Category Archives: Hikes

Standing On Top of Vermont (Part III)

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(Continuation of Standing on Top of Vermont – Part I, Part II)

152…The trail. Rocks. Boulders. I sat on my butt and slid down one. I got the “I’m petrified of heights” shakes when having to climb over gaps in the rocks. I lost a water bottle along the way.

184

View from the top… where we were headed to get down…

Low and behold – we made it to the Gondola.

191194Can you hear the angels rejoicing?! I had a way down! I was exhausted (and hungry).

196We walk in to where the seats were spinning and told to we needed a ticket from the gift shop. I’m not even kidding. $19 each for a one way ticket down.

“#$%&@*%%&*#%*” went thru my mind. I’m exhausted, hungry and feeling very, very old.

“Are you serious? No, thank you.” Came out of my mouth.

Side Note: Dear Stowe Resort. This is a photo of a random wire on your property thrown into the woods. Please clean this before winter falls upon us. It’s environmentally irresponsible. (Near Switchback – easy access to Long Trail nearby.) Thank you.

063 (2)Green Mountain Man and I began our walk down the ski slopes. Down a black diamond trail. This was seriously the funniest part of our hike. The man not only runs up the mountain but he also runs down. Then falls. Multiple times. Everytime I buckle down laughing and trying not to pee. Karma, I end up falling and continually laughing. Oy vey. It’s the point in the day when you realize you’ve had enough.

200At one point, we see a road and my brother says “We’re getting farther from the truck. We gotta cut thru the woods. It’s shorter.” Exhausted because I don’t think I have a choice, I follow suit. Branches, tree trunks, brooks, rocks, I twist my ankle, a twig stabs the same ankle. I feel old, like 90 years old. My thighs hurts, both knees, my toes are squished in the tips of my shoes, I somehow manage to laugh thru most of it but at one point I distinctively remember looking at him with the “evil glare” thinking why are you doing this to me again?! I guess he wasn’t worried about it because he later said that his wife would’ve been a whole lot more pissed than I ever was on this trip. He wasn’t worried. Here we are walking thru the woods, trying to find the trail, once again. All of a sudden we hear a rustle to our left. A dog. It might as well been a moose by the way we both jumped. Calamity Jane! Needless to say, we found the trail, found the start of the trail (which was not where we started) and got back to the truck.

156We did it! We hiked Vermont’s highest peak. Although it was a real pain, struggle and terrifying at times but the view from the top was beyond anything I can put into words. This is my home.

Next time, we need a lunch packed but since we hit “the big one” it should all be easy from here on out, right? Plus we have unforgettable sibling memories. That’s pretty special.

158 Did I mention that there was a toll road to the top of the mountain? I veto’d that idea because I thought that would’ve been “cheating”. Needless to say, the toll road creator – was one smart person.

Activities at Hyatt Lost Pines

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It’s officially summertime and what a better point to take some time off and just run away from the world for a bit. Whether you are staying at the Hyatt Lost Pines for a day or two, or even a week, chances of getting bored are slim to none. The resort provides a magnitude of activities, no matter what who you are with or what your age. Singles, couples, families and for group stays, the opportunities are endless.

When I walked into the resort, I immediately felt at home. Who wouldn’t love this orange couch?! Makes you just want to settle down and pull out a good book or catch up with some friends.

If you’re not quite sure where to begin, the Hyatt Lost Pines helps you out. They have an activities desk located right next to the main lobby. Not only do they have a board with the daily activities and time, but they will help you schedule whatever it is that you’d like to do. Horseback riding, a massage, zip lining, canoeing, the options are endless. Take advantage.

Speaking of endless opportunities, let’s talk about a few….

The gardens. There are two gardens right outside the main rooms that you can walk around, smell the flowers and even sit down and just take a breather.

