Call it the Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the SPNHF, or the simpler Forest Society: however you say it, here’s an organization that wants to show off its holdings. The payoff for you and me: a patch. I’m a sucker for patches. My favorite in-state patch so far is the Tower Quest from the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands (earning that one was great fun!), but the Forest Society is tempting me with a patch of its own.

The Granite State Walker at the Merrimack River near Forest Society’s HQ in Concord, NH

The Forest Reservation Challenge involves visiting 33 of the Forest Society’s New Hampshire holdings. No deadline that I can see, which is a good thing, since the 33 holdings are scattered all over the Granite State. These things take time. For all of us with either limited time or a limited budget for gas, there’s a “Tier 2” challenge: visit several properties in one region of the state, plus answer questions about each property. Alas, selfies are involved, which is a mild annoyance for those of us who are not photogenic (I illustrate this post with Exhibit A). That’s how the good folks at the Forest Society know that we’re not just using old photos from our friends’ collections.

The Forest Society’s web site explains the challenge in full. I’m going to give it a try. You may find, as I’m discovering, that some Forest Society lands are actually fairly close to home. Some may be close to routes you already travel regularly. I’m looking forward to re-visiting some favorite spots and discovering new ones.

Whether I earn the patch or not, I’m going to have fun on the trails.