I don't ski.  There are reasons for this.  Some are economic.  Some are physical.  I am simply not  very coordinated. Also, part of it was that I was thinking about other things at the age when people were learning how to ski.  For a brief time I tried cross-country skiing.  However, I encountered a certain level of toxicity directed at me and other beginners in the places I went. I could tell stories and name names, but what would that solve? It is all good now.  I don't feel like I missed anything.  Also, I do feel like all those skiers have helped to preserve a number of classic mountains and climbs for those of us who move from boots, to spikes, to snowshoes and back again.

I have climbed a number of "ski mountains" over the years. In addition, there have been many others where the archaeological record indicates that skiing used to be a thing.  This isn't really much of a surprise.  Practically every geographical rise has been evaluated for that purpose.  In fact, many had their moment in the ski firmament only to disappear after a time. There are reasons for the rise and fall, of course.  There are weather concerns made worse by climate change. Also there is a cost in time and money.  All hobbies are investments, but...at different levels.

If you are interested in the history of these mountains, I would recommend a web page for you. NewEnglandSkiHistory.com  does its best to track the various cycles both generally and in some cases at an extremely granular level. 

I would refer you there for the details.  However, the general story as I understand it is that the industry really picked up after the Second World War.  A recently demobilized generation started looking for new outlets for their post-war energy.  Also, for the New England industry, there was the promise of all those bored suburbanites and city-dwellers just a few miles to the south.  That intersection of eco-tourism, extreme sports, and a large willing populace really got things going.

No doubt there was some undiagnosed PTSD for many of the pioneers of the sport here.  Certainly that was the case for my grandfather, a combat veteran and former POW.  A physical, active project fit the bill for him and many others.  It wasn't just the thrill of sliding down the hill standing up!  They also had to work together to cut trails, build lodges, and generally explore the wintry landscape that in many cases  existed far from their workaday lives.

​Note: Most of these have alternate routes to the ones I describe!  Sometimes, even in winter, you can get to the top of a ski mountain where the resort hasn't made separate accommodations...you just go up the back.  Some of those trails are much harder though (like Wildcat D where the alternate also probably shouldn't be attempted in winter) or just...dull (Tecumseh) so plan accordingly.

​Mount Tecumseh is my favorite winter hike and it is home to the Waterville Valley ski resort.  There are two ways to the peak, but the majority of people take the trail right next to the parking lot for the skiers.  It is a good hike any time but...be warned.  It is pretty much a converted ski trail and mostly straight up! 

If there isn't any snow there are a LOT of steps to deal with.  How do you like your stair climber?  Snow fills in the rough patches and creates a more gentle approach.  My recommendation: make this your first big climb after getting into snowshoes.  The view is improved when the accumulation lifts the hiker above the treeline.  Also, there are many side trails and diversions that take you to the ski trails themselves so you can eat your lunch watching people cruise down to the lodge below.  Click on the title to find a longer post and a video of when I made a winter ascent with my friend Andy.

Cannon Mountain I did not climb this in winter but it is similar to Tecumseh in that there is a designated hiking trail away from the actual ski trails.  This means it can be--with adequate preparation--climbed all year!  Also, it has a gondola that runs most of the time so you could ride up and hike down if you wanted...

Saddleback: This was a pretty hike.  It was on the ski trail so off-season is definitely the call. That said, it was straightforward and the views were fabulous.  The Horn--which we climbed the same day--is not a ski mountain so prepare for a "regular" hike once you are tired at the top.

Wildcats!  Like Saddleback, there is a ridge hike at the top.  Wildcat D is the ski mountain, but you can hike down the alphabet to Wildcat A by taking a strenuous climb across a ridge.  Unlike the previous mountains, the alternate route--reputedly the steepest half-mile on the AT--is more popular (but do beware please).  We took the designated ski trail, though, and liked it.

Wachusett: Actually if you want a warm-up hike on your snowshoes before hitting Tecumseh, this is a good one.  Gotta love this smallish ski mountain.  Thoreau did.  I believe I have hiked every trail there and it is a joyful place. My winter hike was part of the Mid-State Trail.  The views are just OK...but the climb is a good test and during the winter there is a ski lodge, food, and bathrooms at the bottom.

Sunapee: There are plenty of fun trails around this NH mountain. This was one where we mostly spent time on the back side, away from the slopes.
​
Killington I just wrote about this one so--briefly--it is fine, but be aware that your hike is a long a service road/ski trail that is also used by mountain bikers.  It is a good hike...just "other people" forward.

Now here is a quick run-down of just some of the mountains that have old ski equipment and other evidence of the industry on them.  Just about every mountain we have climbed in New England inspired somebody to at least research the possibility of putting a lift on it.  These are the ones where the ghosts are thickest.

