The 18th hole on Green Mountain National Golf Course in Killington late Sunday afternoon 

The first October weekend of this years fall season closed on a spectacular note with a brilliant blue sky, crisp temperatures, and light frosts overnight. The Killington Region was busy with with a combination of "Leaf Peepers", attendees at the weekends Killington Brewfest, and others traveling around town looking at the hay sculptures of the Killington Hay Festival.

Fall colors in Killington are holding up fairly well. Many trees that were still green during last weeks deluge are starting to develop color with the arrival of cold overnight temperatures. Trees on the upper elevations at Killington have shed their leaves. But the valleys around the mountain are ablaze with color. Guests who took the K1 Gondola were treated to the full glory of fall in Vermont, with spectacular views in all directions from the top of Killington Peak.

Inn Guests on driving trips were reporting that color in the upper reaches of Route 100 was starting to wain, but color in the mountain gaps heading west from Route 100 to the Champlain Valley was excellent. Excellent color was reported at the Lincoln, Middlebury, and Brandon Gaps to the north of Killington. Excellent color is also developing along the Route 4 corridor from Woodstock to Killington, and the Route 100 corridor south between Ludlow and Killington.

I was only able to get out of the inn for a short time to take some pictures of the area. I have posted them to a photo gallery on Facebook. They can be found under Birch Ridge Inn located in the gallery 2010 Colors of Fall - First October Weekend.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, remember the leaf rule, and stay warm on the frosty evenings...

Geese enjoying the fall colors and a swim on Snow Shed Pond. 

it has been a wild 36 hours at Killington. Torrential rains from tropical storm Nichole have dumped huge quantities of water on the countryside. Road surfaces are wet. Dirt roads and roads covered with wet leaves are a little slick, but at least in Killington there does not seem to be much damage from the storm.

Foliage color in Killington is holding up well. Most trees in Killington have started to change color, shedding their summer green for a mix of red, orange, and yellow. Some of the trees that were further along have seen their leaves fall with the rain, but for the most part the views around the area this morning were very colorful.

Nice color on Killington Road at the Birch Ridge Inn across the Roaring Brook Valley Click to enlarge..

Foliage color at the inn is representative of the area. The poplar and birch trees at the front of the inn have just started to transition from green to yellow. Most of the maple trees have started to turn red, while the oak trees are going towards a burnt orange color. You will find a small photogallery of todays pictures from around Killington on the Birch Ridge Inn Facebook page under 2010 Colors of Fall - After the Deluge..

Where ever you may be, enjoy the fall scenery. And if you are on the east coast of the United State...stay dry!

Fall colors nearing peak. Photo down Lower Vertigo from old Snowshed Crossover 

Yesterday, Mary and I were able to take a 4 hour hike from the base to Killington Peak. Unlike today, which is wet and dreary, yesterday was a beautiful temperate day. Under partly cloudy skies with temps ranging from mid 60's at the base to high 40's at the peak, it was a great day to look at fall foliage.

For those of you who are interested, our route yesterday was a mostly direct route on the ascent, with a meandering walk on the way down.

Going up, we started at the K1 Base lodge. Our route brought us up Mouse Run to Mouse Trap to Racers Edge. On Racers Edge we traversed Conclusion, Highline, Chop Chop, Royal Flush, and "The Throne" before coming out at the base of Rime. From there we hiked up Ridge Run to the North Ridge Pump House, coming out in the middle of Rime. On Rime, we climbed to Great Northern. We then took a small right turn and headed up Powerline, exiting just below the North Ridge upper lift terminal.

At North Ridge, we walked up Heavenly Traverse (more on that later) over to Catwalk for an ascent straight up to Killington Peak. Catwalk is fairly steep with a few areas requiring hand holds to maintain upward momentum. There is a memorial at the top of Catwalk. We stopped to pay our respects, then headed over to the K1 Gondola Station to eat the lunch we had carried in my back pack.

Going down the mountain we followed Great Northern to Bear Trax to Launch Pad in the process traversing beside Anarchy, Julio, Ovation, Old Superstar, Superstar, Skyhawk, Skylark, and Bittersweet before arriving at the upper terminal of the Needles Eye Quad. From there, it was a simple walk down Great Northern to the old Snowshed Crossover with spectacular views on Needles Eye, Vertigo, High Road, Low Road, and Highlander before returning to the K1 Base lodge.

A complete photogallery of the hike and the spectacular fall scenes can be found on the Birch Ridge Inn page on Facebook under 2010 Colors of Fall - Killington Peak.

Stairway to Heaven under construction at Killington Peak. Click to enlarge..

