making a connection up high on moose mtn

the day: jan. 14th. low 20s, spitting snow, with a tiny bit of wind.

the adventures: back on moose mtn, exploring from the top of the 'secret sherbie' up to the ridge and the AT. to see if it could ever be skiable from the shelter--in case we ever get that super powder dump.

the memories: above where pam and i stopped for lunch last sunday, it is steep, rocky, and full of trees, in all shapes and sizes, standing and otherwise. it's going to take a lot of snow to make it anything like comfortable to ski. but, i dream of it. as i crossed the national forest boundary, i looked back east and could see goose pond.

when i got up to the AT, i discovered i was very close to the north peak marker.

if that big snow ever does come, that sign is a good marker for turning down hill. there are maybe two-three hundred yards of almost glade skiing before you hit a steeper, rockier, messier section that eventually meets up with a skiable trail below.

notes:

• we need more snow!
• more snow would be really great!
• another four or five feet of snow would make the upper section coming down from the ridge doable!
• if such a big snow was forecast to come overnight, it would be fun to go up and stay in the shelter and ski out early for breakfast!

go outside and play!

from wet to dry, clearing trail for when the base builds back.

the days: jan. 6th & 8th. friday afternoon at the tail end of yet another heavy wet snow--this time only half a foot--just above freezing, with no wind. sunday, it was sunny, in the high~ish teens, with some wind, and all that super wet snow was now super dry, fluffy powder.

the adventures: hiking on the eastern flank of moose mtn, clearing the 'secret sherbie'. heavy wet snow and high winds over the last month have brought down more limbs, branches, trunks...basically, tons of wood. an equivalent tons of snow would cover it all nicely, but that big dump we got in december totally melted.

friday all that wet and the approaching dark prompted me to take the low loop--up the original finish, and down the new alternative. sunday, pam and i went all the way up to the base of the ridge.

the memories: on friday, i went up west farms to tunis to wolfeboro. it had not yet been plowed--and when it finally is, it will be a real muddy mess. no camera, but i remember vividly how wet i got. i had just snow-sealed my gloves but all the grabbing & tossing debris soaked them. it was getting pretty dark when i got back to the truck, just as the hanover plow was turning at the last house below where i park.

sunday, was totally different. we went at lunch and took the long way up, cleaning as we climbed. i kept my jacket on as i somehow misplaced my gloves and used my pockets some until i started to heat up. (i found them under the truck monday morning.) using the 'big boy' saw to flick smaller branches off the trail worked really well.

the ridge up above us--where the AT runs--was a frosty white. against the clear blue, it was all pretty brilliant.

about lunch o'clock pam announced she was "getting peckish" so i coaxed her a bit higher where i found a blowdown bench and broke out the tea, pizza, and cookies.

notes:

• 
  wet snow on muddy roads makes for sketchy driving!
• wet snow on trails loaded with tree debris makes for soaked gloves!
  
• a cold, windy night can dry out even the wettest snow--an active heat register ... even the wettest gloves!
• hot tea, pizza, and cookies make a good trail cleaning treat and bring out the smiles!

go outside and play!

the days: dec. 26th and 30th. (note--descriptions of weather are highly subjective.) monday was cool, in the teens, mostly sunny, and a bit of wind from the northwest. friday was much warmer, in the 30s headed toward 40s, mostly cloudy, and no wind.

the adventures: skating on canaan street lake--the northwest bay, from the crowells' dock...soy and me with the pendletons--sans noah & family--and lenny on monday, pam and i on friday.

the memories: on monday the ice was great, at least narrow stretches of it between crusty snowy lanes. even if conditions were not "the best skating ever", it's great to skate...with the pendle-tones! bonus, kelly was there with eben!! double bonus, si was up out of his covid bed, day 1 of negative testing!!! triple bonus, sawyer consented to stuffing his feet into some old hockey skates and go with me!!!! quadruple bonus, lenny was there boosting the 'dutch heritage skaters' contingent!!!!!

friday was different. the week had been getting warmer and warmer and i thought before conditions went totally south, i better get out there. pam came with when i promised her tea and cookies. when we got down to the dock, the ice looked wet. 

she announced "i'm not skating through puddles!" and sat on the milkcrate--with the tea and cookies. i got in a few laps though when i went toward the town beach, i heard some noises, "come back...don't go so far..." i think she was remembering our two friends who fell through last year.

notes:

• wet and starting to get soft ice is bad...
• nordic skates are good on sketchy ice...
• hot tea and cookies are better...
• skating with friends and family is the best...

go outside and play!

finally...snow to ski on--but note, it was extremely wet!

the day: dec. 17th. cloudy, hovering around freezing--more above than below--a breeze of sorts, the ground is now snow white. a foot and a half of heavy, wet snow fell over the past 24 hours. the snow in the rain gauge melted to 2.45" inches of water. it was hard to push!

the adventure: before making a bigger commitment, skip came over and we skied up and over town hill. the plan was to check out the conditions--to see if it was too wet--and possibly head off to steeper, longer trails. 

the memories: the snow was wicked wet...and super sticky. there were a whole lot of tree branches and sticks littering the trail, with some of the early-fallers buried up good and hard to pull out. forgetting the saw, we had to leave a few large blowdowns in place. skip loaded up a bunch of ice under his boot making it like skiing in high heals. beech and maple saplings and assorted evergreen boughs hung heavy with snow load over most of the trail. we had to put our hoods up to avoid multiple neck-fulls of snow.

did i mention it was wet? despite the less than perfect conditions, skip was ready for a slightly paraphrased version of the day--"best skiing of the new season!"

notes:

• it was sooo wet, those japanese fishing gloves--showa 282-02 temres--would have been the 'cat's meow'...!
• don't forgot a saw--even more important than a camera...!
• if you whack the trunk of a tree just as skip passes under its branches, you can land a good plop of snow on his head and shoulders...!
• paraffin wax will help keep sticky wet snow from clumping on the bottoms of skis and icing up under the foot...!

go outside and play!

a post birthday hike on the 'secret sherbie'

the day: dec. 4th. cloudy, cool, and calm--the three c's. given the date, the ground should be snow white--instead it's leafy tannish-brown. except for beach and a few oaks, the leaves are down, the view is up. 

the adventure: for pam's post birthday hike, i took her over to the 'secret sherbie' to show off the newest line. with two major blowdowns removed--somebody with a chainsaw, tractor and bush hog--we hiked past the usual turnaround, to a high spot with a distant view of goose pond. there was a green mtn coffee truck there and pam got a cup before posing. 

the memories: i'm so hoping that whoever ran the tractor up there is not a skier... besides the trail being long ~ish, stone free ~ish, steep ~ish, the main reason we started going over there was to avoid the 'facebook\insta' crowds at all the usual places in the backcountry. in that respect, though a great break, coffee\snack trucks don't help!

the new 'extension' promises to be a sweet ending. it joins up a couple old woods roads via some challenging pitches where avoiding trees--at speed--will be a prime factor in a great run. and it finishes, right at the truck!

notes:

• hiking is nice, but skiing is better...!
• that there are practically zero rocks on the ~miles worth of trails is even better than better...!
• being outside playing with your best friend--despite their advanced age--is absolutely the best...!

go outside and play!