A lot of folks come to the Brattleboro area for Rock River in the summer so I thought it might be fun to offer a few moderate and easy moderate hikes on weekend mornings. The first hike traverses the three peaks of Black mountain right off rt. 30 in Dummerston Vt. on the way to Rock R. This hike is about 5.5 miles and the initial 1.5 miles is a fairly steep 1,000 foot climb up the side of the mountain so it is rated moderate. The Black Mt. Natural Area Nature Conservancy maintains the first part of the hike and owns a great deal of the land on the Mtn. however parts of it's trail and others including the final and most used section of trail are on private land.  The owners allow the public to use all sections of trail that we will travel on but it's important that we be respectful and stay on the trail and in well established areas on private land. After the initial climb we can take a break at the top and check out the view. Then we will head about 1/2 mile on another trail to the second peak where some folks have built stone chairs. From here we head downhill about another 1/2 mile until we cross a field and hook up with a very easy trail that goes to a peak with less elevation but nicer vistas than the other two. This section is very well known and used by locals including schools, camps, and community services so we are likely to encounter other groups. After taking in the views of Monadnock, Wantastiquet, and the Brattleboro area we will head back the way we came. The total time should be 3-4 hours depending on how fast the group moves. Bring typical summer hiking gear and be sure that your footwear grips well on rock because much of the trail is on large rocks. 

Take Rte. 30 north from Brattleboro. 4.6 mi. after the Retreat Farm/Grafton Cheese, turn right and cross a green iron bridge, then immediately turn right onto Rice Farm Rd. and travel 0.5 mi. to the trailhead on the left. I will have the red and very distinctivs Daihatsu Rocky.