Hogdon, Madden, Duck Pond, No Name, and Prescott Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hogdon, Madden, Duck Pond, No Name, and Prescott Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: oo-o Loop

Distance: 3.75 miles

Elevation: 308 feet

Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

After the trail conditions on Monday's hike, I cautiously approached the Blue Hills again. I had a decent drive after work, landing at Exit 3/Ponkapoag Trail just before 4pm (Wednesdays are my late days leaving school. It was a WARM 50 degrees out with bountiful sun and some wind. I was mentally prepped for some brutal trail conditions a la Monday, and I was off!

The YMCA gate was open which was surpring, and the road section of Ponkapoag Trail was nicely plowed and melted. My spikes went on once on teh Hogdon Foot Path, and the temperature dropped once I was in the woods surrounded by snow. Overall, traction was good. It got messier/more variable once near the Redman Farm Path, and my spikes came off once back on the road grade, which in FULL mud season.

Once back in the woods on No Name/Prescott my spikes were back on, and I noticed there were more bare spots than Monday and there was also less slush, which was a delight. I even noticed an old orange blaze on the Prescott Foot Path, which is one of my favorite things to stumble upon. There were nice tree views to Ponkapoag Pond in these woods, and I continued to meander my way over to Madden Road, which was unfortunately a firm layer of slush on top of water. Also, someone left a fur-lined headband on a tree that nearly scared the life out of me. 

I missed the turn for my intended route (which I have already forgotten) and continued to meander my way around Duck Pond, onto Fire Trail, and then along Swamp Path. Swamp was in great conditions for spikes, but seemed like it'll be living up to it's name once the ice melts. Back on the No Name/Prescott criss-cross, I found a couple of deer and made my way back to the car, where I was the last one to leave for the day. This was a MUCH nicer day in the woods!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Exit 3/Ponkapoag Trail parking.

- Start hike on Ponkapoag Trail

- At 5320, turn right onto Hogdon Foot Path.

- At 5218, turn left onto Redman Farm Path.

- At 5241, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- At 5311, turn right onto No Name Path.

- At 5330, turn right onto Prescott Foot Path.

- At 5343, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- At 5371, continue onto Madden Road.

- At 5383, turn left onto Three Pines Path.

- At 5382, turn right onto path.

- At 5381, turn right onto Fire Trail.

- At 5365, turn right onto path (green blazes). 

- At 5370, continue right onto Swamp Path.

- At 5371, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- At 5344, turn right onto No Name Path.

- At 5330, turn right onto Prescott Foot Path.

- At 5322, turn right onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- Return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Houghton's Pond, Angle Path, Tucker Hill, Burnt Hill Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Houghton's Pond, Angle Path, Tucker Hill, Burnt Hill Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: oooo Loop

Distance: 4.85 miles

Elevation: 518 feet

Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x); Blue Hills Grid

The Hike

February break is officially over and I'm back at the Blue Hills! It was a 45 degree, sunny, and breezy afternoon. It felt kind of warm after the past week of skiing in comically cold temperatures! There was a lot of snowmelt happening and I forgot my spikes - going to be interesting! I also realized I forgot to take a photo of the map I'm tracking my progress on, so I'm guessing what trails I still need...

Hiking in from the B lot at Houghton's Pond, the exposed grass was SUPER soft and the leftover snow and ice was super slippery. I made it halfway to the loop around the pond before turning around to grab my spikes from the car to give myself a sliver of a chance to enjoy the hike. Take-two! I successfully made it over to the visitor center area and noticed some guys out on the ice which was... brave. I briefly took my spikes off at the bathhouse but they soon went back on. I was basically experiencing every trail condition imaginable besides dry. To make things more fun, my legs were super wiggly - probably in part due to the slushy conditions and also from skiing the past 9 out of 10 days.

I eventually made it along Andover, Angle, and Bugbee Paths unscathed and then onto the red blazes, which was steeper and slushier. I was taking very small steps and really digging my spikes into any base that was left. I was thankful to actually find some solid ice when I made my way up Tucker Hill (also proud of myself for actively working on my Blue Hills Grid for this very brief moment!

On top of Tucker Hill, I followed the mysterious yellow blaze to the true summit (or my best try at it) and an overgrown view before heading down Athol Path - where I saw people! I've never seen people on this side of Tucker, so that was jarring. After crossing Tucker Hill Path, I was only the second set of prints going down the steepest stretch of Athol, but I took it slow and only faced death once or twice. There were lots of deer tracks, though! 

I then meandered my way around the Tucker Hill Path over to the Burnt Hill Path - delighted to find out that I had already summited Burnt Hill for February - yay! I followed more deer tracks as I descended on Burnt Hill Path, which had just brutal slushy trail conditions. I eventually found the family of deer right before Old Route 128, which was fun, but then the fun ended when I discovered Old Route 128 had equally, or even worse conditions than Burnt Hill Path. Hiking is a mental game!

I made my way over to the picnic area, which was a slushy ice rink, but the rest of the Houghton's Pond loop was fully frozen, which was nice I guess? Only downside was that it was frozen and covered in post-holes, so it was truly an ankle buster. Yikes! This was a surprisingly brutal hike, but as always, no regrets and I was just happy to have been outside!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Lot B at Houghton's Pond. 

- Start hike by hiking entry trails.

- Turn left to follow yellow blazes.

- Follow footpath hugging the pond, then climb stairs.

- Resume following yellow blazes. 

- At split, continue to follow red/green blazes. 

- At 2053, continue to follow green blazes. 

- At next jct., turn right/continue onto Andover Path. 

- At 2092, turn left onto Angle Path.

- At 2075, turn left onto Bugbee Path.

- At 2071, turn right onto red blazes. 

- At 2094, turn left onto Ayer Trail.

- At next jct., turn right onto Athol Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Headquarters Path.

- At next jct., turn right onto Tucker Hill Path (green blazes). 

- At 2072, turn left onto Ayer Trail.

- At next jct., turn right onto Athol Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto red blazes. 

- At 2094, turn right onto Dark Hollow Path.

- At 2111, turn right onto Burnt Hill Path.

- At 2085, turn right onto Old Route 128.

- At gate, follow path to yellow loop around the pond.

- At the pond, turn left and follow yellow blazes back to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Bolton Valley

Skiing Bolton Valley

Sunday, February 23rd, 2025

Runs: 10

Distance: 9.41 miles

Elevation: 8,100 feet

Max Speed: 27.4 mph

Avg. Speed: 11.9 mph

Moving Time: 47 minutes, 27 seconds

Total Time: 3 hours, 7 minutes, 18 seconds

Sadly, it was now officially the last day of break. We got up around 8:00am to get a DELICIOUS breakfast at Rustic Roots in Shelburne, VT with Kyle and Gabby, and then we went our seperate ways. Gabby and Kyle went over to Burlington and then the Ben & Jerry's factory, and Emma and I decided we'd get a few more laps in at Bolton Valley! We parked at the park and ride and then Emma's car (thankfully) made the drive up the dreadful access road, and I'm glad she did, because it was snowing up there! We parked in the Timberline lot since the upper lot was full, and got a great spot thanks to an English guy leaving early. We fully suited up at the car, got our Indys for the day, and headed right to the lift!

Snow Report

Sunday, February 23rd, 2025

Folks, it's just too good out there. No Sunday scaries allowed!

We were showered in another 2-4 inches of snow overnight and we'll be seeing some more flurries throughout the day. Some light winds pushed some of that into the trees towards the top of the mountain overnight, which means the good are still in the woods.

We'll be seeing mild temps again today with a high of 24. Truthfully, this is just about the 'warmest' it's been all season which makes for really comfortable days on the mountain. Great for the kiddos and lessons ;). 

Conditions are feeling soft and cushy on groomed trails, with tons and tons of powder throughout the woods. If today is anything like yesterday, and it will be, it's going to be one of the best days of the season.

Keep an eye out for Babe Force in the backcountry today as they continue to shred it up. Be sure to stick around after the lifts close at 4 for Trivia Night in the James Moore Tavern. Have fun out there! We know we will.

