Mt Washington Valley Vibe - Fall 2019 by Wiseguy Creative Media

COMPLIMENTARY

Fall 2019 art s c ultur e

Fall 2019 | Volume 3: Issue 10

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Over 80 different Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars. Non-GMO, gluten free, and no preservatives or added sugar.

Visit us in North Conway Village or Settlers Green next to the White Mountain Cupcakery!

FIND SOME FASCINATING OLIVE OIL FACTS AND OUR RECIPE COLLECTION AT NCOLIVEOIL.COM.

(603) 307-1066 â&#x20AC;¢ www.ncoliveoil.com Settlers Green & 2730 White Mountain Highway, No. Conway, NH 2 MWVvibe.com

OUTLETS

RETAIL

RESTAURANTS & CAFES

EVENTS

PUBLIC ART

Opening in November!

F E AT U R E D FA L L E V E N T S Busker Festival October 12-13 Discover music around every corner! Street musicians play from 12-3 p.m. at Settlers Green and Settlers Crossing over Columbus Day Weekend.

Bring A Friend Shopping November 8-11 Our most popular event of the year! Huge store savings, free bag giveaway, huge raffles, lodging specials, dining specials and deals throughout Settlers Green and North Conway.

Details at settlersgreen.com/events

settlersgreen.com | 888-667-9636 Fall 2019

FROM THE EDITOR

FOUNDER/PUBLISHER/CREATIVE Dan Houde dan@wiseguycreative.com MANAGING EDITOR Cam Mirisola-Bynum SALES MANAGER Chris Pacheco ads@mwvvibe.com DISTRIBUTION / CIRCULATION Mt Washington Valley Vibe is published four times annually and is available for pick-up, free of charge, in over 300 locations throughout the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire and into the communities of Western Maine.

The fall season is upon us, and Mt. Washington Valley Vibe is already celebrating its 10th edition! Since our first release back in the summer of 2017, Vibe has become an important part of Valley history and a keepsake for many. Our writers enjoy digging deep into regional history—and at times, they are able to uncover details that have been unheard of for decades. They’re meeting with business owners and immersing themselves into the day-to-day operations of the many unique non-profits who’ve chosen the Valley as home. Whether its local food and farming or kids and education, Vibe writers are helping to bring some of the lesser-known stories to the forefront for residents and visitors to enjoy. We’ve added regular features on local music, art, events, and recreational opportunities that can only be found here in our little corner of the world.

As the Valley continues to grow with opportunities and popularity, we hope to follow suit with fresh, intriguing content in future editions. If you know of a story that needs to be shared or have memories of a past event that should never be forgotten, please reach out and let us know. Thank you for helping us capture the Vibe of the Mt. Washington Valley! Happy trails! Dan Houde - dan@wiseguycreative.com

MWV Vibe can also be found in select retail shops, dining establishments, lodging properties, and grocery stores throughout the same area. If your business, or one you know, would like to make MWV Vibe available to customers, please contact us.

8 Spring 2019 | Volume 2: Issue 2019 | Mt Washington Valley Vibe Summer

ADVERTISING For advertising, feedback, and subscriptions, call (603) 986-5761 or email info@mwvvibe.com www.mwvvibe.com

Volume 3: Issue 9

Fall 2019 | Volume 3: Issue 10 COMPLIMENTARY

2018/19

Winter rts a

culture

events

food

history

people

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arts

culture

events

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SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK-ORDERS

MWV Vibe is printed quarterly and offers a great way to keep up with some of your favorite interests in the Valley. An annual subscription is just $30 and past editions are $10 (includes mailing). Subscribe online at MWVvibe.com, send an email to info@mwvvibe.com, or mail to 126 Allens Siding Road, North Conway, NH 03860. Makes a great gift, too!

MWVvibe.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Birch Malotky, North Conway, NH A recent graduate from Brown University, Birch is the northern New Hampshire land steward for The Nature Conservancy, and enjoys climbing, writing, photography, and jewelry-design. Jake Risch, Conway, NH As a North Conway-based freelance writer, backcountry skier, and whitewater kayaker, Jake is also a founding member of three MWV non-profits, president of Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, vice president of the White Mountain Swiftwater Rescue Team, and on the board of the Granite Backcountry Alliance.

Clem McAuliffe, Bartlett, NH Clem McAuliffe, owner of Vista Bev & Market in Intervale, loves beer. He loves talking about beer, reading about beer, writing about beer and, of course, drinking beer. All who enter the store quickly understand the benefit of asking, “Clem, what am I drinking today?” Marlies Ouwinga, Brownfield, ME Marlies is living her very best life hidden away in the mountains of Brownfield, Maine with her husband, two boys, and three dogs. Working at Stone Mountain Arts Center since 2006, Marlies turns to writing to air out her mind on a regular basis.

Lauren Clem, Madison, NH Lauren has spent her weekends and vacations in the Valley for as long as she can remember. She enjoys meeting the people who make the area tick and any story that requires her to put on her hiking boots. When she’s not exploring the White Mountains, she writes for a local newspaper in her home state of Rhode Island.

Phil Franklin, Bartlett, NH Phil moved to Bartlett from CT in 2014. Being active in the community, Phil is on the Board of Directors of the Bartlett Historical Society, the chairman of the Bartlett Planning Board, and is on the board of his local homeowners’ association. His other interests include photography, cycling, hiking, and writing.

Ellin Booras, Bartlett, NH After traveling to the Valley with their two sons on weekends for over 30 years, Ellin and her husband Chris followed their dream to live here full time after retiring from her job as a high school principal. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Boston College. Ellin and Chris have a home in Bartlett, and are now pursuing their passion for cycling, skiing, hiking, kayaking, and community service.

Aurora Winkler, Fryeburg Aurora Winkler is a working abstract painter and entrepreneur. She lives in Fryeburg with her longtime boyfriend Daniel, and their two excitable English Labrador sisters, Shugar and Boona. You will likely find her down by the river or painting in the studio yurt on their land in Denmark, Maine.

Heather Corrigan, North Conway, NH Originally a flatlander, Heather has called the White Mountains home for almost a decade now. She enjoys throwing herself down mountains, hiking up them, and exploring the natural beauty of the outdoors. When she’s not rooting for the “wrong” baseball team, she enjoys reading, music, and taking too many pictures of her cat. Liz Freierman, Bartlett, NH Liz Freierman owns and operates Highwater Farm with her wife Rachel and their child, Asa. You can find them on the farm in Bartlett, NH or selling berries, veggies, pies, and more at the Jackson Farmers Market. Additional Contributers Jake Jacobson, writer Jesse Wright, writer Laura Cummings, writer Raetha Stoddard, writer Andrew Drummond, photographer Marianne Borowski, photographer Robin Clark, photographer Jeff Latimer, photographer Rob McConaghy, photographer Laurel Smith, photographer Steel Wheels Photography Phil Franklin, photographer Bill Willis, photography

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE VIBE TEAM?

