Like fall, without color

March 1, 2016 / Ellen Kolb

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If you peer closely at the photo, you’ll see ice on the this southern New Hampshire trail. I was in Horse Hill Nature Preserve for an hour on the first of March for cryin’ out loud, and this is as close to winter conditions as I could find. A sign at the trailhead warned about muddy conditions, but I had no trouble in regular athletic shoes. Boots would have been overkill. A sweater and thin gloves were my only concessions to the weather.

My snowshoes remain in the basement. I know winter’s far from over, and I may yet this month rave about a beautiful day in fresh powder. That won’t be happening this week, though.

All the local paved trails are clear. Dirt trails have some ice in shady spots. Overnight freezes make for some interesting texture in muddy areas. On a Seacoast trip I took a few days ago, it felt like fall at Odiorne Point in Rye and Peirce Island in Portsmouth.

I haven’t investigated the auto roads up Pack Monadnock and Mt. Kearsarge lately, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in good condition for pedestrians with light traction aids. Let me know if you’ve scouted out those paths.

Clock shift

November 17, 2015 / 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.

Parking lot: full. Trail: all clear. Horse Hill Nature Preserve, New Hampshire.

My favorite tree along the way. It’s survived some rough weather in recent years.

It’s been a dry autumn. I barely needed the bridge to cross this little stream.

A foot of powder? Yes, please!

December 18, 2013May 23, 2014 / Ellen Kolb

Horse Hill Nature Preserve, Merrimack NH. Ellen Kolb photo.

We’ve had two snowfalls in my area in recent days, both nice fluffy powder. I was one of the first hikers since yesterday’s snowstorm to walk through the nature preserve nearby. It was a lunchtime trip and I had less than an hour, but with the preserve less than three miles away, I couldn’t pass it up.

I met only a couple of fellow hikers on the way. Like me, they were wedging a walk into the workday. They looked as relaxed as I felt. Aside from our greetings to each other, things were pretty quiet. I would hear aircraft approaching the regional airport to the north and the community airport to the south and the corporate helipad nearby, and then all the flights would be over for a few minutes and I would hear nothing but the wind in the bare trees. Those are the bonus moments.

This made a good break in a day when too much was racing through my mind. Today is the web site launch for another project of mine, and I am at the mercy of my techie-pro colleagues. I’m baking for a holiday celebration. (Food is love where I come from.) Christmas is next week, and I feel the loss and separation from some of my loved ones more keenly now than at other times of the year. The car needs work. Real life is in high gear, in other words.

Hooray for high gear. It makes me appreciate low gear in snowshoes.

Busy beavers at Horse Hill

May 3, 2013May 23, 2014 / Ellen Kolb

After a walk through Horse Hill in Merrimack last December, I posted this photo of a snow-covered beaver lodge. Nothing dramatic.

Stiff breezes will probably take some snow off this lodge tonight.

Today, I smiled at the sight of the same lodge, this time in spring sunshine.

In Horse Hill Nature Preserve, 3 May 2013

A few moments later, as I looked across the pond, I caught sight of a MUCH bigger lodge, which I do not recall seeing before.

New & improved lodge

I think the older lodge must now be the servants’ quarters. Amazing what these creatures can build.

Packed Powder at Horse Hill

December 30, 2012April 3, 2024 / Ellen Kolb / 2 Comments

My timing couldn’t have been better. I drove into the Horse Hill Nature Preserve parking lot this afternoon just as a snowmobile emerged from the trail after grooming the snow. We’ve had about a foot over the past three days, topped with lovely powder, and I was eager to bring the snowshoes out from offseason 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.

Freshly packed, ready for snowshoe tracks.

Good week to visit Horse Hill

December 6, 2010May 23, 2014 / Ellen Kolb

http://hhnp.org

A flexible work schedule is nice while it lasts. Ninety minutes in Horse Hill Nature Preserve in Merrimack this morning made for a good start to the week. The preserve is a five-minute drive from my house, and I’d rather drive to the trailhead than walk there. That gives me more time on the trails and less on pavement.

Today had ideal late-fall conditions, with the temp around 30 degrees, light breeze, and a few flurries. Ground is pretty much frozen, though the streams are still flowing. Bridges are intact. A golden retriever and her owner were the only other creatures I saw. The trailhead kiosk on Amherst Road reminded me that it’s still hunting season, so blaze orange was the fashion accessory of the day. I’m looking forward to coming back with snowshoes in the coming months.

As usual, the map box at the trailhead was empty. Go online (web site listed above) to download one before coming here.