Runs 1-3

Run 1: Timberline Lift - Upper Villager - Lower Villager - Lower Bentley

[0.66 mi; 3:16; 410 ft; 20.9 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Snowflake Lift - Sprig o' Pine - Bear Run

[0.30 mi; 1:20; 259 ft; 21.4 mph max; 13.6 mph avg]

Run 3: Vista Lift - Alta Vista - Sherman's Pass - Bull Run - Enchanted Forest - Primer Loop

[1.14 mi; 5:26; 1,004 ft; 26.9 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

After getting on the Timberline Lift, which pinched my calves so badly I thought skin was ripped off, we made our way up past the mid-station and up to the top. We first thought we'd go to the Wilderness side and then work our way back. We followed Upper Village to Lower Villager, both skied wonderfully with fresh, soft snow, and then Lower Bentley, which was even less touched and just delightful. Only bummer was that Lower Bentley spits out way below the Vista Lift, and the nearest lift was the Snowflake, which still required some upshill shuffling. We shrugged our shoulders and decided to work smarter not harder and got on the Snowflake Lift (installed in 1966 along with Mid-Mountain and Wilderness), and then followed Sprig o' Pine to Bear Run. 

We still hadn't made it to the Wilderness Lift, so we decided we'd work our way across and ride every chair as our silly goal. Next up was the Vista Lift! We were joined by two strangers - one of which was chatty. Unfortunately, I couldn't chat much, because something about the vibrations of the chair awakened a beast inside of me, and by that I mean I had to POOP. We got off the chair and when discussing where to go my only answer was "DOWN." We followed Alta Vista to Sherman's Pass, both of which were fun but not fast enough for the budding emergency. From there we hopped on Bull Run and did a quick jaunt through the beautiful but louge-y Enchanted Forest to Primer Loop and then I RAN into the lodge's basement to christen that toilet. The drowned burger bit back. 

Runs 4-7

Run 4: Mid-Mountain Lift - Glades - Primer Loop

[0.42 mi; 3:01; 361 ft; 21.3 mph max; 8.3 mph avg]

Run 5: Wilderness Lift - Peggy Dow's - Old Turnpike - Upper Wilderness Woods - Lower Wilderness

[1.16 mi; 5:53; 1,024 ft; 20.3 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]

Run 6: Wilderness Lift - Peggy Dow's - Lower Crossover - Coyote - Unmarked Woods - Work Road - Lower Wilderness - Abenaki Trail

[1.27 mi; 6:46; 1,020 ft; 22.2 mph max; 11.2 mph avg]

Run 7: Mid-Mountain Lift - Glades - Primer Loop

[0.37 mi; 2:47; 351 ft; 16.5 mph max; 7.9 mph avg]

After that crisis, we were back! Snow was continuing to fall and we hopped onto the Mid-Mountain Lift. At the top, we turned a sharp left and went on the trail called "Glades," which was actually just a bump run with 3ish trees - it was actually delightful and became our pick of the day! It was quiet, super snowy, and fun to practice on. I kept talking to myself and accidentally sent it over just one bump, no more! We followed Primer Loop down and around to the Wilderness Lift after.

The Wilderness Lift and I have some long-standing beef, as I had a hell of a time on it last March. Twice my ski got caught on the ground and another time my ski fully popped off - not sure if it was the guy bumping the lift or if I was just too relaxed with my ankles, but it was NOT a good time. Thankfully, today was much better. The lifty immedaitely complimented my pants and bumped the chair perfectly for our long, slow, lovely ride up. At this point we had both agreed we didn't really need to hit anything too steep and our goal was just to explore. We followed Peggy Dow's down to Old Turnpike, which was in rough shape. Super scraped off or super snowy with no in between - I did launch out of my skis at one turn when I wasn't expected the variable conditions. In the spirit of exploration, Emma brought us into the Upper Wilderness Woods where I... survived! Made it out fine, but did not perform very well. We followed Lower Wilderness back to the chair.

Run #6 followed Peggy Dow's again, with a goal of making our way to the top of the Mid-Mountain Lift to hit Glade (we were unsuccessful). We took the little chute to bypass the headwall on Peggy Dow's and then made our way to Coyote, which was fun and fully natural. Emma dipped us into some unmarked woods, which weren't great, but fine. From there, we followed Work Road to Lower Wilderness to Abenaki, back to the Mid-Mountain Lift.

Instead of trying and failing to find it from the top, we just hit Glades again from the Mid-Mountain, which was again, delightful. I was back to linking turns - yay! We were both ready to get back on the Vista to check out the Vista Glades, so off we went!

Snow Report

Sunday, February 23rd, 2025

1:05 PM Update: We're upping our snow totals for today from 2-4 to 4-6 with these fresh flurries. More to come throughout the week and we're stoked for it!

Runs 8-10

Run 8: Vista Lift - Vista Glades - Sherman's Pass - Swing - Work Road - Fanny Hill - Abenaki Trail

[1.19 mi; 7:00; 1,027 ft; 21.8 mph max; 10.2 mph avg]

Run 9: Vista Lift - Cobrass - Five Corners - Timberline Run

[1.96 mi; 8:44; 1,673 ft; 27.4 mph max; 13.5 mph avg]

Run 10: Timberline Lift - Upper Villager - Sure Shot - Timberline Run

[0.95 mi; 3:06; 968 ft; 26.5 mph max; 17.7 mph avg]

Run #8 brought us to the Vista Glades which were a damn treat! Soft, bumpy, only a few scrapey rocks, and super beautiful. Also, well within my skill-set. I had to stop a couple times just to look around and actively think about where I was going, which is a good thing! Again, we waited to find Glades from here, and did not succeed. We got onto Sherman's Pass, then took Swing, Work Road, Fanny Hill, and finally Abenaki Trail. Good effort!

We were getting COLD now, so we decided to work our way back to the Timberline side. We got back on the Vista and somehow got on our own chair (they didn't have a lifty pairing people up, so the folks in front and behind us all made groups of four, leaving just the two of us - no complaints! Also, the lifties put up a whiteboard that read "Who is better at keeping chairs on the lift? Bolton or Attitash (Vail)" which got many laughs! From the top we followed Cobrass, which was super fun! Super variable conditions, from packed powder to glare ice to massive bumps - it kind of felt like a final exam for the week! We had a blast though. Next, we turned onto Five Corners. One of the "GNAR" rules we made for Jay Peak was "When you smell weed, loudly say "I didn't know they had skunks here,"" in honor of something Emma's mom genuinely says whenever she smells the devil's lettuce. We did that, LOUDLY, and then skied past the two middle-aged men sharing a joint. It seemed like they did hear us, but got a chuckle out of it, thank goodness! From Five Corners we continued onto Timberline Run for a nice, long route back.

At the chair, I was starting to feel the Sunday Scaries™ and we were both cold, so we called two more skip the last. We got the chair to ourselves again, it was still dumping snow, and we were in store for a lovely run. We got our pole picture at the top of Upper Tattle Tale, and then made our way over to Sure Shot for a nice cruiser. We exchanged "I'm gonna rip the shit out of this run"s and "I'm a better skier than you"s and eventually landed back at the Timerline Lodge, which had a bar in it! Naturally, we stopped for a quick apres, before the long journey home.

In reflection, this was one of my favorite February breaks ever. I skied with so many different friends, I got so much better, and it's just such a gift to spend 9 out of 10 days on a mountain. The season's not over yet, though!

