I believe this "I support 4H" sticker kind of states the obvious when you see the backseat of my car.
This hay mess has been a constant state of affairs for several years. Kids raising livestock is not for the neat freak types and I have accepted that there is no way that my car will ever be hay-free again.
The kids coined the term "hay butt" a few years ago and it stuck (literally and figuratively).
There is usually some pause by those new to our car but most take it in stride because hay butt is part of the package when you travel with the Almeida fam.
The kids and I enjoy cross-country skiing and try to expand our
horizons every year with a visit to a new trail. After last year's
disappointing winter (and no big skiing adventures for us), we decided
to visit Carter's in Oxford for an easy, groomed-trail experience right
after the big January snowfall (we've learned our lesson to not ignore a
day of good trail conditions). We also made a new friend on the trail.
Carter’s in Oxford proved to be a
marvelous place after the January storm to break into the cross-country
ski season, with beginner and intermediate trails. Plus there’s Maya,
the dog that loves to tag along and show the way for visitors.
We have passed by Carter's in Oxford many times while
traveling on Route 26 to hiking trails but had never been there to ski.
It turned out to be a great way to ease into the season, with their
beginner- and intermediate-level trails.
The trail fee was reduced the day we visited because not all of their
40 kilometers of trails had been groomed. We were told there were about
two miles of grooming and if we wanted to forge our own path, we could
explore more of the trail system. I was given a map to follow but we
didn't really need it. The trails were well-marked with wooden signs
(and some blazes), but it was just as easy to simply follow the
grooming.
The warmer weather before the big snowfall made for not-so-frozen
ground. There were a couple places with slushy spots. Those were easy to
avoid by going on the shoulder of the trail, and overall the grooming
was nice and comparable to other trails we've visited.
Cross-country skiing is a total body workout. And because of that, it
always takes a trip (or three) for me to get back into shape. Carter's
trails were fairly level and the grooming made for smooth gliding. The
girls both declared the trail "nice" and "easy" and concurred with me
that it was a great trail system to ease into the season.
At some point along our looping trek we picked up a canine friend. My
kids are like pied pipers when it comes to attracting animals. They
seem to befriend every furry/hairy/wooly/(whatever) creature wherever we
go. Our four-legged companion seemed well versed in traveling with
skiers and kept pace, or doubled back to ensure we were still with her,
for more than half of our trip. I believe this was the highlight of the
trip for both of my animal-loving kids.
I tracked our adventure with my Android phone's EveryTrail.com
application. I like this app because it tells me the actual distance
we've traveled. It turned out the loop we took, which included a short,
ungroomed trail detour, covered 3.1 miles. It honestly didn't feel like
it was that long, but it was nice to know we'd skied a longer distance
and burned more calories than we thought we would. And despite that
fact, it was a relaxed, pleasant glide through the woods. We're looking
forward to more skiing adventures this winter and working up to the
hilly terrain of more challenging trails.
For families who don't own cross-country ski equipment, Carter's X-C
Ski Center has the equipment (to rent or buy) you need to get out on the
trails for the day. And with another snowfall or two, they should have a
nice snow pack to open their full trail system.
The ski center staff was friendly and willing to answer any and all questions related to skiing, trail conditions and otherwise.
And in case you were wondering, our new (canine) friend's name was Maya.
HAPPY TRAILS WHAT: Carter's X-C Ski Center WHERE: Route 26, Oxford HOURS: Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. TRAIL FEE: $14/adults; $10/students/seniors; free/under 6 years; Tuesdays ski 2-for-1 TOURING EQUIPMENT RENTAL: $10 to $14 TRAIL CONDITIONS: Updated on their website: www.cartersxcski.com/xcskicenter.html
OTHER TRAILS YOU CAN FIND many of our trail maps from a variety of our adventures on EveryTrail.com at: ht.ly/gK41g
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram January 13, 2013.
