Flexible work hours meant I could take a quick late-afternoon trip today to Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, New Hampshire. I had the place to myself, as far as I could tell. Winter went out with about a foot of snow in this area, and Spring began today with sunshine and temps in the 30s. Wonderful.
Location: Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire. See www.beaverbrook.org . The trailhead I chose is on NH Rt. 130. 0.8 mile west of NH Rt. 122. Parking lot (unpaved) is on the south side of the road.
My timing couldn’t have been better. I drove into the Horse Hill Nature Preserve parking lot on Amherst Road in Merrimack this afternoon just as a snowmobile emerged from the trail after grooming the snow. (That’s a job done by volunteers, as is so much other maintenance on New Hampshire trails.) We’ve had about a foot of snow over the past three days, topped with lovely powder, and I was eager to bring my snowshoes out from storage. I usually don’t get out on trails after snowfalls until the snow’s been chewed up & packed by lots of other people. Today, I had two great hours on the main loop trail: no ice, no bare spots, no skiers. I love skiers – in fact, I’m married to one – but today, I didn’t have to worry about staying off to one side to make room for them. Today was for snowshoers.
There were ten cars in the lot when I arrived, but that didn’t presage a traffic jam on the trail. Horse Hill covers a lot of ground. I passed maybe a dozen people altogether, along with four friendly dogs. The presence of the dogs probably accounted for the absence of wildlife along my way.
I have only a few free minutes between appointments on the New Hampshire Seacoast, just long enough for a stop at Odiorne Point State Park. Deserted in the middle of this workday in the offseason, it makes for a peaceful break.
I wonder how many people drive past here every day on route 1-A and never come into the park, thinking they don’t have the time. Just ten minutes walking anywhere within Odiorne would change anyone’s mind about that. No charge in the offseason. Just park the car & start walking. Instant refreshment.
Atlantic coastline at Odiorne Point State Park, Rye NH. Ellen Kolb photo.
Kiosk at Mountain Road parking area near town waterworks gate. No take-along maps available; download one before you go.
Western view towards the Monadnocks from North Uncanoonuc. The haze is typical.
My boots had cobwebs in them when I picked them up for this afternoon’s hike in Goffstown. It’s been too long since the last hike. The Uncanoonuc hills are close by, have easy trails, and offer fairly good views, so that’s where I went. Not a bad little local jaunt.
On this clear day with temperatures in the 40s, the little parking area on Mountain Road at the town waterworks was almost full. (“Full” means about eight cars.) I headed for North Uncanoonuc’s summit via the snowmobile trail marked as a class VI road. (Download the map here.) The slippery leaves & loose rocks made made me watch my step, but this is an easy hike overall. At a casual pace, I got to the summit in just over half an hour.
People brought their kids and dogs today. Most, like me, were taking it easy. A few ambitious souls ran a big loop beginning on the trail I took, then over the summit to the White Dot trail (not to be confused with the famous one on Monadnock) and back to Mountain Road. Must be nice to be so fit.
While the south peak boasts a decent view of Manchester, North Uncanoonuc offers views west to the Wapack Range and north to Mt. Kearsarge. (The Kearsarge vista is a few hundred yards down from the summit on the White Dot trail.) The ledgy summit pokes just far enough up from forest & shrubs to reward hikers with some pleasant sights. It’s a great picnic spot, too.
View of Merrimack River from the Bedford Heritage Trail
The Heritage Trail in Bedford, New Hampshire doesn’t demand a lot of time from the casual visitor, although you could go on a slow mile-long birdwatching walk if you were so inclined. I decided to head there for a quick lunch-hour visit.
I found the trailhead on Moore’s Crossing Road off of US 3 (South River Road). From the parking area, I walked north and quickly found a picnic area overlooking the Merrimack River and the Moore’s Crossing railroad bridge.
Eagles have nested along the river, though I didn’t spot one this day. The herons made up for that. The rail bridge is somehow not ugly from this vantage point, despite the graffiti on it. Perhaps all the trees around me softened the view. The river is low today, reflecting the recent lack of rain.
I work near the trail, and today’s picnic beat having lunch at my desk. Employment is great, but my current job is making long hikes impossible for now. I’ll get out to good spots like this when I can, even for twenty minutes at a time.
Among New Hampshire Audubon’s many properties is a little one in Amherst, New Hampshire, tucked away alongside a residential neighborhood yet not far from busy route 101-A. Ponemah Bog is what’s left of a kettle-hole pond formed long ago by the retreat of glaciers. The pond itself covers only about three acres, and it’s surrounded by a sphagnum peat bog that sustains flora unlike what can be found in most of New Hampshire. I visited today for the first time in quite awhile, and I had the place to myself on this sultry day.
To get there from Nashua, take 101-A west into Merrimack. Turn right onto Boston Post Road, just past Home Depot. In about two miles, turn left onto Stearns Road. In 0.3 mile, turn left onto Rhodora Drive; there is a small sign at this intersection pointing to the bog. Where Rhodora Drive curves right, drive straight into the gravel parking lot.
Ponemah Bog. What you can’t see in the photo are the birds & muskrats that were out & about. Ellen Kolb photo.
Take a few minutes to look at the information kiosk, where you’ll find information about the rich variety of birds and unusual plants that favor the bog. A loop path begins from the parking lot, with the two ends a short distance apart. I prefer starting on the left and going clockwise through the property, but either direction will do. The mulched path in the woods eventually gives way to a boardwalk as you make your way onto the mat of peat.
Watch your step, and watch your kids. Stay on the boardwalk for your own safety. That boardwalk also protects the bog itself from undue disturbance. You could walk the length of the boardwalk, including the spur trails, in fifteen minutes or less. Don’t be in such a hurry, unless you’re with small children, as I often was in years past. Taking your time, stopping at the benches scattered around the property, is the only way to get a good look at the birds that scatter at the sound of footsteps on the boards.
When my youngest son (now grown) was little, I used to love to bring him here. The bog is home to several varieties of carnivorous plants, and he used to scoot ahead of me, keeping an eye out for pitcher plants. Whenever he found one, he grinned as though he’d won the lottery – and then he’d move on and look for more.
Today, pitcher plants were blossoming, and so was a tiny purple orchid that only blooms around Independence Day each year. The bog supports larch & pitch pine, with mixed hardwoods in the parking lot, but the bog’s most interesting plants are the flowering shrubs no higher than my waist. Pitcher plants, bladderworts, and sundews are very low-growing. No wonder my son liked finding them.
Today, in hot and dry weather, I wore sandals and had no trouble. After heavy rains, sections of the boardwalk can be underwater. In the winter, even if there’s little snow, the boards can be icy and treacherous. Choose your footwear accordingly.
Granite State Walker 