Middlebury Magazine

  • Recent Stories
  • Menu
    • Features
    • Pursuits
    • Q&A
    • Review
    • Old Chapel
    • Road Taken
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • How Did You Get Here Series
    • About
    • Advertising
    • Contact
    • Support
    • Writers’ Guidelines
  • Search

Fall 2018 Features

Trail Running 101

A chemistry professor and avid trail runner has some advice for those arriving on campus for the first time or after a long absence: lace up your running shoes and indulge in an immersive tour of the Middlebury environs. Here’s how.

By Jeff Byers
Illustration by Kaley McKean
November 1, 2018
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Email icon

We’re going to start our run behind the Peterson Family Athletics Complex. Inside, the facility is home to just about every piece of exercise equipment imaginable, but let’s save the ellipticals and treadmills for the bone-rattling cold of deep winter and enjoy a run outdoors while we can. So out the back door of the athletics complex we go, heading southeast past the artificial turf of Kohn Field and veering into the woods that border a handful of Middlebury’s practice fields; there are usually a few soccer goals stashed here, so the trail entry should be easy to find.

We’re hopping on the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM)—the 18-mile loop that encircles the town and, on this stretch, traces an arc around Middlebury’s Ralph Myhre Golf Course. The trail is well worn—our national-caliber cross-country team both trains and competes here—and can be challenging, but along this segment that we’re traversing, the route is relatively friendly to all types of runners.

After about a mile, we’ll approach the first noteworthy sight on this run. Fair warning: you’ll probably smell it before you see it. That whiff of rotting food heralds the presence of the College’s composting operation, where our facilities and dining staffs collaborate to turn nearly 400 tons of food waste into compost each year. We’ll hustle past this area and begin a short, steep climb that will reveal . . . a lone gravestone? . . . off to our right. There lies the final resting place of a gentleman named William Douglass. A resident of Middlebury during the 18th century, Mr. Douglass survived service in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, only to die when a tree fell on him soon after he returned home; he was buried where he was felled. (I love to add fun Middlebury trivia questions for extra credit at the end of my General Chemistry tests, and every few years I ask if anyone knows how the person buried on the golf course died, a fact that is indicated on the gravestone.)

We’ll continue southward across the ridgeline onto a new section of trail that enables runners to stay well out of the range of errant tee shots flying around the back nine of the golf course, before emerging into the open, where we will be afforded spectacular views of Vermont’s Green Mountains to the east. A short run along the old golf course entrance road will bring us to Route 30.

For those who have had enough, a downhill trot back to the athletic facilities completes a nice two-mile run. However, across the road, a more challenging stretch of trail awaits.

Bidding farewell to some, the rest of us will pick up the TAM again on the other side of the road, entering a section of the trail known as the “Class of ’97 Trail,” which honors Colin O’Neil ’97.5, who passed away in a tragic car accident prior to his graduation.

The narrow, rooted, and usually muddy descent from the ridgeline will challenge us to watch our footwork, but at least the area is not as hazardous as it was two summers ago, when a large—and protective—mama owl was prone to attacking passing runners, in my case drawing blood! (Such are the joys of true trail running.) After less than a mile in the woods, the trail emerges into an open field, where a left turn will lead to a long loop through acres of farm fields that make up some of the great views to the west of the campus. We’ll pass through where the “mods”—a cluster of small, prefab homes—once stood (razed recently after 20 years of “temporary” usage), angling northwest until we cross Route 125 and follow a short dirt road to the serenity of the College organic garden (now named the Knoll), one of my favorite places on campus.

And then, the home stretch. We’ll continue along a dirt track as it snakes through the fields to the western edge of campus. Bicentennial Hall looms, as do a quintet of dorms— Hadley, Lang, Milliken, Kelly, LaForce—residence halls that are still referred to by some as the “new dorms” even though some have been around for nearly 50 years and there are far more recently constructed dorms on campus now. As we approach the road, we’ll jog through a field of large, standing solar panels, a relatively recent addition to the landscape; on sunny days, they look quite lovely, reflecting the blue sky.

We’ll then cross Route 125 again, ascend a hill, and turn right, winding our way through the wooded environs of the Ridgeline Residence Complex. We’ll be tracking south again, slipping through the local graveyard and heading back toward the athletics complex. The cemetery holds many of the town’s fathers—Painter, Brainerd, Stewart, Munroe—as well as our final curiosity of the trail run: the gravestone of an Egyptian mummy buried in the otherwise Christian cemetery. Henry Sheldon, the original proprietor of the downtown Sheldon Museum, purchased the mummy of a very young Egyptian prince, but realized that it was not in good enough condition to put on display, and instead had it buried, with a very curious gravestone, after many years in storage. Finally, we’ll cross over Route 30, approaching the entrance to the athletics complex and coming to the end of a five-mile run—and the syllabus for Trail Running 101.

Jeff Byers has taught chemistry at Middlebury for more than 30 years, a time when he has also traversed on foot the various trails that wind their way through Addison County. For the past nine years, he has authored the blog The Middlebury Trailrunner, which can be found at sites.middlebury.edu/trailrunner. 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Stories

Features

More Than a Game

In a critically acclaimed work of nonfiction, Abe Streep '04 introduces readers to the Arlee Warriors, a high school basketball team on a Native American reservation in Montana, where life's challenges are abundant.

By Alexander Wolff
Photograph by Devin Yalkin
October 21, 2022

Munya Munyati Has A Few Stories to Tell

Catching up with a young filmmaker who is rapidly making a name for himself at Vice.

By Mara Dolan
Film stills by Munya Munyati
September 16, 2022

Reverberations

A transcontinental move, a career discovered, a landmark speech studied and translated—and an identity reshaped.

