My husband Roger and I live in a beautiful corner of Vermont and naturally do most of our biking, hiking and paddling there. But when we want a change of scenery, what better place could there be for a long-weekend getaway than the mountains of New Hampshire? In early May, with the snow barely gone, we decided to explore spring in the Mount Washington Valley for a weekend of fun.
I had heard that the view from the top of Mount Willard in Crawford Notch was beyond what you would expect from the relatively easy three-mile round trip hike. Turns out this is absolutely true.
This trail starts in at an old railroad terminal on Rt 302 which now houses an area information center, a small museum and a gift shop. But don’t count on getting information here until Memorial Day week-end.
The hike up Willard turned out to be a “single rail” of snow (good for practicing your balance!) that had been compacted into a glacier over the winter by constant snowshoe traffic. Probably most hikers who come here are visiting the beautiful AMC Highland Center that’s right near the trailhead. We had neglected to bring our trekking poles, which would have been very useful for the added stability, so the rail became a test of our agility. If you fell off the rail you were up to your knees in snow.
I’m guessing that on bare ground it would have taken us about 45 minutes to get to the rocky overlook on top. As it was, the snow and a couple of stream crossings—one of which required low water wading–slowed us down some and made the hike more of a challenge than it would have been in equally nice weather in the summer or fall.
After about an hour of hiking we could hear voices of a group that was already at the rock overlook. Three other “Active Seniors” were just finishing their snack when we arrived. If I had to guess, I would say they were all in their late 60’s or early 70’s. Remember age is not an excuse for staying indoors! They DID have their trusty poles with them and not long after we arrived began their descent. Their trip down was aborted almost immediately by the request of a group of four teenager girls who had just arrived. The girls wanted to have a group photo taken or I should say group photos-each of them had a camera! Of course they hammed it up and giggled the whole time while the patient seniors took many pictures. Hiking can obviously bring strangers of different generations together–if only for a moment– in a way that music or movies probably can’t.
By the way, the view from the top of Mount Willard will not let you down. It made us want to linger longer and simply savor, but, unfortunately, even though the sun was out and it was a comfortable temperature for sitting. We wanted to check into the condo at the Seasons Condominium Resort and take showers before meeting our friends for an Eastern Slopes potluck. So we had to snap some quick pictures ourselves and keep moving.
We pulled into the 45 acre complex that makes up The Seasons Condominium Resort and were cheerfully given the keys to our condo. The desk person told us about the clubhouse complete with an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi that is open to all guests. The clubhouse also offers a game room with two pool tables, air hockey and video games, ping pong and wifi–enough to keep any family amused for hours.
We were delighted when we entered our “suite.” Even though this condo is considered a one bedroom, it could easily accommodate a family or two couples. The kitchen/dining area was equipped with everything you could need to be comfortable and there was even a washer and dryer available for those dirty sports clothes.
Our living room had leather sofas, a large screen TV and a sound system. The master bedroom came with its own bath and a screened in porch. There was a second full bath on this level.
Upstairs, the loft seemed its own studio apartment complete with a mini living room and two singles and one double bed. We were happy, to say the least; I was already planning that glass of red wine on the porch which was bathed in evening sun.
I won’t say much about our potluck dinner other than that Eastern Slopers sure know how to eat: we had starters that included pot stickers, crackers for the various cheeses along with a selection of dips and sauces, the main meal offered a variety of homemade breads, chicken vindaloo, a buffalo burger ragout, various pasta dishes, a vegetable casserole, and no less than three salads. Then there were the deserts, and of course beer and wine in ample supply, too. This was turning into the perfect three day week-end! Our crew happens to work together, but I could easily envision a fun family-and-friends weekend in the same setting.
Sunday dawned with temperatures in the 50’s and brilliant sunshine. Since we could bike right from the condo on quiet West Side Road, we decided to linger for a leisurely breakfast at home with the Sunday paper and wait for the temperature to rise. We chose a 26 mile route on a relatively flat section of quiet, paved road that passed Echo Lake State Park and had great views of Cathedral Ledge, a popular rock climbing spot in this area.
The hills and mountains in the distance were snow covered but down in the valley it was sunny and topping 60 degrees.
We took a detour into the park to get a glimpse of the brave souls who were climbing a sheer rock face of Cathedral Ledge. There are easier guided ascents if you are so inclined but it was fun to watch and listen as these experienced climbers talked back and forth as they made their way up.
On Monday–before heading back to Vermont through Crawford Notch–we couldn’t resist doing a waterfall hike. The notch offers plenty of waterfalls to visit; signs on either side of the road advised of hikes of various distances to them. We chose the path to Gibbs Flume and ledge. Spring rains and snow melt produce much more water spill than at other times of the year and we wanted to see the result.
Again, the hike was gentle—mostly through deep pine woods–and this trail had little snow. Along the way we came to a sign saying simply “The Pool”, where the water had turned a usually placid swimming spot into a swirling whirlpool. Gibb’s Flume plunged noisily with the runoff of melting snow and spring rains.
Feeling content in a way that only exercise and the beauty of the outdoors can provide, we reluctantly returned to our car and headed home. On the drive, we talked about how blessed we are that places like the Mount Washington Valley are so close, so full of opportunities for both indoor and outside activity, and so available for year ’round fun.