Post by Ella. “There is a 10 minute slowdown in three miles. You are still on the fastest route.”, Google Maps chirped happily as we neared Stowe, Vermont yesterday. Just 1/2 mile from the town, we joined the stop-and-go line up on the one lane Route 100 heading into Stowe. No road construction, no accident….
Portal with no peepers
Post by Grubb. Even in the rain the White Mountains have been an explosion of warm colors. When we arrived on Friday I expected the forests to be swarming with people, more commonly known as peepers, mesmerized by the autumn foliage. Where did they all go? Did we leave (no pun intended) them in Maine?…
Westward to maple creamees, maple sugar, maple syrup
Post by Ella. From Randolph, New Hampshire to Burlington, Vermont. We stopped in Lancaster to admire another covered bridge, St. Johnsbury for the Dog Chapel on Dog Mountain, and some coffee, then on to Stowe for a walk around this busy town, then finally came to what is to be our home for the next…
Bog slopping, rock hopping, gnarled root tripping, dodgy brook crossing
Post by Ella. No one told me that hiking in the White Mountains could be so much…fun? And this time of year, all those rocks and roots the White Mountains are famous for, are concealed by layers of leaves. Nature’s finest art, those colorful leaves fallen from tall birches and maples, hide the treachery beneath….
Halloween hike
Post by Grubb. When does a hike become a fright? You start off by only reading the first sentence describing the trail in the guidebook. The one that says the 3-4 mile Dome Mountain Trail is “one of the most rewarding walks in the Randolph area.” Then you say to yourself, “That sounds great to…
And then the rains came
Post by Ella. I’m sitting on the covered, screened-in porch of our rustic cabin, appreciating the sound of gentle rain on birch and maple leaves with the mountains barely visible through the clouds. We got a swell but boggy hike in this morning before, as the weather app predicted, the rains started at 11:00 a.m….
This morning’s sunrise brought to you by the White Mountains of New Hampshire
Post by Ella. Our rustic cottage (or maybe it’s a cabin, dunno, what’s the difference? Marc, does the Cape have any wisdom on that?) comes with a view. Just after sunrise this morning, all was bathed in a purple, red, yellow glow.
State of nature / state of Maine
Post by Grubb. Thursday, on the way to New Hampshire, we took our final hike in Maine outside of Skowhegan on the Coburn Trail. Ten feet from where parked our Nissan Rogue, we were engulfed in a forest of maple, beech, oak, and pine. Walking the sun-dappled woods in wilderness Maine. That’s been my experience…
Covered bridge on the byway
Post by Ella. In the 1800s, bridges were often built with roof structures to prevent the trusses from being pelted with snow and ice which would eventually cause irreparable damage. When we saw the sign “Covered Bridge 3 miles” with an arrow pointing to the right while en route to Randolph yesterday, we took a…
Exit Maine, enter New Hampshire: today’s route
Post by Ella. From Greenville, Maine to Randolph, New Hampshire. We stopped outside of Skowhegan, Maine for a nice hike, in Skowhegan for coffee, A little detour to see one of the remaining covered bridges (not in use) in Maine, and then on to our rustic cottage in Randolph, New Hampshire, right in the White…
Another small town because that’s all there is in Maine
Post by Ella. Greenville, another small Maine town, population 1500, but nudging the largest lake in Maine, Moosehead Lake, it attracts water-loving visitors from afar. For the non-claustrophobics, you can take a scenic tour by sea-plane or if you need more open space, by boat, the heritage-designated Katahdin, which offers one cruise a day, rain…
40 miles long, 18 miles wide
Post by Grubb. And this body of water, 120 feet down at its deepest, is not a pond. According to the locals it’s a veritable lake, Moosehead Lake, where we’re spending two nights in a Squaw Village condo bordering a golf course on a forested bluff above a beach. It’s midweek, I think. Wednesday? This…
Along the Raven route, an eyeball
Post by Grubb. It’s Tuesday afternoon and we’re headed to Moosehead Lake. It’s a three-and-half hour drive. Cruising up Highway 9, fall was revealing its spectrum. Red tree, orange tree, gold tree, green, full-flushed and towering, conifer branches thrusting out, connecting to the surrounding forest. I was almost ready to believe Richard Powers in that…
Another tequila sunrise
Post by Ella. Although no tequila was involved, I awoke this morning to a goldenrod glow seeping through the blinds. I rolled gracefully out of bed and stepped onto our balcony to soak in the early morning caw-croaking of ravens while goldenrod and purple turned to orange. We are in Greenville (we arrived yesterday late…
In the ‘shroom universe
Post by Ella. With colorful names like mouse-ear and flying saucer, these mostly deadly (when consumed by humans) fungi populate the damp forests of Devil’s Head and Moosehorn. Seen on Tuesday during our hikes. Mushrooms, while they might kill us, are a key ingredient in most ecosystems. They send mycelial threads down to help nourish…