I seldom get to the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire, despite its many attractions. When my husband The Runner had a race around Mascoma Lake in Enfield, I went along for the ride on a warm early-summer day.
On a quiet Sunday morning, I spent time on the quiet paths of the Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette. Enfield Shaker Village is just across the street, and it surely rates a visit on another trip. I turned onto Main Street and the only bridge over Mascoma Lake to get to the Northern Rail Trail on the lake’s north side. I could have gone west on the NRT to Lebanon or southeast toward Grafton, but this was a lazy day, and I simply meandered on the trail and on town roads as I waited for the runners to come through.
Never turn down a Sunday drive with someone special. You might discover a lovely spot.
Marker honoring the Enfield NH SHakersA path at the Shrine of Our Lady of LaSaletteMascoma Lake, looking west from Enfield’s Main StreetNorthern Rail Trail, Enfield, NH: wide and shadyRunners in the sun while I’m in the shade on a rail trail bridge
When was the last time I got to one of New Hampshire’s fire towers? It’s been awhile. The other day, everything came together for a tower expedition: perfect weather, access to a car, and an afternoon to myself. I took a beautiful drive to Stoddard for a visit to Pitcher Mountain. The walk from parking area to fire tower only takes me ten or fifteen minutes. The 360º views from the tower are splendid, and the drive is a treat. Dozens of miles on roads with no traffic signals and not a single Dunkin’ Donuts in sight: how’s that for a Sunday drive?
Pitcher Mountain fire tower, Stoddard NH. All photos by Ellen Kolb.
I couldn’t miss the small parking lot on Route 123 on Stoddard. There’s a sign, and a view of the tower from the road.
First peek at the tower, approaching from the east on Rt. 123.
The walk uphill from the parking lot through woods opens up to a field with a fine view of Monadnock to the south.
Mt. Monadnock in the distance, seen from the path to the Pitcher Mountain fire tower.
From the tower, there was a full panorama. Monadnock was the most prominent feature, but plenty of other peaks were visible as well. I had the second edition of Hiking the Monadnock Region (a fine guidebook by Joe Adamowicz) to help me identify some of them.
Wind farm in Lempster, seen from the fire tower
For more about New Hampshire fire towers:
One of the most interesting local publications in my collection is a little orange booklet called A Field Guide to New Hampshire Firetowers by Iris W. Baird and Chris Haartz (2002). Look for used copies online. The booklet includes a short history of all the currently operating towers in the state, along with notes on other towers that are still standing but have been decommissioned.
The New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands has a web page that includes information on the Tower Quest program, with a patch available to anyone visiting at least five fire towers. I admit I have one of those patches myself.
I see no columbines yet on the Nashua River Rail Trail in Dunstable, Massachusetts, just over the New Hampshire border. I knew today was kind of early in the season, but I was eager for the year’s first visit to this old friend of a trail. I spotted a columbine along the way in this stretch about three years ago. The following year, a second plant sprang up a few feet away. Since then, I haven’t been able to spot them – pulled up? died? I don’t know, but I look for them anyway.
Tiny violets – harbingers of wildflower season
Blossoms were few this weekend – a dandelion, and a few of the tiny violets that I refuse to call weeds. The deciduous trees along the trail are just beginning to leaf out, and little pines are taking root in the shadow of big ones. The skunk cabbages down in the wetlands are the brightest green in sight. Spring cleanup has already been done by some wonderful volunteers who have moved the winter’s deadfall off the pavement.
Columbine: what I’m waiting for.
Most flowers are still a few weeks off, and I’m impatient for them. Still, I liked what I saw today – if not for its own sake, then for what it means for the coming season. Clumps of green grasses and ground cover are poking up through the dead leaves along the edge of the trail. The farm in Dunstable has sheets of white row-cover already out on one field, so something’s been planted – will it be pumpkins or butternut squash this year? The soda vending machine that one whimsical family sets up annually in their back yard adjacent to the trail is back, and the price per soda is unchanged at $1.
No plane from Skydive Pepperell. I’m not sure if that was due to the weather or the calendar. From late spring through fall, I’m accustomed to the every-20-minutes rhythm of the prop plane as it takes off from its airstrip near the trail, makes lazy circles up to what I’m told is 13,000 feet to let out the skydivers, then descends and returns.
