My high school friends, Nancy and Rick, were visiting the Upper Valley and asked if I had time for a tag up. It’s probably been almost 35 years since the last time I’ve been in the same town so, of course, I said yes. My work schedule and Rick’s/kids’ school/ski schedule didn’t end up aligning but Nancy suggested she and I do something outside. The temps were expected to rise above 20 degrees and she’d brought her snowshoes so I recommended we hike a short, snowy, hilly section of AT near Glencliff (off NH-25). With barely enough time to spare (got hung up by a work meeting), I crossed Connecticut River and used I-91 to get to Bradford (VT). Then took VT/NH-25 (and NH-10) to reach the planned meeting spot. Nancy was already there when I arrived (1015) but didn't seem annoyed at my tardiness. We quickly got geared up and headed across the road (NOBO) to the AT Trailhead. A recent snowstorm had obscured the trail itself but we saw white blazes back in the trees. With snowshoes on, we plowed into the forest. Immediately, we encountered our first challenge of the day: a four to six inch deep creek with no bridge. It took some creativity and willingness to get wet but we managed to ford the stream successfully. We then bushwhacked until we located a more obvious pathway with (barely visible at times) white blazes. From there, the biggest challenge was the terrain - the section wasn’t too long but had several Pointless Ups and Downs (PUDs). Nancy commented on the pleasant silence of the snowy forest and we both enjoyed the scenery. Moosilauke was nearby, there were a few picturesque spots near the creek and the snow covered evergreens made for a nice ambiance. We spent a lot of the walk chatting about life since high school - there were many, many professional/family accomplishments to share. I’ve spent so much of my life away from New England that some of the names and memories Nancy recalled were foreign - but I definitely had several similar recollections of exceptional teachers and agreed that it was quite a unique experience to be raised on the Cape. Despite the decades that have passed since we peer reviewed each other’s Creative Writing papers nearly every day, it really didn’t feel like any time had passed at all. I believe it would have seen the same if Rick had also been there - hiking in the woods with friends as youngsters leaves a mark on your soul that resurfaces when you return in middle age... After about a mile of snowshoeing, we passed the Jeffers Brook Shelter - soon after that, we arrived at the end point of the AT section (USFS-19). Due to some steep, slippery hazards we’d already passed on the outbound leg, I suggested that we use the blacktop (sans snowshoes) for the backtrack - no sense getting hurt after we’d had a nice walk. We used High Street and NH-25 to get back to the cars, arriving at about 1145 after around 2.5 miles. After saying goodbye to Nancy, I backtracked by the same route I'd used in the morning (NH/VT-25, I-91) and finished up my work day after I got home (1245). This was a short section but, like my last visit to the area, a nice reminder of the potential I have for an AT hike in the middle of any week. I’m lucky to be living in the Granite State - and to be close enough to my childhood hometown that mini-reunions like today are possible! AT Today = 1.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 1768.2 miles
