White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking from early in the morning - at 1445, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) - afterwards, I went shopping in West Lebanon before heading home (arrived at 1730)]

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking from early in the morning - at 1245, I left my condo and drove to Lebanon so I could volunteer (filling orders; I did one for a family of 13!) for 1.5 hours at the LISTEN Food Pantry (1300 to 1430) - afterwards, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (52 lengths) - once I was finished (1545), I joined the UVAC Blood Drive (coordinated by the Red Cross) - I donated Power Red between 1600 and 1715 - had been planning to go to the Torchlight Snowshoe event at the Billings Farm but the Red Cross Nurses told me I should go home and take it easy - heeding their advice, I returned to New Hampshire, stopping to recycle items at Staples and Home Depot - after that, I headed home (arrived at 1755)]

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking from early in the morning - at 1445, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) - afterwards, I headed home (arrived at 1605)]

Ripton, VT (USA)

My suspicions about improved skiing conditions proved correct!  After learning that there was some good snow in the Green Mountains, I decided to depart Hanover for the Rikert Nordic Center.  I used I-89, VT-107, Bethel Mountain Road, VT-100 and VT-125.  All the roads were wet with a lot of slush so I took my time.  I arrived in Ripton at about 1015 and immediately went inside to buy a pass and some snacks.  By 1030, I was ready to ski!  The trails at Rikert (the Middlebury College outdoor center) were well groomed in most places but I made my own adventure by skiing the (backwoods) segment of the Catamount Trail that passes through their system. This decision required lots of bushwhacking and a few “I wonder if this is a good idea” moments.  Still, it was great to be able to ski every scenario I encountered.  Temps were good (mid 20s) and the sky was nearly clear.  Got great views of the powder covered peaks along the Long Trail - it was marvelous!  Spent three hours (6ish miles) in the woods, mostly alone, and got awesome downhills  below the top of Breadloaf.  Coming to Rikert was well worth the drive and I hope to return again soon!  Afterwards (1330), I got cleaned up and then headed home, using the reverse route from the morning - I didn't even use my Google Maps because there were so many people going the same way.  This time, the roads were much better (dry).  After a relatively uneventful drive, I made it to my condo by 1450.  Wonderful, snowy day in the Greens!  

Grantham, NH (USA)

Woke up to an unexpected snowstorm!  Despite my excitement, I waited for things to settle before choosing a ski venue.  I spent the morning working around my condo and, might have continued, but a fellow Knight texted that some shoveling was needed at the Church.  We were asked to arrive at around 1300 so I wrapped up my projects in time to arrive with everyone else.  However, when I got to Sacred Heart, I only found Bert - he had started the job and it only took about 30 minutes to do the rest of the shoveling.  After that, I helped him salt the walkways and stairs (except for the granite surfaces, which we weren't supposed to salt).  John and Wyktor arrived during this time and we finished with everything by 1400.  Next, I drove to West Lebanon and got free items at Shaws and Hannaford - it's always nice to get free things!  From there, I drove south on I-89 and stopped at Exit 14 (North Grantham), where I was able to park at the entrance to the road that leads to the Old Route 10 Bikeway (1430).  I'd hoped this old standby would work and, sure enough, there was about 4-5 inches of new accumulation!  This allowed me to get a full hour (2 miles) on the trail that paralleled I-89.  It kept snowing throughout (temps in the mid 20s).  When I was done (1530), I was going to leave but ended up in a conversation with another guy who had just arrived at the trailhead.  He had the same idea as I did except he was going to use snowshoes.  We had a great talk about good ski spots nearby (including Eastman Pond).  After saying goodbye to him, I made my way home (arrived at 1610) and spent some time shoveling near my parking spot.  I’m looking forward to even better ski conditions tomorrow!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworked until 1545 and then drove to White River Junction to volunteer at the LISTEN Community Dining Hall - after arriving (1600), I assisted with meal prep (eggplant parmesan), got the counter ready for serving and then helped assemble meals (I served the bread) - we served close to 100 meals - afterwards (1800), I headed home (arrived by 1830)] 

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking from early in the morning - at 1445, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (52 lengths) - afterwards, I went shopping in West Lebanon before heading home (arrived at 1715)]

Dorchester, NH (USA)

After tons of rain in the last week, I was almost certain there was no snow anywhere in the Upper Valley.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I noticed a photo this morning (posted on social media) of some groomed trails within 20 miles!  Up until that point, I'd spent some time in my condo, cleaning and wondering if skiing was in the cards.  With this new information, I quickly hopped in my car and left my condo (1400), starting the drive towards the nearby town of Dorchester.  On the way (via Etna), I saw absolutely no snow at all - it started to seem like a fools errand.  I didn’t end up seeing any until I was parked at the Green Woodlands.  But, by then (1445), there were signs that others had already started skiing on the trails.  Sadly, though, I encountered ice and exposed rocks just after I headed into the woods so I had to take off my skis. At that point, I was stubbornly determined to get SOME skiing and continued walking.  The trail was still marred by truck tracks and mud.  Suddenly, about a quarter mile later, I found some amazingly nice snow!  The end result was that I was able to get more than 90 minutes in wonderful conditions!  It was cold (17 F) but the exercise kept me warm - as did meeting other hardy souls and their dogs.  I finished a complete loop (Black Bog Trail and Norris Road), returning to the warming hut and its welcoming fire.  The sun was going down by then so I pushed my luck with a quick downhill race to the car.  That’s when I ended up in a pebble-strewn-ice field - my skis stopped short and I kept going.  The face plant only wounded my pride… I was able to walk the rest of the way, arriving at my car after two hours of in the woods.  A pretty moon high in the crisp winter sky capped off the evening.  Afterwards (1645), headed home via the same route (in reverse) as earlier.  I arrived at my condo by 1715 - it felt great to get an unexpected adventure outdoors!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[after a half day of work, I dropped off skis at Omer and Bob's (1245) - drove to White River Junction (VAMC) for a medical appointment - afterwards, got lunch at VAMC Canteen (1330) - had to get labs done and then had another doctors appointment (1430) - afterwards, I headed to West Lebanon for a gas fillup at Irving (1540), some shopping at Hannaford (1555), dropping off old tech (my 3G iPhone) at Staples (1610), picked up an online order at Walmart (1615) and then drove to Lebanon to pick up skis at Omer and Bob's after waxing and sharpening (1630) - home by 1645 - a bit more teleworking after that]

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[chores and "Spring Cleaning" in my apartment all morning - at 1445, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (52 lengths) - afterwards, I headed home (arrived at 1615)]