No Vermonters in Heaven

By:  The F.I.S.
July 14, 2014 10:36 am | Category: Climbing, Hiking, Summer, Swimming

I dreamed that I went to the city of Gold,
pinnacle_zoom_sunset-4
To Heaven resplendent and fair.
heaven resplendent and fair
And after I entered that beautiful fold
By one in authority there I was told
That not a Vermonter was there.
heaven resplendent and fair
 
 
 
“Impossible, sir, for from my own town
Many sought this delectable place,
And each must be there with harp or a crown,
And a conqueror’s palm and a clean linen gown,
Received through a merited grace.”
Pinnacle_undercast-6

(ed. note: click for a larger view)

 
 
 

The Angel replied: “All Vermonters come here
When they first depart from the earth,
But after a day, or a month, or a year
They restless and homesick and lonesome appear,
And sigh for the land of their birth.
land of their birth
 
 
 

“They tell of ravines, wild, secluded and deep
And of flower-decked landscapes serene;
ravines wild seculded and deep
Of towering mountains, imposing and steep,
imposing and steep
imposing and steep
imposing and steep
imposing and steep
A-down which the torrents exultingly leap,
torrents exultingly leap
Through forests perennially green.
towering mountains
 
 
 
“They tell of the many and beautiful hills,
Their forests majestic appear,
They tell of its rivers, its lakes, streams and rills,
Where nature, the purest of waters distills,
And they soon get dissatisfied here.
purest of water
purest of water
purest of water
 
 
 
We give them the best the Kingdom provides;
They have everything here that they want,
everything here that they want
But not a Vermonter in Heaven abides;
A very brief period here he resides,
Then hikes his way back to Vermont.”
sunset_n_fireworks_HQ_2firework5-4

(ed. note: click for a larger view)

 
 
 
–Dr. E. F. Johnstone 1915

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7 Comments

  1. Harvey
    wrote on July 15th, 2014 at 4:03 pm  
    1

    I’m a big fan of ravines, wild, secluded and deep. Nice photos!

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
    • Greg
      wrote on July 16th, 2014 at 9:35 am  
      2

      :D

  2. Talbert
    wrote on July 25th, 2014 at 5:55 pm  
    3

    Some beautiful and creative pics!

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
    • Greg
      wrote on July 25th, 2014 at 6:25 pm  
      4

      thanks JT. always glad to know when you pop in to poke around :)

  3. Butch Chamberlain
    wrote on August 26th, 2014 at 9:04 am  
    5

    Sorry that I haven’t been here much. But decided to look through at least one site. These photos are very outstanding. They capture a lot of which our state has to offer anyone smart enough to engage themselves. A lot of thought was put into this piece. My congratulations on such a fine document. Eventhough I haven’t perused this site for a time, I find when I come back it is even better than before. Can’t wait to see some of the winter pics and articles. Pleas keep up the very fine work you are doing. In doing so you help fill the imagination of so many. You even might get them to engage themselves, to take part. I will be spending sometime in my favorite stomping grounds….Rock Pile. Ol’George a lovely mountain. Keep up the grand work. THANK YOU so much.

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
    • Greg
      wrote on August 26th, 2014 at 9:32 am  
      6

      aw thanks Butch! We definitely have scaled back from posting “just to post,” but we all have plans to keep this site alive for many years to come to…well, as you so eloquently put it…attempt to keep folks engaged.

  4. Beef Wellington III
    wrote on March 26th, 2015 at 1:13 pm  
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