Guided hike in Heald Tract, Wilton NH

November 12, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

I joined 17 people and one tiny-but-mighty dog for a leisurely three-mile amble through a portion of the Forest Society’s Heald Tract in Wilton, New Hampshire.

Castor Pond, where we enjoyed lunch on our hike. It’s home to heron and other water birds, as well as beaver and otter.

Our guide was David, a volunteer for the Harris Center for Conservation Education. Two of my fellow hikers owned property near the tract and knew a lot about the history of the area. We had good company and good conversation for the three hours we spent together.

We walked through an area with old wells and foundations, and heard tales of the people who had built them and settled the area. We saw the most imposing beaver dam I’ve ever laid eyes on. I heard kingfisher as we sat pondside enjoying our lunch. No one was in a hurry, the company was congenial, and the weather was fine. I left determined to keep an eye on the Forest Society and Harris Center calendars in the future for other walks like this one.

stone foundation wall — *_{This barn foundation dating back to the nineteenth century is about six feet high. The rest of the structure was lost to fire long ago.}*

For more about the Heald Tract including a map of the trails, go to forestsociety.org. Learn more about the Harris Center at harriscenter.org.

group hike in a forest with a little dog — _{This little terrier is an unlikely-looking hiker, but she proved to be an intrepid and friendly companion.}

stone-lined well — The opening to this old well is about five and a half feet across – easily the largest I’ve seen.

Horse Hill Nature Preserve gallery

November 11, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

Among the places to which I’ve returned repeatedly since beginning this blog is Horse Hill Nature Preserve, one of my favorite southern New Hampshire destinations. Here are a few Horse Hill images.

sign for Horse Hill Nature Preserve in Merrimack, New Hampshire

When I moved to this area thirty years ago, what is now the preserve was just a big undeveloped area with a sandpit in the middle. There was once talk of building a housing development in there. The development never materialized, and in 2002, the town purchased the property for conservation. As a community, we made a wise decision.

The area needed a lot of cleanup before it was ready for prime time, and we resorted to some creative maneuvers to get the job done. I remember going there with my son’s Scout troop on a hike. In the sandpit area was debris from the area’s days as an informal target range. Each Scout gleefully stuffed his pockets full of shell casings and carried them out. I can only imagine how many forgotten little brass pieces found their way into washing machines that weekend.

golden light in an avenue of birch trees — My favorite season at Horse Hill. Photos by Ellen Kolb.

Now, Horse Hill is a year-round spot for walkers, runners, and off-road bicyclists. Horseback riding is allowed, too, for equestrians who don’t mind taking their chances sharing a trail with bikes. As for being a nature preserve, Horse Hill’s wetlands and trees provide habitat for a variety of wildlife.

Horse Hill is popular enough that the town just tripled the size of the parking area, yet it never seems crowded once I’m more than five minutes from my car. Plenty of trails branch off from the main loop, so hikers aren’t concentrated in one area.

If you go, pick up a map first from the kiosk on Amherst Road, and then have fun.

Trails in winter are good for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and fat tire biking.

pond with beaver lodge — Lastowka Pond at Horse Hill Nature Preserve hosts a heron rookery and beaver lodge.

Re-collection: Piscataquog trail therapy

November 9, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 1 Comment

I walk for fun, to explore, to more-or-less exercise. I also walk to keep my head on straight. I wouldn’t have gotten through today without a couple of miles outside.

I’m a political critter, you see. I’ve been a campaign staffer, an activist, a blogger from the New Hampshire State House, to name a few pastimes. Yesterday was election day after the nastiest campaign year I’ve ever experienced. This has been a backed-up-sewer of a season.

Nothing will flush it out except time on the trails.

I had time today for a couple of local miles. Manchester’s Piscataquog rail trail came through for me. There were enough leaves left on the trees to serve as a canopy. The overcast sky suited me; bright sunlight would have left me with a slashing headache.

