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Bethlehem, New Hampshire, United States
E-mail contact: randonneur8@yahoo.com | Facebook: facebook.com/1HappyHikerNH

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28 February 2015

So, What's Happening?

Perhaps some of my blog followers might wonder 'what's happening', considering it's been a while since I've posted a report to my blog.  The long and short of it is that nearly all of my recent adventures have been spent enjoying the sport of Nordic style skiing, a.k.a. cross-country skiing, or XC-skiing.

It's difficult to pinpoint precisely what it is that makes this sport so appealing to me.  But, high on my list would be the pure joy of gliding on skis through open woods and fields.  Also, I take pleasure in the powerful aerobic workout that this sport provides.  Another factor that attracts me is the "no fuss/no muss" ability to just grab your skis/poles and head for the woods.  Although I still enjoy winter hikes on snowshoes, these adventures seem to entail more preparation, plus additional decision-making about what equipment to bring along.

Similar to hiking, there are options as to where to perform the sport of Nordic skiing.  You can ski on groomed trails which are generally equivalent to hiking on well-maintained hiking trails.  Or, you can ski off-trail, either through open woods, or un-groomed corridors such as logging roads, and roadways that are closed to vehicular traffic during the winter season.   All of these options are enjoyable to me.  However, if pressed to choose a personal preference, it would be skiing the un-groomed corridors, and skiing off-trail through open woodlands when the conditions are right.

For sure, there are some scenic destinations that are unreachable on Nordic skis.  But rest assured, plenty of scenic vistas can be reached by skiing.  Perhaps this can best be illustrated by sharing the following series of snapshots that were taken during my Nordic skiing adventures over the past several weeks in my home State of New Hampshire.

MOUNTAIN VISTAS:








WINTER WOODS SCENES:





BROOK SCENES:




TRAILS (Groomed and Un-groomed):





MISCELLANEOUS:

First photo shows a portion of the Mt. Washington Hotel nestled in the Bretton Woods area of NH.

Second photo shows a building at a golf course very near to my home.  I skied there one evening, shortly after sunset (not my best nighttime photo, but will have to do!)





To sum it up, as odd as it might seem to some, I'm less than eager for Springtime to arrive since that will put an end to my Nordic skiing adventures.  However, I'm certain  that once the spring season gets into full bloom (pun intended), it won't take long to make the transition from skiing to "boots on the ground" hiking, and I'll enjoy every minute of it!