Bentley 200 Cruiser

Perkins Pond Ice-Out Declared April 20, 2019 7:40 PM!!

By definition, Perkins Pond Ice-Out when you can paddle from the North End's Chickadee Point to the South End's Piney Point.

The PPPA ice-out committee, Dundee, Mike and Steve, accompanied by Eric and Gavin, declared ice-out on April 20, 2019 at 7:40 PM when their three canoes successfully made a historic trek and declared 2019 Ice-Out as documented in the below video!

--The below videos show the process used to monitor 2019 Perkins Pond Ice-Out--

Update April 19, 2019 - No Ice-Out Declared.

Five of us (Dundee, Steve M, Mike D, Steve P plus Oliver) paddled in two canoes to south end of Pond Friday Apr 19, 2019 around 3 pm. Could not get close to Piney Point nor Leavitt cove. Ice was 6 inches think on the edges and we could not break through with our canoes. North end of Pond open with large sheets of ice floating pushed by high winds. We had life vests in our canoes, BUT should have been wearing them! No ice out declared for April 19th!

April 17, 2019 - No Ice-Out

Click the video and join Dundee and Steve as they do an April 17, 2019 "on the pond" update of Perkin Pond ice-out status.

Call to Action: 

(Video) Mud Season - New Hampshire's 5th Season

Call to Action: 

Cooking an Egg in an Orange in a Campfire

January 16th Release of "Outdoor Play Fun 4 Seniors"

Hi, Outdoor Steve here. My new book, Outdoor Play Fun 4 Seniors, was released Jan 16th. My behind-the-scenes videos give you give the feeling of “being there.”

Kayak on Little Lake Sunapee. Feel, through my chest camera, what it is like to cross the fabled and dangerous Knife Edge Trail on Mt Katahdin, Maine. Experience sculling on a perfect New Hampshire fall foliage day. Hike with my family up Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the summit of Mt Washington. Ride in my iceboat as I whirl around Perkins Pond. See moose for real ... and much more.

Outdoor Play Fun 4 Seniors is a book for any room in the house! Most sections are set up for less than a 5-minute read.

The title, “Outdoor Play Fun 4 Seniors,” comes because I qualify as a “senior” in any sense of the word. I respond to Grampa, Papa, Dad, Steve, Outdoor Steve, and Super Senior.  Novices and experienced outdoor enthusiasts will wow at these adventures.

Order at OutdoorSteve.com to never say, "I wish I had read Steve’s Outdoor Play Fun 4 Seniors.”   

“Outdoor Play Fun 4 Seniors is a fantastic read for 50 and over novices and experienced who want to look for new challenges. Short reads, each with a story never to say, “I Wish I Had…” has come through again.” Linwood Parsons, Master Maine Guide.


"Steve’s selfie video while riding in his iceboat in New Hampshire was quite a thrill for me. The unintentional video of his son and friends discovery of paddling whitewater on the Clyde River in Vermont is a photographer’s dream." Jefferson Nunn, author, Seven Deadly Bitcoin Sins

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"Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends" S. Priest

Click this link to SUBSCRIBE to OutdoorSteve's YouTube Channel

Books by OutdoorSteve.com

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Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle and hardcopy at Harborside Trading Company, 81 Main St, Sunapee, NH, Wild Goose Country Store, 77 Main St, Sunapee, NH, Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London, NH, Bookstore at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Gift Shop, Lebanon, NH, and Village Sports, New London, NH.

2018 ORFS Christmas Caroling and Pageant at Bittersweet and Lyon Brook

Our Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS)  Christmas and caroling pageant started 20 years ago and has developed into the "extravaganza" it is today! It remains an annual creative endeavor which warms the residents and our hearts every year.

Once again, ORFS will be nudging each other to step out of their comfort zones and become a "character" for two hours. Our leader, Kathy, asks us to TRUST, go WITH THE FLOW, and HAVE FUN! We first visit the Bittersweet Residence, and then the Lyon Brook Condominium, both located in New London, NH.

Al will be on keyboard, Barb on violin, and Ron on guitar.

The first scene is the entrance Caroling parade and we enter holding garlands and jingling bells. Of course, we have Santa, Rudolph and Frosty and Christmas songs.

The second scene is the Senior Pageant of the Christmas story with appropriate songs and costumes. And masked mischievous animals

See if you can tell the main characters of our pageant: Mary, Joseph, Star of Bethlehem, Rudolph, Santa, Frosty, 3 angels. 3 kings, Camel 🐪, black sheep, white sheep, Cow, Bull and Donkey.

After singing is over at Bittersweet Residence, we socialize with the residents over goodies making sure we wish every resident a very merry Christmas.

We then depart to Lyon Brook Condominium Community for a repeat performance, a dinner, and famous Yankee Swap.

