first ski of the season

 the day: december 19, the snow storm mostly done and the temperature starting to drop. it was a heavy~ish snow, but not wet. depending on where and how you measured it, there was somewhere between 6-10 inches.

the adventure: we, as in skip and i, were both super psyched to head up wolfeboro road and try out the 'new' road/ski trail. we're calling it the 'secret sherbie'. it was ready with plenty of snow being practically rock free. the snow was sticky enough we went skinless, our scales giving us plenty of bite. after a brief scouting mission over the top of the first plateau, we buckled down, zipped up, and pointed things downhill.

the snow was delightful and the steeper sections, heavenly. so good in fact we took another run. and when we got back to the truck we headed over to shaker wildlife management area to hit the 'little sherbie'. yes!

the memories: the marcy cabin road was as good as it gets in december. we were both wicked stoked to add it to our free heel places to go, things to do list. not as much snow over at the swma, which actually made it a little faster. that would have been fine save for my binding cable popped out as we were locking down at the top. my fingers got a little cold trying to fix it enough to get me down. when i had it almost good, we decided to just go for it.

notes: me: forget a camera...carry a needle nose plier!

           skip: just don't crank any hard turns

• the 'secret sherbie' goes with hardly any snow! 
• the 'little sherbie' doesn't need that much more to be fun--if there is a base to start with, either is prime. 
• oh, and fix that binding before the next snow.

go outside and play!

more trail work hoping for snow, still

the day: december 17, a cool~ish (maybe 30° F) and very, very windy (30-40mph steady on the summit) day. sun now and again.

the adventure: skip reported a large blow down on his "favorite corner" on the top section of ski trail on cardigan mtn--"bring your chainsaw, i'll pick you up." we were the 2nd vehicle in the winter lot, which was ok with me. even though i am on the cardigan trail crew, people don't like others cutting down trees.

'pruning' as we went along, simon caught us right at the first steep on the bottom section of ski trail. things looked pretty clean thanks to adam making a first sweep a few weeks ago. so we got up to the blow down fairly quickly. being that it was well rotten it cut just as quickly and we finished with plenty of time to summit--before skip's doctor appointment.

the memories: as mentioned above, the wind was howling up top. i could lean way into it and not fall flat on my face. we were gaugeless but guessing, steady in the 30s with gusts into the 50s.

it was sweet being in the woods with some of the pendletons again. extra fun knowing the ski trail was ready for the significant snow due the next day. simon living over in groton also bodes well for having a ski adventure buddy for when skip can't make it out.

notes:  once again, i forgot my camera, but si had his phone and caught me unawares--at least it was my good side!

go outside and play!

from the other side--prepping for snow

the day: december 10, more cool~ish this time--in the mid 30°s F-- not so windy, day with more sun coyly filtered through really high, extra gauzy clouds.

the adventure: today, i left from the wolfboro road side--about at the s in 'tunis' and l in 'trail'--headed north toward last week's bushwacking terminus. the road is fairly steep for the first quarter mile, levels some as it contours west, then steepens up again, climbing toward '572'.

the snow was all gone, but it will return at some point and i had implements in hand to further clean things up for skiing as soon as we had more than 4 inches. 

the memories: walking up hill and "pruning" was as pleasant as i could want, au mons sans neige. on the way down, i went over to check out the cabin, tucked into the trees about 200 yards off the road. the no trespassing sign had the name marcy of hanover nh on it. i doubt anybody had been there in years save for mice, chipmunks, squirrels, porcupines and racoons. the missing window allowed them free access, and the beds were a wreck!

notes: again, bring a camera next time.

go outside and play!

bushwhacking and getting whacked back

the day: december 3, a cold~ish--in the 20°s F-- and very windy--10-15mph--day with the sun making welcome if only periodic, appearances.

the adventure: a few weeks ago, skip and i had gone a ways up wolfboro road to grab a section of hollow tree that i'm planning to camouflage the new septic field vent pipe with. after cutting a 5' section and tying it down in the back of the truck, we hiked up a side road to explore in the snow.

today, i started from goose pond road and hiked toward where we had stopped. let me say this, it is a lot of fun walking through the woods 'off-trail'. from looking at topo maps, i wanted to cross two small plateaus and look over to the third, skip's and my stopping point. i think that is pretty close to what i did. anyway, i did 2 hours out and 1 hour back.

the memories: i think we can make a little ski trail passing by some big oak trees, following deer and moose tracks.

notes: bring a camera next time.

go outside and play!

a couple of holiday hikes with friends!

the day: friday, november 26th--the day after thanksgiving, not cold enough to outright snow but close. of course a wet snow might not have been any more comfortable than the rain, but maybe it would have been prettier than the wet look we were all wearing at the end.

the adventure: since y2k, the day after thanksgiving has been reserved for MOC's after turkey trot--a hike along the AT trail from goose pond road to the top of dartmouth skiway. for a few years we would stash a vehicle at both ends, but at some point, we just started hiking back to the start--after a bit of a lunch. i don't know how far that makes the trip, but it seems a good distance.

the memories: it's always a crap shoot as to who will show up. even when i was teaching and would advertise more heavily, you never knew how many would show up. this year, with it raining, i was figuring on a pretty low turnout--but hopefully there would be more than last year's just pam and i. woot woot, there were!

notes: even up in the clouds--after "a bit of lunch" and for a passing, friendly midwesterner volunteering to snap a photo--we were smiling! colleen, koby, andrew, sawyer, pam, and patrick, all returning turkey trot alum.

for comparison, the rain did change to snow later on friday, making for absolutely lovely hiking on saturday. our dear friends billy and tracey stopped by on their holiday travels. after "a bit of a lunch" (a bigger bit than friday) we went up and around our 'local' town hill loop. billy and pam posed for tracey leaving the dooryard.

go outside and play!