Dayhike & Dine #15: Tucker Mountain! It was a beautiful day in the Upper Valley - fortunately, I was lucky to know 15 other interested souls (and three dogs) who wanted to go for a walk in the woods. After getting up early, doing some light shopping in West Lebanon (and dropping things off at my condo), I departed Hanover for Bradford (0920). I met everyone else at the Bradford Park & Ride (1000) and then carpooled to the Putnam Trailhead in Newbury. After a quick tour through the a well-designed Storywalk, we headed uphill. The trail was well maintained and we met lots of other local people along the way - almost every one was known by someone in our group. In the last few years, I’ve become aware that all relationships in Vermont and New Hampshire seem to have only “three degrees of separation” - that effect was definitely on display today! Another bonus: I enjoyed eating some of the delicious blackberries we passed. Temps were in the low 70s and the sky was a bright blue. At the top of Tucker Mountain (1690’), we were treated to amazing views of ALL of the White Mountains (to the east) and most of the Green Mountains (to the west) - wow! We used a gravel road to walk back to the cars and then headed back into Bradford for a well earned lunch at a restaurant called Colatina Exit. The food was really good and the prices were too. After lunch (1400), I made my way back to Hanover (via I-91) and then drove to Sacred Heart (via I-89) to see if they needed help with cleanup after the Fall Festival. They didn't, so I headed home and arrived at 1515. Overall, a great day!