Map of Bolton Valley

Skiing Jay Peak

Skiing Jay Peak

Sunday, February 22nd, 2025

Runs: 17

Distance: 10.81 miles

Elevation: 11,385 feet

Max Speed: 32.2 mph

Avg. Speed: 9.9 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 11 minutes, 53 seconds

Total Time: 4 hours, 44 minutes, 22 seconds

After skiing Cochran's last night, Emma and I went back to her place and I showed her the movie "GNAR" - mostly because I planned to quote it endlessly througout the day, and thankfully she loved it too and also spent the whole day quoting it! We also decided we'd work on a Jay Peak version for s's & g's. Anyway, we slept in until 6:45am (a full hour later than her patrolling days), got our morning fuel, and worked our way to the mountain! We landed around 8:15am to a shockingly 1/2 full parking lot! Thankfully, we got princess parking. We made it just as the first half of the parking lot closed, so we got to park at the front of the second, which was one of the best spots in the lot - yay! Emma still hadn't picked up her free passes for patrolling, so she agreed to pay me back some money she owed me by buying my pass for the day - worked for me! Getting the pass on this busy morning turned out to be a hassle, but we ultimately survived and were on the snow just after 8:30pm! It was going to be a big day - team snowboard was going to hang with us and our friends Kyle and Gabby were coming up to take their first ski lesson with Emma (and me as the substitute/example dummy). We did learn that Kyle was coming with a snowboard, so he ended up being on his own, but more on that later...

Snow Report

February 22nd; 6:13 AM

**COFFEE REPORT**

Brisk down here at the base, but today's looking like a dinger. Sunshine, breezy, and highs topping oout in the mid-20s. The breeze doesn't feel like too much of a threat, so we'll hope for 9/9 lifts, and an update will come once our lift crew has a chance to see what the wind is doing where it counts.

We're expecting high volumes of visitors today and tomorrow, so if you're also sipping your first mug and planning your day, expect parking to fill quickly and be prepared to park a bit farther away from teh base lodges or offsite. If we're full, we'll let you know right away. Pack your patience and sense of humor, and you can save time an dsome cash by buying your ticket online in advance. Just redeem at the base lodge kiosks and get out there. 

As soon as we know, so will you. The Snow Report will always have the latest and greatest updates, so keep itlocked in here.

February 22nd; 7:19 AM

Bust out those sunnies, because you're gonna need 'em today. Mid 20's for the high, sunny, and breezy. TK sees a refresh coming fro Sunday, with 6" possible throughout the day. The wind was smart enough to back off today, so we'll have all 9 lifts spinning on time and 100% open terrain. Conditions and operations status are never set in stone, so if anything changes, check back to the Snow Report to make sure you always have the latest information.

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Jet Triple - Haynes - Jet

[0.78; 3:49; 1,276 ft; 32.2 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 2: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Cat Walk - Northway - Hell's Crossing - Sweetheart - Stateside Glade - Paradise Meadow

[1.40 mi; 5:35; 1,234 ft; 25.5 mph max; 15.0 mph avg]

Emma resented booting up with the general public, but we soon made our way to the Jet to get our day started! The plan was to follow Haynes down all the way, but the lower half way closed for racing. Also, it skied pretty brutally. It was super icy and scrapey - not fun! We cut over to the lower Jet, which was in slightly better shape, and made our way back to the lift. 

The goal for the day was woods and bumps, as I had my private instructor for the morning. We followed Montrealer down to Cat Walk, a route I'd never done fully before, and then skied on the Northway to Hell's Crossing, all of which were in much better shape (still hard and fast, though). We then cut into Sweetheart, and then Emma had me follow her through the lower stretch of the Stateside Glade, which was comically easy - basically an ungroomed Kokomo - good start for the day! From there, we followed Paradise Meadow to the Bonnie.

Runs 3-5

Run 3: Bonaventure Quad - Northway - Upper Milk Run - Taxi - Queen's Highway - Doe Woods - Chalet Meadows

[1.36 mi; 8:29; 1,450 ft; 26.9 mph max; 9.6 mph avg]

Run 4: Bonaventure Quad - Northway - Upper Milk Run - Taxi - Bonaventure Glades - Lower Milk Run - Kangaroo Trail

[1.16 mi; 9:24; 1,473 ft; 28.6 mph max; 7.4 mph avg]

Run 5: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Buck Woods - Chalet Meadows

[1.30 mi; 9:28; 1,493 ft; 24.5 mph max; 8.3 mph avg]

From the top of the Bonnie, we went back to Upper Milk Run for some bumpy fun! I definitely felt better this time, and my skis only popped off once! We then followed Taxi to Queen's Highway and then jumped into Doe Woods, which was lovely. This stretch was good practice for controlling speed in woods without having massive bumps everywhere to turn onto. 

Team Snowboard joined us for Run #4 after attempting to get their student passes from the Tramside service desk. Elizabeth was successful but Snowboard Emma was not - she's a full time grad student at UVM, but that means she's only taking 9 credits, and Jay requires 12 credits for the student pass. She joked (or didn't joke) about sending an email to Steve Wright (the general manager) to explain the situation and confusion with the subject like "Wright this Wrong." We'll see how it goes! Back up the Bonnie, we went back to Upper Milk Run, which went better again! We briefly followed Taxi and then went into the Bonaventure Glades - my first real black glades. The drop in was scary/sketchy, but the actual woods were beautiful. Super bumpy, but that was kind of helpful as it helped me plan turns and control speed. Snowboard Emma did do my dirty and took a photo of me so incredibly far in the backseat going over a bump. Emma said "I've never seen someone do something so wrong but not fall," so I'll take it as an accomplishment! After the Bonnie Glades, we popped out on Lower Milk Run (I had never been on Lower Milk before, so I was CONFUSED where we were), and then ended up on Kangaroo Trail.

#5 was back up the Bonnie and down Goat Run, which was skiing really well. As I'm writing this, almost a week later, I think I figured out what my breakthrough with carving was - instead of just rocking my knees side-to-side, I'm now putting a little more weight onto the outside ski when initiating a turn. I think before I had more uphill weight. Still not sure, still going to keep figuring out, still going to keep reading Reddit and buying Emma beers for free lessons. From Goat, we went into Buck Woods, which was pretty similar to Bonnie Glades, but I think a little steeper maybe? Not sure, they were pretty similar. We identified my two main things to work on in the woods are 1) keep the skis together and 2) keep the weight forward). I couldn't believe I was actually having fun in the woods! Once we escaped the woods, we followed Chalet Meadows back to the Stateside Lodge. Team Snowboard went in to pee and Emma and I went to the car to grab some drinks for lunch, which Team Snowboard would be cooking over on Tramside. 

Runs 6-7

Run 6: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway

[0.93 mi; 9:45; 610 ft; 25.2 mph max; 10.9 mph avg]

Run 7: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Chalet Meadows

[0.60 mi; 3:19; 371 ft; 23.9 mph max; 10.9 mph avg]

Run #6 was the classic commuter run on the Taxi to Queen's Highway. Comically, this was also the longest line we'd waited in all day. We each had a drink on the lift and made our way over. Team Snowboard went to the car to get the dogs cooking, and Emma and I went to customer service to get her free passes for being a patroller (thanks Emma!). From there we made our way to Team Snowboard, who were parked just on the outside of the main garage (honestly a perfect spot). Snowboard Emma had fun tropical-themed cups in her car, so we had a lil' mini party. Gabby and Kyle were getting close at this point, but were struggling to find parking. They eventually parked in the 242 lot, so once Emma and I got that call we started our return trip back up to the Metro (no line!) and back to Stateside.

Runs 8-14

Stateside Carpet

[0.05 mi; 1:30; 36 ft]

Now, the fun was going to begin! Kyle still insisted on snowboarding, so we let him know that he was basically on his own for the day. Emma got Gabby booted up and set up with all of her rentals. My job was to run to the car to grab the Jagermeister for a quick shot (the newbies only got a half shot) before heading out to the snow! Emma did her usual fantastic job of day one lessons with Gabby, and I just kind of watched Kyle skate around with one boot strapped in. Kyle eventually told me he was ready for the carpet, so it was my job to chaperone. The first time, he just stood on the carpet and brought his board up with him. He made it down one piece, but fell every time he caught speed. The only advice I could offer him was to stop straight-lining, which he kind of did? Second run he kept the board on and did an okay job! He had to make a quick adjustment once on the carpet, but he was good! He needed a break after this run, and Emma was working with Gabby on side-stepping up a hill and doing pizza turns to stop.

