It's a difficult time of the year for those looking forward to logging some trail miles but still grounded by the mud.
The seasonal goo is in full swing and land management agencies are encouraging hikers to stay off of the high-country trails and stick to the lower-elevation tracks instead.
When a trail is firm, walking on the surface does minimal damage. But when that same trail is ankle deep, slogging through it can cause increased erosion risk and compact the soil.
In addition, some hikers try to avoid the mud and walk around them, widening the trail and trampling vegetation.
Higher elevation trails dry later in the year and, combined with the higher organic content, stay wet later in the spring.
Even trails that are dry at the trailhead will become wet as you head up, becoming muddy. If you start out on a trail and find it turns wet as you hike, turn around and find another trek.
It's the right thing to do this time of the year.
Most advice is to stay off high-elevation trails until Memorial Day.
But that doesn't mean you can't hike.
Just stick to the lowland trails for the next month and a half.
Vermont State Parks offer many options for hikers but many of the parks' trails are closed to hikers during mud season.
The state closes all trails on state land including Camels Hump and Mount Mansfield from mid-April to Memorial Day weekend.
The best way to find out if your favorite hike is open is to call the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation at 241-3655, or the state park itself to see if the trail is in good shape.
The Green Mountain Club also offers a collection of trails that are generally good this time of the year. A visit to
www.greenmountainclub.org will help you find some destinations.
The GMC also offers spring hiking recommendations for mud season.
If you encounter a muddy spot on a trail, but the trail itself is OK, walk through the mud, not around it.
Hike at lower elevations in hardwood forests with southern exposure, which tend to dry out first. Avoid spruce-fir forests at higher elevations.
Avoid Stratton Mountain, Killington Peak, Lincoln Ridge and Jay Peak.