Our writers, researchers, and photographers are the key to the success of MWV Vibe. If you reside locally or have ties to the Valley and would like to offer your creative talents, please contact us at info@mwvvibe.com. We are currently looking for potential writers interested in covering the Berlin and Gorham areas of New Hampshire.

Fall 2019

FALL 2019 • CONTENTS 28 - FOLIAGE PHOTO TIPS

56 - GREEN HILLS PRESERVE

66 - CSRR 7470 RETURNS

WiseguyCreative.com photo

Bill Willis photo

FEATURES 16 VIEW FROM THE FARM

28 FOLIAGE PHOTO TIPS

56 TNC’S GREEN HILLS PRESERVE

20 STARTING POINT

36 NH MUSHROOM COMPANY

66 THE CSRR 7470 RETURNS

22 BACKCOUNTRY WITH GBA

42 CROSS NH ADVENTURE TRAIL

24 WHITE MOUNTAIN BREWS & NEWS

50 THE CULTURE OF DEATH

By Liz Freierman

By Raetha Stoddard

By Jake Risch

By Clem McAuliffe

Multiple authors

By Lauren Clem

By Birch Malotky

By Phil Franklin

By Ellin Booras

By Heather Corrigan

ON THE VIBE COVER

Wiseguy Creative Photography

Fall 2019 | Volume 3: Issue 10

Volume 3: Issue 9

7 FALL EVENTS 8 LOCAL BOOK REVIEW 9 WHITE MOUNTAIN HUMOR 10 SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 12 SOUNDS OF AUTUMN 14 WHITE MOUNTAIN ART 16 VIEW FROM THE FARM 20, 22 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT 24 LOCAL LIBATIONS 36 LOCAL FOOD

Echo Lake Reflections

Mt Washington Valley Vibe Summer 2019 |

REGULAR DEPARTMENTS

COMPLIMENTARY

Camera: Nikon D750 Lens: Tamron 15.0-30.0 mm f/2.8 15.0 mm; 1/180 sec; f/5.1; ISO 100; Matrix metering White Horse Ledge reflects its autumn color onto Echo Lake in North Conway, NH

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FALL 2019 • EVENTS There’s nothing quite like autumn in the Mt. Washington Valley! We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, please call ahead to confirm dates, times, location, and other information. Return of the Pumpkin People, Jackson, NH October 1 – October 31 Take this self-guided tour of more than 80 different locations around Jackson and the Mt. Washington Valley hosting Pumpkin People displays. This is an event that will amaze even the toughest of critics. See Pumpkin People doing all kinds of things, from flying across yards to deep-sea diving. Maps and People’s Choice Award Ballots available at Jackson Chamber. www.jacksonnh.com • (603) 383-9356 Leaf Peeper Bike Bash! • Theater in the Wood, Intervale, NH Saturday, October 12 • 6 – 10 p.m. The White Mountains NEMBA Chapter (Ride Noco) presents the First Annual Leaf Peeper Bike Bash! Hosted by Backyard Concept, LLC, this dirt-inspired event is designed to celebrate the community of mountain biking in the MWV. The event will feature a potluck dinner (so bring a plate for a ticket discount), local tasty beverages, a screening of Return to Earth, the latest from Anthill Films, and a quality raffle and silent auction. If you ride, come on out and support the trails! www.bikereg.com/leafpeeper • (603) 728-7739 4th Annual Forest 5K Family Fun Trail Run/Walk White Mountain Waldorf School Saturday, October 19 • 10 a.m. Run, walk, or hike this fun 5K trail that connects school trails with Tin Mountain Conservation Center trails. Get outside and enjoy nature with your family in a beautiful forest; proceeds benefit the students at WMWS. Look online for more information and to register. www.whitemountainwaldorf.org/events • (603) 447-3168 ‘91 to ‘19: Three Climbs of a Lifetime on Everest • Kennett High School, Conway, NH • Friday, November 8 • 6 – 9 p.m. The Mt. Washington Valley carries a proud legacy of producing some of the world’s best climbers. Hosted by Backyard Concept, LLC, this event highlights three individuals who made it from the MWV to the top of the world on Mount Everest. Between the years of 1991 through 2019, three MWV expedition climbers, Rick Wilcox, Thom Pollard, and Mark Synnott, all summited Mount Everest. Like any good adventure, they each came home with their own stories to tell—and on their own terms. Event benefits Mountain Rescue Service. www.backyardconcept.org/events • (603) 728 7739 33rd Annual Winter Craft Faire • White Mountain Waldorf School Saturday, November 16 • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Join the Waldorf School at the North Conway Community Center for children’s crafts, local artisans, puppet shows, live student musical performances, King Winter stories, The Pocket Lady, and a hearty cafe for breakfast and lunch. Look online for more information and to rent booth space. www.whitemountainwaldorf.org/events • (603) 447-3168

Fall 2019

Granite Backcountry Alliance Backcountry Film Festival • Theater in the Wood, Intervale, NH • Saturday, November 16 The insanely popular GBA Film Fest, hosted by Backyard Concept, LLC, is a celebration of the human-powered experience and a gathering place for the backcountry snowsports community! Immerse yourself in a night of films, adventure, environment and climate, youth outdoors, ski culture—you’ll find it all in this award-winning lineup. Potluck dinner, music, special giveaway to Argentina, raffles, live auctions, and more! Tickets: www.skireg.com/gbafilmfest • (603) 728-7739 Annual Nordic Skiers Open House • Great Glen Trails Friday, November 22 • 4 – 8:00 p.m. All skiers, downhill and Nordic alike, are welcome to Great Glen Outfitters’ Annual Open House! Enjoy a fun evening of socializing, checking out new gear and clothing, trying out some fatbikes (3 – 6 p.m.) for free, and awesome door prizes. Get your winter Season Pass and receive 10% off all in-stock products all season! www.greatglentrails.com • (603) 466-2333 Farmstead Christmas • Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm Saturday, December 7, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Celebrate the history and traditions of a rural holiday and winter season. Enjoy special tours of this historic site. The Museum Center will feature seasonal exhibits; families can make a holiday craft. Foodways demonstrations to include 19th-century open-hearth cooking. www.remickmuseum.org • (603) 323-7591

“BES NEW ENGTLOAF ND” YANKEE M AGAZ “FAMILY FA INE VORITE” PAR ENTIN MAGAZING NH E

Four seasons of healthful, farm-fresh experiences. Visit year-round and for these family favorites:

. Ice Harvest & Winter Carnival February . New Hampshire Maple Weekend March . Dandelion Festival May . Harvest Festival September . Farmstead Christmas December Discover Remick.

www.remickmuseum.org

603.323.7591 #remickmuseum

A RURAL LIFE MUSEUM & WORKING FARM

HERBAL WORKSHOPS + 4-H CLUB + EVENTS HOMESCHOOL CLASSES + STORE + MORE!

