Brilliant colors behind the Birch Ridge Inn shot from across the Roaring Brook Valley 

A full weekend of events are "on tap" at Killington for the first fall foliage weekend in October.

The Pico Ski Club will hold their annual Ski and Snowboard swap at the Pico Base Lodge in Killington. New and used ski and snowboarding equipment for kids and adults will be available for sale at this annual event that benefits the Pico Ski Club. The sale starts Friday evening from 5 to 9 PM. It resumes on Saturday from 9 AM to 5PM. It finishes on Sunday morning with swap hours between 9 AM and Noon.

The 16th Annual Killington Brewfest is set for sampling 75 craft beers. The beers come from 20 breweries from around the North East. Taps will be open at the Beerfest at the Snowshed Base Lodge of the Killington Resort starting at 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon.

Rounding out the weekend, on Sunday the "Concert for the Killington Area" is scheduled to take place between Noon and 11:30 PM in the parking lots of the Lookout Tavern and Outback Pizza. Local bands from the Killington area will perform. A $20 donation gets you entry to the event, a buffet, and the good feeling that you are helping local Vermonters recover from Hurricane Irene. All proceeds from the event go to "We are K-Town/Irene's Islands" and the "Pittsfield Hurricane Relief Fund" for distribution to people needing assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

It should be a nice weekend in Killington to enjoy the events while taking in some nice fall colors. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Concert for the Killington Area - Sunday October 2 

It is hard to comprehend that remnants of Hurricane Irene struck Vermont one month ago today. Much of the beauty of Vermont was left unscathed. For every picture of damage and destruction shown on the evening news, I can show you a picture of the absolute beauty that the Green Mountain are today, a scant 31 days after the storm. It is, of course, the paradox of living in the mountains. The Green Mountains endure, like they have for millennia, while the valley floors took a beating from mountain runoff in the storms aftermath.

In central Vermont we are all marveling at the speed with which our government reacted to the crisis. We witness arguments on TV about politics at the national level; about how government is bound up by "special interests" and the "bureaucracy"; about how government can't get anything done. We have witnessed those arguments in Killington and in Vermont in recent years as well. The complacency of prosperity leaves the chattering class with little to do but angle for the next "big deal" or complain if they are shut out by the very game they are playing.

Make no mistake, Vermont by all rights should have fallen down the rabbit hole after being nearly drowned by Irene. It would have been easy for government to wring their hands and say the problem was too great, the resources are not available, if we had only prepared for a rainy day.... and so it goes.

But the people of Vermont would have none of it. And we all know somewhere in the back of our brains, that we the people are the government. That the government follows our lead, not the other way around.

Vermonters showed that spirit 31 days ago when they woke up on the morning of August 29th to see much of their state destroyed. Thousands of Vermonters came out and started working to repair the devastation. Many worked to help their neighbors, before tending to their own needs. In Killington, the community turned out and volunteered to help one another. Whether it was shoveling debris from our streets, or going door to door to check on every individual in town, the spirit of working together raised everyone up above the catastrophe which struck Vermont, and created a shared sense of community which we can only hope will transcend the petty politics of the day before the storm hit.

And low and behold, as the citizens of Vermont individually mobilized to combat what Irene had wrought, the governments of Vermont at the State and Local level took notice. It was clear fairly early on that citizens were helping citizens, neighbors were helping neighbors, strangers were becoming friends. And because the citizens of Vermont stood up to Irene, the government of Vermont was free to deal with the big problems created by the storm with the full knowledge that Vermonters wanted them to get things done. One only needs to look at the before, during and after pictures of Route 4 across Vermont to realize that government can get the job down when it wants too.

But the citizens of Vermont are not done. While the roads have been repaired and guests are starting to trickle back to see the annual display of color know as "Fall Foliage Season", there are many citizens of Vermont who are in need of help to recover from the personal destruction they suffered at the hands of Irene. And just like Vermonters responded 31 days ago, now that the general recovery is at hand, it is time to help out individuals who were the unwitting victims of Irene's wrath.

On this coming Sunday, you can do your part to help the people of Vermont. Starting at 12:00 Noon, the "Concert for Killington" will take place on the Killington Road in the parking lots of Outback Pizza and the Lookout Tavern. For a $20.00 donation, you can enjoy music from local artists including Joey Leone and the Chop Shop, Bobby Darling and Dr Devine, Rick Redington and the LUV, the Idiots, Jamie's Junk Show, and many more. In addition to music, your donation includes a complementary buffet. All door, raffle and silent auction proceeds will benefit We Are K-Town/Irene's Islands and the Pittsfield Hurricane Relief Fund who will access need and distribute funds to those who need them the most.

For years to come, the calamity caused by Irene will be permanently etched into the Vermont landscape. But for the people of Vermont, all of us who were impacted in our own way by the storm, it's the little victories of people helping people that is the most important memory for the history books.

Fall Foliage season is getting underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

The K1 Base Lodge and Killington Winter Sports Club bracketed by fall color. 

