day of skiing.