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Three of My Favorite Places to Cross-Country Ski in New England

Since Boston just got walloped with another winter nor’easter, dropping more than 15 inches of snow, I thought I’d devote this week to winter adventure in New England. First up, three wonderful cross-country ski areas:

Grafton Ponds
Grafton Ponds is one of the few cross-country ski centers in New England that provides snowmaking (a 5 km loop). If there’s already decent snow coverage, head from the center’s main lodge up through the dense forest on 30 kilometers of groomed trails. Make it to Big Bear Shelter atop the ridge and your reward is a cup of piping hot chocolate and views of the village of Grafton below.

Blueberry Hill
Lost within the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, 12 miles down the road from Middlebury, is the classic Vermont inn and cross-country ski center, Blueberry Hill, celebrating its 40th season in 2011. The 50 kilometers of groomed trails include the highest run in the state, at an elevation over 3,000 feet, and gentler routes through the pines.

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation
With over 150 kilometers of trails, Jackson Ski Touring Foundation is the largest cross-country skiing network in the northeast.  Novices can opt for the easy Ellis River Trail, which borders a babbling brook as it heads into the forest, while more experienced skiers should sample the challenging Wildcat Valley Trail, a classic 1930s throwback that slides steeply down the backside of the Wildcat ski area to the town of Jackson. Or take the Groomed Trail Challenge on February 12th, where avid x-c skiers try to do as much of the network as possible in an eleven-hour day.
 

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The Trustees Turns 125

In 1891, Boston landscape architect Charles Eliot received the go-ahead from the Legislature to establish The Trustees of Reservations “for the purposes of acquiring, holding, maintaining and opening to the public . . . beautiful and historic places . . . within the Commonwealth.” Today, the nonprofit conservation organization maintains over 100 sites in Massachusetts and has a yearly membership of more than 125,000 people. Crane Beach and Naumkeag, the recently renovated Stockbridge estate, are two of the crown jewels in the Trustees’ collection. But there are many more unheralded gems. The week of May 16th I’m going to divulge my 5 favorite Trustees sites not to be missed. This will lead up to the statewide anniversary launch on May 21st and “Home Sweet Home” Historic Open House Day. The Great House on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, the Old Manse in Concord, and seven other historic homes will be open to the public for free. An exhibition, From the Sea to the Mountains: The Trustees 125th Anniversary, recently reviewed in The Boston Globe, will be at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center (NBLMC) at the Boston Public Library through August 28, 2016. Naumkeag will host a garden party on Saturday, July 23rd. And you’ll catch us at the Crane Estate on August 6th to catch Megan Hilty and the Boston Pops Orchestra perform at one of the most majestic spots in the state, the Grand Allée, overlooking the Atlantic. Do yourself a favor and check out at least one new Trustees site this summer. You’ll thank me! 
 
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The Debut of The Boxer in Boston

Several ski writers who came into Boston last week for the Boston Ski Show mentioned that they loved their hotel, The Boxer. Formerly the Bulfinch Hotel, the Boxer is a nine-story, 80- room boutique hotel housed in a triangular 1904 building that’s Boston’s version of the Flatiron Building. Located on Merrimac Street, not far from the Boston Garden and the North End, The Boxer has a vintage feel, with an old-time room key rack behind the front desk and a circa 1860 map of Boston on the lobby ceiling. Their restaurant, Finch, serves regional fare like New England clam chowder and lobster mac n’ cheese. Rates start at $161 a night. 

 
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Top 5 Adventures in Florida, Sea Kayaking No Name Key

The Florida Keys are basically small spits of land connected by bridges on the Overseas Highway. Surrounding you is the water of ocean and bay, but it’s hard to get too far off the beaten track on land. No Name Key off of Big Pine Key is arguably the most remote section of the Upper Keys. The best to way to see the island is from the seat of a sea kayak with Bill Keogh as your guide. For 20 years, Keogh, owner of Big Pine Kayak Adventures, has led paddlers across the channel and into the mangroves of No Name Key. Within moments of paddling on the calm water, we spotted the swift frigate birds, tricolor and green herons, and kingfishers. Then we were following Bill and his dog Scudder through a narrow tunnel of mangroves, pulling roots to move us forward. We would soon reach a large salt pond where we would spot numerous jellyfish in the clear waters. It was just the great white egrets and us in this serene locale. After breathing in our fair share of salty air, we would go back through the sinuous waterway in the mangroves, flowing with the current, and wishing it would never end. 