Eventually, both rookies needed a break, so I took a lap on my own to figure out how to ski backwards AND turn around. I'm good at going downhill and turning around to go backwards, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get back around! While the kids were still taking a break, Emma came up with me for two runs we tried together to figure it out to minimal success. The best we got was the kind of turns Sarah and I did at Blue Hills (backwards pizza with a step). Someday I'll get the whirlybird!

Eventually, Emma's dad stopped by to say hello before going on his own adventure (her parents were going to join us for Apres). Last two runs at the carpet were with the whole crew! I will say, Kyle did a good job studying his YouTube shorts, because he was doing a lot better than I thought he would do (non-deragatory). I convinced Gabby to get on the carpet, because I noticed the constant side-stepping was wearing her down, and the carpet does the uphill for you! Tragically, she still hadn't figured out stopping, so she sent it over a banked turn and spectacularly fell (spirits were high, though, and the video of her falling made it to her Facebook post)! She fell again on the second run, and after that they were ready to wrap up for the afternoon. Emma and I were planning on a soft power hour around 3 anyway, so this timing worked out well! We helped Gabby de-boot and get the rentals back, and Emma and I blasted off! We found Team Snowboard and hopped back on the Bonnie for a few more runs!

Runs 15-17

Run 15: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Buck Woods - Chalet Meadows

[1.28 mi; 8:03; 1,437 ft; 24.3 mph max; 9.5 mph avg]

Run 16: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Buck Woods - Raccoon Run

[1.45 mi; 6:13; 1,654 ft; 27.8 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 17: Village Chair - Chalet Meadows - Doe Woods - Chalet Meadows

[0.20 mi; 1:49; 135 ft; 21.3 mph max; 6.6 mph avg]

Team Snowboard mentioned that the Northway was horribly icy, so we decided we'd hit Buck Woods via Goat again, and just mentally prepared for rough conditions. To our delight, Goat Run was in great shape! Only a little scrapy, which was great for 3pm on a busy Saturday. The s-curves were bumped up, but I'm better at those now! After the curves the trail actually skied great - we were all delighted! Woods were good again and I was definitely getting better - I just had to keep talking to myself saying "weight forward, skis togther, weight forward, skis together." I did have to take off my goggles in the woods because the light was FLAT and I was not trying to die. Only issue is that getting whacked with a branch hurts a lot more without protection!

Run #16 was more of the same and we made it to the Queens Highway/Chalet Meadows junction at 3:55, which was just enough time to send it down Raccoon Run in time for last chair! Unfortunately, I did not PR, but it was fun nevertheless. Our final run for the day was up the Village Chair and down Chalet Meadows, with a weak attempt at dipping into Doe Woods in between.

We met back up with Gabby and Kyle, who just finished their first rice balls, and then we found Emma's parents in the Bullwheel for apres. Emma's dad got us a round, which was super nice - I still need to ski with him, though! Afterwards, Gabby, Kyle, Emma, and I drove to the Village Tavern in Jeffersonville for dinner (featuring the Drowned Buger). They did seat us upstairs, which was WAY too fancy for us, but thankfully the menu was the same. Oh, and I forgot to mention, Emma BLASTED through Waterville and got pulled over for going 40 in what we thought was a 25. The cop said she did her a solid by only giving her a ticket for going 35, and turns out the speed limit was 30, which was a bit silly... I had a good laugh, though!

Our night ended by showing Gabby and Kyle the masterpiece, "Hot Dog...The Movie," and off to bed for a good night's rest. 

Map of Jay Peak (2023-2024) 

(They still haven't uploaded the current year's map...)

Skiing Cochran's Ski Area

Skiing Cochran's Ski Area

Friday, February 21st, 2025

Runs: 10

Distance: 3.11 miles

Elevation: 3,176 feet

Max Speed: 26.1 mph

Avg. Speed: 10.1 mph

Moving Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, 53 seconds

After a lovely late lunch at the Stone Corral Brewery in Richmond, VT, Emma and I said goodbye to our friends and drove up to Cochran's Ski Area, which was buzzing and alive! We parked way down by the entrance and enjoyed an avant-ski beverage while we partially waited for Elizabeth, Snowboard Emma, and Rachel. Elizabeth was going to bring Emma snow pants, becuase Emma forgot all of her clothes. They were running behind schedule, so Emma ultimately decided to wear some of my hiking clothes, which was VERY funny. Eventually, we booted up and walked up the parking lot to the ski area! We first went into the lodge to get our tickets, but they said as long as we ordered online (which we did), we're good! This was nice becuase it was easy, but we were both a little bummed because we wanted wicket tickets! The ski area had a busy T-Bar, the world's fastest rope toe, and a smaller rope tow with handles in the learning area. The lights were on, but the sun was still partly up. 

Runs 1-2

Run 1: T-Bar - Alison's Alley - The Elbow - Ginny's Way

[0.57 mi; 3:19; 423 ft; 22.3 mph max; 10.3 mph avg]

Run 2: T-Bar - Alison's Alley - The Face

[0.23 mi; 1:13; 423 ft; 19.5 mph max; 11.5 mph avg]

Emma and I got right to business and hopped in the line for the T-Bar! The line was visually long, but we never waited more than a few minutes to get on. The T-Bar paralleled the rope tow, where people were ZOOMING up on. Our first run was on the right side of the map - the widest run we could do. We chose to do this first becuase the outer reaches weren't lighted, so we wanted to get it in before it was dark/dangerous. Ironically enough, I took out a young snowboarder who FLEW across the trail (she said sorry and I made sure she was okay - all good!). The snow was actually fantastic! Our second run was up the T-Bar and down The Face, which had a short but fun headwall with some man-made moguls. 

Runs 3-4

Run 3: Mighty Mite Tow - Mighty Mite

[0.07 mi; 0:50; 33 ft; 13.5 mph max; 4.5 mph avg]

Run 4: Mighty Mite Tow - Mighty Mite

[0.07 mi; 0:50; 33 ft; 13.5 mph max; 4.5 mph avg]

After our first two runs we had to PEE, so we took shifts using the porta potties. While Emma was doing her business, I found team snowboard! Rachel was going to use Snowboard Emma's board while Elizabeth used hers. We started at the Mighty Mite Tow, one to hang with them for a little but also because I had never used a rope tow before! The mighty mite moved slowly and had heavy metal handles. The slope was a standard, short learning slope. The tow was so heavy and slow that our arms were HURTING. We had a couple of nice laps, but Elizabeth was giving Rachel a real lesson, so Emma and I went back over to the T-Bar. 

Runs 5-7

Run 5: T-Bar - The Race Trail

[0.42 mi; 1:50; 410 ft; 24.8 mph max; 13.5 mph avg]

Run 6: Rope Tow - The Race Trail

[0.25 mi; 1:05; 305 ft; 26.1 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 7: Rope Tow - The Race Trail]

[0.27 mi; 2:02; 318 ft; 21.0 mph max; 8.0 mph avg]

It was time to get ready for the FAST tow. Run #5 was down the race trail, which had some slalom gates up. It was listed as a black, but really didn't feel that steep. From there, we dropped our poles and braved the world's fastest rope tow! My god, it was fast and terrifying. I got up and close to it, grabbed on with my mittens, it shredded my mittens, and then I BLASTED OFF. Emma was right behind me. Eyes were watering, it was ridiculous. It was fun for the first half, but my arms got TIRED by the end (plus, I think I hurt my elbow getting yanked up). We did a second lap of this to get a video of the slingshot, and Emma gave me a quick edging lesson on the way down.

After this run our arms were TIRED, so it was time to head up to the lodge and get some mac and cheese! For $12, we could get a plate of mac and cheese, a salad, and a cookie. Sadly, the salads were out (not actually that sad) so they gave us extra mac and cheese (actually a great outcome). Snowboard Emma met us inside. Emma and I were warm and sweaty at this point of the night, so we shed some layers and went back out for a few last runs on the T-Bar.

