Mollie had told me she was open to doing something outside today so I tried to wake her up at 0830. However, she seemed to have changed her mind and I thought it meant we wouldn’t end up going anywhere. However, she eventually (1000) got ready. The forecast said we had about six hours of daylight for outdoor activity (before rain arrived) and I wasn't sure what we should do. Initially, I drove Mollie around to see some of the places I’d enjoyed this summer: Etna, Goose Pond and Dartmouth Skiway (closed). From my condo, we’ve recently been able to see snowy ridges to the east - the drive confirmed there had been a lot more winter weather in those places than we’ve had in Hanover! After reaching Lyme, we crossed the Connecticut River to get some lunch at Huggett's Irving in East Thetford, Vermont (1055). After eating, we drove back to New Hampshire and then north on River Road, looking for the Lyme Hill Conservation Area. During all of our exploring, we got good views of Moose Mountain, Smarts Mountain, Cube Mountain and a hint of Moosilauke - I was itching for some climbing on those higher peaks but knew I’d never be able to convince my daughter to have such “fun”. We reached Orford without finding the Conservation Area - the cell signal was very spotty and I had to drive back to Lyme to get any reception. I used Google Maps and it pointed us to the south on NH-10 - we just had to drive a short distance out of the village to find it. We parked at the Trailhead on NH-10 (1130) and headed into the woods. Temps were in the mid 30s but we shed our coats during the steep climb up Lyme Hill (Mollie didn't enjoy it) - whew! We had a nice vista to the northeast from the summit (could see the southern end of the White Mountains) and there was bench which allowed us to catch our breath. We made quick tracks downhill and, an hour after starting our hike, reached the car (1230), We then drove south to the Dartmouth campus and I showed Mollie several places I’ve discovered since moving north. We reached my condo just as raindrops fell on our car. Glad we squeezed in another day outside before the really cold weather arrives...
