Randolph, New Hampshire, is not exactly Hampton Beach. From our motel of last evening, it was a ten-mile drive into Gorham for supper and breakfast; and at 1200 feet in elevation, it was cold enough during the night that I peeked out this morning to see if there was frost on my windshield. Just across US Route 2, the massive bulk of the northern Presidentials – Jefferson, Adams, and Madison – shoulders into the sky, and at the foot of the mountains the tiny Moose River flows east toward the Androscoggin.
In a way, those magnificent, wooded slopes above us are analogues for our current political situation. During the late 19th century they were logged rapaciously, until more and more lovers of wilderness noticed the resulting summer droughts, the recurring forest fires, and runaway erosion. The Weeks Act of 1911, signed by President Taft, was the legislative pushback that brought the unbridled extraction under control. Today, looking up, only a forester or historian would know this isn't the forest primeval. The conservationists' pressure had grown slowly, but in the end had proved to be irresistible.
Our motel allows dogs, so Kiki is here with me and our award-winning NHPBS video crew to film portions of the recently completed Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail. We're also chatting with the woman responsible for assembling the pieces that, once put together, cross New Hampshire, from the eastern end of the Cross Vermont Trail at Woodsville, 83 miles to the Maine border at Bethel.
The woman herself turns out to be as interesting as the trail. With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Tufts, Marianne Borowski spent her career in "biotechnology in Cambridge, MA in 2 biotech start ups working on protein structure, function, purification and analysis." I have almost no idea what that's all about, so have quoted her instead of trying to translate. She took early retirement and in 2002 bicycled across the country, along the way meeting her partner, a recently retired chemical engineer. Together they moved to the White Mountains to pursue their passion for the active outdoor life. Naturally, she's climbed the New Hampshire 48 and the New England 100 highest. A list-maker, organizer, and natural leader, she was piqued by the success of the Cross Vermont Trail and began to stimulate interest in (and help for) a trail that would hook up with Vermont's and continue to Maine.
This morning we're walking on part of that now-realized dream. The gravel trail, broad and smooth, stretches straight in both directions, with the infant Israel River beside it, running northwest to meet the Connecticut. In a kind of mental facepalm, it strikes me that it's never occurred to me before now that a railroad once ran through here. Railroads ran, in fact, all over the north country, first carrying lumber and later tourists. In the next "Doh!" moment I realize that, though we may regret the demise of the railroads, their rights of way make perfect trails for riding ¬– bicycles, horses, snowmobiles – or just perambulating.
Consider the constraints upon an engineer surveying for the route of a new railroad, and it will occur to you that those constraints make for a perfect cycling path, as well. The climb from Woodsville to the summit of the trail near Bowman is fully 1000 feet, but takes about fifty miles to get there. Then, especially if you're headed east, you have over forty miles of downhill going into Maine.
At the moment, in the white sunlight of a hot midday in June, Marianne is pointing out the latest improvements to this part of the trail. Flooding and washouts are the commonest causes of trail failure. So here, where active beavers have built several dams across the river – and, of course are obsessive about never stopping – an excavator has installed several "Beaver Deceivers," invented by Skip Lyle of Grafton, Vermont, and designed to prevent the beavers from raising the water beyond a fixed level. They get to play with their sticks, they don't have to be removed, and the trail stays dry. It's win for everybody.
Our producer, in an effort to show how many different kinds of people use this trail, has asked Marianne to assemble a sample. Looking down the trail at folks awaiting their cues – the dog team, pulling a cart, has already left – I can see a pair of equestrians, two llamas with saddlepacks, about a dozen brightly togged cyclists, and a 75-year-old woman from Waterford, who, in spite of a game leg and at least one prosthesis, is hiking the trail in pieces. They bat absent-mindedly at the flies buzzing about their faces. Lupines riot along both sides of the aisle. Looks like the set of a Fellini film.
This trail is one of those what's-not-to-like ideas. With excellent detailed maps, profiles, and icons indicating spots for food, camping, and lodging, as well as a GPS download, the trail couldn't be more accessible. There is one word in its name, though, that hints at possible surprises: Adventure. It's not all as flat and hard-packed as here along the little Israel River. I'll save that discovery for another day.
