I was invited to join a small group of Rhode Island Trail Slayers at a new private property location called Badlands located just north of Stamford VT. It is nearly the same mileage and time as Rausch Creek for me and not wanting to turn down such a gracious invitation, I rolled east.
The haul out was about 3 hrs of Thruway and Northway followed by the cluster that is Troy, NY and then two lane mountain roads. Not terribly different than heading south to RC other than tolls. There was, of course, the seemingly obligatory torrential rain storms along the route. I pulled into the gravel driveway only to be immediately met with a rather ominous looking and lengthy mud puddle. 4x4 low range was selected and I pressed on, slogging through without much issue. It was slimy but had a good base. The rest of the entry driveway was at a grade worthy of the t-case selection, and the truck clawed for every inch to pull my not-so-lightweight enclosed trailer to the clearing. The camping area consisted of a two level generous sized clearing, both fairly well graded.
On the way up the entry driveway, I was met by a descending truck driven by another invitee who was leaving to find a couple of supplies. We exchanged pleasantries and continued on. I made it to the top and got parked with some daylight to spare. After surveying the scene briefly, the other driver returned and we prepped and ate some dinner and shared some stories until sleep demanded our unconsciousness. At some point after midnight, Harry and Hannah arrived to also enjoy the bullfrogs croaking away the hours. It rained again during the night.
I awoke to the chirping of the birds and clearing skies. Everything was damp but improving. Four more trucks arrived towing their respective juggies (Jeep-based buggy) and after a rather lengthy meet-and-greet we set out to explore the property. The first trail west was a sloppy muddy mess (I hate mud). We all struggled a bit on the first greasy hill climb and the first of the winch cables were employed. This did not bode well. But alas, we finally encountered some rocks; some really BIG rocks. And more winching...
By about mid-afternoon, we had run some fun trails. Weary and hungry, we headed back to camp to grab some food and collect a few late arrivals. After grub was consumed, the group headed out to the east side and just after entering the first difficult section, the skies opened and soaked everything. We toiled on and ran some really great trails that would be slow and technical when dry but were now requiring a bit more throttle and wheel-speed. Time wore on and some of our merry band were not staying the night and headed back to camp. One had broken a shock and wisely decided to end his day. The rest continued into the hours of darkness for a couple of more trails. Without further notable carnage, we rolled back into camp, dried off a little, and necessarily used copious amounts of accelerant to start a decent campfire.
In the morning, the remainder of the group departed for another property while Harry, Hannah, and I took our time packing up and then headed our separate ways homeward.
Although still in it's proverbial infancy, VT Badlands is a destination worthy of our attention and attendance. The owner is enthusiastic about our presence and promises continued development of the trails and the camping facilities, located on this 110 acres of mountain beauty.