LOCAL BOOK REVIEW By Laura Cummings, White Birch Books The Wickeds – Bringing Wicked Good Mysteries to Town

Wicked—such a distinctly descriptive New England term. Things are going to be wicked fun when the Wickeds, a group of six female mystery writers from New England, come to White Birch Books on Sunday, October 6, at 2 p.m. They’ll be sharing their particular cozy brand of murder and mayhem in beautiful New England settings. Maddie Day, Jessica Ellicott, Sherry Harris, Julia Henry, Barbara Ross, and Liz Mugavero comprise the Wickeds, and they all either live in or write about New England in their cozies. They have joined together to support each other in their writing and, when possible, go out on the road and talk books, writing, and more books. What is a cozy? A cozy is a very particular subgenre of mystery in which the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. The detectives are nearly always amateurs and are frequently women, with jobs that bring them into constant contact with residents of their community—that person could be a caterer, innkeeper, librarian, teacher, or book seller! The violence in cozies takes place off the page and there is a fair amount of humor or a sidekick of some sort. Let’s meet the authors! Maddie Day, lives north of Boston and also writes as Edith Maxwell. She has written several series, but will be talking about her most recent book, Strangled Eggs and Ham, from her Country Store 8

Mystery Series. In this sixth entry, Robbie Jordan’s store is growing in popularity, but when a dead body appears, so does trouble. Add to that a controversial real estate development plan—and things get very heated—with Robbie and her recipes right in the middle of it all. Sherry Harris currently lives in Virginia, but grew up in Massachusetts, and got her first taste of bargain hunting when she was in 2nd grade at her best friend’s yard sale. She has honed that skill and tailored it into her Garage Sale Mystery series. She’ll be talking about the seventh in the series, Let’s Fake a Deal, which includes stolen goods, a crazy cat lady and feline memorabilia, and, of course, an errant dead body. Julia Henry is from Somerville, Massachusetts, and she has set her Garden Squad Mystery series in that state as well. In Tilling the Truth, the second installment, retiree Lilly Jayne and her youthful senior pals show no sign of slowing down until murder mows over a pesky local. Then they need to get their act together to save the town beautification project and clear a friend’s name. Coming over from Portland, Maine is Barbara Ross, talking about her Maine Clambake series. In the latest installment, Steamed Open, it’s summertime in the fictional Busman’s Harbor, but a mysterious new neighbor blocks access to the beach, cutting off the Snowden Family Clambake’s supply. Julia Snowden is just one of many townspeople angered by Bartholomew Frick. But who was angry enough to kill him? Liz Mugavero will be coming to the store from the Boston area to talk about her most recent book, Murder, She Meowed, the seventh installment of the Pawsitively Organic series. Kristan “Stan” Connor loves concocting tasty organic treats for cats and dogs—and she also loves her fiancé. But, she’s not so excited about finding a dead body at her own bachelorette party! Now the guest list is the suspect list and Stan has to solve the

crime before she can walk down the aisle. As an added bonus, there are gourmet pet recipes included in the book. And finally, there’s Jessica Ellicott— who we consider one of our own. Hailing from Milton Mills, she has visited the store many times to promote her various series. This time she will be talking about Murder Flies the Coop, her historical cozy featuring Beryl and Edwina, two ladies sharing lodging in the sleepy English village of Walmsley Parva. Although quite different, the friends do one thing very well together—solve murders! The Wickeds are all wicked good friends. They support each other in their lives and writing endeavors. They look forward to sharing their love of writing and mysteries. Come ready to talk murder and mayhem, but if you do miss this event, we’ll have their books and you can check out the Wickeds online at wickedauthors.com where they have ongoing conversations about the things they love–books, books, books, the writing life, and maybe a few other things.

Laura Cummings owns and operates White Birch Books, an independent, full-service bookstore serving the Mt. Washington Valley and beyond.

Celebrating 25 years! (603) 356-3200

PO Box 399 • 2568 White Mt Hwy North Conway Village, NH 03860 Just south of the park

info@whitebirchbooks.com www.whitebirchbooks.com MWVvibe.com

A LIGHTER LOOK AT VALLEY LIFE By Jake Jacobson Didja Getcha Wood in Yet? It was there, talking on the phone with my dad, that I learned my mom had passed … as a single red maple leaf fell into my lap. It’s a gorgeous late-August day, and while toiling in the yard I’ve come to a startling realization. About 15 years ago I was given my first, and by far, the best Father’s Day gift ever ... THE L.L. Bean hammock! You know the one. The one that you drooled over in the summer catalog. So resplendently inviting on the glossy page that it could’ve been a centerfold. Hanging from its powder-coated steel stand by the end of the dock on a glassy lake with an icy cocktail close at hand? Then you looked at the price, admitted that you’re decidedly NOT lake people, and quickly turned pages ‘til you found something more affordable—like a water bottle or key-ring flashlight. THAT HAMMOCK! It was in that hammock that I’ve let myself lounge and learn. It was there that I learned the bliss of swaying with my infant son until we both drifted off into a well-deserved nap. It was there that I learned that nothing gave that eager toddler more joy than the first time his newly freed hands were able to bring me a beer as he wobbled across the lawn and proudly offered it. It was there that I learned that that 8-year old him was the type of kid that might shake said beer before offering it with a grin that was all mischief. Coincidentally, it was also there that HE learned that I was the type of dad that would make him stand perfectly still as I opened it beside his ear. It was there that together we learned about a whole new world as we opened up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with an agreement that for every chapter he read, I would read one aloud—and ONLY when we finished a book could we watch the movie (we finished the Deathly Hallows just in time for him to open the wands I made him for Christmas). It was there, talking on the phone with my dad, that I learned my mom had passed … as a single red maple leaf fell into my lap. But what I learned today from that hammock, as I dragged it out of the way to mow the lawn, is that the only time I’ve spent with it this year has been dragging it out of the way to mow the lawn ... and dragging it back. I’ve started closing the windows at night, mostly because of the voice. It first comes around 3 a.m. on such a late-August night, as you wake up reaching for the covers to ward off the chill ... “Didja getcha wood in yet?” ... “Didja getcha wood in yet?” The voice of fall coming over the hill, haunting, chilling in its urgent foreshadowing. Now, I’m not from the North Country, nor do I pretend to be. I grew up in a place called “Away.” A Flatlander. A Transplant, if you will. But I do pay attention and try to fit in, or at the very least, try not to stand out. And one thing I have noted is that, around here, there are TWO questions you NEVER ask a man in polite company. Number one being: “Didja getcha wood in yet?” Autumn in the north is a time of tremendous pressure on a man, what with all the breaking this down and setting that up and the putting that to bed and getting this to fire up and filling this up and draining that down ... battening down and buttoning up. So, you JUST DON’T ASK! Doesn’t he have enough to do without answering your foolish questions? You might as well be asking if he’s finished his Fall 2019