Special thanks go to Kathy for coordination of this gala event and for her costumes, props, etc., Al (piano), Barb (violin), and Ron (guitar), Rosemary (dinner) and Joy (Yankee Swap).  Great leaders like you make ORFS fun and inspirational.

MERRY CHRISTMAS. MAY GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!

ORFS give the gifts of themselves and it is much appreciated by the audiences. Below we share the fun of belonging to ORFS.

The ORFS are part of the Chapin Council on Aging, New London, NH.

Who are the ORFS?
The Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) group meets every Tuesday year-round at 10 am. In the summer we kayak/canoe, swim and hike. In the fall we hike, and in the winter we snowshoe and cross-country ski. Our trips are from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, followed by lunch.

Directions and location are available for our Tuesday 10 am outings via email and the monthly New London Chapin Senior Center Courier newsletter. To learn more and join, contact the Chapin Senior Center at 357 pleasant Street, PO Box 1263, New London, New Hampshire 03752 or go to their web site at http://www.coachapincenter.org

ORFS is a very informal group and participation is for all outdoor enthusiasts wanting guaranteed good exercise with a friendly fun group.

  
" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"
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Steve's 5th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 4 Seasons has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle .

Hiking Eagle Pond, NH with Poet Laureate Donald Hall

I was particularly interested in Eagle Pond because the pond is across the street from the home of former United States Poet Laureate Donald Hall, a poet of the rural life. (June 14, 2006.) I became interested in Mr Hall’s work a few years ago when a good friend read some verses from one of his books. The words were absorbing and graphic to me as I felt in the moment and lived the poem. 

When the Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) had Eagle Pond on their list of Tuesday hikes, I could not wait to experience the same bucolic scenes that Mr Hall had seen, walked, and wrote about.

Mr Hall wrote many books with “Eagle Pond” in the title. My wife and I have read his 2016 book titled, “On Eagle Pond”.

Hiking around Eagle Pond was very personal to me.

Our hike was 3.5 miles and took just over 1 and a half hours. We went in a clockwise direction. It had been raining prior to starting our hike, but mysteriously the rain stopped until we finished our hike. 

1. We began our Eagle Pond hike at Eagle Pond Road where it intersects with Route 4.

2. We hiked approximately 1.5 miles took a right on Jack Wells Road.

3. Jack Wells Road is .7 miles and ends on Route 4, and just before Route 4 we took a right onto the Rail Trail for 1.3 miles.

4. The Rail Trail returned to our Start.

Now, I never have to say, “I wish I had hiked around Eagle Pond with Poet Laureate Donald Hall”

Who are the ORFS?
The Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) group meets every Tuesday year-round at 10 am. In the summer we kayak/canoe, swim and hike. In the fall we hike, and in the winter we snowshoe and cross-country ski. Our trips are from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, followed by lunch.

Directions and location are available for our Tuesday 10 am outings via email and the monthly New London Chapin Senior Center Courier newsletter. To learn more and join, contact the Chapin Senior Center at 357 pleasant Street, PO Box 1263, New London, New Hampshire 03752 or go to their web site at http://www.coachapincenter.org

ORFS is a very informal group and participation is for all outdoor enthusiasts wanting guaranteed good exercise with a friendly fun group.

References

Eagle Pond by Donald Hall

Donald Hall, a Poet Laureate of the Rural Life

Ox Car Man by Donald Hall

United States Poet Laureate

Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge (SRKG) Trail

OutdoorSteve.com

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"
++++++++++++++++
Steve's 5th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 4 Seasons has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle and Morgan Hill Bookstore (New London, NH.)

Stinson Mountain Trail: White Mountain National Forest

On Monday three friends, my son Tim, and I hiked 2,900 foot Stinson Mountain located in Rumney, NH. The day before we hiked Mt Cardigan, a 3,155 footer in Orange, NH.

Stinson Mountain Trail is the only maintained trail up to the summit. The trailhead is located off Doetown Road in Rumney, NH. The Trail is a low incline trail with no rock ledges or scrambles. The summit is all bare rock with 180 degree views and once home to a fire tower. Only the four footings remain of the tower… and as you will see in the video the footings make great tables and chairs for tired hikers and snowmobilers.

From the trailhead we hiked the Stinson Mountain Trail for 1.1 miles until we reached a vee (junction) with a snowmobile trail. We could continue left up the snowmobile trail to reach the summit, or veer right onto the "hiking trail" as signed. Each way is 0.7 miles to the summit... we went right on the hiking trail.

The trail does not have many direction markers, other than the trailhead sign and a hiking/snowmobile sign at the vee. We hiked in the fall season with leaves on the ground, and there were a few times we had to pause to locate the trail direction.  For the novice hiker leaves this time of year cover the trail and the trail sometimes blends into the forest and may be more challenging to follow.  On the positive side, the trail is very well maintained as noted by new wooden planks for bridges used by snowmobilers and hikers.