Watatic: Also a good starter or solo winter hike.  The most obvious ski relics here have to do with the way the trails are laid out and with the service road to the top.  People still do some light telemarking or cross-country here.

Grace: Its time as a ski mountain was brief.  The Civilian Conservation Corps tried to make something of it and it failed.  However, you can find some of the old gear rusting in the woods.

Agamenticus: A cute hike in Maine with plenty of old buildings at the top.

Greylock: There is a telemarking community there still.  I list it here because it is more "hikey" these days.

Like I said, there are more.  The ski mountains have an interesting history and an aesthetic all their own.  While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, hiking up a ski trail off-season is worth trying out at least once!

Hiked On August 28, 2025

Bible nerds will know that the prophet and patriarch Abraham originally went by "Abram" until God changed his name in Genesis 17.  The meanings of the two names are very similar.  Abram means something along the lines of "exalted father" in Akkadian.  Abraham--at least according to Genesis--raises the bar to "father of many nations".  Whichever name you choose, he is traditionally seen as one of the major patriarchs of the western religious tradition and plays a role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 

For our purposes today it is worth noting that people like to name things after him. They sometimes use one, the other, or both names when referring to those things. Mount Abram in Oxford County, Maine, for example, is a small ski mountain...but sometimes the mountain--separate from skiing--is referred to by its legal name...Abraham.  That can be a bit confusing since there is another Mount Abraham in Franklin County, Maine (Mount Abram Township, actually)...which is over 4,000 feet. 

​Mount Abraham in Vermont is a 4,000 footer that looks down on Sugarbush Ski Resort...which is a bit closer to Mount Ellen.  Sometimes it, too, is called Mount Abram. It keeps you on your toes when telling people where you went.

​Anyway...we hiked the Vermont Abraham in our quest to complete the "New England 67" 4,000 footers. We have already done the NH48. We have chipped away at the ME14, completing 4. Vermont has only 5 mountains that fit the list requirements. Southern New England has none, though their (our) mountains can be both pretty and challenging. With our immediately previous hike of "Old Speck" in Maine a full year in the past (August 31, 2024) and Abraham in the books, we only have 14 more to go!

The trailhead--at least for this hike along the Long Trail--was relatively high up, making Abraham an easy--in the context of 4,000 footers--attempt. The parking lot was slightly higher up than usual, on the ridge that is home to most of the Vermont mountains on the list. The Green Mountains run roughly north-south forming the spine of the state in a long series of connected peaks.  We weren't at the top by any means! However, In Maine and New Hampshire it always felt like you were beginning at the "bottom" of the mountain. This felt like a head start.

The one sobering note: there were a number of signs at the lot warning us of possible theft.  Regular hikers know the risk at popular trail heads. It isn't just your wallet they are looking for.  They also want chunks of your car. Hikers should plan accordingly, if only mentally...

One advantage of our starting point was that it only took about 30 minutes to begin to feel that mountaintop environment.  We were encouraged by the seemingly immediate rewards of a steady breeze and glimpses of the valley below. We had taken our two "training hikes" up Williams and Monadnock.  This was harder than Monadnock but comparable to Williams. The only major challenge was a scramble near the top along with stretches of bare rock that could be slippery if it ever rained.

Along the way we met a number of other hikers.  Most of them were very willing to pass the time. It had been a moment since any of us had experienced this brilliant a hiking day.  The heat seemed to have broken for the season. Also, with the threat (or, given the drought, the promise) of rain the next day most of us had made some adjustments to climb on a Thursday of all things.  We, in fact, had moved our youngest into his dorm room the day before and had planned a slow drive to our motel for a Friday adventure.  In the end, though, we got up early like we used to during our NH48 phase.  Thankfully the trek was not super-difficult.

On the trail there are a number of warnings about the fragility of the alpine ecosystem. This is not a surprise, of course. Outdoor sports are growing and Vermont--like New Hampshire and Upstate New York--are easily reached from population centers just to the south. I was a bit surprised to see the amount of string they used to guide us to the trail, but I didn't mind.  A step off may not seem like a big deal...but it is if you are what is being stepped on.

This is a hike I would do again. At 5 miles and 1,700 feet of gain, it was doable and a workout. When we climb we have different desires.  There is the draw of a physical and mental challenge.  There is also an aesthetic pull.  Standing at the top looking over Vermont and New York was inspiring in and of itself. The mountains were unfamiliar, which is different from the other places we explore.  That is part of the fun, too.