By Clara Clymer, MA Translation '22
Illustration by Anna Gusella
April 2, 2022

The Road(s)

A little over a year ago, a writing student headed south to Florida for no other reason than J-Term was forced to go remote. She soon found herself reporting on an environmental justice battle that was roiling the state.

By Alexandra Burns '21.5
Illustrations by Yevgenia Nayberg
March 2, 2022

Dispatches

A Night Out

For one evening in December, Atwater dining hall hosted a student-dining experience unlike any other.

By Caroline Crawford
Photographs by Paul Dahm
January 20, 2023

Finding His Way

What happens when your identity is stolen—not by another person but by your own body?

By Sara Thurber Marshall
December 15, 2022

A Natural Selection

For more than a quarter century, Stephen Trombulak— now an emeritus professor of biology and environmental studies—guided students in avian research on a parcel of College land hard by Otter Creek. This preserved area now bears his name.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photography by Paul Dahm
November 18, 2022

The Utterly Fascinating Life of Howie McCausland

He saves lives. He brought the Internet to Middlebury. He has a degree in astrophysics. And he loves to fish. Yes, this is a true story.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by John S. Dykes
September 16, 2022

It’s a New Day at the Museum of Art

Reimagining what an art museum can and should be.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Art courtesy of the Middlebury College Museum of Art
June 30, 2022

First Aid

Their projects span the globe—from Kenya to Haiti to the United States. As the 2021-22 academic year came to a close, a cohort of students gathered to discuss what having a social impact really means.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Illustration by Brian Stauffer
June 28, 2022

The Case of the Purloined Onions

Onions have been disappearing from Middlebury's garden. Now, a team of undergraduate sleuths are honing in on a lineup of suspects.

By Andrew Cassel
Illustration by Naomi Ann Clarke
June 21, 2022

Sonic Art

What began as an attempt by Matthew Evan Taylor to collaborate with fellow musicians during the isolation of the pandemic ended up being a yearlong project that culminated in an evening performance at the Met.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Photograph by Josiah Bania
April 15, 2022

Poetry, In Exile

After fleeing civil unrest in her native Venezuela, a Middlebury Institute graduate student turned to poetry to help make sense of it all.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustrations by Anonymous
January 21, 2022
View All

Pursuits

Public Defender

On becoming one of the country's foremost cybersecurity experts.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by Neil Webb
April 14, 2022

Q&A

The Making of a Teacher

Hebrew Professor Michal Strier reflects on her life an education—in Israel and the States—a journey that led the Language School instructor to the undergraduate College for the first time this year.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photograph by Paul Dahm
May 19, 2022

Editor’s Note

A Brilliant Fogg

Saying goodbye to a dear colleague and friend.

By Matt Jennings
Illustration by Jody Hewgill
February 25, 2020

Old Chapel

Making Democracy Real

An Update on Our Conflict Transformation Initiative

By Laurie L. Patton
Illustration by Montse Bernal
January 20, 2023

Road Taken

What to Wear Now

Through accrued life experiences, a writer discovers that a common question has become a statement of identity.

By Samantha Hubbard Shanley ’99
Illustration by Naomi Clarke
March 11, 2021

Quotation

A summer immersed in a language can do wonders, as veterans of Middlebury College’s famous language-learning program can attest. The lockdown is clearly going to amount to the equivalent of about two summers, and there are mini-Middleburys happening in millions of houses worldwide.”

—John McWhorter, writing “The Coronavirus Generation Will Use Language Differently” in the Atlantic.

Podcasts

Alone Together, Ep. 9 with Jessica St. Clair ’98 and Dan O’Brien ’96

Dan O'Brien ’96, a playwright and poet, and Jessica St. Clair ’98, a comedian and writer, join President Patton for our final check in with the community during COVID-19 self-isolation. Dan and Jessica are a true power couple in the arts that met in a Middlebury improv group. They discuss Dan's magazine essay "Life Shrinks: Lessons from Chemo Quarantine," how reopening the country feels a lot like remission, and how their art is evolving to reflect the pandemic.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
June 15, 2020

Alone Together, Ep. 8 with Dick Clay, Covid-19 Survivor

In this episode, Dick Clay, a student at the Bread Loaf School of English, shares his story of recovering from COVID-19. Dick discusses when the seriousness of the virus hit him, the "wilderness path to recovery," and how he will process this experience through writing.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
June 8, 2020

Alone Together, Ep. 7 with Jodie Keith and Jacque Bergevin, Essential Workers

In this episode, we hear from Jodie Keith and Jacque Bergevin, who have been working with custodial services to keep our Vermont campus safe and clean. Jodie and Jacque share what campus has been like since the students left: what it's like to schedule hourly sanitation of buildings, how every day feels like an empty Saturday morning, and that the infamous Middlebury squirrels have lost a bit of weight.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
Photography by Bob Handelman
June 1, 2020

Review

Success Story

A book detailing the history of U.S. Olympic women cross-country skiers brings to light the decades of grit and determination it took to finally bring home a gold medal.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Photos courtesy U.S. Ski and Snowboard
January 20, 2023

How Did You Get Here?

Megan Job

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Leif Taranta

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Mikayla Haefele

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Videos

Pomp and Unusual Circumstances

As viewed from above.

By Chris Spencer
June 1, 2021

Davis the Owl Returns Home

Having recovered from life-threatening injuries, a beautiful winged creature is released to its natural habitat.

By Andrew Cassell
April 22, 2021

In the Blink of an Eye

Gone in less than a minute—the middle of June 2019 to the middle of June 2020, as viewed from the rooftop of the Mittelman Observatory.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
Video by Jonathan Kemp/Mittelman Observatory
June 10, 2020
Middlebury College
  • Alumni
  • Newsroom
  • Contact Us
  • icon-instagram

The views presented are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the College.

© 2023 Middlebury College Publications.