We ascended the 1.8 mile trail to the summit in one hour and 37 minutes … and came back to the trailhead more quickly via the snowmobile trail.

The snowmobile trail is wide and steep ... and slippery. It appeared to be groomed this summer, as the slope had boot-deep mud from fresh loam, fresh seeded green grass, and slivers of hoar frost

protruding from crystalline deposits of frozen water vapor formed over the new grass. 

Over the Hill Hikers: 52 with a View

Stinson Mountain is on the 52 With a View list (also known as the Over the Hill Hikers) of fifty-two mountains with elevations under 4,000 feet having incredible views.

The 52 With a View list came about through a group of friends hiking in New Hampshire. The older members of the hiking group suggested a new hiking list (getting tired of only hiking the NH 4,000 Footers?) called 52 with a View. A list of mountains shorter than the NH48, but all with amazing views!

Now I never have to say, "I wish I had hiked the Stinson Mountain Trail".

References

• Cold & Windy Fall Hike to Summit of Mt Cardigan, New Hampshire
• http://4000footers.com/stinson.shtml
• http://4000footers.com/list_52wav.shtml
• OutdoorSteve.com

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"

+++++++++++++++++

Steve's 5th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 4 Seasons has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle

Tim demonstrates his boating skills.

Winter is approaching in New Hampshire, and ice will soon be forming on Perkins Pond.  Today is the day to take our pontoon boat out of the water.  Tim demonstrates his boating skills in loading the boat onto the trailer. 

Cold & Windy Fall Hike to Summit of Mt Cardigan, New Hampshire

Was it cold! What a surprise. Three friends and I decided to Hike Mt Cardigan. Mount Cardigan is a prominent stripped-rock summit in the towns of Orange and Alexandria in western New Hampshire. While its peak is only 3,155 feet above sea level, it has extensive areas of bare granite ledges and alpine scrub, giving it the feel to hikers of a much higher mountain. Most of the summit area was exposed by devastating forest fires in 1855 and did not revegetate.  The fire tower on its summit quickly identifies Mt Cardigan throughout the area.

We pulled into the Orange, NH parking lot from Cardigan Mountain Road. The weather was in the low 30’s with high winds, and surprisingly we weren't the only ones willing to take on the elements ... the parking area already had a multitude of cars.

The first hour up the moderately difficult rock bound-West Ridge Trail was uneventful. However, once we reached bare granite ledges above treeline, things changed dramatically.

We faced below freezing temperatures, spitting snow, and extreme high and bone-chilling wind as we made our way over the baren ledges to the summit's firetower.  We stopped twice in alpine scrub to block the wind, catch our balance, as our faces briefly enjoyed the warmth and shelter. 

I removed my gloves each time I took a picture or video, and my right hand felt the frostbitten pain. The deafening noise in the videos you hear, once we entered the barren granite ledges, is the roaring of the summit’s disrespectful winds.

The trip to the summit from the West Ridge Trail took an hour and 15 minutes. Due to the extensive freezing cold and dangerous 50 – 60 mph hour winds, we stayed on the summit less than ten minutes.

Our original plan was to hike to the summit via the 1.5-mile West Ridge Trail, and then return to the parking lot by the South Ridge Trail. This plan changed immediately once we reached the tree line of the summit and faced the treacherous winds and freezing temperatures.

West Ridge Trail
The WRT is marked with orange strips. These orange markers are assurance we are on the right trail.

Cairns
Cairns are vertical piles of rock.  Cairns are another means of staying on trail.  It is against New Hampshire law to remove or change a cairn.  I can tell you from personal experience, that they can be a life-saving direction in fog or low light conditions.

Directions

These are driving directions to the West Ridge Trail parking area
Take exit 17 from I-93 North to get on Route 4 West. Turn right onto Route 4 West / Hoit Road. Drive 1.2 miles and continue straight through the traffic circle to stay on Route 4 West. Drive 2.5 miles and turn slight left to stay on Route 4 West. Drive 15.2 miles and turn right to stay on Route 4 West. Drive 20.9 miles and turn sharply right onto Parker Street / Route 118. Drive 0.6 miles and turn right onto Cardigan Mountain Road. When you get the Burnt Hill Road, turn left to stay on Cardigan Mountain Road. (You will see a Cardigan Mountain State Forest sign here) Drive until you come to the parking lot.

If you have a GPS, you can put in Cardigan Mountain Road in Orange, NH and look for the parking area on the road. 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Cardigan.
OutdoorSteve.com

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"

+++++++++++++++++
Steve's 5th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 4 Seasons has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hard copy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle .