White River Junction, VT (USA)

[taking care of chores from early in the morning - at 1330, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) in the pool - afterwards, I did some shopping in West Lebanon before heading home (arrived at 1530) - more work around my condo until late in the day]

Warren, NH (USA)

Nearly two years since heel bursitis changed everything about the way I exercise, I’m still exploring how to get “back to normal”.  With my paddling, skiing, swimming and biking, I get plenty of cardio.  However, I definitely want to resume the peak bagging and long trail hiking that were such a big part of my life prior to 2023… Today, I decided to take a step towards the future I want by spending three hours on the Warren OHRV Trail.  I also hoped to do some paddling but the inclement weather that was forecasted for the area in the afternoon made that possibility uncertain (ultimately, I didn't have the weather for kayaking).  After getting some moving chores done around my condo, I departed Hanover (0945) and drove (via NH-10 and NH-25C) to Warren.  Since I'd hiked part of the trail a few years ago, stopping at the Redstone Rocket, I parked right next to that landmark and started my outdoor adventure (1030).  There were some signs about how the trail was closed for Mud Season but I assumed that didn't apply to pedestrians (I later saw some bikers and local people with their dogs so feel pretty good about this decision).  Using a different approach from most of my recent hikes, I intentionally pushed the limits and tried to ignore the worrisome thoughts about the post-workout cool-down.  Throughout the walk into the Asquamchumauke Valley, I could see glimpses of Mount Moosilauke and the foothills of the White Mountains.  I want to get back up there!  Halfway through, it started pouring rain - that didn’t deter me, though.  I turned around at the Glencliff junction for the Appalachian Trail (I recognized the trailhead) and made my way back to the Redstone Rocket that features prominently in the town of Warren.  In the end (finished at 1330), I logged almost 8.5 miles (a great pace for me) and completed the entire trail (out and back).  That’s one more checked off of the NH Rail Trail Challenge list.  Even better, the 45 minute drive home (via backtrack route except I used River Road to get from Orford to Hanover) didn’t lead to any scary outcomes - my foot still felt good when I arrived at my condo again (1430).  Gonna keep at it until I’m back on the vertical terrain!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking from early in the morning - at 0800, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) - afterwards, I went shopping in West Lebanon before returning home (arrived at 0930) - resumed teleworking until 1545 - after work, I went to my normal Thursday Happy Hour at Jesse's Steakhouse]

Lyme, NH (USA)

After work today (1645), I drove from my condo up to the Lyme Congregational Church so I could attend a talk by Ben Kilham, of the Kilham Bear Center.  Since I moved to the Upper Valley, I've been hearing about him - glad I finally had a chance to attend one of his presentations tonight!  The parking in Lyme quite limited because the venue was packed - I felt quite privileged to have been able to get inside.  Ben shared great stories, close up photos, unique videos and interesting scientific facts about our ursine neighbors.  Very glad to have been able to have this awesome experience before departing New Hampshire.  Afterwards (1800), I headed south again on NH-10 and stopped at Wilson's Landing for an evening paddle.  The local kids (including some Dartmouth students) were hard at work with their Crew practice - there were a LOT of boats.  Somehow, I found a place to park... My goal this evening was to test out an inflatable kayak that I've had since about 2019.  Some backstory: just before Mollie (my daughter) graduated from high school, she called me one afternoon to ask if I wanted another kayak.  I forget what I actually answered but, a few days later, a big orange bag appeared at my apartment.  This happened not too long before I moved to New Hampshire and the kayak ended up in my storage shed.  I kept seeing it and thinking “I really need to check to see if it’s good for paddling.”  Until today, though, I’d never even looked inside the bag.  Fortunately, my curiosity this evening was rewarded with a successful launch of my Advanced Elements Airframe Inflatable Kayak (1830)!  It was tough going on the rough Connecticut River waters so I only stayed out for about 30 minutes (one mile).  After reaching shore again, I decided that I'll need to learn a bit more about assembling and stowing it.  Regardless, I think this boat could be a more compact alternative to Tequila Sunrise - I should be able to use it when I'm traveling the country without guarantee I'll find parking (i.e., no roof rack needed).  Made it home by 1915 and let Mollie know her acquisition was a success.  Now to figure out how to dry it completely...

