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!