Mighty Beanz – and maybe you also have some hanging around the house – are an example of what to leave in geocaching.
Originally It's not very often that having read Nancy Drew books as a kid comes
in handy. But when cracking codes of "mystery" geocaches, you never know
what random knowledge you'll need to puzzle-out the coordinates to find
a hidden treasure.
Geocaching is a game that uses GPS coordinates to find a
hidden box filled with inexpensive trinkets and a logbook. Players,
called geocachers, download the coordinates to their GPS units -- or in
most cases these days, a mobile phone app – and then navigate their way
to the box.
There are many variations on the type of geocaches a player can find.
A "traditional" box is the most common. These are typically the size of
a plastic kitchen-type container (or metal box) hidden in or around
trees and rocks, and typically covered with dead branches or bark (boxes
are not buried). The coordinates to the geocache are posted on
geocaching.com and the easiest way to play the game these days is to
find the listing using a geocaching mobile app on your phone. Once
found, you follow the compass screen until you arrive at the hiding
location.
A variation of the traditional cache – and one that the girls and I
have enjoyed – requires solving a puzzle to actually get the
coordinates. It's a multi-step process that requires a little
brainpower, and sometimes a computer search engine before you head out
to the field.
I found the Nancy Drew-themed mystery cache on geocaching.com and put
my 16-year-old daughter (also a Drew fan from her younger years) on the
job to solve the algebra-like puzzle. She had to identify the
coordinates' missing numbers with the book title's order of publication.
For instance, the letter "A" stood for "The Secret of the Old Clock,"
which is the first book in the series. There were six books listed with
corresponding letters and she had to give each one a number to translate
to the final coordinates.
It might sound complicated, but it really was not all that hard thanks to a website she found with a book order list.
On this listing's page was a feature we took advantage of for the
first time – geochecker.com. This allows players working out mystery
cache clues to check their coordinates. This "checker" link confirmed my
daughter's final coordinates were in fact accurate before heading out
to the location to find the box.
We hiked on a new-to-us trail on the Falmouth/Cumberland line to find
this particular cache. We have driven past the trailhead many times and
never noticed it. But that's another aspect of this game that I enjoy
– finding new hiking trails. Even though I'm pretty well plugged into
popular trail systems, there are a lot of smaller community trails that
are less well-known and it's fun to discover them.
We found several mystery caches the day we went hiking. One included
knowing some random Red Sox trivia and another required knowing our
Roman numerals (thank you Google for refreshing my memory on those).
Some of these mystery caches were too small to leave a trinket (rules
of the game require that if you take something from the geocache, you
leave something else in its place). But at others I was able to find a
new home for some Mighty Beanz we found kicking around our house.
If you're new to the game, try finding a traditional geocache or two.
Then give a mystery cache with a difficulty rating of 2 or 3 a try (5
is the hardest). Trust me that you and the kids will feel kind of smart
by the end of the day.
GEOCACHING VARIATIONS
As geocaching has gained in popularity since its inception in 2001, the game has become more creative with a variety of ways to play. Here are a few examples of game variations.
A MICRO CACHE is the size of an old 35-mm film canister or smaller and can be tucked just about anywhere. This makes them challenging to locate.
A MULTI-CACHE involves more than one set of coordinates to find. Once the initial location is found, the geocacher gets a clue to the next location, and so on, until the final clue reveals the actual hidden "treasure" box. These caches can include both micro and traditional containers, and have varying degrees of difficulty.
A LETTERBOX HYBRID is a cache with a hand-carved stamp, and combines the geocache and letterboxing games. Letterboxing is like geocaching since both hide a box in the woods, but instead of trinkets to trade, there is a hand-carved stamp inside. By combining the artistic flavor of letterboxing stamps with easy-to-follow geocache coordinates (which often have more family-friendly directions than the pace-counting and vague directions typically posted in the letterboxing game), these geocache hybrid boxes can have a lot of appeal to fans of both games.
AN EVENT CACHE is a specific time and place where geocachers meet to play the game together. A big event is coming up for geocachers -- Dec. 12. It will be a celebration of numbers because this is the last time this century the calendar will align. There is an active geocaching community in Maine at geocachingmaine.org so check there for local event cache details.
My family likes to use old metal ammo boxes for our geocaches. They require a little extra coaxing to open in the winter but are more durable than the plastic variety that many geocachers use for their hides.
Mighty Beanz – and maybe you also have some hanging around the house – are an example of what to leave in geocaching. Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram December 9, 2012
ThThis is This The game of disc golf is a nice way to spend a few hours outdoors
with teenagers. It offers some competitive fun by throwing a plastic
disc into a metal basket on a golf-like course in the woods. My family
considers the game to be a hike with permission to throw stuff around.
It's also a nice way to chat and reconnect after a busy week while also
getting exercise.
We played our latest round at Enmen Field in Brunswick. The Beauty,
an 18-hole course for novice players, only takes a couple hours, so it's
something we can squeeze into a busy day (there's also a more advanced
course called The Beast, but we leave that to the more serious players).
We've played this course many times over the years, and despite a map
on the back of the scorecard, I still lose track of baskets and tee
pads. The tee pad for each hole is concrete and identified by number,
which is usually on a nearby tree and/or trash barrel. Sometimes you can
see the basket from the tee pad, sometimes you can't. That makes
throwing the disc in the correct direction a bit of a guessing game. But
that's not really a big deal. No one on the course seems to mind if we
stay a little longer at a hole to make up for a misdirected disc, or if
we play the course a bit out of order. The game attracts friendly,
easy-going players, and I've never seen anything but friendly waves and
chatter between players.
During this game I had a few stitches in my disc throwing hand (a
story of stupidity involving a pair of hoof trimmers and my daughter's
sheep) and I had to let it fly with the other arm. Let's just say I was
off my usual game and never came close to meeting par scores on any
hole.
There are a few different ways to throw a disc in this game, and each
player develops their own preference. The girls and I generally throw
the disc like a Frisbee with our hand curled toward our wrist, using a
hard flick away from the body.
In the disc golf world this is known as the backhand throw, and it's
the most popular type in the game. The girls and I have tried the
forehand throw (bending the wrist back before snapping the disc forward
to propel it away) but it's not a favorite. We switch things up a bit
when we're close to the metal basket by using the hammer or "tomahawk"
throw.
That's like an overhand baseball toss. The hammer throw also happened
to be my preferred option after some frustration with my disc hitting
tree after tree thanks to my less accurate throwing arm. And as
teenagers are known to do, there may have been a few snarky comments
just out of my hearing regarding my prowess (or lack thereof) on the
course.
The kids and I own our own discs, which are midrange drivers. There
are all kinds of discs, and it's not unusual to see a player carrying a
bag filled with a variety of them. There are preferences about the
style, weight and size, and some players really get into those fine
details.
I have not bothered to learn the nuances. I go out and throw my
all-purpose driver and I'm good with that. If you're new to the sport or
don't have your own disc, Enmen Field rents and sells discs at its
clubhouse. If you're interested in the more technical aspects about how
each one works, the clubhouse staff is friendly and knowledgeable.
According to my smartphone's mileage tracker, we walked more than 2
miles on the 18-hole course. We play this game in all seasons and find
that snow offers a lot of "smiles" (a smile-like mark is made in the
snow when it lands).
Disc golf is a nice way to get outdoors for friendly competition. And
when your 16-year-old wins, the gloating is bearable as long as a
rematch is scheduled.
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram Nov. 11, 2012.
This is a messy map of our day playing disc golf but it gives a sense of mileage (2.1 miles, which I didn't start until after the first couple of holes) you walk while playing the game. It's great exercise and I never had any idea until I tracked our game that we covered so much mileage!