 
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Circle Line Offering Fall Cruises to Bear Mountain State Park

Best known for their cruise around Manhattan, Circle Line will be offering a Hudson River cruise this fall to Bear Mountain State Park. Bear Mountain was a favorite hiking spot for my dad when he was growing up in Brooklyn. They have over 50 hiking trails and nature walks, perfect for escaping the city during fall foliage. This time of year, Bear Mountain is also home to Oktoberfest, the German festival featuring live music, dancing, craft vendors, and all the German food and beer you crave. Starting September 13 and continuing on Saturdays and Sundays through October, the cruise boards at Pier 83 (West 42nd Street and 12th Avenue) at 8:30 am. You arrive at Bear Mountain at 11:30 am for 3 hours of fun before heading back to the city, returning at 5:30 pm. Cost is $60 for adults, $51 for seniors, and $36 for children, including price of admission to Oktoberfest. A picnic lunch is also available for an additional cost of $14.50 per person. The lunch must be pre-ordered the Wednesday before the date of the cruise.

 
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Notchview Ski Area Now Offers Rentals, Food from Old Creamery

My favorite place to cross-country ski in Massachusetts, the Notchview Ski Area in the Berkshires, is now offering ski rentals and lunch. Run by the Trustees of Reservations, Notchview is the largest Nordic ski area in the state, with 40 km of trails covering 3,200 acres. Grab your skies and go counter-clockwise on the Circuit Trail, passing meadows and skiing under a tunnel of snowed-under pines. The web of branches keeps you snug within the forest, protecting you from wind. After passing a small shelter, turn onto the Whitestone Trail and enter a winter wonderland of uprooted trees and branches arching over the serpentine path. A downhill run brings you back to the main lodge, invigorated by the fresh smell of pine and the exercise. To top it off, the place I usually head for lunch after visiting Notchview, the Old Creamery in Cummington, is now supplying sandwiches, soups, and hot and cold drinks at the new café. The perfect ending to a perfect outing. 

 
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The AMC Huts at 125 Years Young

The 8 AMC huts in the White Mountains are spaced a day’s hike apart. Though not all hikes are created equal. For example, the 7-mile long trek from Galehead to Zealand Falls Hut was a thigh burner with close to 5,000 feet of elevation change, including a grueling uphill climb on the AT from Galehead Hut to the 4,902-foot summit of South Twin mountain. While the 4.8-mile hike from Mizpah Spring to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, if weather is decent, is for the most part a level ridge walk with astounding mountain views all around you. 
 
Whether your legs are weary or feeling strong after your day of bagging peaks, you can rest assured that once you arrive at any of the huts, they are clean and exceptionally well-run by the Hut Crew or Croo as they’re known in these parts. The AMC runs a well-oiled machine. All rooms and bathroom are dirt-free. Lemonade, hot water for tea, and usually a snack like frosted carrot cake is waiting upon arrival. At Galehead and Zealand Falls, we were told by the Croo to find any available bunk bed. Mizpah Spring and Lakes of the Clouds had designated rooms. My wife and I brought bed sheets, which worked fine, but many hikers simply bring a sleeping bag to throw down on the mattress. There are hooks nearby to hang wet clothing (after a day of sweating), jackets, and enough room to store packs and hiking boots.
 
With such a long legacy, you would expect these huts to be small cabins in the woods. 125 years ago, they might have started that way. But the AMC has been revamping these lodgings for years. So now the Lakes of the Clouds has a glorious dining room with floor to ceiling glass windows that overlook the panorama of ridges and peaks. Both Galehead and Zealand Falls offer front porches with more magnificent mountain views. Mizpah Spring’s dining room is a big cavernous space, with high ceiling, where people love to congregate and share hiking stories. At Zealand Falls and Lakes of the Clouds, water is close by to go for a swim or simply cool off those overworked feet. Suffice to say that Joe Dodge, the founder of the AMC huts system knew exactly what he was doing when he chose these locales for his huts. So bite into that fresh baked honey-oat bread and gape in awe at the panoply of peaks, the reward for clambering over rocks and roots all day. 
 
(Photo by Lisa Leavitt)
 

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