603 LIVING / SENIORITY
Get Out and Enjoy Plan a fall hike (or walk)
BY LYNNE SNIERSON / ILLUSTRATION BY GLORIA DILLANIN
T
he hundreds of hiking paths and trails crisscrossing this state are magnificent year-round. Nevertheless, with autumn’s cool, crisp air and the explosion of varied and vibrant color on display only during fall foliage season, October is the best month to lace up your boots, get outside, and get in touch with nature. “Nothing can change your outlook like taking a walk outside,” says Rich Westhoff, an advocate for the New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition, which promotes the development, maintenance and active use of trails constructed on New Hampshire’s abandoned railroad corridor. Even better, neuroscientists and gerontologists agree that a brisk walk is the optimal way for seniors to reboot their brain and stay healthy. “The rail trails are a good way to get
82
nhmagazine.com | October 2021
started,” says Westhoff. And he would know. Over the past 18 months, Westhoff and his wife bicycled all 52 rail trails (give or take a few based on how they’re counted), which covers more than 300 miles. One of the bonuses of these trails is that none has an elevation grade of more than 4%, which makes sense given that the old trains couldn’t climb steep hills. This makes them ideal for seniors, anyone less athletically gifted, or those with disabilities. On the coalition’s website (nhrtc.org), there’s a link to the Rail Trail Challenge, which breaks the trails out by region and describes each in detail, and lists the degree of difficulty. “There are the ones we call the ‘Easy Peasy,’” says Dave Topham, president protem and treasurer of the NHRTC. “They’re the ones where nothing is overly
strenuous, and there is a good surface with paved or hardpack. Some of the others are not for newcomers, but all of us seniors can enjoy ‘Easy Peasy’ [trails].” This category includes the rail trails in the state’s southern tier in Nashua, Salem, Windham and Londonderry, and they are ideal for a stroll, walking the dog and bicycling. For the more adventurous and athletic, established hiking trails in the North Country can be more challenging, but your effort will be rewarded with some of the most spectacular vistas anywhere in New England — or the country, for that matter. “We published a book called ‘The Old Codger’s Guide to Hiking and Climbing in the White Mountains,’ which is designed for the older generation,” says Mike Dickerman, the renowned historian, hiking enthusiast, former co-editor of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s “White Mountain Guide,” author of 14 books on the subject, and the owner of Bondcliff Books publishing house in Littleton. Dickerman says that there is an abundance of opportunities for hiking the White Mountains — it’s all a matter of what your comfort level is. “You don’t have to be walking across the exposed elements of the Presidential Range to enjoy the mountains. There are plenty of places in the valleys,” he says. “Waterfall hikes are a lot easier to get to. You can’t beat one,” he adds. Dickerman also highly recommends that enthusiasts explore the Notches. Crawford Notch is replete with roadside waterfalls and relatively easy hikes, from either a half-mile to a mile-and-a-half, and the Franconia Notch area has some hill climbs that are short, but steep. In Pinkham Notch, you can hike up to the Elephant’s Head, which is a rock formation overlooking the Gateway to the Notches. “It’s got a little bit of climbing to it, but it’s a neat little hike. You’ll get a spectacular view for the amount of effort you put into it,” says Dickerman. For an easier trek, he suggests starting at the AMC’s Highland Center and hiking to Ammonoosuc Lake in a one-mile loop. If desired, it can be extended a half-mile to the Red Bench Trail leading you out to an actual bench in the middle of nowhere, overlooking the railroad tracks that go through Crawford Notch. It provides a gorgeous view of the Presidential Range.