Runs 8-10

Run 8: T-Bar - I-89

[0.39 mi; 2:46; 397 ft; 23.6 mph max; 8.5 mph avg]

Run 9: T-Bar - Alison's Alley - The Face

[0.40 mi; 2:14; 420 ft; 22.5 mph max; 10.9 mph avg]

Run 10: T-Bar - Alison's Alley - The Face

[0.45 mi; 1:48; 417 ft; 23.1 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

We were blessed to come outside and see Elizabeth attempting the tope tow on her snowboard and HURLING her body forward, fully eating it. She then joined us on the T-Bar. The three of us went up and followed I-89 down, which had more fantastic snow. Elizabeth tried some tricks off the race ramps, but didn't have enough speed to really take off. 

After, team snowboard started to wrap up and Emma and I planned to get a couple mor ein before they closed. Our last two laps were down Alison's Alley and the Face again. I did make a half-assed attempt at the man-made moguls, but the divots were fully skied off and it was NOT necessary. I did have fun making some wide turns through the soft, choppy snow, though!

The whole time we were at Cochran's we kept saying how much fun we were having - it was such a fun way to spend a Friday night! A little busy when we got there, but the T-Bar was ski-on for the last hour. I would DEFINITELY come back!

Map of Cochran's Ski Area

Skiing Whaleback Mountain

Skiing Whaleback Mountain

Friday, February 21st, 2025

Runs: 14

Distance: 9.65 miles

Elevation: 10,028 feet

Max Speed: 33.0 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.1 mph

Moving Time: 50 minutes, 8 seconds 

Total Time: 2 hours, 48 minutes, 15 seconds

I was loving my plan for this day, as instead of driving almost 4 hours to Vermont I drove 1.5 hours to Oak Hill, and then another hour to Whaleback Mountain (and later I'd do another 1.5). I made it to the parking lot just before 10:00am and I had to wonder if they were even open, because I saw the chair running but not a single other soul. There were cars in the parking area, but not many, but eventually I saw a human and concluded I was allowed in. I parked on the access road and went in to get my Indy. The lodge was super small, but adorable. They use the Entebeni Systems... system to get lift tickets, which has been famously slow (minus at Magic Mountain). The poor cashier had to enter info on her macbook, then type it again into the big computer, get the photo on the kiosk, and so on... It's fine, I just hope they figure out how to streamline it someday (or bring back wicket tickets!!!!). I booted up at the car and was on the chair in no time!

Runs 1-5

Run 1: Summit Chair - Whaleback - Upper Spout - Bougainvillea - Lower Spout

[0.56 mi; 2:32; 738 ft; 28.5 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Summit Chair - Whaleback - Dorsal - Rib Cage - Bougainvillea - Lower Spout

[0.62 mi; 2:51; 725 ft; 24.8 mph max; 13.1 mph avg]

Run 3: Summit Chair - Whaleback - Dorsal - Fin - Upper Spout - Rib Cage - Harpoon - Scrimshaw

[0.68 mi; 3:42; 392 ft; 24.8 mph max; 11.0 mph avg]

Run 4: Summit Chair - Whaleback - Ambergris - Upper Spout - Scrimshaw

[0.64 mi; 2:42; 761 ft; 26.4 mph max; 13.3 mph avg]

Run 5: Summit Chair - Whaleback - Beluga - Flipper - Ambergris - Rib Cage - Harpoon - Scrimshaw

[0.65 mi; 3:41; 702 ft; 24.1 mph max; 10.6 mph avg]

My plan for the morning was basically to ski as many trails as humanly possible without dying or going too above my skill level. I started with the left side of the map and basically worked around clockwise. Run #1 was down Whaleback, Upper Spout, Bougainvillea, and Lower Spout, and was surpringly fun! I feel bad saying surpringly, but I've driven past this mountain so many times, and more often than not conditions looked rough. I was thrilled!

Run #2 followed Whaleback to Dorsal to Rib Cage, followed by the same way out. I was feeling CRAZY for Run #3 and added in Fin, a natural trail that had weird hard-and-soft snow that threw me off and Harpoon, which was a super short black run kind of through the trees? Basically a single track with a few side-bumps. I made it down, but it wasn't pretty. That led to Scrimshaw, the end of the wide green trail.

Run #4 included Ambergris, which was similarily ungroomed, but more fun thatn Fin, and Run #5 was the last one off of Whaleback and brought me down Beluga, which was a black tree/bump run. I also learned that most of the blacks on this mountain were just woods runs. There were big bumps that I did okay with, but then one steep drop off that I did not do great with. I shoulder checked the ground at that part, but didn't fall! Emma said that doesn't could as a true fall. I also hit Harpoon again on this run and did... better? Maybe?

I should also mention that I think I had a breakthrough during these runs in terms of carving vs skidding. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I think I started maybe thinking about leading with my outside toe when initiating a turn versus just leaning my knees, and my skies turned and caught in a way that they hadn't before, but also that felt very good. I'm still digesting at the time of writing this, but Emma did I say I was looking more solid, so maybe I'm doing something right?

Runs 6-7

Run 6: Summit Chair - Flipper - Ambergris - Upper Spout - Scrimshaw

[0.68 mi; 2:31; 633 ft; 25.6 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 7: Summit Chair - Upper Whale Tail - Lower Whale Tail - Rib Cage - Harpoon - Upper Spout- Lower Spout

[0.79 mi; 3:34; 719 ft; 27.8 mph max; 13.3 mph avg]

Something to note about the Summit Chair - you canNOT put the bar down before you're fully airborne, or else it will hit the ground and stop the chair. Two other quirks I noticed: there are exactly 100 chairs, chair #100 is pink, an dchair #75 was sponsored by some vet at some point and has faded pawprints on it - fun! The next two runs were still down the left side of the map, but not off of the Whaleback run. #6 followed Flipper to Ambergris, Upper Spout, and Scrimshaw, and was a nice, easy winding run. #7 was the last on this side of the mountain and followed the ungroomed Upper and Lower Whaletales, which were actually super fun! Lots of side hits and a few bumps. I hit Harpoon yet again for hopefully a redemption run, but accidentally sent it a little too fast past my comfort zone. I made it out safely, though! This was my favorite run so far.

Runs 8-12

Run 8: Summit Chair - Upper Ivory Run - Fluke - Davey Jones' Locker - Lower Ivory Run

[0.80 mi; 5:33; 722 ft; 18.0 mph max; 8.7 mph avg]

Run 9: Summit Chair - Jonah's Revenge - Leviathan - Lower Ivory Run

[0.66 mi; 4:03; 709 ft; 23.6 mph max; 9.7 mph avg]

Run 10: Summit Chair - Upper Ivory Run - Fluke - Leviathan - Lower Ivory Run

[0.78 mi; 4:25; 719 ft; 23.7 mph max; 10.6 mph avg]

Run 11: Summit Chair - Jonah's Revenge - Blubber - Lower Ivory Run

[0.64 mi; 4:31; 715 ft; 19.9 mph max; 8.6 mph avg]

Run 12: Summit Chair - Upper Ivory Run - Fluke - Blubber - Lower Ivory Run

[0.78 mi; 4:35; 722 ft; 21.0 mph max; 10.2 mph avg]

Now it was time to tackle the right side of the map! Sadly, the Upper Ivory Run was closed, so I continued to the next one - Fluke. Fluke started in a pretty coniferous forest and it was BUMPY. This gave me some pause, but I was officially committed. The upper stretch was narrow with basically a single track, which was stressful but was good for practicing speed control. The narrow stretch led to a headwall that I tackled slowly, scraping over a few exposed rocks (I apologized to my skis many times). The lower stretch was still bumpy, but much flatter and fun! From there, I turned onto Davey Jones' Locker, which had some similar flatter bumps, and then led to Lower Ivory Run, which was nice and groomed. Once I was back on the chair I noticed something, I didn't have a bad time? Was I starting to enjoy bumps?

I planned to repeat Fluke and find Leviathan for the next run, but a large, fearless lesson group went that way ahead of me, so I turned onto Jonah's Revenge instead. Jonah's was a little more difficult that Fluke. It required a short skate over to a fence with a single opening to start the run. It was bumpy right away, and two more distinct steep sections. Challenging, but I learned if I act more nonchalant (i.e., gaslight myself into being less stressed) and sing a little tune to myself, I skied much better! I scraped yet another rock and did another shoulder-check not-fall, but survived! I then continued onto Leviathan (I think? The map and the trail signs on the mountain either disagreed or I was reading them wrong - either way, I'm using the online map for this write-up), which led to Lower Ivory for an easy finish.

I was back to Fluke for Run #10! I thought I was alone again, but at the headwall I came up on two duos - one was waiting at the top, I was just behind them, and another was about 2/3 down and having a TIME. Once they got going, the duo ahead of me asked if I wanted to go first, and I politely declined since I was going to be SLOW. They said same, but went on their way. Turns out we ski at the same level - fun! From the bumpy flat I continued onto Leviathan and Lower Ivory. 

Unfortunately, I was actually having a really great time on these runs. 

Run #11 was down Jonah's again, which was still more challenging than Fluke (I'm not sure why I thought it would be any different). I think I skied it better, and I definitely linked some turns! This time, I followed a cat track over to Blubber, which was a nice, short, groomed intermediate off of the T-Bar. 

My last "practicing" run was back down Fluke and over to Blubber - I flirted with skating over to the Lower Face, which was steeper and bumped up, but that involved crossing the top of the T-Bar and I was just not feeling it. From the chair I noticed that I could see (what I think was) Killington! I skied Fluke the best I had and kept working on the carving sensation I was experiencing on Blubber. I decided I'd pivot to my "three more skip the last" after this run. 

Runs 13-14

Run 13: Summit Chair - Upper Whale Tail - Rib Cage - Harpoon - Scrimshaw

[0.82 mi; 3:11; 719 ft; 26.2 mph max; 15.4 mph avg]

Run 14: Summit Chair - Whaleback - Upper Spout - Bougainvillea - Lower Spout

[0.56 mi; 2:07; 719 ft; 33.0 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]

I decided I'd hit my favorite run of the day and then do a fast run to wrap things up (and skip the last, unnamed one, of course). Run #13 was back down Whale Tail and then I hit Harpoon for good measure (this one I had not gotten better on, and that is simply okay). My final run hit the goal of being my fastest run, bookending my day with Whaleback - Upper Spout - Bougainvillea - and Lower Spout. 

I was so pleasantly surprised by my visit to Whaleback! There was a great variety of trails, I got better, and I had a lot of fun! I feel bad for skipping it so many times! This was also my first solo ski day in a while - I've grown acustomed to skiing with friends, but it was also nice to have a day where it was just me working on what I need to work on. Once I changed and used the bathroom, I had a drive that was about an hour and a half over to Richmond, VT, where I was meeting Emma and two friends from college for a late lunch, and then over to Cochran's Ski Area for $5 night skiing!

Map of Whaleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Oak Hill Fire Tower via Sharker Road(Oak Hill City Forest)

Oak Hill Fire Tower (Oak Hill City Forest)

Hike Type: Out and Back

Distance: 3.97 miles

Elevation: 663 feet

Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: New Hampshire Fire Tower Quest

The Hike

Vacation was technically over but school break was still going strong! After tweaking my knee doing something on Wednesday at Saddleback, I took my mandatory day of rest on Thursday. Now it was Friday, and it was time to get back into it! The end-plan for the day was to meet Emma at Cochran's Ski Area in Richmond, VT for some rope-towed night skiing (for $5), so I backwards-planned my day to start with an early morning hike, continuing to finish up the New Hamphire Fire Tower Quest list (you get the patch for 5 towers, but I want to finish the list still). My alarm went off just before 5:00am and it was a STRUGGLE to get up. Thankfully, I had an easy drive to Hooksett with a successful christening of the bathroom. I got two stuffed hash browns for first breakfast, and a sandwich for second breakfast that I would eat after my hike. I made it to the Oak Hill City Forest parking lot on Shaker Road at 6:45am and was delighted to see 1) a plowed lot and 2) not a single other car. Skies were overcast with a breeze and it was 19 degrees out. I brought snowshoes but the trail looked well-packed, so I made the decision to hike it in just my spikes. 

The trail starts at a kiosk and follows yellow blazes the whole way. The snow was a little softer than expected, and in hindsight it would have been good to practice hiking in snowshoes, but I was fine. The wind was causing the trees to do some spooky creaking and I was gleefully following many deer tracks as the trail meandered through the woods, intersecting with many other trails (all blazed in blue, red, or yellow, and were mostly well-signed). My nano puff came off at 0.25 miles and my fleece came off at 0.5 miles. I noticed tracks on these intersecting trails and wondered if they could be used to make a loop (or partial loop), but they were significantly less-traveled and would have required snow shoes (I should have brought them...). 

The Tower Trail skirted a semi-recently-logged area that had tree views to either Kearsarge South or Cardigan (not sure which one, I'm guessing Kearsarge) and MANY private property signs. The trail got choppier here and continued to be less-packed as it entered a denser forest, crossing a couple of bridges. 

Right at the one-mile mark there was a "1/2 way" sign, and the Tower Trail intersected many other criss-crossing trails, but now most weren't broken out. It was relatively flat in this area, and I was starting to get ready for some uphill as I was getting chilly. The trail eventually came to a sharp turn at a granite marker that marked the Concord/Ludon town line, and then the trail followed a power cut for a final push up to the tower. 

The final push was a bit more moderate, which was welcomed at this point. The snow here really could have used snowshoes, as the firm monorail was about 4" wide (I only postholed once, though!). Up top, there was an old cabin, an abandoned RV, a few communication towers, some form of old machinery, and of course, the fire tower! The climb, similar to other NH towers, was steep and narrow, but not nearly as sketchy as some others. The view was a little grown-in, but I could see Monadnock, Kearsarge South, and Cardigan, which was super fun! It was 15 degrees up here with 15 to 20 mile per hour winds (I got a new anemometer! I also wrote my name, address, and phone number on this one...). I opted for no hot chocolate or break, as I just wanted to keep moving and stay warm. I also hit the two-mile mark at the top of the tower!

'

Mt. Monadnock.

Mt. Cardigan (Possibly)

Mt. Kearsarge (Likely)

I postholed once again going down, but still only once! Some blue skies were beginning to pop out, and the rest of my return trip was nice and easy. This was a great spot to explore just off the highway, and I'd be curious to wander around some of the other trails in the forest! Now, though, it was time for a quick change and a drive to Whaleback Mountain for some skiing!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Oak Hill City Forest trailhead on Shaker Road.

- Hike to Fire Tower out-and-back on yellow-blazed trail.

"Oak Hill (In Loudon; 941 ft.)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

Oak Hill is a long ridge running east and west in Loudon and Concord. A fire tower on the wooded summit was refurbished in 2019 and offers pleasant views of the surrounding countryside and hills. Other outlooks lie lower on the mountain.

"Tower Trail" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

        This yellow-blazed trail is the most direct route to the summit and fire tower from the main Shaker Rd. trailhead and also serves as a trunkline trail where several other trails branch off, making various loop hikes possible. Grades are generally easy the whole way and footing is mostly good aside from a few rocky sections. The immediate area around the summit has been impacted by logging but the trail itself is only slightly affected.

        Tower Trail leaves the parking area at a kiosk and branch of Concord's Little Free Public Library and ascends easily along a wide path to a junction at 0.2 mi. where blue-blazed Lower Trail diverges right for the Vista Way trailhead. Tower Trail bears left, immediately passes the closed former section of Ledges Trail on the right, then in 25 yd. passes a junction on the right with the current route of that red-blazed trail. At 0.5 mi. Tower Trail passes a junction on the right with red-blazed Upper Trail, which leads to the scenic vista and Oak Hill Rd. trailhead. It ascends easily, levels as it passes north of Potter Ridge, then descends to a four-way junction at 0.9 mi. where red-blazed Dancing Bear Trail leaves left (turn left onto this trail to reach the Swope Slope Vista) and blue-blazed Potter Ridge Trail leaves right.

