Editor’s Note: At this time of year, it’s easy to get so busy with yard work, spring cleaning and gardening chores that you forget to go have fun! Correspondent Deb Luskin reminds us all that there’s plenty to do and see in the springtime!

Memorial Day marks the official end of Mud Season and the opening of the hiking trails in Vermont. Getting out for a late-May hike is a good way to stand up and stretch after completing the major gardening chores. The trick was to find trails accessible without too much driving or traffic. We found two trails: Haystack Mountain and Peru Peak, both in southern Vermont.

On Sunday afternoon, we threaded our way up through the Chimney Hill development in Wilmington and parked the car at the trail head for Haystack Mountain. The blue blazed trail starts off on a gravel road. A gate crosses the road at about a half-mile, and the trail veers left into Binney Brook Ravine. It’s not quite two miles to the trail junction where a right turn climbs through switchbacks to the rock outcrop at the Haystack summit at 3,445 feet. (Total elevation gain of 1020’, which means a downhill trip on the way back…ideal!). It was clear, and we had 180-degree views from the Searsburg Windmills to the southwest, the Harriman Reservoir to the south, Haystack Pond (east) and Mount Snow (north). Binoculars were a plus.

We returned to the main trail and walked north along the ridge for another 2.5 fairly flat miles, toward the Haystack ski area, where we stepped out onto the ski trails for more views.

Hobblebush bloomed along the ridge trail, and moose sign abounded. Wildflowers that had long wilted down in the valleys were in full bloom. We saw trillium, claytonia, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, trout lilies and more. Even the leaves on the trees were nascent, just uncurling, and bright, pale green.

Peru Peak, where we headed on Memorial Day, is about 25 miles north of Haystack Mountain by the Long Trail, or about thirty-six miles by car. Trailhead parking is off Fire Road 21, four miles west of Peru, off Vermont 11.

The trail follows the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail through the Peru Wilderness to the top of Styles and Peru Peaks. Again, as we gained altitude we walked back in time, through flowers that were long wilted back home. At the 3,429 foot summit, however, we met thick clouds of black flies, and didn’t linger. Even without black flies, views were scarce, making our decision easier.

We saw even fewer hikers on this trail than on Haystack. Unfortunately, we did see two young families who had harvested leeks (wild onions, also known as ramps) from within the wilderness area.

Our two afternoon hikes, for a total of fifteen miles, were good for reawakening our muscle memory and trail sense. Seeing the wildflowers and witnessing the trees leaf out a second time was an added bonus. But best of all was finding modest day hikes on Southern Vermont hiking trails that we’ve overlooked the thirty years we’ve lived here. It’s a good reminder to look around and see what’s just beyond our own back yard.

Deborah Lee Luskin blogs at Living In Place.