Quechee, VT (USA)

The inclement weather that started on Friday night kept me inside yesterday but today's entire forecast seemed promising when I checked it last night.  This morning, though, it seemed that more rain was expected by the afternoon.  To avoid any disappointment, I changed my plans and departed the condo at 0845.  Before getting started with my outdoor fun, I went to Mass at St. Francis Catholic Church in Norwich (VT).  After that, I drove (via US-5 and US-4) towards Quechee, stopping for gas at Cumberland Farms in Wilder (1010) on the way.  Earlier, it had occurred to me that Deweys Pond might be the best place for multiple activities - I arrived there by 1030.  When I first moved to the Upper Valley in 2010, I'd noticed that there were signs for the Ottauquechee Trail on the north side of Quechee Main Street.  Sadly, I'd never had a chance to walk that path before now.  Today, though, I eagerly navigated my way along the town's "greenway", a 1.3-mile path between the Polo Field and the Covered Bridge.  Finding the trail was not easy, though, since there were no blazes to follow, the signs were sporadic and some of it (including boardwalks) appeared to have been mostly "recaptured" by the forest (possibly due to local flooding a few years ago?).  Sometimes, I could see the outlines of well worn trail and it took me by historic homes, through a makeshift driving range (on the Polo Field) for the Quechee Club, up to a community garden managed by the Abenaki Nation, along the pretty Ottauquechee River and through the Covered Bridge.  At one point, I was stopped by a lady and her dog who asked me if I was hiking the Appalachian Trail (!).  I guess I was "in the zone" and it showed... In the end, I managed to log about 2.6 miles (out and back, essentially) under mostly cloudy skies (with occasional sprinkles).  Throughout this walk, it was windy and a bit chilly at times (high 40s) so I doubted it would be fun to kayak after I got done walking.  However, I really didn't want to pass up a chance to paddle in Deweys Pond because I've been deterred during previous visits due to large amounts of algae and lily pads.  Today, though, the water surface looked completely clear.  It was still a bit cool, though, so I donned a long sleeved shirt and my lifejacket.  Between 1145 and 1245, I paddled two circuits (clockwise) of the pond, with one (counterclockwise) circumnavigation of a marshy island in the middle.  It rained a little bit from time to time but I really didn't care - the cold water was much more of a concern.  At a few points, my finger tips started to hurt (from getting wet) and I wondered if any of this was a good idea...  But then I'd remember what makes me enjoy paddling in the first place: as usual, I was surrounded by all kinds of birds (today included many Canada Geese, Eastern Bluebirds, Red-Winged Blackbirds and others).  The island was a mass of reeds and had a beaver lodge and one lone pine tree in the middle.  I heard lots of interesting noises coming from inside the cat-tails!  At times, I really had to fight the wind and the waves got pretty big too!  I passed several people walking on the trail to the Quechee Gorge and they gave me strange looks (for being on the water) and I occasionally thought they might be right.  Once I was finished with my paddling, I loaded up Tequila Sunrise and headed to White River Junction, where I spent 45 minutes (1320 to 1405) swimming at the UVAC (54 lengths).  My arms and legs were already feeling a bit tired from all the exertions but, after getting done in the pool, I returned home (arrived at 1430) and logged three miles on my stationary bike.  Completing four different types of exercise in one actually felt good!  As I wrapped up my active time, I noticed it was raining quite hard.  Really glad I got outside early today!

New London, NH (USA)