        Tower Trail continues traight ahead and footing becomes rockier. At 1.2 mi. it passes through a lower four-way junction with the blue-blazed Krupa Loop, climbs easily over an unnamed 775 ft. bump, then descends to an upper four-way junction with Krupe Loop at 1.3 mi. Tower Trail continues an easy ascent, with a few minor ups and downs, and reaches an old stone wall at 1.7 mi. which, along with an engraved granite post on left, marks the boundary between Concord and Loudon. Here, red-blazed Ron's Way departs right.

        Tower Trail passes through the wall, turns sharply left and follows a power-line corridor at easy to moderate grades. At 1.9 mi. the fire tower comes into views as the trail makes the final ascent to the summit. The trail crosses two newer skid roads, jogging left then right at the second one, and emerges onto the broad summit clearing at 2.0 mi. When leaving the summit, Tower Trail diverges right at a fork (sign: "Tower Trail") where Oak Hill Summit Rd. bears left by the communications tower.

"History of the Oak Hill City Forest" from Trailhead Kiosk

The bedrock of what is now called Oak Hill (elev. 980 feet) formed 410 to 365 million of years ago in the late Devonian period. It consists of a rock type called Concord Granite and is part of the same rock formation that is quarried in Concord on the west side of the Merrimack River. Oak Hill came into being when the softer rock that had encompassed the granite slowly eroded away. Part of the granite formation can be observed on the Ledges Trail. The most recent geologic event that helped shape Oak Hill was the ice age. When the glacier receded about 12,000 years ago, it deposited the soil and the boulders presently found on the hill.

        Settlers first moved into the Concord area in the early to mid 1700's. They probably found Oak Hill covered by a forest of red oak, white oak, American chestnut, and a scattering of hemlock, red maple, black birch, and hickory mixed in. Most of the forest was cleared in the mid to late 1700's for agriculture. Many of the trees that were cut down were burned to create charcoal that was used in area mills and forges. The Tower Trail crosses directly over an old charcoal pit which is located about halfway between the trail's intersections with the Upper Trail and the Dancing Bear Trail. Old deeds referenced that some of the chestnut groves were left standing as the chestnuts provided nutritious food for both humans and livestock.

        Due to the steepness and rockiness of the soil, most of the hill was only suitable for pasture. As a result, only one farmstead can be found on the City Forest as there was not enough productive cropland to support more than one family. Stone walls and rock piles tent to mark the areas used for growing crops. Those areas can be found along the Tower Trail between the northern trailhead and the Ledges Trail turn-off, and in the area along Skaker Road immediately south of the farmstead site at the southern trailhead. A small amount of granite was quarried from the hill during the colonial era. Some large boulders were split along the west side of the Lower Trail just south of the footbridge and the bedrock itself was quarried near the hill's summit on the Loudon Town line. Due to poor soil conditions, most of the pasture land was abandoned in the mid to late 1800's and quickly grew in with a mixture of pine, hemlock and chestnut. Unfortunately, the chestnut was killed off by a blight in the 1920's, though many of the dead stems were salvaged. The blight intensified growing concerns about forest protection and a system of fire towers was developed throughout the State. Because Oak Hill commanded spectacular views of central New Hampshire, a fire tower was constructed on its summit in 1928. Most of the pines that developed in the abandoned pastures were logged off in the early to mid 1900's which allowed the present oak forest to develop. The areas that were used for growing crops were eventually converted to hayfields until they too were abandoned in the early 1900's and they also grew in with the white pine currently found there. Severe Gypsy Moth infestations in 1980 and again in 1990 killed off many of the hemlocks and numerous oaks, though the forest seems to have now recovered from that ordeal.

        The City of Concord started acquiring land on Oak Hill in 1975 for conservation purposes. Between 1975 and 1999 the City obtained six parcels of land that totaled approximately 300 acres. In 1989, the City started an intensive forest management program by setting up two timber sales and then used some of the skidder trail to initiate the hiking trail system. A goal of creating a trail to the firew tower on the summit of Oak Hill was soon developed. In 1999, the City purchased a tract of land that connected the City Forest to the Loudon Town Line. Permission was obtained in 2000 to cross the private land on the summit of Oak Hill in Loudon to complete the trail to the fire tower.

        As with other City Forests, the City of Concord manages the Oak Hill City Forest under the Multiple-Use concept where consideration is given to timber production, recreation, wildlife habitat improvement, watershed protection and education. It is hoped that a sound forest management program will continuously provide the public with the many benefits that a well-managed forest has to offer.

Map of Oak Hill City Forest

Photo Album

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Vacation Day 6)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Wednesday, February 19th, 2025

Runs: 21

Distance: 26.02 miles

Elevation: 27,234 feet

Max Speed: 37.3 mph

Avg. Speed: 15.0 mph

Moving Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 45 minutes, 42 seconds

Officially the last day of vacation! We had our earliest wake-up of the trip at 6:00am (due to the weather I didn't go on/force my friends to go on any sunrise hikes), and we were up and out shockingly quickly! The drive to Saddleback was mostly in good condition, but there was one stretch of impressive snow drift before the height-of-land. We somehow made it to the mountain around 7:45am, which gave us an EXCELLENT parking spot and plenty of time for our chores. We got breakfast and our Indy passes at 8:00am, booted and suited up, and were ready to ski right when lifts opened at 8:30am! It was cold with a few clouds in the skies, but it was going to be an amazing day (we also joked that it was almost 30 degrees warmer with a high of 14). I was also thrilled because this day of Saddleback was my 20th day skiing for the season!

Daily Report

Wednesday, February 19th, 7:07 AM

If you're here today, you're in for a good one. Our full lineup of lifts will be spinning this morning, and with forecasted high of 14 in the base area, mostly sunny skies, and clear visibility for long-range views of the lakes and beyond - it's going to be a banner day here at Saddleback!

100% of the mountain is open and available. All glades, groomed, and natural terrain is skiing beautifully, and with a dusting of new snow last night, those first morning turns are going to be something special. If you're thinking of venturing into the trees, please be sure to bring a friend, but after hitting 150" snowfall mark this season, our base in teh woods is a great place for exploring and finding new favorite spots! Today (and the rest of the week) will be one to remember!

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Rangeley Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.94 mi; 3:06; 1,352 ft; 37.3 mph max; 18.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.99 mi; 2:59; 1,332 ft; 32.5 mph max; 19.9 mph avg]

Run 3: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - The Pass - Lower Professor - Lower Jane Craig

[1.15 mi; 5:14; 1,299 ft; 26.3 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 4: Rangeley Quad - Royal Coachman - The Pass - Lower Jane Craig

[1.03 mi; 5:34; 1,322 ft; 28.7 mph max; 11.1 mph avg]

My only goals for the day were to 1) have fun, 2) not think about the drive, 3) hit at least one natural run, and 4) ski Royal Coachman only becuase we skipped it on Saturday. Goal #4 was going to be accomplished on Run #1! We took the Rangeley up and followed Royal Coachman down, which started as a black and then became a blue after The Pass, but it felt no steeper than any of the blues on looker's right of the Rangeley. We ZOOMED down, the snow was excellent, and soon we were right back on the quad!

Next up was Grey Ghost, because we remembered it was starting to get skied off at the end-of-day Saturday (also because it's segment on Strava has the ghost emoji). Skied great, and again, soon enough were back on the Rangeley.

Run #3 was planned to be Parmanchee Belle as our degisnated natural terrain run, but at the headwall there was an "experts only/thin cover sign," and when we peeked down we saw a gnarly looking run - next! We landed on Lower Professor and Lower Jane Craig, both of which were LOVELY - groomed with soft, fresh cords. 