This day was just too nice to be trapped inside in front of a computer terminal. With fall colors popping all around us, and with beautiful sunshine and nice temperatures, it was the perfect day to take a walk about on the mountains of Killington.

We started at the K1 base lodge from the bay 1 parking lot just as if it were a mid winter day and we were heading off to ski. We even put our boots on in the car, changing from comfortable day shoes to serious hiking boots to climb up the mountain.

We started our ascent up Lower Bunny Buster. The ski trail had been mowed recently, so we did not need to bushwhack through tall grass. There were a few spots where water was still running off of the mountain, but in general the climb up Lower Bunny was methodical and rhythmic. We have learned from doing this many times over the years that a steady pace is required over the first 800 feet of the climb to allow your body to get acclimated. But even then, we are always surprised by the heavy breathing it induces.

Reaching the top of Lower Bunny Buster we turned straight uphill and climbed Mousetrap to the exit of Racers Edge. Water flow out of Racers Edge had carved a channel down Mousetrap. In some instances, where large rocks were exposed, it was like climbing stairs. In other cases, where the surface was loose and granular, it was somewhat slippery underfoot, requiring a little care to maintain balance.

Foliage pictures from the mountains of the Killington Resort taken September 27, 2011 Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

The entrance to Racers Edge was all chewed up and rock strewn. Normally it is a little rough on the best of days, but I would guess that it suffered some erosion from Tropical Storm Irene which "freshened up" the surface. When Racers Edge is not being used for mountain biking, it is a nice walking trail through the forest. The surface is mostly grass covered so it is easy on the feet. It also provides a nice mix of forest and field hiking, as Racers Edge traverses Conclusion, Highline, and Royal Flush on its way to the base of the North Ridge Triple chair.

Colors along Racers Edge were quite nice. Most of the maple trees along the way were a mix of red and green. The birch trees were starting to yellow and the oaks were beginning to rust; but overall the colors still have a way to go before peak.

At the top of Racers Edge we emerged at Ridge Run. Where Ridge Run and Great Northern merged, we were joined briefly by some visitors to Killington who had followed the road on their ascent to the peak. They were amazed that we were just "cutting through the woods", but we told them that we ski Killington all the time and knew the "shortcuts". We also knew to stay off the road and out of the sun on the hike to the peak. Walking up through a wooded path is preferable to walking on hard pack if you have the option.

We did not continue up Great Northern on the road, choosing instead to take one of the side routes near Powerline. The group we met did not venture in with us. Once again we encountered the stair case effect caused by water eroding the trail surface. But it made the cut through the woods quite easy, and because it was out of the sun, quite pleasant. We emerged from the woods at the last lift tower on Rime just below the Great Northern junction.

We had decided today we were not going to go to the summit. Instead our goal was the Vista Deck on Bear Mountain for a lunch break. So, instead of looping up Great Northern to the peak, we traversed across to Launch Pad for a down hill stroll across Ovation, Superstar, Sky Lark, Bitter Sweet, and Needles Eye before coming out on Cruise Control. Launch Pad is similar to Racers Edge. In the summer it is a little more than a path, but a lot less than a road. Most of the walk was sheltered by trees, interspersed with the glorious vistas presented by each ski trail along the way.

For lunch, we took a break at the Vista Deck on Cruise Control. The deck is not open for lunch service, we hiked in with our own picnic in my back back. We had some beautiful ciabatta bread, some Vermont Cheddar from the Crowley Cheese Company in Ludlow, and a nice apple for a little sweetness to give lunch some balance. The deck itself was a perfect place to stop. The views were nice, as the name would imply. Also, the resort has the deck set up with nice picnic tables which provided an inviting place to sit after hiking across the mountain for a couple of hours.

Hiking out of the Vista Deck was straight forward. We went from Cruise Control to the Snowshed Cross Over, in the process traversing Needles Eye, Vertigo, High Road, Low Road, Bitter Sweet and Skylark before returning the K1 Base Lodge and the car. We were away from the inn roughly 3 1/2 hours on a glorious day for a hike through the mountains.

Fall Foliage season is underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Roaring Brook back peacefully babbling in it's banks on the Killington Golf Course. 

Even though the temperatures have been more like late summer at Killington the last couple of days, fall foliage colors are continuing to progress across the area.

Late this morning was just a beautiful time to take a walk around the neighborhood surrounding the inn. Colors are really starting to pop. We probably have another week to 10 days before color is "peak", but those planning to be in Killington this coming weekend will be treated to a colorful show by mother nature.

Todays gallery has some pictures taken from the Killington Golf Course and the surrounding area in the Killington Basin. While there is still plenty of green still showing, the reds of the maple trees is starting to take on prominence on most scenes.

