Index 07-07 Archived Editions : Vermont Woman Newspaper

July, 2007

Tales from the Trail - Hiking through the Green Mountains Solo When I first told my mother that I planned to hike Vermont's 270-mile Long Trail by myself, her face took on that pained expression that mothers have perfected over the centuries, the one that says, "Why are you doing this to me?" She wasn't the only one to think I was putting myself at needless risk. A friend cautioned me with stories that ended "…and they never found her." Every year, fewer than a half dozen women hike the Long Trail solo from Massachusetts to Quebec. What pushes them to leave their safety nets of friends and family, home and phone? What are their fears? What are their rewards? Read the full article

FLOCK Dance Troupe: A Pastoral Symphony of Movement "Are we supposed to be happy?" The question is addressed to Carol Langstaff, but the FLOCK Dance Troupe leader is across the grass demonstrating a series of movements to another small group. "No," the questioner's neighbor answers him. "I think this is a more serious sequence." Read the full article

Riding Like Hell on Two Delicate Wheels - Vermont's Cycling Phenoms Road bicycle racing is a sport that tends to have one face around the world-a man's face. In this country, that face is usually Lance Armstrong's. But there is a solid cadre of women in the U.S. who have risen to the challenge of road racing, one of the most mentally and physically demanding of sports in spite of full-time careers, pregnancy, children, a near-complete lack of media coverage. And pain. "I have never been in a race where I didn't want to quit in the first 20 minutes, it's so painful," veteran racer MaryAnn Martinez, 46, of Waterbury, says cheerfully. Read the full article

It's a Dirty Job - but Holly Taylor is Delighted to Do It! An artistic background is not required to run a composting business, but Holly Rae Taylor's love of art has served her well as general manager of Intervale Compost Products, a non-profit social venture of the Intervale Center in Burlington. As an abstract artist, her aesthetic sense brings beauty to a, well, dirty job. She genuinely appreciates "just how many shades of brown there are" in the fresh compost produced outside her office window. Read the full article

Pride Vermont Turns Twenty-Five This year marks the 25th anniversary of Vermont Pride, and according to Pride chair Chelsea Sullivan-Titus, the festivities will highlight the vibrancy, creativity, and diversity of Vermont's LGBTQ communities. Without a doubt, the many gains and achievements of the Green Mountain State's earliest lesbian and gay activists paved the way for Vermonters to celebrate what is an unprecedented level of visibility and autonomy for the state's Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgendered, and Queer/Questioning communities. Read the full article

Publisher's Message: The 99 Percent Factor The Middlebury College graduating class of '07 was barely seated when a downpour soaked them through their gowns and mortarboards, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm for keynote speaker President Bill Clinton. More handsome in person than on television, Clinton was visible long before he reached the covered staging and his seat. Even in the giddy excitement of the impending graduation ceremonies, Clinton moved through the crowd of 8,000 ticket holders charming and touching along the way. Read the full article