The next day we had hoped to climb Camel's Hump or Ellen.  Instead, thanks to the rain, we did some sightseeing and ended up at the Shelburne Museum outside of Burlington.  On another day we might have hiked in foul weather, but sometimes it is OK to do other things.  The museum was great.  Downtown Burlington was fun. So were the few short days of our summer vacation. 

Hiked On August 22, 2025

Legend has it that Mount Monadnock is the second-most climbed mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji.  It tracks.  Like Fuji it is relatively close to major population centers.  It is easy to get to.  It is hard...but not too hard.  Why the heck would you not climb it?  This is what we did a few weeks ago.  I have climbed it many times, actually.  It is a wonder that I cannot find a record of it on this blog!

The usual first-time hike up is on the "White Dot" trail, which is kind of too bad.  There is nothing wrong with going that way.  It's just...well...it is steep and crowded.  Knowing that there will be plenty of people at the top, why not take a less traveled route?  On this day we went up "Old Halfway House" to "Monte Rosa Trail" then down "White Arrow".  Our reasoning has already been mentioned.  Also, it is the first hike of our new project.  After "section hiking" the Mid State Trail, we have decided to hike the Metacomet-Monadnock/New England Trail.  This project will be a bit longer...and it will take us right past my house.  So that is fun.  Anyway, the "M&M" starts with the White Arrow, so that is where we started, too.

Actually we started White Arrow at the top.  First we went to take a look at Monte Rosa.  It is a trail that Allison and I had climbed before. Old Halfway House trail started from the parking lot at a moderate steepness.  After a while it split to create the top of our "lollipop loop" for the day. We took the Monte Rosa trail to our left and things got steeper. We would take White Arrow down to that same intersection on our way back.

The smaller peak is more lightly climbed and is worth a visit.  The view of Monadnock is lovely.  It also creates a sense of remoteness that is in short supply on this mountain.  While there we met a couple of other hikers.  Both of them were very chatty and wanted to let us know how much they loved the mountain.  That was good to hear.  All natural places need their passionate lovers these days.

In my previous post I compared Mount Williams in Massachusetts to Mount Monadnock and said Williams is harder.  In the case of our hike today (see my note at the end), it was definitely true.  However, every hike is strenuous in some way.  There are steep parts and challenging bits.  Monte Rosa/Monadnock is no slouch in either department so we took care in our ascent. Emerging onto our first peak of the day we were rewarded with a most excellent view.

The hike between peaks is relatively straightforward, though the scrambles begin in earnest shortly after leaving Monte Rosa. Stay patient.  You will get there.  As we went, we saw more people converging from different directions.  This is normal.  Then we hit the peak and saw the usual 360 views one can catch there on a good day.  Usually windy, things were relatively calm so we sat and enjoyed our lunch before heading back.

It can be a bit confusing finding the right trail back.  There are plenty of options and they do not all go to the same parking lot!  Most of the main trails have names that are symbols--White Dot, White Cross, White Arrow, etc--look for those symbols! We all know people who didn't and had to climb back up to the top to get back down to their cars.

I do not have a lot of pictures of the first part of the hike down.  White Arrow is very tricky in places.  There are scrambles and vertigo-inducing moments.  This, sadly (or not sadly, depending on your tolerance for these things), is true for most of the trails.  Be prepared!  We made it.  So can you.  One advantage of the slow pace and the need to problem-solve is that you are exercising your brain.  Also, you save on water. It is good to save on water...right?

There isn't much more to add.  Once we got to the split between White Arrow and Monte Rosa we were ready to get down so, like many people before us, we got on to the Halfway House Road (a literal access road) and strolled down in relative comfort.  In a couple of weeks we will be back to snag a little part of the M&M trail that we missed and keep heading on south to the ocean.

Note: There are harder and easier ways up Monadnock and it is worth doing some research.  One of the steepest and least interesting (in my opinion) loops is achieved by taking "White Dot" up and "White Cross" down.  These trail heads are right by the bathrooms at the main parking lot.  Plenty of people take this way not knowing what they are getting into. They may not even know they have options. It is rough!  It is also crowded and--while plenty of people are enjoying themselves--there will be a number of people--not all of them children--experiencing their own drama. 

I have done White Dot to White Cross at least three times and I bet there are a few more times that I don't remember. When I want to challenge myself in that way I climb taller, less crowded peaks.  When I want to experience this incomparable mountain, I find different ways. For an early explore of this mountain, I recommend "Birchtoft-to-Red Dot" or just take the Dublin Trail.  They will also kick your butt, but you will have a better time.  Or just do Monte Rosa, have a picnic, and go down....