From a good NRRT neighbor: the soda stand
Weekend traffic was far below summer levels. There were very few cyclists riding as though on a mission, zooming past everyone. This was a family day, featuring kids on training wheels or on very shiny bikes that were probably under the Christmas tree. One high-spirited six-year-old had a BMX-style helmet that probably cost more than his bike.
No helmet or bike for me this weekend, just sneakers and a hankering for wildflowers. They’re not out yet, but I’ll see them soon.
January and February have been filled with long hours of work and stress and lousy weather. Whine.
My clothes are too snug, I’m out of breath after three flights of stairs, and I hate icy roads. Whine, whine, whine.
When the weather was inviting the other day (and please, no scolding me for being unprepared for all conditions), I forced myself to shake off my winter torpor for little while. I headed to Mine Falls Park in Nashua for a loop around the cove near the Millyard.
The cove at Mine Falls Park, awaiting the springtime return of the swans. Nashua Millyard in background.
Hard to believe what a difference that made. After a couple of miles, my jeans were still snug and I still had a pile of work waiting for me. But gradually, as I walked along the canal path in crunchy snow, the whines went away. Fresh air and near-silence worked wonders.
I’ll still need a push to get out the door this season, but Mine Falls Park will remind me that the effort pays off.
I got to shake hands today with a pair of hikers I’ve been wanting to meet. Dan Szczesny and his hiking partner Janelle are better known in the blogosphere as Buffalo and Tough Cookie. They were at the Hollis, New Hampshire library today with a slide show about their book, The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie, recounting their year-long quest of New Hampshire’s “52 with a View.”
And just what might 52-with-a-view mean? I had never heard of such a list before discovering Dan’s blog. The only New Hampshire hiking list I had heard of was the 48 4000-footers. 52-with-a-view is a creation of the Over The Hill Hikers of Sandwich, New Hampshire who compiled a list of fifty-two peaks under 4000′, each featuring good views.
The audience in Hollis today consisted of an energetic group of kids who knew more about basketball than hiking. Dan didn’t worry about getting through the whole slide show as planned, cheerfully adapting his presentation to the everyone’s questions and comments. If he and Tough Cookie come through your area for a book signing or slide show, make a point of stopping by. You’ll enjoy the conversation and the wonderful photography.
Following the slide show, I took a short drive to a trailhead on Rt. 130 for Beaver Brook and spent an hour in the woods. It was a day for YakTrax on my boots, with thin snow cover melted-and-refrozen in many spots. I saw one couple on cross-country skis having a rough time of it. The temperature in the upper thirties felt positively balmy after the bitterly-cold month just ended.
There’s logging going on in Beaver Brook this winter, although no equipment was in use today. I appreciated the quiet. There are orange arrows spray-painted into the snow as traffic-control marks for the trucks, and signs affixed to some trees with an explanation to passersby of how forest management – which includes careful logging – has been part of Beaver Brook Association ever since it was established.
I decided to bring in 2014 by heading to Jaffrey, New Hampshire and Mount Monadnock for a First Day Hike sponsored by the good folks at Monadnock State Park. Two routes were offered. I chose a nature hike along the low and flat Parker Trail, accompanied by guides from the park and from the Forest Society.
Celebrating New Year’s Day on Mt. Monadnock
I left my snowshoes in the car and strapped traction aids to my boots when I saw how icy the trails were. The temperature was about 15º, and I can tell you now what happens when you carry granola bars in your backpack on a 15º day: the bars freeze solid. (Next time, I’ll carry them in an inside coat pocket.) Lots of sunshine, though.
We were led by Meredith and Brenda of the park staff, along with a specialist in land conservation from the Forest Society. I soaked as much as I could as they talked about forest management, wildlife habitat, and the history of the mountain. We walked at a very leisurely pace along the quiet Parker Trail. Half the fun was watching the kids in our group. A few of them appeared to be veterans of the trails. Others were wide-eyed and full of questions, walking a little unsteadily as they adjusted to having microspikes on their boots.
When I arrived at the headquarters entrance, the main parking lot was full and I had to proceed to the overflow lot. When I met Sue, the new park director, I asked her about that. “Oh, yes. We’re open year-round. Even on days like this, we get between 200 and 400 visitors.”
This is the third year that First Day Hikes have been held at New Hampshire state parks. I’ll look forward to future events.
Granite State Walker 