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.

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.

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

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.

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.