Hiked On August 16, 2025

If you want to be no fun at parties when the topic of hiking in the Berkshires comes up, you can mention the fun fact that Mount Greylock--the shining star of Berkshire County and the highest point in Massachusetts--is actually part of the Taconic Range  and not in the Berkshires at all. The same can be said for the entire "Greylock Range," including Saddle Ball, Prospect, Fitch and Williams, among others.  The tallest point in the actual Berkshire Range (also the Hoosic Range) is Crum Hill, which is mostly in Franklin County...and you can't climb it because of a wind farm at the top.

There...party buzz killed.  You are welcome.  We went up Mount Williams recently to get in shape for Mount Monadnock after that long hiatus from "serious" hiking which I have mentioned in earlier posts.  It was a fabulous climb.  However, at almost seven miles and around 2,400 feet of elevation gain (as an out-and-back)...we should have reversed the mountains! It may not be as legendary as Monadnock, but Williams hits harder.

In any case, it was a great hike.  The weather was beautiful and--while hot--not as bad as most of the summer has been.  There were a bunch of Appalachian Trail through-hikers heading north which kept us on our toes.  Most of them were friendly.  A few were trying to eat up the miles to Katahdin and shot past as if we were trees in the way.  That was fine, too.  We weren't there to hang out with them either. 

The only thing to say about the start of the hike is that there is a gun range nearby!  The first mile or so is flat...but there can be gunfire...very, very close gunfire. We kept moving, of course, and I suspect that--knowing that they are adjacent to a state park--they have kept the guns pointed away from us.

After the gun range, the trail began to climb.  There were a few actual switchbacks which is a rarity in New England but much appreciated both by us and the cruising through-hikers.  The incline was steady and moderately steep with no real scrambles or hazards.  Then, after another mile, the trail opened up to a view of Williamstown and Williams College in the distance. Yes, they are all named after the same person.  Ephraim Williams was a militia colonel and landowner who died during the French and Indian War.  The war was part of a larger series of conflicts somewhat confusingly named the French and Indian Wars (note the "s").  He died in Lake George, New York in 1755 near the close of the entire series.  

Along the way we met a fellow hiker and his dog. He mentioned that while he was researching this hike, a great deal of the reports stopped at the overlook.  We concluded that probably there were a substantial number of people who thought it was the top!  In actuality there is an intersection right at the view.  Straight-on leads to Mount Prospect.  A turn left (and down) leads to the actual peak of Williams still over a mile away.  This final stage is a mixed experience.  The forest is pretty.  However the trail undulates at the moment when our legs were getting tired.  Of course, it undulated on the return trip too! Near the peak, one crosses the access road to Mount Greylock, itself.  It can be a strangely dispiriting experience to be reminded that your six-plus mile hike could have been under one mile.

Still, the "hard way" was the best way this particular day. Mount Williams is worth the time and effort.  Yes, the title of Massachusetts' fourth-tallest is a somewhat unimpressive one.  However, it is a workout and an adventure.  With great nature and good views.

Hiked On August 8, 2025

We managed to get out on a hot Friday for a warm-up hike over Mount Toby in Sunderland, MA.  Every state seems to have a Mount Toby so it is worthwhile noting the address.

We have been trying to get back up to "hiking shape" lately.  Allison has been wrapping up her doctoral work.  I have been getting settled in my new congregation.  We both engaged in an elaborate move. I put in a small garden and have been stretching myself with a great deal of "new owner" activities that have left me a tad fragile. Normally we are climbing 4,000 footers this time of year.  However, we aren't really ready for that just yet.  This hike--a 6 mile loop with a short spur that ends with a brisk climb totaling around 1,000 feet of elevation--was designed to get us moving once again.

Readers of this weblog will know that we already climbed a couple of local mountains across the street from our house. This time we drove 15 minutes to the Mount Toby State Forest.  Yes, this is part of why we moved west to Franklin County.  We--and especially I--have spent a lot of time out here in nature.  Now the commute is so much easier to manage.  It was a little eerie, in fact, to hop in the car with our gear, not stop for snacks, and end up at the trailhead in the amount of time it took to drink my first cup of coffee.

There are a number of places to park along the perimeter of the State Forest.  There is a veritable nest of trails, many of which intersect with a road. We chose one of the longer approaches for the reasons I already mentioned.  We needed the practice! On All Trails our route is labeled as "Mount Toby via Sugar Farms to Summit to Tower Loop".  It may go without saying that those are the trail names...but I said it anyway.  We went counter-clockwise to hit the mountain last.  Going the other way, I suspect, would have been a bit easier.  My legs were pretty tired by the time I hit the foot of the main ascent.  If that thing was just a little taller we would be having a different sort of conversation.

