All about Alburgh

In my mission to explore the state of Vermont where I live, by learning about its communities, life, history, culture, and landscape, I started the summer by visiting the Alburgh Dunes State Park in Alburgh, Vermont. The following vignette was inspired by my time on that beach and by time spent learning a little bit about its history.

The waves are alive with the shadows of dancing fish and laughter. The shore welcomes their steady pulses, yet is left only with the scattered remnants of petite shells when they retreat.The shore only has its memory, as even the feet that sink in, last but a minute, and the waves wash the time they spent together away. The small pulses of the lake move on, but did you know? The shore has traveled, too. Only, its subtle movements aren't as obvious.

So long ago, a layer of glacial till was abandoned by retreating glaciers. It eroded, and the lake’s currents brought the dust down to where it sits now, this little stretch of sand. It has been a long journey, and it is so far from home.

Yet, as each summer comes to an end, a southerly wind may blow, and the sands move on again. The dunes of sand form, separating the wetlands behind from the shores. Year after year, the sands migrate.

And as the winds blow, the waves continue their tiny pulses. They have a history, too. The memories surge as each child rushes through the waters, trying to dump the lake into a tiny hand-dug hole in the century-old sands. This lake has changed, was once an inland estuary of the Atlantic, now of peaceful freshwater. Now, it exists on its own. Many years of snow and rain have flushed out its estuarine waters. Even so, some of the same plants from that post-glacial age remain, the ones that can dig their roots into the moving sands and thrive.

I went to this park on Saturday 13th with some family members. I have included some picture of our time at the park.

 Out in Lake Champlain

A view down the beach.