Wantastiquet's east side

Months after reading about the Chesterfield (NH) Conservation Commission's work to link Wantastiquet with Monadnock, I finally got out to Chesterfield to take a look at the area a few days ago. I hadn't been there since a trip to Pisgah State Park about 3 years ago. I'm impressed at the work the Commission's volunteers have done! Thanks to all of you! Obviously, a lot of people are cooperating to make these good things happen.

I started from the Madame Sherri Forest trailhead off of Gulf Road. There's a network of short trails throughout the forest, with a couple of them stretching out to nearby hills. I took the Ann Stokes loop to Indian Pond in order to pick up the trail to Wantastiquet Mountain. I've been up Wantastiquet a couple of times from the east (Hinsdale), and I was curious about whether it's now possible to follow an established trail up the west side from Madame Sherri. Short answer: yes. The trail from Indian Pond isn't blazed or flagged but is fairly well-beaten and clear.

If the Wantastiquet-Monadnock Greenway is ever completed -- and I'd love to help make it happen -- it'll extend eastward from Madame Sherri Forest, cross Rt. 63 at some point, and head through Pisgah on its way to Rhododendron State Park. From there, the greenway could pick up the M&M trail on Little Monadnock, taking hikers straight to Monadnock. Wouldn't that make a fine day's travel?

adventures on snowshoes

The first real snowfall of the season didn't come until Valentine's Day. The snowshoes I bought in Dec. '06 have spent way too much time in the basement. Between the Valentine snow and the storm three days ago (St. Pat's Eve), I have made up for lost time.

If you enjoy the Wapacks and want some winter recreation, I encourage you to head to Windblown cross-country ski area in New Ipswich. This little gem is owned and run by the Jenks family. They welcome hikers on the Wapack Trail that crosses the property, asking only that hikers pay the trail fee in winter. I hand over the $15 with pleasure. It's like an investment in land conservation. There are about 40 kilometers of trails, and snowshoers are welcomed to share all trails with skiers (just stay out of the set tracks). The snowshoe trail includes the Wapack from Rt. 124 to the summit of Barrett. I've roamed over the property three times in the past few weeks, taking different routes every time and loving every minute of it. Thank God for people like the Jenks family.

Here's to 2007!

I'm letting the dreary near-freezing rain keep me home this New Year's Day. Good for you if you're out. The hike you're planning will undoubtedly be a piece of cake compared to the drive to the trailhead.

No resolutions today, but some things come to mind:

The Pinnacle in Lyndeborough must be the most inaptly-named geological feature in southern NH. The road to the trailhead takes me practically to the top. Even so, this was one of my favorite local trips this year. The fairly flat stroll to the actual “pinnacle” leads to quite a satisfactory panorama. And who maintains this stone wall (pictured above) along the way? I can't go anywhere in NH without finding stone walls, most of them long abandoned and tumbledown. This one, though, is clearly someone's pet project. There's no clearing or other obvious sign of active land use – just this neat and level wall, evidence that someone cares about this land.

Monadnock has never been so appealing to me in so many months of the year as it was in 2006.

Whatever happened to plans for a greenbelt linking Bedford and Merrimack? There was once talk of creating a trail through undeveloped land running south from Joppa Hill Farm. Is this still under consideration anywhere?

The Nashua River Rail Trail's extension northward is delightful. I didn't think there was any way the trail could go on the old rail route, which now goes through a golf course. The simple obvious solution I didn't consider was that the trail could be re-routed to skirt the edge of the course. Biking and walking through a larger part of Nashua off the main roads is easier now.

I said no resolutions. Getting out more isn't exactly a resolution -- it's more like a plan. Time to get out.