The highlight of the long approach was the spur off Sugar Farms Trail to the "Caves".  They weren't actually all that cave-like.  However...they were massive holes in the ground and that was fun.  We spent some time there exploring and then moved on.  The trail up to that point was fairly accessible and the caves seemed to be a popular picnic spot.  There were a few other groups there and evidence of at least one more.  The caves themselves seemed best not to mess with.

Things remained flat for quite a while after returning to the main trail.  We passed through a forest of mixed trees and vegetation.  In many places the canopy was rather thin, particularly where maples dominated.  There we found a number of grassy areas which created multiple pleasing layers of green.

Heading up was--as I mentioned before--a bit of a chore for me.  Al sprinted ahead shouting warnings and encouragement as I grappled with the steepest parts.  I kept going by reminding myself that I was the one who chose the route for the day.  Also, I remembered that we have some bigger plans soon.  With this in mind, powering through was the only choice!  My personal philosophy is that all hikes are hard.  It depends on the day and the body whether we breeze through whatever challenge faces us.  Still, it was a good, solid test for things to come.  It could, for someone else, be an ultimate goal to work up to!  That is also fine. It is a lovely way to spend the day.

We didn't see anyone along our long, looping approach.  However, there were a few groups at the top, happily lining up to get the view from the fire tower.  The tower is the only panoramic view.  However, the general forest walk was also pretty. We went down the way they came along a relatively short--maybe around 2 miles--relatively gentle service road.  That was nice, too, though the gravel fill used to top the dirt road was slippery in places.  There were a number of other side-trails each promising a different distraction.  However, those will be for another day.

​ We hit the car with little trouble.  I suggest finding your own route to the top.  Bring plenty of water and snacks.

Earlier I mentioned two other hikes in the area.  ​Here are my posts for Mount Tom and The Seven Sisters.  These are both old posts from my "How It Began" series.

It rained yesterday. What a relief!  There could have been more, though.  The clouds lasted most of the day and there was a steady drizzle, particularly as we got ready for church in the morning.  The soft and fertile soil of the raised beds seemed to have absorbed it reasonably well.  Still, when I planted some gift herbs (thanks to a friend who read of my distress a couple posts ago), I made sure to water them thoroughly.  Also, when I took the last of those plants--probably an enthusiastic but pot-locked version of marjoram--directly in the ground today, the hot, sandy soil was dry as a bone.  I soaked that plant as well.

Today is my "sabbath day"...in a sense.  It is the one day of the week when I am definitively "off" from work.  Errands get done. So does the garden.  There are always household tasks, too. This morning's first task, for example, was to make sure we could get the door off its hinges to accept delivery of a refrigerator in a couple days.  The fridge is the smallest and cheapest "full-sized" one we can find.  Our house, however, is built for a time before appliance escalation.  With the door off...maybe...we will be able to preserve our new food. 

That is all in the future, though.  The old fridge died spectacularly yesterday. It is conventional wisdom that when you move, the appliances in your new place will start to die.  Sometimes there is truth in these common beliefs.

After the door project, the dog and I took a long walk.  We back on to the M&M trail.  Our section--not surprisingly--is road but you can go on for miles.  Theoretically I could have ended up on Mount Monadnock or at the Connecticut border.  The dog is named Carrigain, after my final peak on the NH 48 4,000 footers.  We will go the distance on the M&M, but not today. It would require camping or car spots...and I didn't bring any water.  So after dipping into the woods for a moment to cool off, we turned back around.  Still, it was around 4.5 miles on a beautiful day. 

Now I am back.  This afternoon--after a meal of whatever the fridge hasn't destroyed--will be about making appointments.  There is a tree removal to set up.  The dog needs me to order more pills.  I should fold some laundry and catch up with friends if I can.  It is just the simple tasks of life, right?  We need a day for that sort of thing. 

For me that day is frequently Monday.  The most "sabbath" I get--at least in the way most people think of the term--is a Sunday afternoon when I don't have anything going on.  Then I will sit in front of the TV and cheer on whichever of my many teams happens to be playing.  That​ is relaxing....even when they are losing...which can be pretty frequently.

Whatever the body is doing on this sabbath, I appreciate the freedom of letting my mind wander a bit.  Today I have actually been thinking about that rain and heat.  Climate Change is real.  As I look at my small garden and consider larger dreams for the future, I wonder about expectations.  Maybe whatever berry bushes I order for the spring should be drought-tolerant or do well in the warmer "zones" that gardeners think about.  Certainly the lawn needs a different plan.  It crunches in places where I walk.  We will see what that marjoram plant does...

