There are few sounds: a hollow wind, the low gurgling of a stream flowing under a thin veneer of ice, and the whisk of our cross-country skis as they slice through this mountain pass in the northern reaches of Vermont.
Smuggler's Notch is the windy, sometimes steep cut that leads from the skiing mecca of Stowe to the small town of South Cambridge.
The constant snowfall in this 2,162-foot high wedge forces officials to close the 18-mile road to traffic in the winter, providing one of the best cross-country ski spots in New England. On a snowy day, the conditions are excellent: few people and no trail fee.
We parked our Jeep near the ROAD CLOSED sign and headed into the Notch. We weren't sure how far we could go, since a local or two, comfy by the fire, had tried to warn us away from the place. The road was wide and flat, the snow deep, and our skis made the first tracks. We saw only the occasional snowshoer and one hiker. Before long, the road narrowed, and we began to climb steadily upward. Steep cliffs and boulders rose on either side. This was the same path taken in the first decade of the 19th century by those smuggling goods from Canada in violation of President Thomas Jefferson's ban on trading with foreign powers.
As the road pitched upward, we broke into herring-bone climbs, leaving V-shaped marks in the snow. We reached the top of the Notch and paused to listen to the quiet, the gentle tapping of a woodpecker and the screech of a hawk. The road continued in a gentle slope downward into South Cambridge. But one climb was enough for us that day, and we turned around.
To slow our descent from the top of the Notch, we snowplowed -- which is, much to our embarrassment after years of downhill skiing, our most advanced cross-country ski form. As we glided again toward the Jeep, our leg muscles were burning and our shoulders ached.
We were staying at the Logwood Inn (now known as WalkAbout Creek Lodge). Built in 1941 and set back in the woods just off of Stowe's well-traveled Mountain Road, it is one of the oldest ski lodges in America. We had chosen it for its rustic ambience -- decorative hatchets are hacked into open beams and tied with ribbons -- family-style dinners and quiet evenings reading near the enormous stone fireplace.
But now, all we wanted was a hot tub.
We had seen a brochure about the spa facilities at the Green Mountain Inn, a gracious 19th-century hotel just across the covered pedestrian bridge in the center of Stowe. For $10 each, we had free use of the exercise room, sauna, steam room and, best of all, a soothing, glassed-in whirlpool with a commanding view of the snowy town.
Refreshed, we poked around Stowe a bit, bought slippers at Shaw's General Store, spicy mustard at the local Harrington's and checked out one of the many antiques shops. The sun setting and dinner time approaching, we headed back up the Mountain Road to inn, with a brief stop at the Edelweiss Country Store to buy a bottle of merlot for dinner.
Over the next few days, we explored nearby Edson Hill Manor, which has 25 kilometers of groomed trails on its 225-acre estate. The manor house was also used for the film "The Four Seasons," which starred Alan Alda and Carol Burnett.
Not far away, Stowe Mountain Resort, below the Mount Mansfield downhill ski area, has 35 kilometers of groomed and 40 kilometers of backcountry trails that wind through evergreen forests. We started out from the small warming hut along the easy Timber Lane trail. With the wind chill factor, the temperature was below zero that December day. Still, the rolling trail was enough of a workout that soon we were stripping off our hats and were sweating inside our new Thinsulate gloves. We looped back around on the more difficult Ranch Valley Cruise, a wooded trail that winds for a time along a burbling stream.
Although we skied every day, it's not the only option. Others at our lodge took day trips to Ben & Jerry's ice cream and frozen yogurt headquarters near Stowe, went ice skating at the rink in town, or bundled themselves into sleighs for horse-drawn rides through snowy pastures.
No trip to Stowe would be complete without a day at the Trapp Family Lodge, the Austrian-style resort set on a bluff above Stowe. It was developed in the 1940s by the Von Trapp Family, whose flight from Nazi-occupied Salzburg was later made famous in "The Sound of Music."
