Sneak Peek

As a loyal Vermont Life E-News subscriber, we're offering you a sneak peek at our sweet Spring 2010 cover. You only have a few more weeks before this engaging issue arrives in your mailbox. We're looking forward to sharing our cover story that celebrates the hard-working teenagers who keep our beloved general stores running. Also, after reading Matt Crawford's tale of the annual steelhead trout run on Lake Willoughby, you'll want to grab your waders and head to the North Country (see more about Matt below). There's much, much more, but we don't want to spoil all the fun.

In the Meantime ...

You can get your Vermont Life fix with our powder-filled Winter issue! Have you ever tried creek skiing? It's a new twist on backcountry skiing, where adrenaline-fueled skiers traverse the lines of frozen creeks. (Click here to see breathtaking photos.) If you'd rather stay indoors, get stoked with our toasty piece on cooking over a wood-fired stove. And we checked in with the region's experts on woodstove cooking to bring you bundles of recipes, which you can find here.

Movin' on Up!

The Vermont Life offices have moved. If you'd like to correspond with us, or visit us, our new address is Vermont Life Magazine, One National Life Drive, 6th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05620-0501.

Happy Trails

Great news for cross-country skiers: Local Motion is grooming trails in Burlington's Intervale. These three miles of trails are free to use, thanks to an ongoing donation drive. The mix-use trails welcome skiers, snowshoers and dogs, although the latter two will want to stay out of the ski tracks. For more information, click here.

Take 5

Matt Crawford lives in Georgia, Vermont, and works as a public relations specialist for several outdoor companies. He is a Vermont newspaper veteran and has written a number of outdoor-themed articles for Vermont Life.

1. What came first, your passion for writing or your passion for the outdoors?
MC: For sure, it was the outdoors that came first. I started fishing a few years before I could even write, camping with my parents and younger brother, catching brook trout with a bobber and worms. I was maybe 3. I became an "outdoor writer" when I was working in newspapers, but long before that I'd devour the Field & Stream or Outdoor Life magazines that my dad subscribed to.

2. What's your favorite ice-fishing memory?
MC: We used to have a shanty that we put out just outside of St. Albans Bay. My birthday is in February and it seemed we were always ice fishing out of that shanty on my birthday. Like most fishing experiences, it's not so much the fish I remember, but the people who were there, the fun we had, the big lunches my mom would cook. It was probably minus 10 degrees on some of those days, but it seems my memories are all warm, if that can be possible.

3. What has been your favorite story to write for Vermont Life?
MC: In an upcoming issue, there's a story scheduled about the opening day of trout season on the Willoughby River. I've spent a lot of days on the Willoughby as an angler, so it was a pleasure to write about something I know very well. In some ways, in that story, I was part reporter, part essayist.

4. What other magazines do you enjoy?
MC: I'd say, in the realm of hook-and-bullet outdoors it's Gray's Sporting Journal, The Drake, The Flyfish Journal, Fly Rod & Reel and Upland Almanac. Outside recreation pubs like Outside, Wend and Backpacker do some really good stuff, too. And for reading for reading's sake, I sure do like Esquire, The Atlantic or even The Economist, which I sort of "discovered" because I needed to use some frequent flier miles or lose them.

5. If a visitor came to Vermont and had time to try one outdoor sport, what would you suggest?
MC: Trick question, because it depends so much on the time of the year, but I guess I'd start with some time in a canoe or kayak. From there, you can do so many things -- watch wildlife, fish, camp on islands on Lake Champlain, drink a Magic Hat, even duck hunt. Vermont -- rightly -- is the Green Mountain State, but there's so much water and so many associated recreational opportunities that you really can't go wrong picking up a paddle and heading out on a river, pond or lake.

To Do List for February

There are only 28 short days in February, but plenty of ways to pack them full of things to do in Vermont.

Take better pictures of Vermont. Vermont Life contributing photographer Andrew Wellman leads a class to help you understand your digital camera settings and learn how to critically review your shots for continued improvement. Feb. 5, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Studio Place Arts, Barre. 479-7069.

— Sky Barsch Gleiner, Events Editor

All area codes are (802) unless otherwise noted. Some events require tickets and admission, so please call ahead.

Vermont Life products make thoughtful Valentine's Day presents! Try these wonderful gifts for your sweetheart, whether he or she lives in Vermont or is a Vermonter at heart.

Vermont Maple Sampler
$28.95

Celebrate the sweetness of your valentine with Vermont maple syrup. This gift-boxed set of delicious Highland Sugarworks maple syrup contains three beautifully labeled bottles, one each of fancy, medium and dark amber.

Lake Champlain Chocolates
$10-$13.50

You can't truly celebrate Valentine's Day without chocolate. Vermont's own Lake Champlain Chocolates combine the finest chocolate with rich all-natural ingredients in four delicious flavors: honey caramel, roasted almonds and dried fruit, maple syrup buttercrunch, and bittersweet chocolate with crisp mint crunch. Choose from our eight-piece box, 12-piece assorted gift bag or eight-piece maple crunch bag.

Vermont Cheese Sampler
$25.95

Show the turophile in your life that you have been paying attention with this delicious sampler of three outstanding cheddar cheeses. The cheese lover will receive Shelburne Farms Cheddar, made from fresh, untreated milk of purebred Brown Swiss cows; Grafton Village Smoked Cheddar, which gets its smoky flavor from smoldering maple wood; and Cabot Private Stock Cheddar, which is gently aged for 16 to 18 months. Each 1-lb. block of highly acclaimed cheese is dipped in wax to ensure freshness and preserve flavor. Don't worry, we won't tell if you order this gift for yourself!

Maple Syrup and
Pancake Gift Box

$21.95

Start Valentine's Day off right with breakfast in bed. And the only thing better than breakfast in bed is breakfast in bed with Vermont maple syrup drizzled over pancakes. Highland Sugarworks Buttermilk Pancake Mix comes packaged with a cheerful evergreen-shaped glass bottle filled with medium amber maple syrup. 24-oz. mix, 6.75-oz. syrup.

All Vermont Life catalog orders over $150 (per address) receive free shipping!

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Vermont Life (ISSN 0042-417X) is published quarterly in February, May, August and November by the state of Vermont.

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