I found this article in the Boston Globe helpful. It says that within my lifetime we could have the sort of climate that Virginia has now.  That means different plants.  It makes me wonder what I can put outside to replace what is already there.  The lawn is a mix of things.  Someone many years ago must have put down grass seed.  However, wind and time have diversified the ground cover, which is fine with me. These days it is mostly clover and other low plants that survive being mowed occasionally.  In my planning I have a great deal of freedom.  I just left a place where the condition of one's lawn could be the topic of neighborhood gossip, judgement, and retribution.  That isn't the way in Farley.  

Anyway, if you can get through the paywall, I recommend it.  We will continue to move from grass to gardens, bushes, and flowers.  They have some suggestions as to how...

Yesterday in church we had to move back to the sanctuary from the air-conditioned Parish Hall where we had been meeting this summer.  There reason was wildlife.  A bat or bats had escaped from the belfry, which must be painfully hot, and began doing loops around the room.  The low ceiling would have made their motions rather...distracting.  So we decided to give them some space.  I remember early in my career preaching a sermon while a small bird flew about the sanctuary.  No one remembers what I said.  Least of all me.  There is only one sermon on a Sunday morning.  Sometimes nature is preaching.

Hiked on February 10, 2024

Yes, I have been hiking.  Mostly, though, it has been in the form of long, flat, walks.  Life is chaotic sometimes. Our youngest is wrapping up high school.  The other boys are living their post-college lives. Al is reaching the final stretch of her doctorate and I am trying to spend time with everybody while doing my own work and studies.  It is hard to get away in circumstances like these.  Once you add in the puppy, things become even more difficult.  Allison says I need to have at least seven projects going on at one time or I will get depressed.  She probably isn't wrong.

We did get out with the dog to do Mount Watatic.  It is always the best.  I didn't write it up, though.  After all, I already have and the addition of Al and Carrigain--yes, we named her after a mountain--didn't add enough variety for yet another post.  This weekend, though, we climbed over South Sunapee to catch the views off White Cliff Overlook.  It was proof that there is plenty to do and see on a relatively short hike.

It is different now that the NH48 list is over for us.  In previous years during the Eliot Church Winter Retreat weekend, we would find something relatively famous.  We hiked the Hancocks one year.  Last year we went up Mount Kearsarge. This time, we just picked a trail.  Our criteria had to do with not having hiked recently ourselves along with concerns about how far we could big the pup.  In the end she was fine and we were OK.

The weather--while beautiful--was not ideal for winter hiking.  The sun was out and the temperature was in the low-50's.  During the 3.5 hours we were out, the snow developed the sort of "mashed potato" consistency that we usually try to avoid.  Maybe it is because we were out of practice, but we didn't quite gear up the way we should have in the slush.  Gaiters would have been nice snowshoes would have been better.  We left both in the car.

That said, the hike was worth it.  It was about 5 miles round trip and--like many New England trails--started steep and got steeper.  Total elevation for the route we chose was somewhere over 2,000 feet, so we certainly felt the incline! There were few places to stretch our legs so we put our heads down and soldiered on.  I will say, though, when we lifted our heads we were treated with lovely views of the forest and--through the trees--glimpses of the mountains around us.

The trail was well-blazed (orange on Newbury Trail mostly until the very end when it switched to white). With the dog leash attached to my belt, I helped Carrigain work out how to participate in our little team. She is not ready to go off-leash in a place like this and--honestly--I am comfortable following the rules, which frequently require leashes and poop-bags. The challenge is keeping her from wrapping herself--and me--around a tree.  This is easily done.  It just takes practice. She was a trooper.  It is different with a dog and I am not sure if we will be doing any big climbs together soon. Half-day walks with her are fine, though.  Al and I can do the big stuff on our own.

The view, itself was nice, too.  Of course it wasn't like the ones on the "lists".  It felt less grand and more domestic.  However, given the snow conditions and the company, I would say it was a success. I will take it.  In fact, I might do it again.

Hiked on April 15, 2023

It is fun to get to make a new post!  Through the late winter I was mostly revisiting old hikes that I had already written up.  Of course I made videos for most of them--which was different--but I just placed those vids with the older weblog entries.  This hike, however, was a new one.  Also...it was about a week late.  We tried it the week before and the water was high.  Instead of risking advanced wetness, we turned around and hit Hedgehog instead.  Hedgehog is always a winner.

We changed strategies for this attempt.  Instead of parking in the Hedgehog/Potash lot we pulled over next to an access road that avoids the stream.  We were not the only ones, either.  There weren't many of us on the trail, but those that were took this little detour.  It isn't "cheating" of course. It feels a bit strange to be off the regular route.  That said, when we have done this in the past--as with Carter Dome--it made the journey more interesting.  In this case--having hiked a bit of the other way--I think it was a lateral move.

