Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m.—WOODSTOCK—What do farm fresh food, hiking, arts and crafts, fiddle music, yoga in nature, ice cream, and wood-fired pizza all have in common? They are all part of the ninth annual Trek to Taste to be held on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 3,10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock. Admission is free.
Trek to Taste celebrates local trails and healthy food in Vermont’s only national park. The free festivities are open to the public. The fun begins at the park’s Forest Center and continues along the trails to specialty stations, or hubs, scattered throughout the park.
This event offers a unique opportunity to sample fresh local food while enjoying the natural beauty of Vermont. Begin at the Forest Center where students from local schools will display their farm-to-school projects and offer free food samples made with local ingredients. Check out the interactive stream table, learn about “Leave No Trace” skills and online trail finder resources, get composting tips, join a yoga hike, participate in a chipmunk quest, and so much more. Check in at the registration table to plan an adventure: grab a map for a self-guided trek or join a guided hike at 10:30 a.m. or 12 p.m to any of four destinations, each offering special activities and local food.
A half-mile walk leads to the park’s Pony Pasture where ArtisTree, Billings Farm & Museum and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science will have family-friendly activities.
A two-mile loop hike will take participants to the Nordic Hut where youngsters from Woodstock Union Middle and High School will offer tastings of wood fired pizza.
A hardier hike will follow the carriage roads for a 4.5 mile round trip to the South Peak overlook where Sustainable Woodstock will serve gourmet samplings from local food producers.
Vermont Fiddle Orchestra performs 12-3 p.m., and an ice cream social will finish the day, 1-3 p.m. At 2 p.m., the Annette C. Compton Fiertz Trail Stewardship award will be presented to an individual or organization nominated for dedication and efforts in trail stewardship in Woodstock.
This event will also include the launch of Boots to Boats 2017, a summer-long series of hikes and special events connecting the two national parks in the Upper Valley: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller N.H.P. in Woodstock, Saint-Gaudens N.H.S. in Cornish, N.H., via the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the nation’s first National Blueway, the Connecticut River. Guided hikes will be offered throughout the summer and a hiking and activity guide will be available at Trek to Taste.
Parking is at the Billings Farm & Museum overflow lot. For more info, visit nps.gov/mabi, trektotaste.info.
Photo courtesy of NPS
A delicious reward to a hike along a trail is the wood-fired pizza station, that will be manned by Woodstock students.