Christmas shopping yet or made reservations for Valentine’s Day. And no, he doesn’t care that you’ve got all your wood split, stacked, and covered. Good for you. He doesn’t want to hear it. Keep that up and come November he might just find himself tempted to throw civility aside and ask you the OTHER taboo question: “Didja getcha deer yet?” Touché. My point is that there’s not much time left before the snow flies, and there’s no shortage of things to be done, and my face is starting to hurt just thinking about it. But I’m not quite ready to put that hammock away yet. Because I may just find a moment on a crisp, colorful fall day when the sun wins out over the chill in the breeze and I’m able to convince myself to set a spell in it before I have to drag it off the lawn for the last time. And if I do, would you be kind enough to bring me a beer? And do your best not to shake it too much. Jake Jacobson is a contented cynic and a stand-up comic from Brownfield, Maine. Follow Jake at Facebook/standup.guy.33 or Twitter@StandupGuyJake for show dates and whatever else happens to be on his mind.

Largest Flooring and Tile Showroom in the Mt. Washington Valley

Tile • Luxury Vinyl • Hardwood • Carpet • Area Rugs

Full design and installation available on everything we sell! SHOWROOM HOURS: Monday-Friday: 7:30am-5pm Saturday 9am-1pm

(603) 356-6031 179 Route 16/302, Intervale, NH 9

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Tell us about your unique Valley business at info@mwvvibe.com.

FROST MOUNTAIN YURTS, Brownfield, ME Year-round, eco-friendly yurts cater to families, couples, and small groups who are looking for accessible outdoor fun. Frost Mountain Yurts (FMY) invites you to an enjoyable excursion in the back woods of western Maine on their private 57 acres surrounded by wooded land. FMY is located just south of Fryeburg, Maine and minutes away from all the Mt. Washington Valley amenities. All five yurts are nestled in their private secluded setting. The yurt provides your accommodations and entertainment all in one. Once you settle in, FMY has its own private network of hiking and XC ski and snow shoe trails that leave directly from the yurts. FMY is also directly connected to the international snowmobile trail network that is open to skiers and trekkers for longer loops. Or just kick back and relax, unwind and do nothing. How often do you take time and do that? What a perfect place to start! Looking for more adventure? Outside the yurt, you can follow the snowmobile trail that leads to the summit of Frost Mountain, with views of Mount Washington, the Presidential Range, and the beautiful valleys of the New Hampshire/Maine border.

Frost Mountain Yurts FROST MOUNTAIN YURTS Highlights • Year-round adventure • Private and secluded • Fully stocked and furnished • Bring your own drinking water, sleeping bag, and cooler full of food

For more information, call (802) 233-7010, or visit www.frostmountainyurts.com.

CROW FEATHER FARM FRAMES, Cornish, ME You’ll find Crow Feather Farm Frames in the foothills of the White Mountains in Porter, Maine. They handcraft unique picture frames from locally sourced and reclaimed wood. When selecting the wood, special attention is paid to the texture and grain of each board. Finishes are carefully applied, and the frames are constructed by hand. Crow Feather uses local resources throughout every stage of this hands-on process, which makes every piece high quality, and one of a kind. Custom orders are always welcome, including float frames for canvas work. You can call to discuss the details and receive an estimate quickly. The owners of this non-traditional frame shop are happy to create the moulding customers desire, so they do what they can to ensure each piece looks its best. Many finishes and cost options are available to meet a variety of framing needs. Special pricing is applied to orders of three or more similar frames for artists, photographers, businesses, or anyone interested—from unfinished frames, to fully mounted prints and everything in between. You can find a selection of standard-size frames at crowfeatherfarmframes.com or if you are passing through the heart of Cornish, ME, a variety of standard sizes are also available at Full Circle Artisan’s Gallery.

MaineCrowFeatherFarm

CROW FEATHER FARM FRAMES Highlights • One-of-a-kind picture frames • Locally sourced and reclaimed wood • Many custom options available • Satisfaction guaranteed

For more information, call (207) 625-9207 or visit crowfeatherfarmframes.com. 10 MWVvibe.com

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Tell us about your unique Valley business at info@mwvvibe.com.

VIRGINIA MOORE PET PORTRAITS, Conway, NH Painting pet portraits since 1999, Virginia Moore feels that this niche provides comfort to animal lovers. “My first painting was of my dog, Sophie, a yellow Lab who passed from an aggressive cancer, when I was guiding a hike in Hawaii. I thought it was a terrible painting, but my friends all loved it and asked me to paint one of their animals; and so it began,” she explains. All paintings are created from photos. Virginia began her work with animals as a veterinary technician when she was 17 years old. She studied art in college and worked in the art and animal fields off and on throughout her life. Virginia recently retired from a 14-year career as the executive director of The Conway Area Humane Society.

VIRGINIA MOORE PET PORTRAITS Highlights

The human/animal bond is so strong—conveying that bond through art is powerful. Virginia asks clients to provide the best quality photo possible, as well as a short blurb about their pet so she can capture their unique personality. Our animal friends are not with us nearly long enough in life, and a personal pet portrait is a wonderful way to keep them close beyond that life.

• Watercolors are painted from photos • 8x10 matted and framed to 11x14 • 5x7 matted and framed to 8x10 • Custom sizes available • Can be ordered online and shipped anywhere

vamoore

For more information, call (603) 520-8230, or visit www.vmoorepetportraits.com.

Celebrating 26 Years!

