Meriden, NH (USA)

Another snow storm was inbound (ETA 1100) but I didn’t want to waste my day off from work.  Decided to drive down to Meriden to check out the trail system that Mollie and I had hiked back in November.  I arrived at the Plainfield Elementary School at around 0915 and was impressed by the excellent grooming job they had done of the well-marked complex of trails.  If I’d wanted to, I could have walked, skied, biked or snowshoed for hours and never tread on the same ground - fortunately, they banned skimobiles...  I took my snowshoes with me and walked up the trail that went to the French’s Ledges (I didn’t want to wreck the great skiing surface).  A speedy snowboarder passed me on his way down the hill and I later passed a snowshoeing lady and her dog - otherwise, the only sign of life was a huge woodpecker who was trying, vainly, to find food in a big tree.  I eventually reached a point where the grooming stopped and followed a slightly worn track up the side of the mountain.  It was quiet and the temps were pleasant (mid 20s) - as I paused to enjoy the solitude, I wondered how long I might be able to stay out there in the woods before it wasn’t fun anymore...  The last 20 yards to the rocky summit was quite challenging - the trail was already steep but several previous climbers had worn all of the snow down into ice at several scary turns.  Somehow, though, I made it to the top safely (trying not to think about issues with the descent).  The views were tremendous!  I could see Killington, Pico and Ascutney ski areas to the west and the long, rising ridge to the north - I could easily follow the line of peaks: Moose Mountain, Smarts Mountain, Cube Mountain, Moosilauke as they rose into the distance.  At the farthest point, I saw bright white snow but I’m not sure if it was the Kinsmans or something even higher.  Wow!  To get down, I decided to slide most of the way on my backside - I figured it was far less risky than trying to step gingerly until my pole, snowshoe or knee gave way...  Instead of backtracking, I explored some unlabeled (on the map but no signs) trails on the ridge until I managed to locate the “So Inclined!” trail - from there, I tracked back down through snowy forest until I reached the Townsend Bridge again.  Back at my car (1045), I could see that more people (appeared to all be locals) had the same idea as me - so departing before the rush and crowds was a relief.  Very pleased to have squeezed in another morning in the great outdoors before the work week starts!