Foliage pictures in the neighborhood near the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington taken September 26, 2011 Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

Fall Foliage season is underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Lunch on the deck of the Bear Mountain Base Lodge 

Although the weather people had predicted a cum-se cum-sa kind of day, by lunch time it was quite nice at the inn so we decided to take a break on the mountain. After picking up a sandwich at the Phat Italian Deli (and a piece of Red Velvet Cake as well...after all we have to keep the square english figure in check!), we took a ride across the mountain to camp out at the Bear Mountain Base Lodge. We go over there with a picnic lunch on occasion, as it is usually pretty quiet, and the deck is always bathed in beautiful sunshine. We were not disappointed.

On the way to Bear Mountain, we gave the construction machinery on East Mountain Road repairing the damage from Irene a wide berth. The road crews have been making tremendous progress. We were able to comfortably traverse the road from the Killington Basin Area all the way to the Bear Mountain Road with minimal inconvenience.

Fall foliage colors along the way are starting to pop. Even through the haze caused by humidity coming our of the ground, the colors all along our trip were becoming vibrant. At Bear Mountain there is good color on display in the base lodge area looking at Outer Limits and Wildfire. The deck was just a beautiful spot for a quick early fall picnic.

Foliage pictures around Killington taken September 23, 2011. Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

After finishing lunch at Bear Mountain and making sure we collected all of our trash (always leave the mountain in better shape than what you found when you arrived), we headed over the the Killington Base Lodge area to check out the color on the basin side of the mountain. The base of Killington is starting to show a lot of orange and burnt red colors. While still mixed in with a good amount of green, foliage colors are starting to show nicely. It is always hard to guess when "Peak Color" will be in any area, but usually at Killington it happens the first week of October just before Columbus Day. This year seems on track.

At KBL there is nice color showing on the upper trails. Highline, Conclusion, and Bunny Buster all featured maple trees that were on fire with color. Superstar, where the forest normally is a little slower, has some catching up to do. But even between Superstar and Ovation there were definite signs of good color.

We are very lucky to live in a part of the world where the scenery is constantly changing. No matter how many times you see it, it never gets old. We need to take a lot more picnic lunches over the next few weeks.

Fall Foliage season is underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Bid on a getaway to the Birch Ridge Inn and support Vermont Farmers in the process 

One of the good things to come out of lasts month hurricane in Vermont has been the outpouring of generosity to assist those who lives and lively hoods were damaged by the storm. One such program, started by the Killington Resort and supported by many local Killington businesses, is the "From the Ground Up" auction to support Vermont Farmers.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has partnered with the Vermont Community Foundation to create the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund, which will assist Vermont farms that sustained damage from Irene. ALL proceeds collected through the "From the Ground Up" auction will go directly to the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund to help local farmers rebuild.

In support of "From the Ground Up", the Birch Ridge Inn has donated a 2 night stay for 2 at the inn this coming winter. The Killington Resort merged our contribution with 2-2day lift tickets, dinner for 2 at the Wobbly Barn plus entrance to the Wobbly Barn nightclub to form a complete winter getaway package to Killington. Currently the leading bid on this package is $1000. Bidding closes this Saturday, September 25th, at 8PM. If you are interested in making a bid on the Birch Ridge Inn package, you can visit the "From the Ground Up" auction site at biddingforgood.com.

Fall Foliage season is getting underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Comcast has finally delivered HD programming to the Birch Ridge Inn 

I know it is so late 20th century, but there is something that is satisfying about watching a baseball game in High Def... Even if it is the Bosox dropping another one in their September swan song.

A scant 3 days before the arrival of Hurricane Irene, I spent my day installing new flat screen TVs into all of the rooms at the inn. We had been requesting HD Television service from Comcast, our cable TV provider, for going on 4 years. In late July, we got word from them that the problems they had with our type of installation had been corrected and that they could now offer us HD service to all of our guest rooms.

Prior to going to Comcast for HD, I investigated a variety of alternatives. I explored various satellite providers. After each one came to site survey the property, we determined that to "see" their satellites we would need to aim the receiving antennas directly into the hillside behind the inn. Obviously that would not work. I also spoke with VTEL, our phone provider. When they fully deploy their fiber optic network to their subscribers in a couple of years, we might be able to review out decision. But VTEL can't provide us the service we need at this point. So...for now... Comcast is our HD pony...and we are along for the ride. But I digress...

Today was HD Installation Day at Birch Ridge. A very nice cable installer arrived early in the morning to install 12 cable boxes around the inn on our TVs. Having worked for New England Telephone Company many years ago, I am sympathetic to utility technicians working on a customers premises. He did a good job installing all 12 boxes....of course only 11 worked (or at least seem to work). So he will be back in the morning to give it another try. So it goes.

After figuring out where all of the channels were (it really should not be so hard), I settled in to watch tonight's ball game on NESN HD. I can say with reasonable certainty that the sea of green in Fenway Park is made up of individual blades of grass, even though the Red Sox dropped another one. Isn't technology grand!!! No matter, I am sure that future guests at the inn will enjoy the baseball playoffs and the "World Series" in full HD splendor when visiting us this fall.

Fall Foliage season is getting underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.