Vermont’s severe summer drought caused problems for farmers, boaters and people with wells. But it also led to some new adventures. As Lake Champlain’s water receded, Vermonters explored islands that were suddenly accessible by foot. Social media was awash with images and videos from their trips to Law and Mosquito islands.
Law Island is a nine-acre nature area west of the Colchester Causeway and is usually reachable only by boat. It offers rustic camping sites, windswept bluffs and a trail that loops around the island. Conserved in 1994 by the Lake Champlain Land Trust, Law Island is now owned and managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
In the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger joined naturalist educator Teage O’Connor on a trip to the island. In early November, they crossed about 30 feet of shallow water to reach it; since then, the lake has reclaimed more land. Thanks to rain and snow, much of the state is no longer experiencing extreme drought conditions.
Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about filming the episode.
Why did you want to visit Law Island?
This was a very unusual summer, and like many Vermonters I was in awe of Lake Champlain’s receding shoreline. I’ve lived here for 21 years and have never seen so much exposed sand. I’d been spotting a lot of posts on social media about Law Island, but I didn’t get out there myself until early November, when a reader emailed my editors suggesting a story. O’Connor knows the island well and was the perfect companion for this adventure. I met him back in 2020 when, for another video, we followed Burlington birds on a “crow safari.”
Tell us about crossing to the island.
Just a few days earlier, in late October, you could walk to Law Island without getting your feet wet. That would have been a great time to make this video! By early November, you had to cross about 30 feet of shallow water. Some intrepid explorers had placed rocks and logs in the shape of a bridge. I would like to thank the builders of the mighty “log bridge” for keeping my feet dry.
O’Connor, on the other hand, was wearing sandals and wading through the 52-degree water. Like the animals he studies, he is a bit wild at heart.
Seems like you had an ideal guide.
O’Connor is deeply curious about the natural world, and spending an afternoon exploring with him was eye-opening. He found fox and deer tracks, spotted a pair of ravens, cooked up some white cedar tea, and explained how the cliffs of shale were formed hundreds of millions of years ago. O’Connor has been visiting the island since 2009 and even spent his honeymoon camping there! As he put it, “You could spend a lifetime on this island, exploring it from the geology up to the vegetation and migratory birds.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “Crossing the Isle | Walking to Law Island with Teage O’Connor”
This article appears in Dec 3-9 2025.
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