First Paddle of the Year!  As I normally do on Fridays, I teleworked all morning.  However, I was also watching the forecast - my weather app said 70s were expected for most of the afternoon but heavy rain was coming by evening.  Figuring I'd miss my chance to enjoy the conditions if I waited until the end of the workday, I loaded "Tequila Sunrise" on top of my car (1300) and drove south (on I-89, NH-11, Otterville Road and Little Sunapee Road) until I found the boat launch for Little Lake Sunapee on the edge of New London.  It didn't take long to get my kayak in the water and I was soon off on a new paddling adventure (1330)!  Following the coastline (counterclockwise direction), I spent the next two hours paddling.  The name of this body of water is only appropriate if you compare it with the nearby Lake Sunapee - otherwise, I'd have called it “Big” because the circumference was at least four miles.  Actually, it seemed like there TWO lakes because there was a huge peninsula in the middle that could only be transited by a narrow (and shallow) channel.  In other words, the lake looked deceptively little and I would never have guessed there was so much paddling available if I just used my eyes at the boat launch...  Along the way, I got rained on (only sprinkles), talked with a pair of loons, was startled repeatedly by fish that were trolling along the surface, scared a painted turtle (into the water) and did the same for multiple pairs of Common Mergansers (out of the water).  It felt good to be out in my kayak - fortunately, the sun wasn't too bright (preserving my pale, Winter skin).  I passed countless fish camps, private swimming beaches and, on the western end of the lake, very fancy summer homes.  At times, I could see the tops of Mount Kearsarge and Mount Sunapee (still has snow!).  This may be the earliest I've ever gotten out on a lake/pond since I moved to the Northeast and it seemed like June weather.  Later (1530), while I was loading the kayak back on my car, a local resident walked down from her nearby house to talk to me.  She said I was the first person she'd seen paddling on the lake this year and asked me lots of questions about my car top J-hooks, Tequila Sunrise and the animals I'd seen.  This was the kind of friendly conversation I'm going to miss when I depart New Hampshire...  By 1600, I was on my way home and I arrived at my condo by 1630.  Long after I was home and had resumed teleworking (to get the rest of my 8 hours), I kept thinking about my paddle - what a great day on the water!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[started teleworking very early in the morning - at 0745, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) - afterwards, I got a car wash at Jake's in Lebanon (0910) and then returned home (arrived at 0930) - I continued teleworking until 1600 - went to Happy Hour with my friends at Jesse's Steakhouse until about 1710 - after that, drove through Hanover (it took almost 30 minutes because of pedestrians and traffic) to reach the King Arthur's Baking Company in Norwich (VT) - while there, participated in Volapalooza 2025 - met up with fellow volunteers from LISTEN Community Center and talked to other folks from UVAC (etc.) - it started to rain just after 1800 so I didn't stay much longer - drove home (through Hanover, with traffic again) and arrived there by 1845]

Thetford, VT (USA)

As usual (for a weekday), I started teleworking very early.  When I went outside for the mail during the lunch hour, I was surprised to find it quite pleasant and warm.  This got me thinking - I should go for a hike today!  I find lots of brochures and maps during my travels and it sometimes helps to find activities on the spur of the moment.  Today was such a moment - it was the first real Spring day we’ve had this year!  After all my meetings were over (1430), I grabbed one of the brochures, made my way through (congested) Hanover and headed across the Connecticut River.  I used I-89 and VT-113 to reach the town of Thetford and then continued (via Five Corners Road) to the Ely Mountain Conservation Area.  This forested land, located just south of the Thetford-Fairlee town line (Vermont), was preserved by the Upper Valley Land Trust a few years ago and features about 2.5 miles of trails.  With temps in the 60s, I worked hills and water hazards (while checking on my heel bursitis was doing) for the next hour.  Saw several wild turkeys and soaring hawks but no people.  The walking surface was mushy/muddy in a few places but I was able to cover the entire trail network before I finished (also walked a bit on the road so I could check out the "old" trailhead)  Once I was finished (1620), I drove east along my earlier outbound route (towards the Interstate).  Instead of using the highway to get home, though, I decided to cross the River to Lyme and then took River Road back to Hanover.  I passed the Dartmouth Crew Teams near the Lyme-Hanover town line - they looked good on the water!  Arrived home by 1700 and resumed my teleworking (finished my day at 1815).

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking from early in the morning - at 1415, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) - afterwards, I returned home (arrived at 1530) and resumed teleworking until 1730]

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[began teleworking very early and got a lot done before 0945 - at that, point, I drove to White River Junction (UVAC) and spent 45 minutes swimming (54 lengths) - I was finished by 1050 and then got ready for a Volunteer Luncheon at the nearby VA Medical Center - between 1130 and 1315, we were treated to a delicious assortment of healthy food and were given awards for our volunteer hours in 2024 - this was the first time I was honored (with a certificate) but there were people who had accumulated over 1000 hours (one person had been working with the VA for more than 15000 hours!) - it was all quite humbling... - I got to talk to Jen S about upcoming bike rides with the Veterans (I'm looking forward to that) and met a lot of other nice people - when the festivities concluded, I checked in for a medical (in-person) appointment - once that was finished (1430), I headed home (arrived at 1500) and continued teleworking until 1730]