Maple Syrup Penny Candy Snacks & Munchies Beverages Apparel Home & Kitchen Soaps, Scrubs & Lotions Toys & Games Maple Candy Specialty Foods Gift Baskets

LOCATED IN THE VILLAGE OF NORTH CONWAY • ZEBS.COM • Fall 2019

(603) 356-9294 11

SOUNDS OF AUTUMN By Marlies Ouwinga

Courtesy photo

Playin’ in the Band

I am not a musician. I don’t even play one on TV. And I’m okay with that. I used to fantasize that I could sing, but realized at an early age that it was not to be. My mother pointed that out to me quite earnestly one afternoon as we listened to my take on Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” on my little cassette recorder. Ouch. That one still kind of stings … And playing an instrument was simply not to be. After a disastrous stint with the recorder in 3rd grade, I realized (to the great relief of everyone in my family) that I was better off listening, dancing, and singing loudly (albeit painfully for them) to music. Fast forward 30 years. In 3rd grade, my son—after a much more favorable experience with the recorder—decided to join the band. With absolutely no pressure from my husband and me, he forged ahead, immersing himself in learning the clarinet. The first time I brought him to buy reeds at the music store, I was completely lost—yet impressed—as he engaged in a full conversation in music-speak with the teenage girl who was working. Easily discussing different kinds of notes and tempos, they bonded in their shared passion for creating music. Age didn’t matter; the instrument didn’t matter; it was the joy it brought both of them that flushed their cheeks and kept them chattering away. At that moment I saw band in a whole new light. And I’m not the only one. No longer just a peripheral activity, schools are answering the call for classes in music theory, composition, vocal, and choral lessons. The focus on music has expanded into real-world career opportunities. How lucky for the world! The benefits of music soar over barriers for a little joy, calm, and peace in our crazy lives. We need music makers. So, starting at the beginning … baby music groups are ev-

erywhere. A chance to not only get babies listening, laughing, and interacting, but a connection spot for new mothers. Toddlers and pre-school children love to sing, dance—and do so with gusto— whether it sounds good or not. It’s about fun, and ideally, always should be.

We are so lucky to have impressive and engaged elementary through high school music programs in the Mt. Washington Valley. Both Kennett High School and Fryeburg Academy offer classes, lessons, and specialized ensembles to foster students’ creative talents. Students have played at Disney World, the Rose Bowl Parade, and have won multiple awards for jazz ensembles and choral programs. The goal is to prepare students for top collegiate music programs, and ultimately, for professional experiences in music—be it professor, conductor, sound engineering, or headlining their own performances. Most importantly, it’s a chance to encourage lifelong participation in the arts. Let’s not forget those out there with God-given talent: 6-yearolds who strum Joni Mitchell and those who can cover Led Zeppelin in perfect time with voracious enthusiasm, doing so with no lessons to speak of. Prodigies playing Beethoven and writing their own heartfelt ballads. Some are simply born to sing, to entertain, to create the music that moves us. I say thank you for their existence in this increasingly overly stimulating world.

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But all bands aren’t just kids hanging out in the garage. More people are feeling free to finally let the real world go for a few hours and lose themselves in the music. More often, I see people my age and older chasing down their dreams of making music of their own. Some are revisiting lessons after middle school stints with the trumpet, some learning guitar to follow in the steps of their musical heroes, and others looking for a new creative outlet, producing a lovely personal soundtrack to live by. I’ve met a number of music lovers who picked up an instrument in adulthood, eager to finally have the time to play their favorite tunes themselves. Many finally felt like they had the time to focus on learning an instrument. One friend picked up the guitar after a divorce … a new way of life. For all those who shied away in their youth, there are local avenues to learn whatever instrument plucks at their heartstrings.

Mountain Top Music and The North Conway Music Center are incredible resources for music lovers of all ages in the Mt. Washington Valley. With a mission to “enrich lives and build community by providing inspiring music education and by offering performance and listening opportunities throughout the area,” Mountain Top Music serves over 350 people who participate in lessons, classes, workshops, and community ensembles each year. The North Conway Music Center is a locally owned business offering all thing music and instrument related. In 10 years they’ve grown into a 4,000-square-foot facility employing six staff members and hosting nine teachers. Both offer affordable instrument rentals, as well as scholarship opportunities. And it’s not just the usual piano lessons that are available. The roster includes: electric and acoustic guitar, ukulele, bass guitar, trumpet, clarinet, flute, saxophone, trombone, piano, vocal, violin, viola, Scruggs-style banjo, oboe, and drums. Practice makes perfect, so a number of clubs and organized musical groups are established for amateurs and more proficient players alike, including The Mt. Washington Ukulele Posse and the MWV Community Band for all ages and ability levels. Choral groups, open mic nights, and a surprisingly vast array of homegrown bands are scattered throughout the region. Let’s not forget the social benefits of playing music. According to a number of studies (and common sense), music has been shown to reduce stress, increase productivity, develop creativity, and build confidence. All of which can lead to a more harmonious life down the road. My son may not be able to fit band in this year. Sports, AP classes, and teenage life is pushing out clarinet practice, but his love for music is not going anywhere. With a playlist from The Beatles to The Clash, Queen to the Eagles, to the Beach Boys … I listen as he points out his favorite parts of each. Chord changes, a note he loves … an intro that can’t be beat. And I smile and sing along loudly … grateful we can always share the music, age and understanding be damned. So, here’s to the kids who toot their own horn. Adults who march to their own drum. And all of us who stop, who dance, who live and listen. Happy fall. Fall 2019

Hosting national acts in the foothills of the White Mountains in an intimate timber-frame barn. Serving dinner by reservation before concerts. Open year round. Booking weddings and functions, too!

OUR CALENDAR FOR 2019/20 ADDING SHOWS DAILY! Oct. 1 Oct. 3 Oct. 4 Oct. 6 Oct. 11 Oct. 16 Oct. 17

Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi Iris Dement Jason Spooner The Jeremiahs Peter Mulvey and Catie Curtis We Banjo 3 Martha Spencer & the Whitetop Mountain Band - Free admission show Oct. 25 Amy Helm Nov. 1 Roomful of Blues Nov. 2 John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band Nov. 3 Nick Lowe Nov. 4 John Hiatt Nov. 7 Bob Marley Nov. 9 John Davidson Nov. 14 Ricky Skaggs Nov. 16 Harry Manx Nov. 17 Marty Stuart & Fabulous Superlatives Nov. 22 The Suitcase Junket Nov. 23 Gibson Brothers Nov. 29 & 30 Adam Ezra Dec. 6 & 7 Christmas Concert at the Little White Church Dec. 20 & 21 Stone Mountain Live for Christmas w. Bill Kirchen Dec. 31 NYE w. Jonathan Edwards Feb. 21 JigJam March 21 Kat Edmonson April 25 Judith Owen May 16 Duo Duo Quartet

StoneMountainArtsCenter.com Just 15 minutes from North Conway (207) 935-7292 • Dugway Road, Brownfield, ME 13

ART IN THE VALLEY By Aurora Winkler

LEFT: Loop your warp (pre-cut cotton strings) around the wooden stick. RIGHT: After weaving over and under using palm fronds, the ends of the cotton string were tied to hold it all in place. Aurora Winkler photos.

