We started up the trail and when we came to the junction, we choose to do the loop counterclockwise on the Cricket Crossing Trail.
The fresh snow on the trail
Since we were the first ones out there, we were breaking the trail which slowed us down a bit. The fresh snow on the trees was very pretty as we passed through and under it.
We reached the junction for Loop Bypass then hopped on to the Lorden Trail. This part of the trail had a few ups and downs but nothing to bad. Some areas were a bit slippery but the snowshoes grabbed well.
Snow covered trees
Soon we were at the junction of the Bicentennial Trail. There is a fun sign at the trail head “Caution, Sasquash Breeding Ground, Don’t Make Eye Contact”. The original plan was to go up the Bicentennial Trail to the high point but daylight would be running out soon and having to break trail was putting us a bit behind schedule. So we started looping back down the Trail instead.
Sasquach Sign
This trail travels down a bit and this was a lot more fun in the fluffy snow with the snowshoes. We arrived at the junction for Arnold Loop and took followed that for a ways. This trail continues down and meanders around the landscape.
The Arnold Trail
Then it brought us to the Desmarais Trail. This trail is not very long and took us back to the first junction we arrived at. From there we were only about a 100 yards from the car.
One of many snow covered bridges on the trail
When we got back to the car another vehicle came in. This was the only person we saw all day. This was a short but fun snowshoe. I’ll be back sometime to fill in the gaps of the trails on my GPS.
I had never been to Okemo in Vermont. Some friends and I rented a slope side condo and we were ready for a couple of days of skiing.
View from the condo
We arrived late Sunday morning and the whole town seemed to be packing up and leaving. The mountain was busy, so we decided to get lunch first. That lead to a couple of drinks. Then we ended up having a few more drinks at another restaurant and then a few more at yet another restaurant. It was a full day of après ski for day one.
Wide straight runs
The condo was nice. I wish we were staying another night so we could really enjoy the ski on and ski off. That evening we got a couple of inches of fresh snow.
Taking a break. Its chilly out there.
We got a little bit of a late start. We were on the slop around 10am. We hit a few blue trails over in the bubbles section of the mountain. After a few runs we met up with another friend we skied with the rest of the day.
Great Views
When we were at the summit of Okemo, I noticed a fire tower up there. It looked a little run down and I’m not sure if it is still in use but it was cool to see.
The trails at Okemo were mostly wide and well groomed. I really enjoyed skiing here. It was not very crowded and there was plenty of room for wide turns. The only trail I did not care for was the double diamond. It was narrow, full of moguls, rocks and roots. Lesson learned (again).
I need to visit Okemo again. This mountain was a lot of fun and there was still a lot more to explore.
It had been a while since I’ve hiked Mt. Major in Alton Bay, NH. Especially in winter. The weather has been cold and the Ice Runway in Alton Bay had been open the past few days. I was hoping that it would be again today.
We got snow last night and it was still lightly snowing when I left the house. On the drive up the snow was really coming down. The roads were pretty slippery. The weather said it would be clear and sunny in the am but clearly, they were wrong.
The new section of the Mt. Major Trail
When I got to the trail head the snow had started to lighten up. The parking lot only had a few cars in it. There was about 3-5 inches of fresh snow, so I decided not to bring my snowshoes and just bring my microspikes. I started the trail bear booted.
The first section of this trail was redone a short time ago. The trail weaves through a series of boulders and has several stairs for the first half mile or so. The trail only had a few footprints on it. I thout it would be a little more packed down. I started to question my decision to leave my snowshoes in the car.
Snow covered steps on the trail
I continued up toward the trail junction of the Mt. Major trail. I chatted with a couple of hikers at the same junction. As I started up the trail got a little steeper so I decided I would put my microspikes on. When I tried to do so, the microspike snapped.
The hikers I had just saw were coming up and I told them my dilemma. They offered some help but after several attempts I realized these could not be fixed. Since this trail has some slabby sections near the top I decided I would not continue up. So I made my way back down and started up the longer but less steep, Brook Trail.
Snow covered rocks in the stream
At this point there is only two other footprints on the ground and the snow is a good 5-6 inches deep. Along the way there were some cool snow formations. Especially on the streams and water crossings.
Shortly after the trail starts to climb a bit more. I was careful with my footing since I was bear booting this hike now. I also saw many hikers on the trail and all were very friendly. I ended up chatting with some of them along the way.
Heading up toward the summit
I arrived at the next trail junction and continued to climb. My boots were doing ok without traction so far. When I reached the Belknap Trail, I met another hiker and chatted a bit. From here I new the summit was only about 20 min a way.
View from the summit of Mt. Major in Alton, NH
On the last section before the summit, I met up with the two hikers that helped me with my microspikes. They confirmed that I had made the right decision by not continuing up. They said they had some difficulty on the steep slabby section near the top.
I moved on to the summit. The sky’s were now blue and the wind was howling. Temps were well below zero with the wind, so I didn’t stay there to long. Just long enough to take a few pictures before heading back down.
A very cold summit selfie
On the way down the trail was starting to get packed down and I moved a little quicker than the way up. Traction was still fine and the walk back to the car was peaceful.
