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October 18, 2009 News + Opinion » News

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Venture Vermont 2009 — Mission Accomplished 

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This summer, I blogged a couple times about the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge, a self-guided scavenger hunt organized by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. I even wrote a "Getting By" column about it, because the prize for completing the challenge was a free day-use pass to all Vermont State Parks in 2009 and 2010. The deadline for entering was last Thursday, October 15; most of the parks shut down for the season in mid-October.

My partner, my kids and I spent the summer hiking, boating and swimming our way through the challenge. Last Tuesday, we tallied up our points, downloaded the photographic proof of our accomplishments on a CD, and sent the score sheets

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and CD to a state office in Waterbury.

On Friday, when we got home from work, there was a heavy envelope waiting for us in the mailbox... containing our silver VIP passes! Also enclosed was a sweet form letter from Rochelle Skinner, Parks Sales & Service Manager, congratulating us for earning 250 points each. Nice.

So what did we do to earn these passes? Here's a partial list of our prize-winning activities:

  • Skipped rocks at Kettle Pond
  • Waded in the water at Sand Bar State Park
  • Camped in Groton State Forest
  • Built a fairy house near our campsite
  • Climbed Mount Philo (worth 20 points because it was a Venture Vermont bonus activity that week)
  • Didn't watch TV for a week (easy because we don't own a TV)
  • Identified an Eastern Spotted Newt, a turtle nest and a pitcher plant
  •  Went canoeing
  • Played on playgrounds
  • Went for a picnic
  • Visited Seyon Lodge
  • Hung our laundry out to dry
  • Threw a birthday party for Smokey the Bear (no candles on the cake! -- another bonus activity)

I know it's kinda corny to be so excited about this, but it was actually really fun, and now we have these free 2010 day-use park passes.

The next challenge is going to be making sure that we don't lose them before next summer...

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About The Author

Cathy Resmer

Cathy Resmer
goodcitizenvt.com
Bio:
 Deputy publisher Cathy Resmer is an organizer of the Vermont Tech Jam, and compiles a weekly tech e-newsletter every Monday. She also oversees HR, helps manage Seven Days' digital staff and oversees its parenting publication, Kids VT. In 2018, she designed and administered a statewide youth civics project, the... more

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