This is the time of the year when my family has no time for our usual
outdoor adventures. It's all about the kids' school schedule and their
4-H livestock activities. But a month of primarily indoor activities
gives us a new motivation to find time in our busy schedule to get back
outside.
Here's a peek at what we've been talking about doing in the next few months.
• Disc golf. The game involves throwing a hard plastic disc into a
metal basket on a golf-like course. It is a year-round sport, offering a
different type of fun in the snow. It's a great way to spend some
family time together playing a low-key game.
Enmen Field in Brunswick is a family favorite that has two 18-hole
courses. My daughters were 5 and 6 years old the first time they hit the
course and loved it. www.mainediscgolf.com
• Zipline. This has been on the kids' to-do list since our visit to
Sunday River two years ago. The zipline course at Sunday River includes a
series of seven lines strewn between large trees (and poles) in the
woods. It's a unique thrill to be suspended from a galvanized cable and
fly through the woods. My kids love it (me, too!).
Our first, and only, zipline course experience was in the snow but
I've been told it's a great way to see the mountain colors in the fall.
There is another zipline course with three lines in Windham at
SeaCoast Fun Park. Sunday River's zipline course is open year-round,
while SeaCoast Fun Park is open on weekends through Nov. 18 and then
reopens during the snow tubing season (weather permitting). www.sundayriver.com/EventsActivities; www.seacoast funparks.com
• Geocaching. We go in spurts with playing this game and it's been a while since we've been on the lookout for geocaches.
For those unfamiliar, geocaching is a game that uses GPS coordinates
to find a hidden box filled with inexpensive trinkets and a logbook.
There are many more players, or geocachers, these days, thanks to a very
user-friendly mobile phone app.
The girls said it's time to do another "mystery" type cache that requires some problem solving to find the final coordinates.
We also have some traditional geocaches we've hidden ourselves that
are in desperate need of maintenance, so we'll be doing some of that
before the snow flies, too. www.geocaching.com
• Full moon hike. A winter full moon is bright and we have enjoyed
seeing a local trail in the moonlight. We hope to have a new full-moon
adventure in the next couple of months on our own, or with one of the
outdoor groups that organize them. maineaudubon.org; www.outdoors.org
• Stargazing. With the nights getting longer, fall can be a great
time to stargaze (winter is even better). Now my teens have their own
smartphones and the stargazing apps they have ensure an accurate
identification of celestial objects.
This is something we can do anytime at home on a clear night but we
still look forward to our annual trip to the Southworth Planetarium at
the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus, too. usm.maine.edu/planet
• Cross-country skiing. The kids and I were really disappointed with
the lack of snow activities last year. We hardly had time to do anything
before the snow melted. You can bet that we'll be dropping everything
to get out on the cross-country trails behind our house during the first
snowfall.
We also hope to visit the community-supported groomed trails of Twin
Brooks in Cumberland and Riverside in Portland. Talk of a little snow
dance tribute has been discussed to ensure we get a weekend of local
cross-country skiing this year. mainecoastnordic.blogspot.com/p/twin-brook.html; www.portlandmaine.gov/winterfunspots/default.asp
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram Oct. 7, 2012
The girls and I have been hiking mountains all spring and summer to
get ready for our highest (to date) mountain hiking adventure in
Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. All our "training" paid off
because we had a wonderful 9-mile hike that included three mountain
summits -- Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette -- and an overnight
stay at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Greenleaf Hut. We left the
mountains ready for more, which is the sign of a well-planned adventure
with kids.
This mountain loop in the notch was my first mountain-hiking
trip as a teen. I went with a high school friend and her dad, and
brought back many memories from the trip. After hearing my stories, the
girls decided that this would be a great end-of-summer adventure for us.
After surfing the web, reviewing our AMC Guidebook and talking to a
ranger in Franconia Notch, the girls and I set out to climb the Falling
Waters Trail on Little Haystack Mountain. The ranger said it was a tough
climb up but a bit more difficult going down so that sealed the deal on
where to start.
