It’s here, my least favorite time of year, the (unloved) second cousin twice removed to Noah Kahan’s hit “Stick Season.” Mud season in Vermont is officially upon us. I loathe mud season. Some people like it. I’m not one of those people. It’s all fun and games until your four year old Subaru starts rusting out from all the mud and lack of a car wash. Good times.
In my defense, I’ve never been much of a spring person. Granted, I love it once the grass is greening and the flowers are coming through. But that in between time when all the snow is melting, mud covers all the things, and the frozen dog turds are thawing is about my least favorite part. I always joke with Colby that if I had wads of disposable income, I would disappear to somewhere warm for the entirety of mud season. Just leave, skip right over it, and return home for the start of garden season.
But alas, we don’t have that kind of money. Plus I have responsibilities like kids and chickens. Hmmm, can I bring the chickens somewhere warm? So in honor of my tenth mud season in our small town in Vermont, I bring you my guide to surviving mud season in Vermont. It’s a great time.
What Is Mud Season?
For all you flat landers out there or others who are from “away,” here’s a quick explanation about what mud season is.
Let me paint a picture of our road system around here. The main roads, like state highways and the interstate, are all paved. But for the vast majority of those who do not live in one of Vermont’s cities (I use that term loosely), we travel by way of dirt or gravel roads. They’re pretty magical in the summer. Photo evidence of the magic as we take our family photos each year on our dirt road.
But in the early spring, the snow melts and the roads turn into a bit of a mess. And by bit of a mess I mean it’s not uncommon to find an electric car stuck and abandoned in the middle of the road. True story. I’ve seen it many times as I’ve driven around it in my necessary-to-get-around-during-mud-season four-wheel-drive vehicle.
So what happens, when the days begin to warm, is that the snow begins to melt and turns into water. We live amongst many hills and alot of that water is traveling from higher elevations down to lower elevations and many times into our roads.
The kicker is that when it starts, the dirt roads are still frozen. As the water is pooling on top of the roads, the frozen soil compaction starts to thaw and loosen, creating quite a bit of mud. Meanwhile, the Green Mountains are relentless and keep sending water down from high elevations and things continue to warm. Just picture more and more water, nowhere for the water to drain, a road thawing further and further, and the mud becoming deeper and deeper.
This often makes our back roads incredibly difficult to pass through. The mud ruts get so deep from driving our cars and trucks on the road, because we still have to get to school and work, that sometimes the bottoms of our cars scrape the mud. And for some unlucky few, they’re stuck. It’s a good time.
Sometimes we’re lucky and have a quick thaw making Vermont’s mud season brief. There was one year it lasted just about a week. Other years, like last year, we thaw out then freeze again, the road crew fixes the roads, then we get more snow, and it all melts again during another thaw. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Climate change has thrown a wrench into mud season. It used to be pretty predictable starting mid-March and finishing up around late March. But lately, we’ve seen some pretty intense mud seasons in February, sometimes April, and even in January. It’s been all over the place. This year was a cold winter with lots of snow. We’re expecting some intense road conditions and prepping for flooding of our local rivers, just in case.
How To Survive Mud Season
So, just how do I survive mud season in Vermont? This is the way.
Prepare To Hunker Down Like A Snowpocalypse Is Coming
I hate driving through the mud so much that I plan on leaving the house as little as possible. In mid to late February, I stock up on all the necessities so there’s no emergency grocery store runs. I also don’t plan many activities.
For example, last year a group of my mom friends had planned a night out on the town. The spring thaw was particularly bad that warm day and we all just bailed. None of us wanted to tackle the muddy roads yet again that day. It can be a stressful, difficult commute on the warmest days.
Keep The Road Foreman’s Cell Number In Your Phone
Maybe not the road foreman’s cell phone number, but definitely the number for the road crew in your phone. And don’t be afraid to call them. Just be kind. They get alot of flack this time of year.
Also A Tow Truck Operator
While you’re at it, also keep the number to a local tow truck company (or two) in your phone. They may not be able to help, especially if you’re stuck down miles of dirt roads, but sometimes they can give a hand. Last year’s mud season yielded dozens of abandoned cars until the roads solidified enough for tow trucks to get there.
Forego Those Outdoor Walks
I am a person who survives the long winter by going on daily walks down our dirt road. I am also a person who has a hard time when I can’t continue my routines. But walking through the muddy sections of road is damn near impossible. Seriously, just add some barbed wire and you’ve got your own Tough Mudder right at home without the hefty entrance fee. So skip the dirt road walks or find a paved road instead.
Never Leave Home Without Your Muck Boots
Seriously. Never leave home without your muck boots, the tallest ones you have. Going to the grocery store? Muck boots. Parent-teacher conference time? Muck boots. Date night out? Muck boots. Don’t worry, Birkenstock season is quickly approaching along with the days of better footwear.
Escape For The Day (Or Weekend)
Mud season gets me down. Can you tell? So when the weekend rolls around sometimes I just want to escape. The beauty is, roads often still freeze overnight. So if you leave early, getting out is okay. Make a day of it and do some adventuring.
A favorite mud season adventure of mine is to escape to the ski resorts. Ski season, at Killington at least, has been known to stretch into May and June. It’s a fun time of year to hit the slopes, feeling especially weird on those 60-degree days when you’re skiing in a t-shirt.
Sometimes, you just need to see some baby animals. Billings Farm in Woodstock, VT is a favorite haunt of ours. It’s a working dairy and the baby jersey cows are just so cute.
Partake In Sugaring Season
Mud season coincides with sugaring season. As a Maine-er married to a Vermont-er, we’ve often argued over the merits of Maine maple syrup versus Vermont maple syrup. Now that I live in Vermont and have experienced sugaring culture first-hand, I concede and Vermont officially wins.
To survive the mud season, you’ll often find our family hanging out at the sugar shacks of our friends and family, commiserating about how bad the mud is and what our plans for summer camping look like. It’s good times. I find it terribly relaxing to sit around in a steamy, sticky sugar shack, drinking a local beer and watching the sap boil down.
Late March is also Maple Open House Weekend in Vermont where you can explore some larger maple sugaring operations in Vermont.
Embrace The Mud With The Kids
Every year, as we’re approaching the end of mud season, we have one of those 70-degree days when it feels so warm we’re stripping off our coats but not all of the snow has melted. This is when the roads have the most significant mud.
Right near our house, which is a dead end, there is a low-lying spot in the road that gets a significant amount of water. It starts small in early mud season but grows into a lake as we hit spring full-on. On that hot day, I grab a lawn chair and a book, take the kids down to the puddle-that-is-a-lake, and let them have at it. They make mud pies, ride their bikes through the water, and sink their hands deep in the mud.
I know it’s probably bad, the road has chemicals, we’re making a mess, etc. But it’s one day and they have a blast!
Know That Better Days Are Coming
The snow will melt, the flowers will pop up, and the mud will dissipate. The backroads will return to their regularly scheduled good condition. Well, more like mediocre at best as the roads are never that great. Before you know it we will be hitting the Appalachian Trail once again, taking scenic walks, and breaking out the bikes.
As for me, I look forward to sunshine on my face and sinking my hands deep into the garden soil. As a gardener, I just have to keep swimming through mud season to get to garden season.