Forty good minutes: enough time to escape agitation. Time to block out the noise, turn away from the news feeds, take lots of deep breaths, recall what’s important.

A man biked past me. I recognized him as the unofficial adopter of the trail, picking up bags of trash, neatly hanging fresh plastic bags every hundred yards or so. Seeing him was oddly consoling and reassuring. He has a simple, selfless volunteer’s dedication to an unsung job that consists of keeping a public area pretty.

Beat that, candidates.

Decompression is going to take awhile. Today’s walk was a good start.

dscf3697-2 — Piscataquog trail, in another season.

Mine Falls Park gallery

November 7, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

As the Granite State Walker blog turns 10 this month, I’m looking back at some of my favorite southern New Hampshire destinations. Today’s gallery: Mine Falls Park in Nashua. This urban park is accessible from the Everett Turnpike (exit 5W, or 5E to Simon Street), Stellos Stadium, Lincoln Park, the Millyard downtown, or 7th Street off Ledge Street. If you live near Nashua and you haven’t explored this park yet, do yourself a favor and get out there!

boat launch on pond — Two boat launches serve the park, including this one outside Conway Arena. All photos by Ellen Kolb.

river flowing over a low dam, late afternoon — The dam at Mine Falls.

autumn foliage along an unpaved path — This path edges the millpond, home to heron and beaver.

muskrat swimming in a canal — Muskrats love the Mine Falls canal. The canal, nearby Nashua River, and millyard cove are great areas for observing birds and wildlife.

snow-covered trail leading to a bridge over a canal — In the winter, I bring my snowshoes.

American flag on a tall flagpole with a memorial stone at base — A memorial to a fallen Nashua-area Marine SSGT Allen Soifert graces the walkway leading to the Mine Falls playing fields.

From Monadnock: my favorite bad photo

November 6, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 1 Comment

When my daughter gave me a digital camera a few years ago and consigned my little plastic 35mm Polaroid to the junk drawer, I soon discovered my favorite aspect of digital cameras: the delete button. No more paying to develop film with 24 exposures but only one picture worth keeping.

Even the bad pictures can bring back good memories, though. This is one of my favorites, taken at Bald Rock on Mount Monadnock.

boulder with inscription on a forested mountainside — _{Bald Rock, Monadnock State Park, NH. Photo by Ellen Kolb.}

Overexposed, lousy lighting, hard to see the intriguing and unexplained inscription on the rock: I didn’t get much right with this shot, except capture a special spot on what is so far the best day I’ve ever spent on Monadnock.

This was the day I realized that I could go to the mountain and not feel like a failure for skipping the summit. I sat by this rock and ate my lunch in regal solitude. I felt absolutely no need to join the crowd I saw on the peak above me. With a breeze and a view and a PB&J, I had everything I needed.

Trips to Monadnock don’t always work out that way for me. Last time I went, I kept moving up the Pumpelly trail despite a sore knee. The pain finally got so bad I had to turn around, hobbling slowly downhill, not getting to my car until well after sundown. On another day, a beautiful December afternoon, I dawdled on the summit and figured I’d make up some time on the descent. Bad move. I lost my footing, fell down hard, and slid on my back headfirst, certain that I was going to crack my skull on a rock. Instead, my backpack took the hit, which was more luck than I deserved.

I’ve had good days to offset those misadventures. The day at Bald Rock beats them all.

Finding New Hampshire Fire Towers

November 3, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

About ten years ago, I came across A Field Guide to New Hampshire Firetowers, a labor-of-love booklet by Iris W. Baird and Chris Haartz. It’s a gem of local history, and I used to take it with me whenever I headed out for a tower hike. (I just learned that Baird passed away earlier this year; may she rest in peace.) They worked to collect information on every New Hampshire fire tower and former fire tower site – more than ninety locations!

A newer resource that I’ve discovered is a must for all tower hunters: the NH Fire Towers Facebook group.