HERE
Get hooked on fly-fishing in Vermont
Learn the art of fly-fishing during women’s-only and coed classes at the Hermitage Inn on Vermont’s Trout Pond. Professional flyfishing guides will teach a 2½-hour beginner-to-intermediate class for women and girls age 12 and older on June 24 and a coed class for anyone 12 and older July 1. You’ll learn all about flies and the art of casting. Then use your new skills to hook brown, rainbow, and brook trout in a stocked pond, or fish in other streams around the West Dover inn. The inn, which sat abandoned for three years, has been completely renovated by its new owners, Mary Lou Ricci and her husband, Tim Hall. It now has an award-winning wine and culinary team and a contemporary design that reflects local Vermont culture. The property sits on 112 acres overlooking Haystack Mountain and has apple orchards, hiking, and cross-country trails, a covered bridge, and the trout pond where you’ll learn to fly fish. Classes $159 per person, including the use of Thomas & Thomas fly rods with Nautilus reels, flies, and nets. Book a room at the inn and the fly-fishing class and get a $100 dining credit per room for the onsite tavern. Classes 10 people max; advanced reservations required. www.thehermitageinnvermont.com
THERE
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Kids travel free to the Arctic
Pull your kids out of summer camp or school (trust me, it’s worth it) and take them on a “free” cruise to Greenland, the Canadian Arctic, or Norway. Seattle-based Quark Expeditions lets kids 8 to 17 years old travel for free on its 2023 Arctic voyages when accompanied by a paying family member — one child per parent. Choose from adventures in Greenland, where you can go heli-flightseeing over the Greenland Ice Sheet and camp beside Tasermiut Fjord; Norway, where you can explore glaciers and wind-swept tundra and look for walrus and reindeer in the Svalbard archipelago; or Canada’s High Arctic, where you’ll explore the historic Northwest Passage, visit First Nations communities and — with luck — spot polar bears in the wild. Kids travel free on trips running from now through Sept. 20, but decide quickly: You must book by June 30. Depending on the trip, you may get to travel on the company’s new Ultramarine, a polar-exploring purpose-built ship with two twin-engine Airbus 145 helicopters, 20 quick-launching Zodiacs, and an onboard spa and sauna. Trips start at $6,991 for one parent and one child and $13,982 for two parents and two kids (full rate charged for each additional child). 866-256-4207, www.quarkexpeditions.com.
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EVERYWHERE
Gear up and get outside
Whether you’re on a morning run or traversing a mountain, having good foul-weather gear proves essential even in summer months. Outdoor Research’s Aspire (women’s) and Foray (men’s) Super Stretch Jacket and Pants fend off rain and wind while giving you the freedom to move during your adventures. The breathable Gore-Tex jacket has an adjustable hood with a wire rim, adjustable Velcro wrist closures, a chest pocket (perfect for stashing a phone or snack), and two handwarmer pockets. It comes with a stretchy elastane fabric between the shoulder blades — from the neck to midback area — which provides additional give in the material as you hike, run, climb, or enjoy your favorite adventures. Another winning feature: The side zippers can unzip from the bottom seam, helping boost air circulation during aerobic activities while offering rain protection — and letting you unzip and vent while wearing a backpack around your waist. The Aspire and Foray pants — also made of a waterproof yet breathable Gore-Tex Paclite material — have articulated knees and an elastic waist with a drawcord for comfort. Three-quarter-length zippers on the outside of each leg let you slip the pants on and off easily with boots on. The back pocket serves as a stuff sack and has a carabiner so you can clip the bundle to a pack. The pants come in XS to 4X while the jacket comes in XS-XXL. Or choose the Aspire/Foray II jacket, which comes in XS-4X and has all the same features except the back stretch panel. $180 pants, $225 Aspire/Foray II, $300 Aspire/Foray Stretch. www.outdoorresearch.com
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Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at travelwriter@karib.us.