A trip to Secret Pond

Jenny and i were discussing out plans for the afternoon this morning and it occurred to me that i hadn't been up to Secret Pond in years. Sara Paule and her brothers had first show me it's location four years ago, and as I was thinking about it, I also realized I'd forgotten how to get there, but I knew 3 guys that could show us.

So Jenny, Oldham and I piled into the Tacoma and headed off towards Starksboro, taking a left up Big Hollow road and a quick stop at the Kohler house to gather up my guides Ian Miles and Spencer.
The boys jumped into the bed of the truck and guided us down the road another 2 miles to a little yellow house with a dirt road running out behind it across a field and up into a wooded ridge line.
We parted at the bottom of the field, and started walking up the old dirt road that snaked up the hillside. We walked up the hill for about 2o minutes the boys chatted with us about this and that, video games, and Paul Simon - the usual. The hill leveled off, the tree line opened up and we walked out into what was quite obviously someone's personal slice of heaven.


That someone is a local farmer - Mr. Clifford. Years ago he purchased the ridge line, flooded out a little stream into this gorgeous pond, and developed the land around it creating his own personal reserve. He planned wild flowers everywhere, build a filtration system into a little waterfall, placed massive stone monuments on the hillside, stocked the pond with fish, hand built bridges, carved trail markers and skillfully constructed a log cabin complete with front porch, rocking chairs, bunk beds and wood stove.

All this he accomplished in his later years.

And then he opened it all up for everyone to use.

providing they leave everything as they found it.

and enjoy their stay.