Bill, Tony and Lisa Hammersmith left their house in Cherry Plain at 12:30 am on Saturday, February 7, and drove to Woodford, VT, where the 4th Vermont Border to Border in 24 Hours for CF was to start. The whole ride would be on the VAST (Vermont Association of Snow Travelers) trail system. Registration started at 2 am and the first snowmobiles left at 4 am. Bill and Tony left the starting line at around 4:30 am from about the 130th place position out of 203 other sleds to ride about 350 miles to the Canadian Border in Norton, VT. Lisa was driving the chase truck and met them in Manchester at 5:20 am for a quick gas stop as nothing was open yet along the trails. Then the men headed north, and she headed for their camp in Newark, VT, to wait for them and keep track of their progress north.
The first call at 6:41 am put them somewhere between Belmont and Plymouth. Lisa pulled into camp at 8:30 am, and the second call came at 9:45 am from East Randolf, which is almost halfway. They called at 12:45 pm from Danville (familiar trails to us as we ride in the northeast kingdom) with a promise to call from Coles in West Burke so that Lisa could gear up and get ready to join them on her snowmobile. The last call was at 1:40 pm and they got to the cabin at 2 pm for one last quick oil and gas fill up. The three Hammersmiths pulled into Chez Pidgeon in Norton, VT, at 3 pm. It took 10 hours to complete the trip from Woodford to Norton.
There were only 15 other riders there when the Hammersmiths arrived but riders came in all the rest of the evening. There was a hearty spaghetti dinner and at 7 pm as the official ceremony kicked off. Each rider had to turn in at least $125 to enter. The ride brought in more than $73,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Donna Crandall Memorial Foundation with the highest rider bringing in $6,900. Tony came in 4th place by collecting $1,830. At 8:30 pm the Hammersmiths left Norton and headed for the cabin and the hot tub 40 miles away. Along the way they met other CF riders with pink armbands still heading for Norton. They got to the cabin a little before 9 pm. What an adventure for a great cause! Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the USA.
The Hammersmith family paid for all their own expenses, i.e. fuel, food and gear. The trip cost them around $500.
The Hammersmiths would like to greatly thank the following people for their contributions:
Cheryl and Larry – Eagle Energy Inc., Jamie Gibson – Capital Tractor Inc., Caleb Carr, Nancy Snyder – Baker Insurance, Sue and Brian Holbritter PLS, Sue and Harold Berger PE, Mike and Donna Casey, Kristen and Jim Woolery, Bonded Concrete Inc., Wiley Brothers Inc., J.P. Conway Plumbing and Heating, Bob and Sharon Niles – Bobs Auto, Larry and Heather Eckhardt – Kinderhook Creek Farm, Carol and Duane Goodermote Excavating, Bridgeway Restaurant, Tom and Ellen Morelli, Louis – L & S Veneer, Lester Goodermote, Marchese Ford, Zwack Inc., Dave Sicko, Tammy and Everett – Maddens Service Center, Neil and Susan – Gardners Ice Cream & Coffee Shoppe, Donna & Todd – Papa’s Pizza, Tom and Donna Sherman, Linda Moshimer, Tadd and Lynn Hewitt and Dan and Brenda Potter. A special thanks to Pittsfield Lawn and Tractor for helping with special gear for the ride. Thank you to all the land owners on the VAST trail system for without you this ride would not have been possible.