Islands Base Camp, Vermont

Conserved by the South Hero Land Trust, the historic Sawyer Bay Farm on the Island of South Hero was converted to grazing beef cattle and raising organic vegetables.  We practice intensive planned grazing, moving the cattle daily to fresh grass.  The herd may be near the campsites or completely out of sight, somewhere on our 180 acres.  While we were building a house, we camped in the equipment shed during the summer and grew to value its convenience.   Joan's enjoyment of cycling inspired her to designate the farm stand as a "bike stop" where visitors could buy a snack, get water, fix their bikes and use the unique islands amenity of a composing toilet in a converted ice fishing shack.  South Hero is an agricultural island, as well as a summer tourist destination with numerous outdoor activities.  It is also only a half-hour away from Burlington, and the drive is pleasurable.