Creating a “Rustic Weaving” ... Simply Enjoyable There is a particular feeling that comes from creating something with your own two hands. No matter what it is, with time and effort, a sense of reward and accomplishment follows. The art of weaving is one of those things that takes time and patience, but anyone can do it! I also love how interlocking textiles and mixed fibers have the ability to transform the wall or space of a room, no matter the simplicity or complexity of the finished

and patterns will come naturally as you see fit. Weaving is a meditative, creative, and rewarding way to pass the time. I was in Costa Rica when I made my first rustic weaving. While taking a leisurely walk on the beach, I found a few uniquely shaped sticks. I used cotton string as my weft and then proceeded to weave palm fronds over and under the cotton string, being sure to incorporate some shells that I had also collected along

Next time you find yourself walking your path in life, pick up a stickand try this simple practice. product. If you want to create your own woven masterpiece, you can start with rustic drift wood weaving. Begin by finding a stick. I like the soft tumbled sticks that can be found by the river or ocean. There is no right or wrong way to weave, in my opinion, and (of course) the freedom of yarn colors and fiber choices are up to you. Your scale of weaving depends on the branch size and string length. There are no bounds! Once you’ve found a unique and intriguing stick, you will need: cotton string, scissors, maybe a needle, and a variety of fiber options. Begin by cutting your string to the length you want; then loop it around the stick. This is your “warp.” The warp is the set of yarns or other elements stretched (or tied) in place on a loom (your stick) before the weft (your choice of fibers) are introduced during the weaving process. The weft is regarded as the horizontal set in a finished fabric with two or more sets of elements. Next you will begin to weave, over and under, your selected fibers. There is no right or wrong way to do this, the flow of colors

my way. It was an uncomplicated and enjoyably creative way to spend my time. Next time you find yourself walking your path in life, pick up a stick and try this simple practice. Tapping into your creative expression will engender a sense of pride and interconnectedness. We are woven together by invisible threads, Energetic fields of blooming possibilities. As a creator, what do you envision? Can you see the cosmic cloth? It is your weaving, your dance. Weaving the warp of your life, What is the fabric of your story? From The Art of Weaving A Life, by Susan Barrett Merrill

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MT. WASHINGTON VALLEY ART GALLERIES Surroundings Art Gallery 12 Main Street, Sandwich, NH (603) 284-6888 www.surroundingsart.com White Mountain Photography 95 Main Street, Snowflake Inn, Jackson, NH (603) 374-6050 www.whitemountainphoto.com Harvest Gold Gallery 1082 Main Street, Center Lovell, ME (207) 925-6502 www.harvestgoldgallery.com AJP Fine Art 55 Louisa Drive, Center Conway, NH (781) 534-3849 www.ajpfineart.com Roger C. Williams Fine Art 125 Main Street, Lovell, ME (207) 925-3380 www.rogerwilliamsfineart.com Louise Perry of Vintage Frameworks 28 Norcross Circle, North Conway, NH (603) 356-7711 www.vintageframeworks.com Artworks 132 White Mountain Highway, Chocorua, NH (603) 323-8041 www.chocoruaartworks.com Erik Koeppel Fine Art P.O. Box 325, Jackson, NH (603) 383-7062 www.erikkoeppel.com

Edge of Maine Art & Framing 182 Main Street, Brownfield, ME (207) 935-2817 www.edgeofmaine.com

The Cassidy Gallery at Jackson Village 10 Seavey Street, North Conway, NH (603) 662-2074 www.cassidygallery.com

Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery 69 Maple Street, Center Sandwich, NH (603) 284-7728 www.patricialaddcarega.com

Mt. Washington Valley Art Center 16 Norcross Circle, North Conway, NH (603) 356-2787 www.mwvarts.org

Fryeburg Harbor Antiques and Fine Art Gallery 506 Harbor Road, Fryeburg, ME (207) 925-2848 www.fryeburgharbor.com

Jackson Art Studio & Gallery 155 Ridge Road, Jackson, NH (603) 387-3463 www.jacksonartnh.com

Cook Memorial Library 93 Main Street, Tamworth, NH (603) 323-8510 www.tamworthlibrary.org Gallery 302 112 Main Street, Bridgton, ME (207) 647-2787 www.gallery302.com League of NH Craftsmen North Conway 2526 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH (603) 356-2441 www.northconway.nhcrafts.org White Mountain Artisans Gallery 3358 NH-16, North Conway, NH (603) 356-6546 www.facebook.com/pages/white-mountain-artisans-gallery

Nathan Macomber Glass Studio 480 Eaton Road, Conway, NH (603) 447-1825 www.macomberglass.com Gateway Gallery & Gifts 32 Exchange Street, Gorham, NH (603) 466-9900 www.gatewaygallery.biz St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts 155 Emery Street, Berlin, NH (603) 752-1028 www.stkieranarts.org Pace Galleries of Art 18 Bradley Street, Fryeburg, Maine (207) 935-9232 www.fryeburgacademy.org/arts/ pace-galleries

Western Maine Lakes & Mountains Carol Chaffee, REALTOR® www.carolchaffee.com (207) 240-1641 • Fryeburg, ME Fall 2019

VIEW FROM THE FARM By Liz Freierman

I started working at a plant nursery and farm when I was 14, and spent my summers there on and off through college. I learned how to transplant and deadhead. I learned to pick tomatoes green and spent hours in the old barn polishing and grading them as they slowly turned from green to pink to red. I took cuttings and pruned and watered. While my friends were selling clothes at the mall and scooping ice cream, I spent my days outside, surrounded by beautiful, well-cared-for plants and vegetables and other people who loved them. It was no surprise then

Wiseguy Creative photo

Liz Freierman owns and operates Highwater Farm with her wife, Rachel, and their child, Asa. You can find them on the farm in Bartlett, NH or selling berries, veggies, pies, and more at the Jackson Farmer’s Market. You can also find them online on Instagram @highwaterfarm.

for ourselves. Just before our child was born in late 2017, I took the plunge and quit my job as a timber framer, hoping that I would be able to make enough money working from home to make ends meet, while Rachel maintained her full time job managing an environmental education program. I pieced together odd jobs cleaning, caretaking, doing construction, and caring for animals, but farming has always been how I have most wanted to spend my time and earn a living. For as long as I can remember, I have

