Champlain Valley Experiment

Nature's Quilt at the top of the Wildway Overlook Trail in the Champlain Valley — Nature’s Quilt at the top of the Wildway Overlook Trail in the Champlain Valley (Image credit: Paula Castner)

Another one of the stories entered in this round of the Champlain Area Trails (CATS) writing contest is Paula Castner‘s The Experiment. If you haven’t yet, you should go vote in the contest !

I love the way Castner begins her aptly named story by actually introducing her tale as the parameters of an experiment!

The grand experiment began six summers ago: Could an asthmatic, allergy-riddled, comfort-loving, people-seeking, city-bred gal not just survive but genuinely enjoy spending summers in a bug-owned circa 1930s home in Lewis, NY, population 1,200? Friends who had known me longest bet, “No!” but the foresting family into which I married hoped, “Yes!” Continue reading the story!

Castner uses some parallel’s of city-life to compare to the Champlain Valley, and I would say that the Champlain Valley definitely wins out! Her writing paints an inviting picture for the reader to share in the scenes the she experiences.

Castner’s summer story takes the reader throughout many places in the valley including the Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown, Essex’s Beggs Park, Dogwood Bakery in Wadhams, Whallonsburg Grange Hall, and even more unique localities. She really captures the spirit of this area by including so many local places that make this community so special.

About Katie Shepard

Passionate about reading and writing stories, Katie Shepard enjoys discovering more about her home while writing and editing for Essex on Lake Champlain. Katie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 where she studied English literature, philosophy, and Asian studies. Her first book Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide was published in 2015. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or at Linked.in. Or email her at katie [@] essexeditions [dot] com.