The annual Summer Solstice Nude Hike will take place on Saturday, June 21, with a rain date of Sunday, June 22. Hikers will meet at the AT parking lot on Forest Road 10 (aka Mount Tabor Road), east of Mount Tabor VT, at 9 a.m.

There are two main options, as well as a shorter version of one of them.  

The longer hike will involve a carpool from the parking lot on Forest Road 10, taking participants to the AT parking lot on Vermont Route 140, 2.6 miles east of Wallingford. The hike is approximately 10 miles long.  After 8 miles, there is an excellent skinny dipping opportunity at Little Rock Pond. The walk out to the Forest Road 10 parking lot is then just 2 miles long. The short version is for hikers to leave from Forest Road 10 and hike to Little Rock Pond, about 2 miles each way. The main group will probably arrive at the pond around 3:30 or 4 p.m.

The other option is to take a loop trail from the parking lot on Forest Road 10, leaving the parking lot at 11 a.m. and heading north to Little Rock Pond.  It then will proceed around the shore of Little Rock Pond, and will include skinny dipping at the north end of the pond, as well as at the usual spot on the southeast part of the pond.  Eventually the group will meet up with the hikers from the longer option when they arrive at the pond, before returning to the starting point on Forest Road 10.  This option is about 5.25 miles long.

After the trek, hikers will have the opportunity to get together again at Sam’s Wood-Fired Pizza, 4478 Main Street, Manchester VT, for dinner.

Camping is available at Emerald Lake State Park, about a 20-minute drive from the meeting point for the solstice hike. No-fee camping is available at the Big Branch shelter on the AT/Long Trail, about 1.2 miles south of the Forest Road 10 meeting point for the solstice hike.

Some hikers are planning to camp at Emerald Lake State Park for two nights, beginning June 20. The group’s favorite lean-to, the Hawthorn, was already taken, so this year they will gather around the Fir at the northern end of Campground A.  As ofApril 28, the Willow lean-to, next door, was still available, as is the nearest tent/RV site, T01.  Camping reservations can be made at https://vtstateparks-visit.com.  Everyone is welcome to join the hikers around the campfire at Fir in the evenings.

If anyone wants to plan additional hikes on June 22, contact Milt.