For 10 years we made gardens for ourselves at various rentals throughout the Valley. We grew in containers on decks and poured our hearts into improving land that would never be ours. So when we moved into this house and inherited land that had been loved and cultivated for decades, we knew we were ready for the next step. that growing sat like a dormant seed in my head for several years until I finally had a patch of dirt in front of a rundown rental to sow my own seeds. I met my wife Rachel in 2010 and we began to garden together, although she had not been an enthusiastic helper in her mom’s garden as a child. Slowly my dreams of self-sufficiency and big gardens became a shared vision. In 2012 and 2013 we traveled throughout Southeast Asia and Southern Africa, spending much time WWOOFing (WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and connecting with farmers as we went. When we returned to the States, we spent a season working on a sheep and berry farm in Southern Vermont to help ease our transition back. Those experiences were extremely powerful—we saw a glimpse into a life that we wanted and hoped that we could create

dreamed about the house I would someday own. I have floor plans that I drew in summer camp when I was 12 years old. I imagined how the sunlight would filter through tree branches and windows to form warm spots on wide-pine floors. I spent years reading every homesteading memoir I could get my hands on. I studied every house I ever entered making mental lists of features I liked—a bookshelf from this house, a bathroom from that house. I read books about living mortgage and debt free. I studied house design and timber framing so I could gain the skills necessary to one day turn my dreams into a reality. And then I was 32 and living in a cramped rental with Rachel and our 7-month-old child in a town we loved but couldn’t afford. We heard from a friend about a property in a neighboring town that would be “perfect” for us and had

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Wiseguy Creative photo

just gone on the market. Soon we had toured the very basic, slightly too-small house on half of an acre in the floodplain of the Saco in a neighborhood of closely spaced homes. And though it checked almost none of the boxes of my dream house and property, it was, in fact, perfect. Fast forward a year and we are settled in that house, on that half-acre, growing a (very) small farm. For 10 years we made gardens for ourselves at various rentals throughout the Valley. We grew in containers on decks and poured our hearts into improving land that would never be ours. So when we moved into this house and inherited land that had been loved and cultivated for decades, we knew we were ready for the next step. Our dreams were big—sell seedlings, sell vegetables, berries, flowers, and pies—at farmers’ markets, to restaurants, build and open a farm stand. Grow a large variety of produce, including many things we had never tried before. Get insurance, register the business, get a logo and a sign, a website, keep track of our profits and losses, our yields and our inputs. All while tackling several house projects and without much in the way of childcare. Needless to say, reality got in the way again. Farming with a child has not proven quite as beautiful as images on Instagram would lead you to believe (not that I would know, I still have a flip phone). It turns out, infants and toddlers are not always willing workers and their attention spans are not quite suited to weeding and harvesting long rows, or even entertaining themselves while we complete these tasks. These days I get much of my work done during the two hours (fingers crossed) when our child is (hopefully) napping each day. This takes careful consideration about where we can go and when and what tasks I can actually tackle during a baby’s nap (ones that can be interrupted and stopped with little notice). When the nap stretches on longer than I anticipate, I rush around like a kid in a candy shop trying to cram as many tasks as I can into this “stolen” time. We also do a lot of work after bedtime, which means after dark, which means when the bugs are at their worst. That is when much of our hand watering, weeding, and harvesting happens. One of our fondest memories from this season involved planting 80 tomato plants in our high tunnel with just the light of a single lamp perched up on a ladder. It was a romantic evening to be sure. Despite the challenges of farming with a child, we have accomplished a few things in this first growing season as Highwater Farm. I participated in a farm business workshop Fall 2019

ur an t sta re tavern &

lmost

T here

Restaurant & Pub

ILDCAT Inn & Tavern

Engravers Roman BT Cataneo

Thompson House Eatery photo

Thanks to the patronage of our guests we have donated...

$333K 2018

$309K 316K ★ $269K ★ $239K ★ 2017 ★ $2016 2015 2014

to worthwhile local charitable organizations!

In addition, the VO also donates over $13K in member gift certificates to over 180 Organizations/Charities in the MWV area, each year! We also strive to work with local farmers and local producers of high quality products whenever possible. 1

Almost There

Black Cap Grille

Cafe Noche

Albany • 603-447-2325 2

Fryeburg • 207-935-3442

N. Conway • 603-356-2225 3

Christmas Farm Inn Jackson • 603-383-4313

Delaney’s Hole In The Wall Horsefeathers

Joseph’s Spaghetti Shed

J-Town Deli & Country Store

Jackson • 603-383-8064 10

Margarita Grill Glen • 603-383-6556

The Shovel Handle Pub Jackson • 800-677-5737

Thompson House Eatery Jackson • 603-383-9341

White Mountain Cider Company Glen • 603-383-9061

Glen • 603-383-6680 9

Shannon Door Pub Jackson • 603-383-4211

N. Conway • 603-356-6862 8

Shalimar Of India

Wildcat Tavern

Jackson • 603-383-4245 24

302 West Smokehouse & Tavern Fryeburg • 207-935-3021

Max’s Restaurant & Pub at Snowvillage Inn Eaton • 603-447-2818

McGrath’s Tavern

N. Conway • 603-733-5955 13

Merlino’s Steakhouse N. Conway • 603-356-6006

Moat Mountain Smokehouse

N. Conway • 603-356-6381 15

You’ll find Liz and Rachel, as well as plenty of other local farmers, at the Jackson NH Farmers Market, Thompson House Eatery, every Tuesday from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m., plus other local vendors, live music and beer/ wine samplings.

North Conway • 603-356-0123 20

N. Conway • 603-356-7776 7

Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub Glen • 603-383-4344

Deacon Street

N. Conway • 603-356-9231

Priscilla’s

North Conway • 603-356-0401

Conway • 603-447-5050 4

Oxford House Inn

Notchland Inn

Hart’s Location • 603-374-6131

theValleyOriginals.com ★ The Valley Originals is a 501 (c)3 Non-Profit Organization ★

over the winter where I learned just how much I don’t know about business accounting. We spent several of the following nights trying to make sense of it and make our own spreadsheets. We planted, cultivated, and harvested 16 different crops to sell at various markets. We baked pies, granola, fruit breads, and cakes, and made veggie burgers every week. We picked and picked and picked raspberries and blackberries. We have a banner, logo and a website on the

We’ve fed ourselves, our friends, and a small portion of our community, and we have a child who loves every berry we grow, cherry tomatoes, pulling carrots out of the ground, and thinks that spending time outside is the absolute best. way. We’ve fed ourselves, our friends, and a small portion of our community, and we have a child who loves every berry we grow, cherry tomatoes, pulling carrots out of the ground, and thinks that spending time outside is the absolute best. We’ve had failures, too. Crops that didn’t germinate or grow for reasons we can only guess at. Crops that bolted.