One of the goals of the hike, in addtion to seeing the fall colors and getting some ski conditioning excercise done, was to take a look at the "Stariway to Heaven" that is being constructed at Killington Peak from the top of Rime to the K1 Gondola along "Heavenly Traverse" (and yes...that is the actual name of the trail that the walkway is being constructed on). Construction is well underway, with most of the decking in place. Workers on the lower half of the walkway were building stringers to construct stairs to the multiple platforms making up the walkway. Decking work was being completed on the upper end of the walkway near the top of Downdraft. This reqired us to back track and make our ascent to Killington Peak up Catwalk. All along the walkway, posts were cut to be installed to support a railing. We spoke with some of the carpenters working on the project. They were hoping to complete the job before Columbus Day weekend, assuming the weather at Killington Peak did not get in the way too much.

Overall, the hike along the walkway was not that bad. There will be a few tricky spots along it, but it is meant to support hard core skiers and riders who want to take advantage of mountain conditions before full top to bottom skiing and riding is available. I don't think I would choose to hike it in ski boots, preferring instead to leave some hiking boots at the top of Rime for the travese back to the K1 Gondola, but only time will tell. Mary's initial observation that some kid could make a lot of money acting as a shepa still holds, if you are a budding entrepenuer interested in hustling for a few bucks. But overall, it will be a welcomed, if not interesting, addition to the quiver to support early season skiing and riding at Killington.

A photogallery of the "Stairway to Heaven" being constructed can be found on the Birch Ridge Inn page on Facebook under 2010 Stairway to Heaven Construction - Killington Peak.

Where ever you may be, enjoy the fall scenery. And if you are on the east coast of the United State...stay dry!

Covered Carriageway at the Birch Ridge Inn 

Today is one of those dreary, wet, drab days at Killington. While it is not raining (yet) the sky is heavy with overcast and the atmosphere is very damp.

Colors around Killington have really started to pop. If you are interested in fall colors to date, you can follow the change in colors at the inn by clicking on the Fall Foliage Gallery link directly on killingtonblog. This shows a day by day progression of the change in colors in the forest behind the inn.

I have also posted a photo gallery of pictures from the area I took last week on Facebook. They can be found under Birch Ridge Inn located in the photos section.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway....and as it is now officially Fall, remember the leaf rule....

Mary's 'Baby' put away for the winter. 

Even though the Autumnal Equinox occurred a few days ago, there was some hope that summer would stick around for a few more days. Bright fall colors has been accompanied by slightly elevated temperatures the last couple of days. But as a cold front to the west started to move east on the weather maps, Mary decided it was time to move her vintage Mustang into hibernation for the winter.

Yesterday temperatures in Killington rose to the mid 80's. It was a perfect day to take a convertible out for a spin. But the forecast looks like Indian Summer will be short lived, with cooler temperatures touching the low 60's forecasted for the next few days with lower temps queued up to follow. And with many guests due to visit the inn during the fall season, the prospects of taking off and tooling thru the mountains with the top down becomes problematic.

It has been a good summer to drive a convertible in Vermont. But, at least for me, it is also a good sign when the Mustang goes into storage. It means that ski season is but weeks away. While not here yet by a long shot, the fall foliage and cool temperatures announce a season of change in the mountains.

For those of you looking forward to the coming ski season at Killington, the next few weeks are the best time to visit the area. Septemberfest takes place today at Pico. It is a ski swap sponsored by the Pico Ski Club. Next weekend is Brewfest Weekend at the Killington Resort. And Columbus Day weekend features the big ski swap and sale held by the Killington Ski Club.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway....and as it is now officially Fall, remember the leaf rule....

Birch Ridge Inn Property Panorama 

Just a beautiful early fall - late summer day. Temps are touching 80. The humidity is moderate. There is a light breeze. Just the perfect day to be outside enjoying the Green Mountains.

We took a 1 hour walk about earlier today. The countryside is just coming alive with color. Today's picture is a good example. It was shot looking back towards the inn from about 3/4rds of a mile away, across the Roaring Brook Valley. In the middle of the shot, you can see the front hill of the inn and the inn's sign on the Killington Road with the top half of the covered carriageway behind. The inn is not visible as it is behind a stand of trees.

From the picture, you also get a sense of how close the inn really is to the mountains. The next ridge line behind the inn are the major mountains in the area including from left to right: Killington Peak, Snowdon, Rams Head, Little Pico, and Pico Peak. Skye Peak is just outside of the frame to the far left.

It should be a great weekend to visit Central Vermont. If you are in the Killington area, stop bye. Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway....and as it is now officially Fall, remember the leaf rule....

Coulton Pond from the 16th Tee at Green Mountain National Golf Course 

Fall colors in the Killington area are beginning to intensify. While there is a significant amount of green leaves in the local forests, many of the trees, particularly the maples, are beginning to show significant amounts of color. The scenic views around town are beginning to take on a decidedly reddish hue. Quite a few of the local maples are displaying colors ranging from a deep burgundy to fire engine red.

I was out on Green Mountain National this morning with a group of friends. Every hole presented beautiful and interesting views in virtually every direction.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway. But if you stray, and if you are in Vermont, remember the leaf rule....