Summitting Pico
Connie(right) and Judy
on Pico Peak overlooking Killington

Summitting Pico
Connie(right) and Judy
on Pico Peak overlooking Killington

While there is still some skiing left in the 2005/2006 winter season at Killington, locals are starting to turn their attention to other pursuits. High on the list are spring escapes to warmer climates. it is impossible to have a conversation with some one without asking where they are going for vacation. (and No... Mary and I are still discussing where we will land between seasons.)

Last night, at the Grist Mill, a cocktail party was held to introduce Dave Soucy, the new head Golf Pro at Green Mountain National Golf Course, to the townspeople of Killington. Dave comes to Green Mountain from the Mount Anthony golf course. Several hundred people turned out to welcome Dave to town.

Aside from golf, the pursuit of the great outdoors is still high on everyones list. Hiking to the summits of mountains in the area is another way to enjoy the mountains without being on skis or a snow board. Recently our friend Connie, and several other local Killington ladies, summitted Pico. Connie has supplied the following story...

Today (Friday March 31) we finally summitted Pico on our snowshoes. After 2 practice tries, we succeeded on our third attempt. At about 10:25 this morning, we started out on "home run" with our snowshoes hanging around our shoulders since there was no snow on those wooded trails. We followed that trail across until we came to "mid pike" (?) at the base of the Summit Express chair. Slowly but surely we worked our way up "49er". We tried to hitch some snowmobile rides with the CVPS guys who were working on the towers at Pico Peak but they just waved, smiled and kept on going. It was the third day we'd run into them this week and we thought we'd become "good buds" but apparently not that good. Several groups of skiers passed us as we worked our way up; one group must have climbed up the Hershey Highway and skied down Pico. Midway up "49er" we stopped in the shade and had a bite to eat, some water and a rest. We finally found our trail and followed it to the view only to find that we had actually followed the "on ramp" to the Hershey Highway, a false summit but quite a booster to keep us going on to the peak. "49er" is much steeper going up than it seems when you ski down it. After 3 1/2 hours, we finally "summited". Perhaps it was a good thing we had no champagne to celebrate with at the peak as we may never have made it down again. We began our descent and 1 1/2 hours later were back at our cars and on our way home. A good time was had by all. For me, it's my swan song for the winter season as I start working at Green Mountain (National) on Monday. And for the Ladies, I hope they continue to find new and exciting adventures and continue to enjoy them all.