this may sound like a complaint, because it is: closed is relative.
ok, but new hampshire divested upkeep of many of its state parks, into the hands of volunteer groups that keep up grounds, clean facilities, maintain trails, basically all upkeep. this didn't happen to all parks, but definitely the ones that would cost more to staff than you could earn back through fees.
cardigan mountain state park, or as the sign has it, mount cardigan state forest, is in my neighborhood has been taken care of for years by the friends of mount cardigan. i have been helping for many of those, mowing, cleaning bathrooms, and for the last couple, maintaining the clivus composting toilet.
long story short, i decided that it would be prudent not to be 'raking' other people's waste given the pandemic which meant closing the bathrooms. so i got some tools together in a backpack and rode off to fix locks to the doors. a stop at the hardware to pick up hasps, locks, nuts and bolts went well. since i was there, i also got 10 pounds of seed potatoes and a pound of onion sets, but left the extra weight in the store to pick up on my way home.
even on my own it was great to get out in the weather. there were two other vehicles in the winter parking area and three sets of foot prints--with two dogs--going up. at the summer lot i split off and took the ski trail following a single set of tracks, no dogs.
when i went by a lone skunk cabbage, i remembered bunches i passed thursday evening so i stopped to take a photo. spring weather can be wildly varied, but the skunk cabbage is well adapted to break ground early. pam and i saw our first one mid april.
i kept to the ski trail even after the other set of tracks left. on what we call the top or the 5th section, i snapped a picture of the infamous "skiing over a dog" slope before setting first tracks.
no dog was harmed in that incident, but when i topped over the high spot in the picture, said mutt jumped out of the woods directly under my skis. the snow was wicked deep and basically i just buried it for a second. it did give a yelp but popped right back up as i went by. it's a fairly fast section so i was at the bottom already when two guys came rushing up and asked if i had seen a dog? as i slid by them i shrugged and said, "i just heard one!"
when i got to turn-around rock, i put my jacket, hat, and gloves on, lowered my head and started dealing with the wind on the bare rock above treeline. at what i call the half-pipe, i was really struggling. it was a big relief to reach the tower at the summit and shelter behind a wall. it was about as windy as i had ever felt it, but i gave my anemometer to sawyer to measure the ocean 'breezes' down on the cape so i couldn't measure it. i took a movie panning from the east to south.
you can definitely hear the wind, but it's hard to see the incredible 'snow devils' blowing off the rock and rising out of the trees, spinning wildly for hundreds of yards.
i put on a buff to help cover my face which would be getting a good bit of that wind on the way down. as soon as i stepped away from the tower i had to shoulder way into the wind to keep going in the direction i wanted rather than the wind was pushing me. i made it back past turn-around rock and unzipped some and took off the buff as i dropped below treeline. the clouds were rushing past so fast that when the sun did come out, it didn't stay long. but out of the wind it was quite pleasant.
on the bottom or 1st section of the ski trail, i was bounding down a steep section and saw a movement just in front of my boot. it took me a few steps to slow and stop so i could go back to check it out.
it was a young mouse caught out of its nest and struggling to get out of the boot track it had fallen into. after i kept going, i had a vision of an owl finding it later and taking it back to its young. the cycle goes on.
i got back to the truck soon after that and had another thought, that if the kids were still young i would have put in a pocket and taken the wee thing home for a viewing. both those thoughts made me smile. it was a fine, windy, 'mousy' day to go outside and play!
cardigan mountain state park for example, advertises on its website as "always open for recreation unless closed or restricted by posting. During the off-season the park is typically not staffed and comfort stations are not available."
ok, but new hampshire divested upkeep of many of its state parks, into the hands of volunteer groups that keep up grounds, clean facilities, maintain trails, basically all upkeep. this didn't happen to all parks, but definitely the ones that would cost more to staff than you could earn back through fees.
cardigan mountain state park, or as the sign has it, mount cardigan state forest, is in my neighborhood has been taken care of for years by the friends of mount cardigan. i have been helping for many of those, mowing, cleaning bathrooms, and for the last couple, maintaining the clivus composting toilet.
