Vermont doesn’t have a concealed carry license? It’s a constitutional carry state.

I work dispatch at a ski resort. I probably get 3-4 calls a day from our state dispatch — “Hi this is Vermont 911 agent 1234, we’ve received another crash detection from an iPhone with no answer.”

We’ve stopped sending patrol for crash detection. Half the time the coordinates they give us are way off. I’ll write down the callback number and log the call, but if someone’s actually hurt it’ll get called in.

So far, I’ve only had one crash detection call where someone was actually hurt, and the secondary line started ringing with someone calling in for the same person while I was still on the line with 911.

The bus is free to Killington. And yes, ski gear is allowed — but it can get a little packed on a few of the busses. Definitely the best way up the hill on a busy weekend, parking can be a nightmare.

Like others said, you don’t need a 4WD SUV and most rentals will be on shitty tires. I commute up the mountain in a Prius on snow tires without issue. The pass can get a little icy and the top of the access road gets a bit snowy, but the route is generally clear within a day of a heavy storm.

Rutland is cheap, has hiking and mountain biking nearby. Pine Hill Park for some good XC trails outside of town, Killington for lift-serviced downhill. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail run just outside of town (and split apart outside of Mendon).

With your budget, camping will definitely be the most affordable option. If you have a car / van to camp out of it’d make your quality of life better. You can dispersed camp in a few areas but there are rules about how close you can camp to trails, roads and sources of water — maps of where to camp can be found online.

If you’re primarily interested in hiking, I’d do a stretch of the AT. There’s tons of free camping options, and plenty of places specifically catered to AT hikers (like a hostel in downtown Rutland that’s free for hikers — though it’s owned by a literal cult, so there are some mixed opinions about it).

I have my own spätzlehobel at home. It’s really easy and fun to make yourself, can get kind of messy though.

Fun fact: the Matrix was actually offered in AWD! So they aren’t all FWD, but I would definitely be impressed by a RWD Matrix.

Just to follow up on the other reply: it’s a little more expensive, but look for single-trip containers. These will have less rust / damage. Some retailers also advertise whether or not a given container is still water-tight (most single trip containers are).

For a chicken coop you likely don’t need a full 40’ box. The next standard size down is a 20’ box but you can also get down to 10’ pretty easily. This can help save on costs and planning.

You’ll still need a level support for the container to sit on. The most common method is leveling blocks for the corners to sit on. Plenty of videos on YouTube showing various methods for container placement / leveling.

As others said, nice summer weekends can get booked fast, so reservations come in handy.

That said: in the national forests and some state forests you can dispersed tent camp in certain areas (there’s rules on distance from trails and water, so google around before you pitch a tent in the woods). A friend and I spent a week driving around Vermont, and camped somewhere free every night.

Some friends and I have done one of the tent spots at Half Moon Lake State Park for a few years now. Nice covered platform with 3 walls, and plenty of room around the camp to pitch tents / awnings. They also have a few cabins, but they get reserved quickly.

Just to add to this: the reason you do bags of sand / kitty litter instead of miscellaneous heavy shit for ballast is because when you DO get stuck, it can be used as road grit / traction aid to get you unstuck.

I’d do three rail lines. Double track and electrify the whole system — the state already owns all of the rail right-of-way in Vermont, which should bring cost down.

Electrify from Bennington to St Albans, and from Newport to Brattleboro, with a connector line from WRJ to Burlington. Use busses to connect smaller communities to the rail system. Build out solid pedestrian / bike infrastructure in all towns.

I did. Unsure on if it would work on an out of state purchase. There’s a number you can call to find out. Check out mileagesmartvt.org

Not if you sit and wait. Found a used 2020 at the Nissan dealer in Rutland. Just keep your eyes out. The state incentive is for 25% of the vehicles value, up to $5k. You have to be below certain income requirements.

I just got a used Prius using the state incentives. Super easy — filled out the application online and was approved a few hours later. Dealer accepts the check from the state, so it’s credited directly at time of sale.

I saw a similar one in a cafe yesterday of White River Junction!

Ah yes, the corporate follow-up email.

“Hey, I just wanted to follow up on our conversation on [date/time]. These were the key points we discussed: [list points].”

Feel free to add on things like “I just wanted clarification on your response to ___. I understand the resulting reduction in hours will put me below the minimum allowable for full time employment, which would result in a loss of full time status / benefits. Is this an accurate understanding?”

You’ll have a written record of what was said, with whom, and when.

I only have one leg.

We wound up bailing on our north country / notch plans with the storm rolling in. Ended up having some dirt road fun down around Rutland instead, and went up Killington right before the snow started!

Awesome! That’s what I was thinking — snow hasn’t fallen on the Notch yet so it should hopefully be open!

In the Summertime, Rutland has “Friday Night Live” — they close off a part of downtown to traffic, set up a stage, and have live music. This past summer, it was one Friday in July and two in August.

This. Rutland, Burlington, the upper Valley, and the Montpelier / Barre area all have under-utilized urban areas. Remove parking minimums, loosen zoning restrictions, and encourage more infill development around existing infrastructure. Rebuild and reuse what we already have before destroying what’s left of Vermont’s natural land. We don’t want to become another Connecticut or Rhode Island, where just about every inch of the state is covered in sprawling single family homes.

Rutland’s zoning (as well as the zoning laws in every other city in the state) already allow ADUs on any taxable lot, and there’s already money on the table to build them.

There’s also subsidized loan programs (1.25% last year, probably higher now with interest rates going up across the board) to replace older pre-manufactured homes with modern, more efficient pre-fabs.