Does Vermont have 6 seasons? And other lessons from Noah Kahan

From @noahkahanmusic on Instagram

If you’ve spent any amount of time in Vermont, you’ve probably heard the locals joke that the Green Mountain State doesn’t have four seasons—it has six. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and somewhere in between are Stick Season and Mud Season, those brief but unforgettable times when Vermonters swap snow shovels for rain boots and find beauty in the in-between.

Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, who grew up in Strafford, Vermont, has turned these fleeting, muddy, maple-scented months into poetry. His breakout song “Stick Season” isn’t just a viral anthem—it’s a love letter to the place that taught him (and many of us) to live with the rhythm of the land.

So, does Vermont really have six seasons? Technically, maybe not. But spiritually? Absolutely. And each of them has something to teach us about slowing down, embracing change, and finding connection in the smallest of towns.

1. Stick Season: The Fifth (and Most Honest) Season

Then comes Stick Season, the unofficial fifth season and namesake of Kahan’s album. It’s that in-between time after the leaves fall but before the snow arrives—when the hills are gray, the sky is slate, and the trees stand bare like sketches against the horizon.

Kahan describes it perfectly:

“And I'll dream each night of some version of you / That I might not have, but I did not lose.”

Stick Season is a metaphor for waiting, for the messy middle where things aren’t yet beautiful again but haven’t disappeared. It’s a reminder that life’s most meaningful growth often happens when nothing looks alive.

In Vermont, Stick Season is when we gather in coffee shops, play music in basements, and pull on our flannels for late fall hikes. It’s a time of honesty—of accepting that not everything needs to be picturesque to be good.

Photo of Stick Season by Lorianna Weathers, courtesy of the SWVT Chamber of Commerce

2. Winter: The Long, Quiet Heartbeat of Vermont

Winter in Vermont isn’t for the faint of heart. The snow arrives early, often blanketing the mountains from November to April, and the cold can feel endless. But ask anyone who’s been here awhile, and they’ll tell you: winter is when Vermont’s soul shows itself.

In “Northern Attitude,” Kahan sings:

“If I get too close, and I'm not how you hoped / Forgive my northern attitude, I was raised out in the cold.”

It’s an apology and a truth rolled into one—a reminder that the cold shapes not only the landscape but the people. Winter teaches Vermonters resilience, the kind that’s born from splitting wood, shoveling driveways, and knowing your neighbor’s name because you might need to dig their car out tomorrow.

Far from isolating, winter becomes a season of community survival and quiet joy—bonfires, ski weekends, local music at the tavern, and maple creemees in the snow just because you can.

Photo of winter in Dorset, Vermont by Lorianna Weathers, courtesy of the SWVT Chamber of Commerce

3. Mud Season: The Great Equalizer

After winter finally lets go, Mud Season takes over. For a few glorious (and grimy) weeks, dirt roads turn to pudding, tires get swallowed whole, and “road closed” signs bloom like wildflowers. To outsiders, it’s an inconvenience. To Vermonters, it’s a badge of honor.

Mud Season teaches humility and patience. It’s the time when you lend a hand to push a stranger’s car out of a ditch and then share a laugh about it at the general store.

It’s also when small towns come alive again—farmers prepping fields, sugarhouses steaming with maple syrup, and communities shaking off the last chill of winter. In Vermont, even the mud brings people together.

Mud tracks along Vermont Forest

4. Spring and Summer: The Rebirth and the Reward

When the lilacs bloom and the rivers run fast with melted snow, you feel it deep in your bones: spring is a miracle here. After so many gray months, green feels like a revelation.

Summer is when Vermont shows off. Farmers markets hum with color, trails fill with hikers, and towns buzz with live music and festivals. 

Aside from the hubbub of activity, the state becomes a natural paradise. Swimming holes are plenty and accessible (and free); waterfalls dot hiking trails, and in every direction, a sea of green covers the horizon as the Green Mountains rise to meet the vibrant weather. Read our summer blog here!

These months remind us that every season—even the stickiest and muddiest ones—has its purpose. Without the darkness of winter, the brightness of summer wouldn’t feel quite so electric.

Photo of the Bennington Monument in Bennington, VT by Lorianna Weathers, courtesy of the SWVT Chamber of Commerce

5. Fall: The Glory Before the Gray

Then, of course, there’s fall in Vermont, that spectacular stretch of gold, amber, and fire that draws travelers from across the world. It’s easy to see why Kahan’s music resonates so deeply with those who love this time of year—it’s a season that feels both full and fleeting.

In short, it’s beautiful. 

Fall teaches gratitude. It’s the season of harvests, of turning inward, of preparing for what’s to come. In Vermont, we know how to savor it—the cider doughnuts, the cool hikes, the sense that beauty can be temporary and that’s what makes it precious.

Living by Vermont’s Rhythm

Across his music, Noah Kahan (like most people who live here) doesn’t romanticize Vermont—he reveres it. His songs carry the honesty of someone who’s felt every kind of weather, both literal and emotional. In his world, the land isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a teacher.

If Vermont truly has six seasons, it’s because each one holds a different kind of lesson:

• Stick Season teaches acceptance.

• Winter teaches endurance.

• Mud Season teaches humility.

• Spring teaches renewal.

• Summer teaches joy.

• Fall teaches gratitude.

And woven through all of them is community—the way small towns come together, the way music drifts through the valleys, the way people help each other through the gray until the color comes back again.

So yes, Vermont has six seasons. But maybe it is even seven – if you count the one that happens inside you when you realize where you live is alive and breathing. It is nature that sets the pace and rhythm for life, and in Vermont, it is perfect for those who wish to sing and dance to its beat.

Photo of Fall in Bennington, VT by Lorianna Weathers, courtesy of the SWVT Chamber of Commerce