“Hiking is a bit like life: The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other…again and again and again. And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit” UNKNOWN It is fortunate that the Vermont wilderness offers a wide array of activities and interesting … [Read more...]
A Tour of the Winter Facilities
During the summer, True North students are making their way through the beautiful green mountains in a nomadic wilderness therapy model. As the seasons change, however, True North students find themselves at Windridge, our winter base camp. The use of the camp’s buildings and infrastructure is crucial to the operations of our winter program. Upon arriving to Windridge, the first building students and guests … [Read more...]
Young Adult Winter Activities
Staying Active Wintertime in Vermont provides an endless amount of opportunities to stay active and continue to explore the outdoor world. At True North, our young adults go on various day trips and multi-day expeditions that help to develop a love for the quiet beauty of a snowy winter day. From snowshoeing along a frozen river to downhill and cross-country skiing, our young adult groups find plenty of ways to … [Read more...]
Resilience in the Cold
After particularly cold nights in the Vermont hills, mornings can be noisy. Trees creak and snap as the first sunlight reflects off of the bright snow and starts to melt ice particles. Occasional wind gusts nudge branches at the tops of trees into motion, dropping a bit of snow near the top, which upsets the next snowy branch below, escalating step by step into an avalanche of powder thundering down out of the pines … [Read more...]
Winter Activities in the Mad River Valley
When you first arrive here in the Mad River Valley, it’s hard to miss that Sugarbush and Mad River Glen ski areas hover above us. They offer the most obvious winter activity, but what if you are not here to ski? Luckily our unique local establishments offer everything from fine dining, to shopping, to adventures on Icelandic horses! What, in Vermont? Yes, the nearby Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm offers year-round … [Read more...]
Gearing Up: Winter in Vermont
“Dressed like onions” might sound funny when you think about our students and staff in the cold Vermont winters, but the phrase is actually an important principle in the year round outdoor-active community. The idea is to simply layer up when you are cold and layer down when you are warm to always find the most comfortable temperature for the activity you are doing. Whether it’s sitting around the campfire journaling … [Read more...]
Celebrating the Winter Holidays
Just a few days after the longest night of the year, the holiday season acts as a beacon of light to our True North family. This morning, members of our friendly staff worked together in the kitchen preparing a home cooked meal to celebrate the holidays. As they moved about indoors, the final snowflakes from last night’s storm danced their way to the thick white blanket that covers the rolling Vermont hills … [Read more...]
True North Prepares for Winter
While the squirrels, chipmunks, and other woodland creatures hurry and scurry to prepare for the winter season, the trained eye can also find the TN Operations Department scampering through the woods and trails of Windridge, our Winter Campus. Sprucing up the many buildings that are used throughout the winter, for everything from workshops to graduations, is the first of many winter preparations. Six … [Read more...]