We could hear many of the hikers who we shared the trail with long
before we saw them because it seemed everyone had trekking poles. I
never realized how much noise these things make and I have to say, I
didn't like it. Chirping birds and rustling leaves are much more
appealing. I prefer to choose less popular trails, particularly on a
holiday weekend, but I couldn't adjust our schedule to visit this area
another time. We were stuck with a clattering (but friendly) crowd up
the mountain.
The trail description in the AMC guide includes several references to
"climbs steeply" as well as "ledgy scramble" and "continues steeply." I
told the girls we were taking this trail slowly and making plenty of
stops. The ranger said it would likely take us about 31/2 hours to hike
the 3.2-mile trail (about a 2,900-foot elevation gain). We did it in
41/2 hours and that suited us just fine.
There are not many open views on the way to the summit of Little
Haystack but there are some very nice waterfalls. Once we got above the
tree line it is truly a breathtaking view.
Franconia Ridge Trail is considered by many to be one of the most
picturesque segments of the Appalachian Trail. We can attest that the
ridge really is amazing in the sunshine.
We hiked along the Franconia Ridge Trail to Mount Lincoln and then
worked our way over to Mt. Lafayette, the highest mountain in our loop
at 5,260 feet.
We hiked down the Greenleaf Trail on Mount Lafayette to get to the
Greenleaf Hut for our overnight stay. We had a five-course meal and
slept in a bunkroom overnight. We met some really nice people who shared
our interest in hiking and spending time outdoors. My teens really
enjoyed the experience. But if you stay at the Greenleaf Hut you should
be ready for a lot of together time -- bumping elbows at dinner and a
24-person mixed gender open bunkroom. The girls and I agreed that the
food, prepared in a very rustic kitchen with no electricity, was one of
the highlights of our hut experience. But I think watching the amazing
sunset over the mountains was the crowning glory of our day.
Our second day included a multi-course breakfast and an easy hike
down the Old Bridle Path. There were quite a few vista points along this
trail and even with our stops to take in the view, it still only took
us about two hours to hike the three miles back to our car.
My teens and I had a great experience on these trails but I do offer a
note of caution to parents. The trail loop to these mountain summits is
rated as difficult. We saw many young children happily hiking these
trails so it is a doable adventure for families. But the caution signs
at the trailhead (and noted in local guides) to wear appropriate gear
and be prepared for any kind of weather at the summits should not be
taken lightly. Wear hiking boots, bring plenty of water and snacks, and
take these trails at your own pace to ensure everyone in your family has
an enjoyable experience. It truly is worth the effort.
WHAT: Little Haystack Mountain, Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette WHERE: Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire ELEVATION GAIN: approximately 3,500 feet (highest peak is 5,260) BATHROOM: At the trailhead and the AMC Greenleaf Hut TERRAIN: Rocky and steep with open ledges DIFFICULTY: Difficult TRAILHEAD: There is a trailhead for Mount Lafayette
on the northbound side of I-93. We parked on the southbound side at
Lafayette Place Campground and took a tunnel under the highway to get to
the trailhead. OTHER: The AMC Greenleaf Hut offers soup, coffee and
snacks to all hikers for a small donation. Water bottle refills (and
chatting with the friendly staff) are free. 14- and 16-YEAR-OLD REVIEW: When I asked the girls for a review of this adventure they both offer a single word sentiment – “Awesome!”
The kids and I have hiked Burnt Meadow Mountain in Brownfield more
than a handful of times. There have been a variety of reasons why we
haven't reached the summit -- stomach flu, a canine injury and a lack of
interest have all been factors -- but recently we decided it was time
to commit to getting to the top.
There are some wonderful vistas on this Brownfield mountain
trail that don't require too much effort. When the girls were small, a
short hike to a vista point for a picnic was just right. The area is
particularly beautiful in the fall because the valley and surrounding
mountains are a beautiful panorama of colors during that season.