I really enjoyed the new section of the trail near the bottom. I’m looking forward to visiting when everything is not covered with snow.
Back at Fox Forest to explore the southern section of the area. My buddy Jack and I decided to do the Ridge Trail West this time. This runs along the perimeter of the forest although it looks more like the south side.
Trail Sign at the lot
We arrived at the parking lot nice and early and were out on the trail just before 8am. The temp was about 1 degree. So it was pretty cold out. We were the only car in the parking lot when we arrived. The sky was blue and the sun was shining.
Numbered Trees to sudy in the woods
We set off across the street on the Ridge Trail. This trail is marked with a white square and a red square in side of it. This trail goes in for a ways and crosses some foot bridges along the way. We decided to do our route counter clockwise.
We came to a junction where we picked up the Swamp Trail and followed that for a short ways. The trails were covered with about 2-3 inches of snow. After a shot while we got on to the White Cross Trail. We were only supposed to stay on this trail for a short ways but we missed our trail.
The sun shining through the trees
We ended up following the White Cross Trail to the end where it met the Ridge Trail. From here we sayed on the Ridge Trail the rest of the day. We passed the Fischer Cat trail and the Barred Owl Trail. These trails are more like class 6 roads in most spots.
Giant Maple Trees all around
After we passed the Swamp trail we started to climb a bit until we reached the height of land on our trip. Up there, there were a series of houses and a nice stone wall that the trail followed. At this point we were the only ones who have been on the snowy trail.
Jack checking out one of the trees
The decent was nice and gentle. We continued around the Ridge Trail which took us near Route 202. We could hear the cars going by on the road. A little further down the trail took us by Saint Mary’s Cemetery.
St Mary’s Cemetery off to the side
At this point we were both getting a little hungry and started to pick up the pace a bit. Hurricane Road and the Ridge trail were one and the same. We passed a number of side trails that would take us back the center of the forest, but we stayed on the outskirts.
Lots of forest management signs on the property talking about the different ways to thin out the forest.
Before we knew it we were back at the junction of Hurricane Road and the Ridge Trail meet. From there we were just a short jaunt back to the parking lot.
Lots of stone walls in this forest
This was a fun trail to explore. There are a lot of beautiful old trees and some nice stone walls. Lots of nature and a pretty easy walk in the woods.
Since we had some snow fall recently, I decided to take my Fisher S-Bound 98 skis out for a spin at the Peabody Mill Environmental Center.
I had been here recently and knew what trails I wanted to try with the skis. When I got to the lot there were a few other vehicles there. Temps were in the low 20’s and the sky’s, were blue. Perfect day.
Skiing through the plants
I grabbed my gear and headed out to the Harmond Brook Trail. This was fun because there are a few bridges to cross. There was about 5” of fluffy snow on the ground but there were also a lot of rocks I was scraping my skis with.
Caution was taken on any of the downhills because of the potential of “dead stops” by hitting rocks. For the most part the trails were well covered though.
Ski tracks in the sun
From this trail I went to the Timber Trail. This was a great trail, and no one had been on it yet. The trail goes through an area of large rhododendron plants. There were a few glides on this trail that were fun as well.
After a few ups and downs I arrived at the junction of the Old Brook Road. This was a fun section of this trip. It had just the right amount of downhill. A really fun glide.
Ski tracs on a bog bridge
The trail starts out going through a tunnel of trees. Then it starts to flatten a bit and continues by a number of side trails. This was easy to glide down. The lower part of the road had seen a lot of foot traffic since when I started.
Toward the bottom I saw a bridge off on one of the side trails. So I shimmied down and skied across. There was a large rock foundation there. It turns out these are a the remains of the old Peabody Mill. I had been here a few times and never knew the mill was here. I thought that was pretty cool.
Peabody Mill Rock Foundation.
Before I knew it I was back at the parking lot. It was a quick trip but it was fun. If there was another 5+” of snow this area would be fantastic! I’ll be back again to ski some other trails.
Footprint of an old fire tower on Mine Hill in Auburn
Date:
1-19-2025
Location:
Auburn, NH
Distance:
1.32 mi
Elevation Gain:
297′
Total Time:
0 hr 40 min
Parking:
5+ cars
This was the second fire tower location I visited this day. It was not far from my house and not a long walk. I’ve never hiked this side of the lake before so I thought I would give it a try.
Start of the trail up
I parked along a pull off across from fire road 42. From here I was able to follow this road up. Not far from the car there is a large open field you have to walk through.
It then continues to climb for a bit through the forest. This road is all on Manchester Water Works Property. About halfway up the trail it starts to climb a little steeper.
Looking back at the lake.
Towards the top there is an old mossy staircase that was cool. At the top it starts to level off a bit. You can see a house but as long as you stay on the trail you are not on private property.
Moss Staircase
I could soon see the foot print of the fire tower. I took a few pictures of the site from different angles. Since all the leaves were down there were nice views of the water below.
The old remains of the Mine Hill Fire Tower
I then started to make my way back down. The trip back went pretty quick. The total milage was just over a mile. So this was a pretty quick side trip.
Close up of one of the cement footings
This is a picture of the fire tower when it was standing.