Of if you’re lucky enough, these three seats will be available overlooking the river.
Disc golf and basketball are right at the bottom of the hill if you’re looking for some friendly competition.
Bike rentals are also available if you’d rather hop on to ride around the resort. If you prefer to take a walk in the woods, I definitely recommend hitting the trails!
(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)
McKinney Roughs Nature Park and the Renegade Trailhead are right next door to the resort. Here you can go rafting, canoe, zip lining, horseback riding and even take shooting lessons, just to name a few.
(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)

If you’d rather just lay next to a pool instead of jumping into the river, well they can help you out there as well. Slides, pools and even a lazy river could keep you cool from the Texas sun all afternoon.

(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)
Let’s not forget about golf. The Hyatt Lost Pines has a beautiful Wolf Dancer Golf Course. Granted, I wasn’t able to golf while I was there, some of the views of this area are fantastic. From what I hear, the golf course is one that you must play at least once! You can also schedule golf lessons with one of four PGA professionals.
 
(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)
Speaking of views….
(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)
If golf isn’t your thing, or your significant other is out on hitting the greens, the Spa Django is right next door waiting for you.
(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)
Animals are prominent on the resort. These are the Percheron horses that lead the wagon ride, daily. Hop onboard to enjoy a tour of the grounds and learn a little bit about these 2,000 lb. horses (double the size of a “normal” horse).
Also, you will find llamas and a pair of longhorns. I’ve never seen a black and white longhorn (and we all know how much I love cows), so I was pretty happy.
If all that doesn’t tire you out by the end of the night, head over the Sheller’s Barrelhouse Bar. Enjoy a cold one, sit back and listen to some great local music. I happened to be there when Steven Dolster and Phillip Gibbs came in from Austin. Great Americana music.
(A couple more videos from that night can be found, here.)
My stay at the Hyatt Lost Pines was far too short to enjoy all the activities available all in one swoop. What I could attend, was beyond phenomenal and I highly recommend the Hyatt Lost Pines for any kind of function. If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities and activities available at the resort, please check out their website.
Related Posts:

Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and Spa
Most Historic Small Town In Texas
Exploring Nature at the Hyatt Lost Pines
Comfort & Beauty – Room Overview
Firewheel Cafe at the Hyatt Lost Pines

Disclaimer: I was not compensated but did receive one night’s stay at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in return for this post. All photos and opinions are 100% my own

Vermont Adventures with Green Mountain Man

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Last month, I traveled back home to Vermont for a few days to catch up with family, friends and spend some quality time with my favorite person, my niece. Each time I go home, I spend some quality time with my brother doing something outdoor oriented, sometimes shooting guns (attempting to hit a target), canoeing, snowshoeing or going for a drive. This time around, we went canoeing and fishing and hiking.

Canoeing and Fishing

Vermont is beautiful. The mountains are rich and you will find tons of lakes and ponds tucked around, just waiting to be explored. We came across a few of them, in desolate areas. I swear, my brother knows every nook and cranny in Vermont. The man doesn’t get lost.

Needless to say, we didn’t catch any fish, on a lake that is. We ended up catching a few trout in a brook that we went to later. I did get my legs extremely sun burnt. The views were amazing. My rowing skills were not. The oars were taken away, apparently there was too much laughing and not enough “straight” rowing. Makes me laugh just thinking about it.

Hiking

I should’ve learned my lesson snowshoeing. Vermont had a ton of snow this winter, I think the most they’ve seen in a few years so it wasn’t surprising that there were still a few snowpatches at the top of the mountain where we went to hike. We started off on the northern most part of the Long Trail in Richford, Vermont. The thing is, when you hike with my brother, you may start off on a trail but I guarantee that you won’t stay on it. You will eventually come back onto the trail but again, you may not end on it. We started on the trail, went off the train, came back on only to get back off, found it again and eventually cut through the woods to get back to the main road to where we parked the truck. Again – the man doesn’t get lost.

Tons of moose trackings and rubbings on the trees, and a few views peaking out of the trees. As exhausting as it was to hike with someone who seems to still have energy to run up the mountain after hiking for three hours, it was well worth it!