The sign went up this week: a beautiful diamond sign, construction orange with a reflective black border. In many ways, the sign brings uncertainty, a harbinger of what will come over the next few weeks and months. We don’t really know how big the monster it warns of will be—or how long it will be around.
Mud season is upon us. First, the brutal rain, then a freeze, and now two weeks of warm weather. There is already a vast tire trench on River Road from someone sneaking in and almost getting eaten by the road before the sign went up. That trench then froze over last weekend and is now sitting silently, a cautionary reminder to all to stay closer to the middle and to look out for the soggy bits.
But you can’t tell now, can you? The soggy bits move about underneath the gravel, and you have no idea where you will sink or when you will get pulled down deep into the depths of the road. We talk about snow snakes all the time, but the mud monster lies dormant, waiting for his few weeks of glory. And with the amount of snow we’ve had combined with the temps of the next few weeks, this is going to be one glorious mud season.
River Road in Killington is already a mess. The water rushes down the mountain, getting trapped on the wrong side of the road. There is no way under the road since that part is pretty much floating in the water from the Ottaquechee anyway. So, the melting snow must go over the road in its attempt to reach the river instead of under it, like through a culvert or something.
The locals love this. It adds an element of adventure to an otherwise normal day of driving—for life on a first road. And it gets the sign put up! Let’s face it: the beginning of mud season is the worst because it catches so many unaware. That first big truck that isn’t paying attention to the weather, and the runout destroys that road for weeks on end. We will never get that first trench out until the road is dry enough to run the grader.
This sign is a savior. If you’ve ever been caught on River Road during mud season, either because you live on a paved road, so you don’t realize the danger, or your dirt road isn’t sitting in an actual river, you appreciate this sign. You don’t want to destroy the underbelly of your car just to get to the town office. Or risk getting sucked into the mud.
Because when the mud monster takes control of the wheel, there’s that moment where you wonder if you are Artax and will end up being sucked into the Swamp of Sadness like in “The Neverending Story.” You’ve seen the photos of cars sucked in way past their bellies, and the tow truck can barely make it to the scene, never mind find enough gravel firm enough to stabilize the truck to pull you out. This is not a joke.
As long as the traffic stays light, there’s a fighting chance for River Road. The trenches don’t settle in and the lighter cars of residents can gently plod along as softly as possible. With a few trenches, only the weak spots become dangerous, and all of us who live down here know where those are. They are like the soft spots on a baby’s head that you protect and gentle, not ram your truck through like it’s a four-wheeler road and disrespect all the others that must now suffer your ruts.
Don’t make ruts. Don’t get sucked into ruts. Tread gently, or don’t tread at all. Don’t slam on your brakes or make any sudden movements. Keep your wheels as straight as possible unless you get stuck, and then wiggle them slowly. Mud is sneaky, and you can never tell how deep it is until someone makes a rut. You’ve seen the movies. And even then, you still don’t know.
These are the golden rules of driving on dirt roads that were built in rivers. I always found it ironic that the Green Mountain Club has all kinds of rules to protect our hiking trails, but there are no rules about driving on dirt roads until we put up an orange sign telling you it’s Closed to Thru Traffic. Please be kind to the folks who live on dirt roads and keep the traffic to a minimum. Plan to go around. We need to all work together to maintain the road. It’s going to be beautiful over the next few weeks, but if you need the library, transfer station, or the town office, might I suggest using the paved side of the road instead?
Merisa Sherman is a long-time Killington resident, global real estate advisor, town official, and Coach PomPom. She can be found in the mountains or at [email protected].
