This summer, the pandemic delayed the opening of Vermont State Parks to late June. Sophie Quest had her camping plans at a cabin canceled due to the coronavirus. She tended to the gardens at Grand Isle State Park as a volunteer for 15 years and retired in 2017. Since 1979, Sophie has been camping at the park with her daughters, Eva being one of them. The two of them spent a Tuesday night in a lean-to called Hemlock to see how COVID-19 has changed the camping experience.

While some Vermont State Parks are only open through August, others remain open into October; check this schedule for more info. Grand Isle State Park is open through October 18.

For a flashback, watch this video from 2009 which shows Eva and Sophie camping at Grand Isle.

Music: Rondo Brothers, “Aquifer”& “Limoncello”

Shooting date: 8/25/20

This episode of Stuck in Vermont was supported by

New England Federal Credit Union

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This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2020.

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger has been making her award-winning video series "Stuck in Vermont" since 2007. In 2024, she won first place from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for her video, “Barbie Collector.” She received the Margaret L. (Peggy) Kannenstine Award for Arts Advocacy from the Vermont Arts Council in 2023. This map details her travels around the state; her 500th video was a musical. New episodes appear on the Seven Days website every other Thursday...