Forest Society invites you to discover New Hampshire

May 27, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 3 Comments

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 Forest Society has issued us a challenge. The payoff for you and me: a patch.

The Forest Reservation Challenge involves visiting 33 of the Forest Society’s New Hampshire holdings. At this time no deadline has been set, 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. 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.

Bretzfelder Park, Bethlehem New Hampshire — Bretzfelder Park, a Forest Society property in Bethlehem NH

Whether I earn the patch or not, I’m going to have fun on the trails. I’ll post about my progress.

Update: how long did it take me to finish the Challenge? Read all about it!

Blossoms in a dry season: Nashua River Rail Trail

April 24, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 3 Comments

ground cover plants with small purple petals — photos by Ellen Kolb

I’ve spent nearly three months hobbling with a knee injury. It was a triumph for me to cover three miles in an hour on the Nashua River Rail Trail this morning.

It’s bone-dry in my area, as in most of New Hampshire. Even so, buds and blossoms are turning up. A week ago, a few sprigs of grass were poking through the dry leaves at trailside. Today, bluets and violets were blossoming, and there’s much more greenery despite the drought. Rain is forecast for later this week – and a day of that should brighten up the trail in earnest.

What’s new in your area? What’s blossoming in spite of the weather?

First Day Hike 2016: Hollis, NH

January 1, 2016February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 2 Comments

winter day, grey sky, apples clinging to a leafless tree — _{Woodmont Orchard, Hollis NH, New Year’s Day. Photos by Ellen Kolb.}

The New Hampshire state parks people added Silver Lake State Park to the list of locations for guided First Day hikes, and I think this one’s a keeper. The state park abuts town conservation land with trails maintained by the local snowmobile club. With the area’s first measurable snowfall of the season having fallen just a few days ago, boots were all the equipment I needed to join the fun. I left in the car every accessory except my camera and a map, and spent an hour on trails I’d never before visited.

snowmobile on trail — _{Multi-use trails in Hollis, NH}

I didn’t mind the snowmobile that passed me at one point. People like the sled’s cheerful and careful driver maintain these trails.

Days like this remind me why I started this blog. Silver Lake State Park is where I used to take my kids swimming when they were little, and I thought the lake itself was all there was to it. Today, after living in the area for many years, I discovered new trails in what I thought was a familiar place.

New Hampshire is a tiny slice of the republic, and the southern tier is even tinier. Yet here in what looks like an insubstantial part of the map are parks and trails that most New Hampshire visitors and even some residents will never see. Every year, I find something new: a little trail connecting two urban parks, country roads with drivers who don’t mind sharing the pavement with pedestrians, a Hollis trail connecting Silver Lake with Woodmont Orchard. I want to drink it all in and come back for more.

Pawtuckaway State Park, Round Pond Road

December 26, 2015February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

The snowless days are ending; I’ll be shoveling my driveway in just a few days, if the forecast holds. This was my last chance to visit some nearby trails before winter conditions set in. I had planned to walk up a hill with a pretty view, but decided at the last minute to stick to level paths. I went to Pawtuckaway State Park and explored the northwest corner of the park via Reservation Road and Round Pond Road.

pound with many snags (dead trees) at the base of a forested hill — North Mountain seen from Round Pond Road. This must be a wonderful birding spot at dawn and dusk. All photos by Ellen Kolb.

a pond reflecting blue sky with light clouds — Round Pond, harshly lit on a brilliant sunny day. The pond is about two and a half miles from where I parked on Reservation Road.

glacial erratic boulders in a forest, with a backpack on the ground — A side trail from Round Pond Road leads to the Boulder Field, where the woods are full of large glacial erratics. I placed the backpack at the base of a boulder for scale.

tree trunk with cavities formed by woodpeckers — A pileated woodpecker had been hard at work on this tree.

Southwest NH: Cheshire County drive

December 11, 2015February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 4 Comments

I spent a foggy and snowless December day driving from the Merrimack River to the Connecticut River and back through New Hampshire’s southern tier, stopping for walks now and then. Visibility was too limited to make a mountain hike worthwhile, but rail trails and roadside parks were ready for me.

I chose a short segment between the nicely-restored depot in Troy and Rockwood Pond in Fitzwilliam. It was a round trip of just over four miles on a wide, straight trail. The only sounds were from birds and my own steps. No ice or snow, just a bit of mud on the southern half of the walk. On a clear day there’s a splendid view of Mount Monadnock from the shore of Rockwood Pond, though the fog obscured all the surrounding hills today.

DSCF0315 — _{Cheshire Rail Trail, Troy NH. All photos by Ellen Kolb}

Swanzey was next, and I managed to work a pair of the town’s famed covered bridges into my route. The most exciting sight of the day was a bald eagle I spotted near the Ashuelot River, and it was too swift for me to snag a photo.

DSCF0337 — _{Thompson Bridge in Swanzey, complete with sidewalk.}

The village of Ashuelot is in Winchester, with a covered bridge of its own.

DSCF0344 — _{Bridge in the village of Ashuelot, Winchester NH}

After some business in Brattleboro, Vermont, I took the more-or-less direct route back east, along New Hampshire routes 9 and 101. I stopped for a half hour at Chesterfield Gorge, a small roadside state park on NH route 9.

DSCF0363 — _{Enjoy Chesterfield Gorge with a three-quarter-mile loop walk from the parking area.}

DSCF0360 — _{Wilde Brook, which cuts Chesterfield Gorge.}

As the photos show, this is a very mild late autumn. In a fit of irrational exuberance, I almost tossed sandals in the car before I left home. Good thing I refrained; there was just enough mud and chill to make me glad I wore sensible shoes.

Clock shift: Horse Hill Nature Preserve

November 17, 2015February 24, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 2 Comments

Daylight Savings Time is over, cutting into my late-day trail time. All I ask is just enough daylight to enjoy a leaf-covered trail without twisting my ankle.

So far, so good. I’m sharing Horse Hill with lots of neighbors who are trying to fit some outdoor time between work and dinner, including a fair number of mountain bikers. The preserve is large enough that I don’t feel at all crowded, even when the parking lot’s full.