There are a number of Potash Mountains in northern New England by the way.  The wood on this and other similarly named mountains (and lakes and streams) was used  to produce a variety of potassium salts that were--and still are--used in products we use today.  When I was in high school I was taught to pronounce this word with a long "o" sound.  Of course, since the word derives from one of the earliest methods of obtaining these salts--soaking then burning wood in a pot--the short "o" is fine.  My US History teacher Steve Morris would not approve of me going rogue like that. Therefore it's the o-sound of potassium in his memory for me.
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This video is one of the shortest I have done.  This is not a reflection of how I feel about the walk!  The hike was lovely and the view was excellent.  It is just that I didn't have much to say.  I didn't have any special insights.  Nor were the views all that different from what I had seen in other places.  Allison and I have hiked quite a few mountains now. I, in particular, have been exploring the Sandwich range and its environs.  Many of the peaks in the distance seem like old friends.  I could see Hedgehog, Chocorua, the Sisters, Passaconaway, and Whiteface, among others.  All of those were good memories.  Some new mountains appeared--like "the Captain" and Green Cliffs.  Both of those require bushwhacking to the summit.  So I think I will enjoy them from afar.

I would recommend the trip to Potash.  Just don't climb it right after Hedgehog.

In my previous post I wrote a bit about the "whys" of the process of making youtube videos.  You should probably check that out for more information.  That said, the reasons  are pretty basic.  One is that they provide a creative outlet for me. They are a way to generate a dialogue with nature and with others who might be interested in the experience.  Also, this experience is a bit of an experiment into the possibilities for spiritual communities, who will increasingly find themselves in need of creative ways to reach out beyond their doors.

In addition to the previous post, you might be interested in the reasoning behind the initial project or my attempt at a method for sabbath walking, which underlies a lot of this work.  

However, what I would like to do in this post is share some videos, talk about my motivation to make them, and discuss a little about what I have learned from them.  I will be going in reverse chronology--most recent to least recent--as it may help to set where I am now before talking about where I have been.

Mount Watatic in Winter:
​This video is fairly typical of what I have been trying to do.  The format is fairly well established at this point.  It opens with a description of why I am hiking the trail and what I--or we--hope to see.  I also talk about my relationship with the walk.  In this case I am climbing my favorite mountain. Earlier hikes up Mount Watatic helped me to refine my thoughts on mindful walking.

Technically there are still problems.  While the music has improved a bit, I am still not a great musician.  There are compression issues and sound issues, too.  These are all problems that could be fixed with money...which I do not have.  I am using my phone for all the elements of recording.  I am using a fairly basic editing platform (Filmora) which is probably best suited for end-of-year high school slideshows.  The musician is free.  Also, I was not terribly satisfied with much of the footage I recorded initially.  It took quite a bit of work to tell this story.

Mount Kearsarge (South) in Winter:

This video was fun to make because I had the company of my wife Allison!  She did some recording of me and I could also record her.  The addition of people--including an anonymous fellow traveler--gives the video more motion to carry the story.  Also, while Watatic is important to me, one could argue that Kearsarge has more general importance. There were a lot of human (historical and artistic) resources for this video, which helped.  The view from Kearsarge is also one of the best in New England.  

By the time I got to this video I felt I had hit a wall technically.  The music needed to be updated. You will hear some of these same cuts in every video as we go back in time.  Why bother with music?  It helps to move the story along.  There are walks-and-talks that need a little something sometimes. There are moments when the view is the story and some framing is necessary. That said, it went together fairly quickly, which was nice. 

Tecumseh in Winter

This was a fun one.  I recorded it just a couple days before the Kearsarge hike so many of the points in that video are relevant here.  I had a friend with me--Andy Linscott--and we knocked out one of our favorite 4,000 footers.  Here we had the challenge of too many people, which made recording awkward at times.  For some reason editing was a BEAST.  You will note a couple spots where the sound gets clipped a bit.  I will say that after this video I tried to develop a method for layering the various elements together; completing one layer before starting the next.  The system is imperfect but having one was probably the adjustment that made the Kearsarge and Watatic edits go more smoothly. 

Finally, this marks--I think--the ideal length for one of these videos.  Keeping it Between 8 and 9 minutes tells the story before tedium sets in.  I feel this way about sermons, too.  However, it seems easier to stay tight when you have another hiker with you.  My solo climbs are all a bit longer.

Poet's Seat, Deerfield, MA

I had the most fun making this video.  It is different from the others in that the hike, itself is relatively unremarkable.  Instead I spent time talking about the poet Frederick Tuckerman. He is relevant to the walk.  Things don't always work out that way so I took advantage of the opportunity  You will note there is no music in this.  My one assignment from my son was to record voice overs instead of leaving long stretches of relatively silent (or scored) walking. Thankfully Tuckerman had enough poems to fill things in.  