We finally accomplished the goal of a natural trail with Lower Jane Craig from The Pass (not via Professor). We followed the rules of "GNAR" and pole whacked the "headwall," and got going! It wasn't bumpy, but had some "exciting" variable conditions. Sarah did an awesome job being Emma's substitute teacher for this run, and I was definitely feeling better about natural terrain than before (not great, though). The trail became groomed at the junction with Professor, and we zoomed on down from there!

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 1:40; 646 ft; 23.7 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]

Run 6: Kenebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.88 mi; 7:23; 2,126 ft; 31.9 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

Run 7: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.13 mi; 4:18; 1,263 ft; 28.8 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Back on the Rangeley, it was time to face Gen's nemesis again, Green Weaver (it was totally fine since it was morning). Unfortunately, Sarah wanted to hit Tight Line again. I, again, was absolutely terrified. I knew I wanted to at least hit it from Firefly, but went back and forth (again) about the headwall. I decided to not be a baby be brave. I was NOT shaking on Dazzler, unlike on Saturday, and instead of doing long traverses of the headwall, I just copied Sarah's turn pattern, and made it down completely fine. Because of the turn pattern, I was going faster than last time, so instead of trying to stop at Firefly I just sent it down. I did, in fact, cry again, but we exchanged a fist-bump and then decided to do a tippy-top to tippy-bottom (Gen went down America, so we'd find her eventually at the Rangeley). We followed Lower Tight Line to connect the dots, which was unfortunately in worse condition than last time, but we hit lovely untouched corduroy on Lower Green Hornet and Dusty Miller. This run was long, scary, but incredibly satisfying!

Run #7 followed the South Branch and Rangeley up, and then we went down Grey Ghost, Jitterbug, Hudson Highway, and Red Devil. The view was still great on Red Devil, and with the headwall and tree island, this one might be my favorite (I chose Blue Devil as my pick for Saturday, in contrast). 

Runs 8-9

Run 8: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.50 mi; 2:26; 646 ft; 23.6 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 9: Kenebago Quad - America - Blue Devil

[1.75 mi; 6:54; 1,745 ft; 30.0 mph max; 15.2 mph avg]

We picked Gen up back at the Rangeley and went back to her nemesis, which was already getting scraped up (honestly fine, just required some brain). The clouds had finally cleared from the summit, so it was time for our first America run of the day. The Kenebago was now playing Brazillian music, which was an absolute blast! The view from America was absolutely insane as always, and we went down Blue Devil for a fun, fast run. At this point, we were COLD, so it was time for a hot chocolate break. Somehow, the lodge was super busy at this point, possibly busier than Saturday, so we had to chill on a bench instead of a table. 

Runs 10-14

Run 10: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.42 mi; 1:54; 643 ft; 22.3 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 11: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.98 mi; 4:14; 1,053 ft; 22.0 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 12: Kenebago Quad - America - Silver Doctor

[1.67 mi; 6:19; 1,647 ft; 29.8 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 13: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[1.15 mi; 4:18; 1,296 ft; 24.5 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

Run 14: Rangeley Quad - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet - Hummer

[1.77 mi; 7:21; 1,611 ft; 27.8 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

The next chunk of runs were just Gen and I, as Linnea and Andrew had officially arrived, so the two of them plus Sarah went off to ski some the steeps and woods off the Kenebago. We planned to all take the Rangeley up together, but somehow Gen, Sarah, and I got about 342 chair ahead of Linnea and Andrew (we're good friends, though, so we waited for them at the top). We followed Grey Ghost to The Pass to get near the Kenebago together, and then the advance team went up the Kenebago over to Dazzler while Gen and I went down Tri-Color, which was horribly skied off at this point. With Tri-Color crossed off the list, we went back to the Kenebago to get a nice run down America and Silver Doctor (we forgot Sneaky Pete existed at this point, so unfortunately, we had to cross Grey Ghost on the pass and side-step up... whoops!). 

Mine and Gen's plan now was to ski the rest of the mid-mountain blues that we hadn't yet. Run #13 was back up the Rangeley to ski the full Green Weaver (upper sucked, lower was wonderful), followed by Run #14 down Green Hornet to the tippy-bottom.

Runs 15-17

Run 15: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - The Pass - Blue Devil

[1.19 mi; 4:32; 1,257 ft; 27.4 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 16: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.66 mi; 3:17; 627 ft; 20.6 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 17: Kenebago Quad - America - Red Devil - Royal Tiger - Hornberg - Smelt Streamer

[2.34 mi; 9:09; 2,024 ft; 28.2 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Gen and I were feeling good about our runs, so we were reflecting on our favorites from the day and looking to revist some of our favorites - she was flirting with her two more skip the last. Run #15 was the Blue Devil, which was starting to get a bit icy, but overall was still a blast. Afterwards, Gen decided she was on her "three more skip the last." We headed back up the Rangeley, got a run with Sneaky Pete back to the Kenebago for her last run. We had an awesome run down America, Red Devil, Royal Tiger, Hornberg (over a bridge and through the condos), and finally Smelt Streamer. To my dismay, Gen decided to BREAK THE RULES and keep skiing after! She had a goal of skiing 15 miles and a dream of skiing 20, and after that run she was at 18ish, so she decided to call another "three more skip the last" (I told her if she falls and gets hurt this is why!). Thankfully, we finally caught up with our friends again! We had been on opposite lift/run schedules, but we finally got to link up!

Runs 18-19

Run 18: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.71 mi; 3:08; 630 ft; 24.0 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 19: Kenebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[2.47 mi; 10:26; 2,034 ft; 28.9 mph max; 14.6 mph avg]

We met the advanced team back at the Kenebago after a nice run from the Rangeley to Kenebago featuring Sneaky Pete again, and we were up! From the Kenebago, we followed America as a full group, making sure to get our pole picture from the top! The view from the top is so beautiful - especially towards the lakes and Mt. Washington (not Old Speck like I thought!). We followed America back to Sneaky Pete all the way over to Lower Green Weaver. At the Rangeley, Gen was all set and the rest of us went down the Mrs. Duley Glades (minus Andrew, who hit the baby park). The glades were bouncier than last time, and I got air a few times! I was practicing not locking my knees when I got airborne. 

Runs 20-21

Run 20: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.47 mi; 1:49; 623 ft; 23.6 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Run 21: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Blue Devil - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[2.30 mi; 9:46; 2,031 ft; 31.7 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

It was time for us to call three more skip the last, sadly. I was starting to feel the driving stress - mostly I just wanted to get to I-95 before it was too dark outside. We went back up to the top of the Rangeley, advanced team followed Professor into some glades while I went down Green Weaver. Our final run was my favorite run of the trip - I think partly because of the sentimental aspect of a tippy-top to tippy-bottom with friends at the end of a super fun six days of skiing, and also becuase it hits basically every type of terrain. America was a gentle cruiser with an incredible blue, then we made it to Blue Devil that was fast and fun. We went back into Mrs. Duley for some natural/trees, and bottomed out at the South Branch Quad - it hit everything on such an amazing mountain! We were all delusional and tired at this point, and were satsified with our day! The line for the South Branch was a little slow, and a single rider refused to get with a pair, and I might have said "why wouldn't he go" out loud, but thankfully he didn't hear me... whoops!

Afterwards, Sarah and I, who accidentally forgot about lunch, INHALED grab-n-go quesidillas, and the three of us made our way outside and over to the car. The first bit of our drive was absolutely beautiful, with an insanely awesome view to what we believe was the backside of Sugarloaf. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner (accidentally the same Taco Bell Gen and I stopped at last year), and continued our drive home. Dropped Gen off first, and discovered her FROZEN driveway (exciting!) and then to Sarah's. I eventually made it home a little after 10:00pm. A late night, but so worth it for a day at Saddleback and a truly awesome trip! I feel like I'm a better skier after this trip with new confidence on groomers and an increased interest in the natural/bumpy side of things. Good news is that I have a day of rest, and then back to mountains!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)