bushwhacking with skip

the day: january 14 started in the 20s, but a stronger and stronger wind was clearing out the clouds and bringing in colder and colder temps. the sun was mostly out, but wasn't warming things up. by the time i got home, it was 21°F and the proverbial "hawk was flying!"

the adventure: i recruited skip to walk the connection from the AT on the goose pond road side to our new ski trail, the "secret sherbie", on the wolfeboro road side. i had done it a month back, but was anxious to go again, this time with a map & compass and a bushwhacking pro. we were after finding a fairly repeatable path, possibly even skiable.

the memories: as soon as we left the well tracked AT, the snow got deeper, but not so much that we needed snowshoes. two fairly thick rainy crusts kept us from sinking so much as to make hiking miserable. i saw a cool rock with a blanket of moss and fern spilling out under the snow. if you've ever dug snow pits, you will pick up on the two crusts in the layers.

soon after we met the north end of the old road, we hit the top of the "little sherbie". it was skip's favorite time, "snack o-clock".

notes: it's always nice to have a friend along on a day out in the woods. 

• there is a big logging operation going on in the private land sections.
• a snow storm is predicted for monday--that won't be enough to ski in the woods, but the "little sherbie" will be primo.

go outside and play!

over the river and through the woods

the day: january 13. one of those not too warm, not too cold days, not that windy either, and not at all sunny. all in all, a very 'not-able' day.

the adventure: given the sub zeros we had at the beginning of the week, my guess was the river was now frozen enough to get across. i hadn't yet walked that way to work this school year--it was time to give it a try. going the backway, makes my commute about a mile and a half, with the majority off road. tricky part is always getting on and off the river, especially when things freeze up at high water and later lower. the drop leaves a sliding board along the edges.

the memories: from freeze up to when i crossed, 2-3 inch thick ice had fallen nearly three feet. that left a good size strip of slushy water over large broken chunks at the bottom of the slide getting onto the ice. getting off was just a snowy slide, but stomping on the ramp for traction going up the bank, i broke through to the river. 

notes: it was fun to be able to take the winter path again and avoid rt 4.

• i was not the only life walking on the ice. most likely the other tracks going up and down the river were coyote.
• in the woodsy section, i cleared a couple of minor blowdowns by hand--no saw was needed.
• retracing my steps home, i noticed a lot of other tracks had followed mine--only not across the ice.

go outside and play!

a fine day to be out--just sketchy to be skiing

the day: january 9th, cold enough to freeze the rain that fell earlier in the morning. not windy, at least in the woods. a couple of not so new inches of snow from last thursday, covering earlier tracks.

the adventure: pam invited me to head up town hill with her and loop around the old truck. she was going on snowshoes but i decided to try it on skis. i opted to avoid the rocky section and yo-yo on the road while pam went around what we call the "porky trail".

              the memories: as you can see in the pictures, the snow was pretty thin. and it was on top of a thick crust, tracked by us in some places from our trip to the marsh last weekend. that made for some sketchy skiing. for fun and because they were covered, i tried hitting a few of the rock launches on the edges. that kept me focused. after a second run, i cut off to meet pam. she had a big smile.

notes: order up more snow, 6-8 inches would be sweet!

go outside and play!

cold is good, snow is better

the day: january 7. the temp was down in the cold~er range, the upper teens. the morning's 3-4" of snow had pretty much stopped, but a good stiff wind kept blowing it out of the tops of the pines, knocking down what was piled up on lower branches.  it looked like it was still snowing, only in big sheets. it felt like it too whenever a swhoosh went down the back of my neck.

the adventure: the fresh snow and my repaired bindings got me thinking, there's got to be some decent skiing somewhere...a call to skip--who bowed out with a bum knee--later, i was loaded, in the truck, and headed over to the shaker wildlife management area, solo. as i headed up the main trail, i realized, all the frozen tracks on the trails would be death coming down with speed. a change of course over to the big fields via a very messy cross-over trail. i finished going down the upper and lower big fields.

the memories: the skiing was pretty crappy, but the fields were a nice way to finish. and the woods were sort of magical with snow dumping off the tall pines.

notes: i am glad people are outside playing in the winter, but if we don't get a bunch more snow, i will avoid the tracked up areas.

• the silkie is ok for one big oak, but for a dozen even bigger trees, no.
• call alan and see if natural resources will let me cut with a chainsaw.

go outside and play!

the day: january 2, with the temperature right around the same again, only this time in celcius, 2°C. somehow it was not so depressing for the second day in the new year, probably because it was not raining. the snow was not all that deep, and soft enough to not need snowshoes or creepers. no wind in the woods.

the adventure: up and over town hill headed to the marsh. i carried the 'bigboy', silkie folding saw, thinking about clearing the large oak blowdown and opening a bypass to avoid a stone wall. but since i had been thinking about this for a couple of years now, i was not at all sure it would happen today.

the memories: when i made it to that oak, i asked pam if she would mind going to the marsh while i stayed and cleared the new path. she was fine with that. she went on and i started sawing...and sawed...and sawed... by the time she came back i was just prying the log out of the way. she brought back a nice photo.

notes:  again, being out with pam, practically guarantees a picture. 

• remember to turn right onto the new path at the bottom of that last pitch before hall road.
• when moving large oak logs, lift with your legs--levers also really help

go outside and play!