Chris Collier leads a guided version of the new VINS Quest. Staff photo.
The weather is warming, the buds are bursting, and the calendar is turning to May — it’s time to go Questing!
Valley Quests are self-guided treasure hunts that prompt you to learn about and explore some of the wonderful places in the Upper Valley. Each Quest was created by people — young and old, classrooms, families — who wanted to share a place they know and love. Woods, fields, farms, town and city centers, mountaintops, waterways, natural history, human history — all these topics unfold as you go on a Quest.
What’s new in Valley Quests?
- They’ve been Marie Kondo’d! Our wonderful Box Monitors have been helping Vital Communities staff restock, rewrite, or weed out Quests that don’t work so that all remaining Quests offer a great experience.
- There are two new Quests! The Vermont Institute of Natural Science just introduced a new Quest you can do while visiting that wonderful facility in Quechee, VT. And students at Thetford Academy created a Glebe Quest that introduces you to the tree species common to our woods, including one of Thetford’d oldest trees still standing.
- Let’s get digital! We are making it easier to access our Quests by smartphone and are including more online interactive features for Quests in areas where there is cell service. Check out the digital map that’s part of the Glebe Quest. Of course, we still offer each Quest in PDF form so you can print it out beforehand!