Behind the Trapp Lodge is a web of well-groomed cross-country ski trails for skiers of all abilities. One trail leads to a tiny stone chapel built years ago by the family, while another long, steep trail angles toward a cabin where a roaring fire and plenty of steamy, spiced cider or hot chocolate await weary skiers.
After a few hours of skiing, a great spot for lunch is the Austrian Tea Room, a few hundred yards down the hill from the main lodge. The tearoom serves goulash, German beer and sausage with spicy mustard, heaping sandwiches, strudel and Black Forest cake, all to the lilting waltzes of Strauss.
The tearoom has striking views of the Green Mountains, which rise in the distance before a carpet of meadows and pastures dotted with farmsteads. The idyllic scene reminded the Trapps of their Austrian homeland, and they decided to settle here. On our final visit, a full moon rose in the pink haze above the crest of the mountains.
It's difficult to leave Stowe. But, our five-day stay over, we headed south on scenic Route 100, past small towns nestled in the mountains and punctuated with white church steeples, on our way to visit friends.
These California transplants had sought solace in a converted barn overlooking a frozen pond outside Chittenden. That day, we brushed the newly fallen snow off the pond to skate, and sledded on the hill behind their house.
For our final day of cross-country skiing in Vermont, we drove up the road to Mountain Top Cross Country Ski Resort. The area is 2,000 feet above sea level and offers 110 kilometers of trails.
We steeled ourselves for our longest run. We chose the nine-kilometer Lost Horizon loop trail that climbs to an overlook above the snow-covered Chittenden reservoir, and dips into the woods of Green Mountain National Forest.
The afternoon sun sparkled on the frozen snow. We passed over a small stream, the bank clearly marked with fresh otter-paw prints and a long slide that the playful animals had carved while slipping down into the water. Out of breath, we chugged back toward the lodge, thinking not of the nine-hour drive back to Washington, but of the unexplored trails that we would definitely have to find next winter.
Tom Bowman is a sun staff writer. His wife, Brigid Schulte, is a reporter in the Washington Bureau of Knight-Ridder News Service.
IF YOU GO . . .
Smugglers Notch can be reached by driving along the Stowe Mountain Road (Route 108). Continue past the Stowe ski area on your left until the road widens and you come to a dead end. Large yellow sign announces "Road Closed." There's plenty of room to park.
WalkAbout Creek Lodge, formerly the Logwood Inn and Chalets, Edson Hill Road, Stowe, Vt. Weekend rates and multinight packages available at the inn, chalets and ski dorm. Midweek rates start at $48 per person double occupancy in the inn and include breakfast and afternoon cheese and crackers. (800) 426-6697.
Edson Hill Manor, 1500 Edson Hill Road, Stowe, Vt. Twenty-five kilometers of groomed trails. $6 cross country trail fee, $3 for child under 12. Rental of skis, boots and poles: $12 daily for adults and children. (800) 621-0284.
Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vt. Sixty kilometers of trails. Daily trail fees for cross-country skiing: $10 for adults, $2 for juniors 6-12, 6 and under are free. Rentals $12 for adults, $10 for children. (802) 253-5744.
Stowe Mountain Resort Cross Country Touring Center, Stowe, Vt. Thirty-five kilometers of groomed and 40 kilometers of back country trails. Daily fees for cross-country skiing: $10 for adults, $6 for juniors (6-12 years old). Rentals $15 for adults, $10 for juniors under 12. (802) 253-3000.
For reservation information at other inns and lodges in Stowe, call the town's central reservation and information number: (800) 247-8693.
Mountain Top Ski Area, Chittenden, Vt. 110 kilometers of trails. Trail fees $13 per day for adults, juniors 11-16, $9. 10 and under no charge. Rentals of skis, boots and poles, $13 per adult, $10 per child 16 and under. (800) 445-2100.
The best route for reaching Chittenden in Southern Vermont is by driving along Route 100, a pleasant, winding back road that takes you through some of the most picturesque towns in the state.