Wandering

Once thing is certain: I've been spending a lot more time wandering around in the woods than I used to.

On Wednesday I joined two of my colleagues for a brisk, early-morning hike up Mount Wantastiquet, which lies across the Connecticut River from Brattleboro. We met promptly at 6:30 a.m. at the co-op, which meant getting up at 5 a.m. to ensure that I had enough time to fully wake up, eat a little something, and drive down to town—no small feat.

We trekked up the mountain at a quicker pace than I had anticipated and I paid for every step. This was remarkably hard work, despite the modest altitude—1335 feet—but the brief time we spent at the summit was worth the pain.

Brattleboro

Vermont

Spectacular morning

Even the rocks looked amazing

Of course, it was exceedingly difficult to follow this outing with eight solid hours of desk work. Despite this disappointing reality, I plan to make the trip up Wantastiquet a weekly ritual.

Liz, Andrea and I went on a substantial hike this morning in NH's Pisgah State Park, about 30 minutes south of Walpole. There were an inordinate number of bugs who joined us on our 5-mile loop, but they turned out to be an inconsequential annoyance on an otherwise blissful walk in the woods, which included SEEING A MOOSE! What a thrill! I have seen moose a few times in the past and have been yearning for a sighting ever since Liz and I transplanted ourselves to their territory.

The active portion of our day outdoors culminated in a quick swim at Kilburn Pond, which was promptly followed by cocktails at J.D. McCliment's Pub in Putney. There's nothing like beer and locally-raised red meat (especially those which are consumed on a sunny deck) to solidify an accomplishment. Below are a few highlights from the day:

Andrea and Liz yuck it up

Mount Monadnock

New Hampshire hills

Oak tannins make the water red

Swimming at Kilburn Pond

There's much hiking to be had in this part of the world and it all seems fantastically beautiful. Maybe it's something about this region, or perhaps it's ten years of urban living that bestow my hikes a magical quality. Regardless, we're heading out again next weekend for a guided mushroom hunt on Putney Mountain. Should be a good one!