For the first time since early in the pandemic I decided to take a walk on the Windham Rail Trail after work. I figured at dusk most people would be wrapping up their time on the trail and heading home. I figured wrong. I nodded a greeting to those who made eye contact, ignored those…
The math adds up, mostly. When you walk 4.25 miles in one direction on a rail trail, you should get the same number coming back in the other direction. Except that I took a couple of detours on the walk north, exploring side paths that I’ve previously marched right by. This wasn’t a timed walk,…
Yesterday morning I stood outside, barefoot, on the deck scanning the woods. A dozen deer were moving silently through, silhouetted by the sun reflecting off the rapidly melting snow. Unusually warm weather has created this opportunity to stand barefoot for me, and given the deer access to acorns and other edibles that should be locked…
There’s nothing like a long walk to sort things out and help you forget about the madness in the world. Last week New Hampshire received a few inches of heavy, wet snow. Once walked upon, slushy snow becomes a clutter of footprints. Let it freeze and that snow becomes a crunchy, treacherous mine field. And…
Sunday offered the perfect combination of bright sunshine and cold temperatures to be outside. A walk around the block is nice, a walk in the woods is better, but I opted to meet in the middle and picked a rail trail walk. Rail trails are usually paved, and as the name implies they run straight…
I took a walk on a local rail trail during a lunch break. The trail brought solitude occasionally interrupted by fellow walkers, joggers and cyclists. But not really solitude. There were glimpses of frogs warily looking back at me, chirps of chipmunks announcing “here’s another one.” as I walked by, and a distant hum of traffic…
Winter in New England brings an endless cycle of freezing and thawing. This morning we got heavy wet snow. Today it has warmed up and much of the snow is melting. Tonight brings bitter cold and water will re-freeze. This constant cycle brings frustration to those who are ready for spring, but it also brings…
Rail Trails Today I took an eight mile walk on the Windham Rail Trail with my wife. The trail segment is four miles long and cuts through ledge and over low areas that were built up to level the rail bed. This section of railroad was originally opened in 1849 and stopped running in the…