UPCOMING EVENT - Sunday, October 6, 2024 - Trail Mixer 2024 Windows to the Wild Event
WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE is generously supported by the Alice J. Reen Charitable Trust and the Bailey Charitable Foundation
Willem Lange’s wardrobe is generously donated by The Kittery Trading Post
Fifty years ago, a group of citizens stopped the development of an oil refinery.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform
Thanks to our podcast partner: The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University
Adventure journalist Freddie Wilkinson and a group of indigenous paddlers set out.
We rejoin adventure journalist Freddie Wilkinson and a group of indigenous paddlers.
A team of researchers study the effects of human interactions with Canada Jays.
Joe Klementovich travels along Maine's rivers on a paddleboard.
Marshall Hudson writes stories about interesting and often forgotten places and people.
Scarlett, also known as "Little Foot" has hiked all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000 footers.
Mirna Valerio does it all. She runs, hikes and skis. She encourages others, no matter who they are.
Willem Lange and a group of New England travelers explore the beauty and culture of France.
The Gulf of Maine offshore wind farm could become New England's next source of renewable energy.
Elevate Youth empowers youth to explore the outdoors and promotes environmental stewardship.
Gregory Rec and his daughter Corrina love hiking together.
Myah Rather is a Meteorology and Atmospheric Science student from Maryland.
As an NHPBS member, you'll be among the first to experience it.
Randy Pierce lost his sight in 2000, but not his determination to keep hiking.
Dogtown, part of the forgotten forests of Cape Ann, Mass.
Wildlife videographer Alfred Balch heads into the woods with Willem.
Find out what attracts our feathered friends to this special spot.
Host Willem Lange takes viewers on a ride along the Scenic RailRiders track in Concord, NH.
A North Conway, NH family shares what they learned about the effects of climate change.
Willem and Wendy Lull explore and discuss ways to record and preserve life on the coast.
Willem goes looking for moose with long-time moose researcher Charles Willey in Colebrook.
A trip along Vermont's Long Trail.
Join host Willem Lange on a tour of a Cambridge oasis -- the Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Melissa Elam has hiked all of NH's 4,000-foot mountains with her cat, Floki.
A North Conway family shares what they learned about the effects of climate change.
Willem and a group of people from throughout New England took a trip through Ireland.
What do you do with a section of 170-year-old abandoned railroad track?
Gabriel Andrus will ski from the northern border of NH to its southern border this winter.
There are gems in the hills. Host Willem Lange learns there's a lot to rock hunting.
Arlette Laan is the first woman to hike all eleven of the National Scenic Trails.
Kayaker Betsy Wish set out years ago to meet the people who catch our lobsters.
The Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve is considered an ecological gem.
Host Willem Lange is at sea on the American Eagle schooner.
WINDOWS TO THE WILD's good friend and Outdoor Enthusiast, Chaya Harris from Outdoor Afro.
Getting outdoors is important but its also important to be safe.
Competitive rower Erik Frid takes a break from competition to row 300 miles.
Susie Spikol is a naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education.
Mt. Eustis Ski Hill opened in 1939 and was a community gathering place until it closed.
New Hampshire resident Susan Dromey Heeter is competitive.
David Krueger is a Language Specialist / Interpreter, you may have seen him.
Redline guide Ken Hodges hikes with Debby "Bear Repellent" Roberts.
Willem hikes with partners and participants of Summits in Solidarity.
The Lifesaving Station at Wood Island was used for sea rescue prior to the Coast Guard.
The Lifesaving Station at Wood Island was used for sea rescue prior to the Coast Guard.
Conway photographer Joe Klementovich uses a paddleboard to explore 130 miles of the Saco.
Students attend school aboard a schooner.
Join us for an all new season of Windows to the Wild with Willem Lange! Wednesdays at 7:30
Host Willem Lange is with friends on the Tucker Mountain trail in Vermont.