A couple years ago I suggested to the girls we try to get to the
summit. It's just under a 1,200-foot elevation gain, which is something
we've accomplished on other mountains. But that first real try didn't
work out because my husband came down with stomach flu. For obvious
reasons, we had to head back to the trailhead early.
Last fall the girls and I tried to summit again. This time we took
along a dog we were fostering. Unfortunately, the dog cut his foot going
up the mountain. I was concerned about the bloody paw, so we headed
back to the trailhead to ensure the injury didn't turn more serious.
So it was with some self-deprecating humor that we set out again to
summit the mountain. When we passed our usual vista/picnic spot, we
cheered that we were "finally" moving into new territory. And as is the
case with this mountain, whenever we try to get to the top, we encounter
some new challenges.
We had problems with the plentiful mosquitoes because I forgot the
DEET bug spray. I clearly wasn't paying attention when packing and threw
in an all-natural version. As much as I try to use chemical-free
products, when in the backwoods I have found we need the strongest bug
juice we can get.
The lack of adequate protection from the mosquitoes was very annoying
and I kicked myself up -- and down -- the mountain that I didn't pack
the right spray.
The last quarter-mile to the summit was steep and included open
ledges. My kids really enjoyed the challenge of finding foot and
handholds to make the ascent up the last couple hundred feet to the
summit. We made a loud declaration once at the top that "we finally made
it!" This might have been heard for miles.
But after looking around we decided the summit was anticlimactic.
Yes, it had a beautiful view, but there are also nice vistas of the
surrounding area at lower elevations that didn't require as much effort.
As I have said in previous columns about this mountain (and others),
hiking doesn't always need to be about getting to the top. Sometimes
it's about finding a nice spot for a relaxing picnic.
Within minutes of hitting the summit, my 16-year-old developed a
bloody nose. It was a full geyser and she was a bloody mess by the time
her sister and I dug out napkins and tissues from our packs. She handled
the situation like a trooper and later commented she didn't have much
choice since we were at the top of a mountain.
"I think we should call this 'bloody' mountain for Shadow's paw (the foster dog), my nose and all the mosquitoes!"
The bloody nose was quickly controlled, and truth be told, my
daughter found the mosquitoes more problematic than the nose. We
reapplied the all-natural bug spray at least a half-dozen times on the
trail, but it just didn't do the job. The mosquitoes were so thick in
some areas that a lot of our pictures turned out blurry due to so many
bugs flying in front of the lens.
Our experiences on this mountain have turned into our family
folklore. It happens that some places were just made for quirky
storytelling. And sometimes stopping to enjoy the sights (and people
you're with) without any goals in mind are all that really matters on a
family hiking adventure, anyway. It's nice to be reminded of that,
particularly as the kids get older. But a lesson I hope not to relearn:
Don't ever forget the "good" bug spray.
BURNT MEADOW MOUNTAIN
WHERE: Brownfield LENGTH: 1.2 miles to northern peak ELEVATION GAIN: 1,194 feet (peak is at 1,575 feet) BATHROOM: None TERRAIN: Packed dirt with some open ledges DIFFICULTY: Intermediate TRAILHEAD: The trailhead is unmarked and easy to
miss. The trailhead is on Route 160, about three miles from the
junction of routes 113 and 5 in Brownfield. GPS Coordinates: 43.9177,
-70.8830 14-YEAR-OLD: It was a pretty hike and climbing on
the rocks to the very top was fun. It was interesting to climb up open
face rocks and it was really pretty when you got to look out from the
rocks. When we went into the woodsy part of the trail there were bugs
everywhere and they were biting us a lot. 16-YEAR-OLD: This hike was a harder one for me but
it was OK. The view was very nice. The jagged rocks just before the
summit were really fun to climb on. This is the first hike ever that I
actually saw a snake on the trail. It was cool. I would hike this
mountain again but I don't need to get to the top next time.