long story short, i decided that it would be prudent not to be 'raking' other people's waste given the pandemic which meant closing the bathrooms. so i got some tools together in a backpack and rode off to fix locks to the doors. a stop at the hardware to pick up hasps, locks, nuts and bolts went well. since i was there, i also got 10 pounds of seed potatoes and a pound of onion sets, but left the extra weight in the store to pick up on my way home.
pedaling up orange road/cardigan mountain road is no small task. it is 4 miles to the summer parking lot with a gain of 1000 feet in elevation. having been #30daysofbiking (see previous two goap! posts) i was ok with the effort. got up in good time and started attaching the hardware. that was when i discovered the 2" bolts i bought were too short. damn that would mean riding down to the hardware again and getting 2.5" ones.
i prepped everything i could, stuck the locks on so it would look like the doors were secured, packed up and set off downhill. that took a lot less time than going up, so i started thinking, maybe i'd call skip and see if he wanted to go up and help--he has a truck. with new bolts in hand i called and alas, he wasn't home. no big deal it could wait until the morning. then i spotted a 'friend of cardigan' who lived part way up the hill and thought, i have a mask and gloves, maybe they would give me, my bike, and supplies a ride--i had just picked up the potatoes and onions--at least part way there.
that worked out well, as i was riding up the park road much sooner than i would have been if i had to pedal the whole 4 miles. once up at the bathrooms it took some work to tighten down everything on the three doors, but they were now shut and locked. i repacked the potatoes, onions, and tools--so the cordless drill wouldn't be poking me in the back--and flew downhill.
after a brief stop to talk to bob about what i had done, give him the state's park facilities cleaning guidance sheet, and let him know where the keys were, i was headed home. scooting along on the rail trail, i saw a huge bunch of skunk cabbage shining bright green in the evening sun and made one last stop for a picture.
a long day. but, it was good to get the job completely done so that going back up in the morning could be optional.
sure enough, friday was busy with all sorts of other 'volunteer' activities and i never got up to the park. but saturday morning, i woke to a few fresh inches of snow on the ground and knew the mtn would be covered. the polar vortex was pushing some fairly nasty weather, including ~50mph winds. i immediately called skip to see if he wanted to go for a hike. he was still recovering from wrenching his back, so i went solo.
even on my own it was great to get out in the weather. there were two other vehicles in the winter parking area and three sets of foot prints--with two dogs--going up. at the summer lot i split off and took the ski trail following a single set of tracks, no dogs.
no dog was harmed in that incident, but when i topped over the high spot in the picture, said mutt jumped out of the woods directly under my skis. the snow was wicked deep and basically i just buried it for a second. it did give a yelp but popped right back up as i went by. it's a fairly fast section so i was at the bottom already when two guys came rushing up and asked if i had seen a dog? as i slid by them i shrugged and said, "i just heard one!"
when i got to turn-around rock, i put my jacket, hat, and gloves on, lowered my head and started dealing with the wind on the bare rock above treeline. at what i call the half-pipe, i was really struggling. it was a big relief to reach the tower at the summit and shelter behind a wall. it was about as windy as i had ever felt it, but i gave my anemometer to sawyer to measure the ocean 'breezes' down on the cape so i couldn't measure it. i took a movie panning from the east to south.
you can definitely hear the wind, but it's hard to see the incredible 'snow devils' blowing off the rock and rising out of the trees, spinning wildly for hundreds of yards.
i put on a buff to help cover my face which would be getting a good bit of that wind on the way down. as soon as i stepped away from the tower i had to shoulder way into the wind to keep going in the direction i wanted rather than the wind was pushing me. i made it back past turn-around rock and unzipped some and took off the buff as i dropped below treeline. the clouds were rushing past so fast that when the sun did come out, it didn't stay long. but out of the wind it was quite pleasant.
on the bottom or 1st section of the ski trail, i was bounding down a steep section and saw a movement just in front of my boot. it took me a few steps to slow and stop so i could go back to check it out.
it was a young mouse caught out of its nest and struggling to get out of the boot track it had fallen into. after i kept going, i had a vision of an owl finding it later and taking it back to its young. the cycle goes on.
i got back to the truck soon after that and had another thought, that if the kids were still young i would have put in a pocket and taken the wee thing home for a viewing. both those thoughts made me smile. it was a fine, windy, 'mousy' day to go outside and play!
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