Cross Country Skiing

The Woods in my backyard are lovely, dark and deep but especially so with a frosting of new snow. We got 6 new inches this weekend. I can slide on my skiis and be deep into the pines in a matter of minutes with the falling snow kissing my cheeks like a lover. OK, maybe not that dramatic, but fun anyways.

Shussing up the trail is like a rhythmic whisper that soothes the soul - I become one with the black and white landscape. I never understood the kick and glide descriptors of cross country skiing - it feels more like skating with extra long skates. When I go downhill it's a thrilling glide with the added adventure of avoiding brambles on the way down. I love it... When I go off the trail I just bushwack my way through the trees and blaze a new way to get through.
Sometimes living in New Hampshire is worth the high property taxes and low pay. :)

Pawtuckaway

November 09
Patti and Pessario and Jane and Sparky and I all went out for a hike up North Mountain at Pawtuckaway in Deerfield, NH. Having hiked up South Mountain at least 5 or 10 times, this would be a welcome change for all of us. It was a brisk, blue-eyed day with lots of fallen leaves crunching underfoot. The leaves obliterated the path many times and the white dots were also hard to find at times (the park really needs to re-paint these) but our trusty Jane (part elk-hound) somehow kept us on track every time.

We parked at #12, a left pull-over on Reservation Road, which is itself is a hard to see right off Route 107 a bit west of Raymond. Walking straight from the parking area (you can download a map from the Pawtuckaway web site or get one from the park office on Mountain Road) we followed the white dot trail toward North Mountain. At a T intersection the footpath again goes straight and straight up to the top of the ridge.

We crossed the ridge which is a long up and down for maybe 2 miles, but very beautiful. There were several vistas from which you could see the Fire Tower of South Mountain, and beyond. From there it seems our little area of the world is pretty much unpopulated! We never saw anyone during this section, but of course it was early Sunday morning. Again, the blazes on the trees were pretty far apart which would have been OK if it werent late fall and all the leaves concealed the trail. In any case, our Jane was very helpful in always finding the trail again when we were unsure.

At the far end of the Mountain sits a large green billboard-style monolith. We walked around it, but it had no markings whatsoever despite being very securely placed into cement foundations. It was at least 30 by 50 feet - a rectangle.

The climb down was pretty steep - and dark, creepy and a little scary. It reminded me of the Lord of the Rings as we climbed down the black, craggy cliffs. There was a gigantic granite wall, caves and at the bottom were boulders where we finally spied a few young people. They were practice climbing the boulders and had parked nearby. A brook ran through this area and it was much more open and pleasant.

Taking the right fork at the Boulder Field and a right on the subsequent dirt road brought us to a right trail called North Mountain Bypass which will then also fork. Continue to go right around a pond and this will eventually (about 2 miles) lead back to the intersection where we started. At the intersection take a left to get back to the parking area. In all we hiked about 6 - 7 miles. Of course I forgot my camera, but we will be back to explore the boulders and the cliffs at least once more.

(Photo is from Exeter - Jolly Rand Trail)

The Slow Movement

I have always valued time more than money and as I get older this becomes more true. Perhaps it's just supply and demand - I mean obviously I now have less years ahead of me, so I value it more. But it's not just that. And, it's not just time "to smell the roses", although that is nice too.

It's living at what I think of as 'human speed' - that speed at which we all live and work best. In our own time, our own pace and time enough to do it right. Multi-tasking, although it is worn proudly, is just another way to waste life. You become so splintered that you cannot devote the time you need to focus your best self on what you are doing. How can giving just a part of you to each task be good?
You dont even have a chance of being creative because that requires attention, full attention.

I have read that as our world becomes more populated, new technology breeds more technology. The technology forces us to multi-task. We are pushed to commercialize, to monetize, to improve each and every thing we do in the name of efficiency and profit. It really doesnt save us time to complicate our lives - it speeds things up to the point that we arent really living life. It then becomes a virtual world that we inhabit through our gadgets and technology. Is this how we want to live?

It's not just slow food we need. It's slower motion (walking vesus driving) that allows us to breath, surprises us with meeting something or someone new, it's slower talking that allows us to think about and absorb what the other person is saying, and it's slower living that allows us time off to live in the moment. To putter, to think, to enjoy and just to be. I walk to absorb life - both mine and the life around me. It gives me the time to observe and reflect - to chew on a thought. And it only takes a pair of shoes.

Northwood Meadows

In Northwood there is a sweet, small hike around a lake that we enjoyed very much. With very little elevation and well-marked trails it is fine for families. It is just off Route 4 and there is a porta-potty just up the trailhead. You can follow the loop around the lake or keep walking up the hill to a lookout. It begins as a dirt road , but the turn-off around the lake becomes a trail through a pine forest.

College Woods at UNH

My daughter goes to UNH so we decided to have a bike-bonding experience while the weather was still so fine. We were able to download a map of the trails from the UNH website, but it was not particularly clear. One must get a visitor's pass to park the car (I parked by Woodside Apts.), but the University is so beautiful that biking is fun from anywhere on campus. The trailhead and kiosk is a right off College Road. You will see a railroad trestle that you pass under to get to the trailhead (just before the fire station). The trails are well-marked and well-used with some areas not easy to bike due to the roots, but most is flat and wide. The trail follows the Oyster River with a small footbridge across, but we opted to continue out onto Route 155A (across from the barns) and took a right to the dairy bar/ railroad depot where they have excellent ice cream. This is a short 1 - 2 miles trail depending on the route you take and is as easy as you make it.

Pissario, Sparky and Jane pose for a photo op.

Great Bay

An August walk took us to the Great Bay in Newington, NH. It's actually called the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge although we saw no actual wildlife. This was a very pleasant , serene walk through a grassy meadow, shoreline woods and marshland with a wooden bird-watching stand extending into the marsh and overlooking Little Bay. From the parking lot there are 2 trails - to the left is the short - Peverly Pond trail (1/2 mile) and longer is the Ferry Way trail (about 2 miles) which skirts a small beaver pond and gives you views of the Little Bay. Both are loops- grassy , wide and flat and so are great for families. There is also a restroom at the trailhead.

This is such an interesting area because it is only a few minutes from the bustling commercial districts of Newington and Portsmouth, NH. As you drive out from the Pease International Tradeport you will be reminded that this was once the Pease Air Force Base which was closed in 1989. Right next to the parking lot is the former weapons storage area still enclosed by a high fence and looking very governmental. To the right of this area is the Ferry Way trailhead.
To get there just take Exit 1 from the Spaulding Turnpike (Rt. 4/16) and head toward the Pease Tradeport. Take a right onto Arboretum Drive and keep going (follow signs for the Refuge) until you get to the parking area/headquarters. The kiosk in the parking lot has maps.