Also, this was the first time I used a tripod mount for my phone.  This enabled me to film myself sitting and walking. It feels ridiculous while you are doing it.  However, it does help to give motion to the narrative.  This is a worthwhile practice...if you can avoid other people.

Starting Seeds and Hiking High Ledges

Before these videos--and you are welcome to look--my channel was mostly either panoramic views of mountains I climbed, sermons I wanted to share, or music from our various music ministries.  I think one can also find some of the earliest pandemic worship services hosted here before we got the church youtube page updated.  That was fun too.  The services were even necessary. I do feel, though, that the two videos below mark the beginning of something new. 

Like the pandemic worship videos, they are self-contained and internally consistent.  The goal is not to record something and say "look what is going on out there." Instead they say "look what is happening right here."  That is an important distinction between, say, an edited youtube worship video and a recording of a live-streamed worship video. The first has an immediacy.  The second is a document of something that happened in the past.  With these nature vids I am looking for immediacy. They differ from the pandemic material in that while they may be spiritual or even worshipful in some ways, they are not beholden to the traditional ideas behind those concepts.  They are meant to have their own patterns and pacing because both the media and the context are different.

I am putting these two together because they show some of the same challenges.  They are both too long,  The planting video in particular drags in the middle and is saved by my cat.  There are too many musical interludes in the hiking video and there is a sort of "reflection" bit that goes on too long at the end of both of them.  I think that somewhere in my subconscious was the form of a traditional worship service.  I wanted a "sermon" of some kind. 

​Still, I like them.  They are watchable and they represent an effort to do something creative and new.

Hiked on February 14, 2023

This was a spontaneous hike.  Thursday's weather looked hideous as usual and I wanted to see the sun!  I decided, therefore, to hit Route 2 and head over to the High Ledges Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary on a Tuesday to catch the view.  I had been saving it for a perfect day...and this was pretty close.  The loop I chose was around 5 miles and featured an undulating landscape with a small mountain, a fire tower, a valley, and some hills.  The snow was fairly compact to start and then it got loose as the air warmed it up.  This made footing a bit of a challenge...and I brought out the micro spikes.

I could use the workout though.  There has been quite a bit going on.  The church is wrestling with some big questions.  Finally, I have a few weeks of sabbatical starting soon.  I will give thought to the church's questions then and add in a few of my own....

I say all this now because hikes like this are a series of small decisions.  This week on a Tuesday I decided to get up and get going.  I decided where to go.  There were all kinds of micro decisions that helped me to focus on the day. How would I get there? Would I do both the out-and-back to the tower or just the ledges themselves? Was this a good use of my time? How would I deal with the vagaries of weather?

Also, on this trip, I decided to do some more extensive filming.  It has been a while.  Many of you are aware of my interest in 21st century communication.  This weblog is part of that.  My podcasts are as well. For a long time I was into making youtube videos of sermons, church news, meditations, music and--during the plague--entire worship services.  Sometimes this meant collaboration.  At other times I worked on them by myself.  I got into it through a series of small decisions that brought me joy.  A series of small decisions may bring me back...or maybe they come to nothing.  It is too early to tell.

If we use the model of "Sabbath Walks" that I write and talk about here and elsewhere, all of these endeavors--these choices made and sometime pursued--fall into the category or "frame" of dialogue or creativity. On this hike, for example, the choice to film meant stopping and starting; recording sections of trail, talking to the camera while imagining future viewers, editing after getting home while re-living the excursion, and improvising a soundtrack.  I had to make decisions about equipment.  If I keep doing this there will be more decisions to make as some things may need replacing.

There are many little steps. After all to even get to the point of recording there was research. There were skills that could use some improvement through repetition.  That said, I am learning. While this decision may not lead to anything more, it just might...probably in surprising ways.  After all, nobody thought the skills I learned from my "hobby" would help hold online worship together during the early months of Covid.  Ultimately we found somebody more skilled. Of course, nobody thought that the skilled person we found would be a beloved former member of the D&D Club and the Snow Posse who had moved away.  Decisions keep on rippling out, don't they?

Anyway, I have included the video.  I think it is pretty good for a first attempt!  I also started a Sabbath Walks YouTube page that you can subscribe to to get notifications.  Just click on the video above and hit "subscribe." I may decide make more of these moving pictures.  We shall see.  Both I and the church are looking for ways to communicate.  Perhaps this is the way.

Here is to your decisions and dialogues.  I hope you have found something to bring the sabbath "walk" to life regardless of what it is or how you go about it.  Many blessings on your travels until next time.  I will see you out on the trail.