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Berries that went rotten or had to be picked by other people because we were at a music festival forgetting we were trying to be farmers. Pests that got out of hand. Weeds that got out of hand. Days spent entertaining a child while the pests and weeds got out of hand. Bears that ate our chickens and our pet turkey (we were too busy to slaughter her for Thanksgiving). Farm stands that have half a roof. Lost receipts. Half-empty spreadsheets. As fall sneakily swallows up summer, we are starting to look back on the season and reflect. It would be easy to look at our still small list of accomplishments and feel failure for all that we have yet to do, but that is not in our nature. From the start, we framed this year as an experiment—an opportunity to learn from this new land and to place ourselves in new situations to begin to understand how we want this farm business to unfold. And we have learned so much. We have learned that we need to have the soil tested, that drip irrigation is a game changer, that potato beetles are no joke, that the more we bring to a farmer’s market, the more we sell, that 1-and-a-half-year-olds can actually be helpful sometimes (although they are much less helpful than we thought they’d be when we envisioned this summer a year ago), that there are a huge number of resources in the community to help people like us, and on and on. We suddenly have a sense of direction and niche that we didn’t have at this time last year. We want to grow fewer crops, better. We want to focus on snacky crops like snap peas and cherry tomatoes that tourists can eat without cooking, and on crops that carry over to our value-added products like berries for pies and zucchini for bread and veggie burgers. We want to expand our growing area so we have space to let land rest and grow cover crops. We want drip irrigation everywhere! We want to sell really well at one farmer’s market and sell everything else through a farm stand. This was not the perfect growing season. We did not go suddenly from being gardeners and homesteaders to successful commercial farmers. We still have a long way to go to make our farm business profitable and sustainable in the way that we need it to be for our family. But I did get to spend the summer working our land, side by side with my wife and my child. Getting dirty and sweaty and laughing together. And I can’t think of any way I’d rather spend my days. Each edition of ‘View from the Farm’ highlights the local food and farms of the greater Mt. Washington Valley. This segment reflects both MWV Vibe and local nonprofit MWVEG (Mt. Washington Eaters and Growers) and our desire to highlight the great presence of local agriculture in NH and Maine. Fall 2019

Good Buddy Farm photo

OTHER NEW FARMS IN THE VALLEY Good Buddy Farm in Hiram, ME The Good Buddy Farm, started in August of 2016, is owned and operated by Michael and Erin Carey. Michael and Erin grow vegetables and cut flowers, create dried flower wreaths and arrangements, as well as handmade jewelry, and more. Michael and Erin rehabbed a portion of their post-and-beam barn for a farm store and for use as a space to hold craft and floral arrangement workshops. They hope to eventually use more of the barn space for dinners and farm events. Find their produce at Spice & Grain in Fryeburg, their farm stand at the corner of King Street and Route 117 in Hiram, or visit them on Facebook or Instagram.

The Mt. Washington Valley Eaters and Growers, MWVEG, is a group of farmers and local food advocates working together to build a vibrant local food system in the greater Mt. Washington Valley. For additional information on local farming, pick-up a copy of the LOCAL FARM GUIDE, a grassroots form of cooperative marketing and public education tool. For additional information, visit www.mwveg.com.

Talk About “It”

Starting Point—Providing Crisis Intervention for Nearly 40 Years By Raetha Stoddard

ome might think it’s counter intuitive that an article about Starting Point, the local agency that provides services for victims of domestic and sexual violence, is in a publication meant to accentuate the positive attributes of an area. Those of us who work in the field think this is the perfect place to highlight our work—work that brings about positive change in our community.

Not talking about domestic and sexual violence is akin to ignoring the elephant in the room—or an analogy that might better suit this publication—it’s like ignoring the risks involved in climbing Mount Washington on a bitter cold February afternoon without gear or maybe like not talking about how to avoid traffic by using the North-South byway.

Domestic and sexual violence can and does affect most everyone. The statistics in Carroll County are the same as anywhere else. So, anyone visiting the area likely knows there is an epidemic. Not talking about it or not advertising the local crisis center might cause concern for visitors, lest they think we don’t acknowledge that there is a problem or that we don’t have the resources to combat it—or even worse—that we condone it.

Wouldn’t you rather live in a neighborhood with a neighborhood watch than one without? Advocates all have stories about awkward moments in social situations when talk turns to their work. Most of the time we hear folks say, “I don’t know how you do that work; it must be so heartbreaking.” That’s true for most first responders: police, EMTs, ER nurses. There’s heartache, for sure, in crisis intervention. A call at 3 a.m. to the hospital to sit with a 13-yearold rape victim or a frail 78-year-old who’s covered in bruises, is crushing. Not being there for them is unconscionable. Crisis intervention is one critical aspect of an advocate’s job. Starting Point has been providing crisis intervention for nearly 40 years. We’re experts in the field. We certainly don’t do it alone. Starting Point works with and supports dozens of community partners to break the cycle through intervention. We show up at 3 a.m. at the hospital because the hospital calls us. We attend to victims in the court because the court calls us. The Bureau of Criminal Justice acknowledges that the Lethal Assessment Protocol that crisis centers like Starting Point uses with local law enforcement has reduced the incidence of domestic violence homicide significantly since the inception of the program. By the way, domestic violence calls are some of the most dangerous calls for police officers to make. Yet examples of how domestic and sexual violence affects us all and how reducing the incidence is beneficial to all. Crisis work is just triage if we don’t also provide prevention—a growing focus for Starting Point these days. The culture that supports domestic and sexual violence is complex and deeply rooted. There is no one curriculum that we can box and sell like cookies at the local market to stamp out sexual harass-

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ment or intimate partner violence. Breaking the cycle requires that we break the mold that it spins from, but we can’t just go around smashing the mold, i.e. people and institutions. Prevention requires patience, strategic planning, and an approach that … well, hits every moving target all at once (this is the only time we condone hitting). Prevention is paying attention to the depth of the roots and carefully separating the dissolute behaviors so that the rest of the forest can flourish. Prevention is openly talking about the issues. Abusive behaviors take on many forms—from psychological to physical. All abuse is rooted in having control over another. The best broad definition of domestic abuse is “any unhealthy behavior that causes an intimate partner undue stress or pain.” Those who abuse can come from all backgrounds—rich and famous, poor and infamous; but again, they share the common characteristic of the need to control another. Those at risk for victimization are a little harder to identify. Like labeling which trees in the forest are likely to be struck by lightning. Certainly, the lone oak in the middle of a field with a metal rod running through its trunk could be at greater risk, or not. Hard to tell. Victims are not a type of people, they are people of all types who have experienced victimization. An important consideration for family and friends is that the impact of abuse is defined by the victim, not friends and family—and certainly not the abuser. So, listen to the victim and believe them if they tell you they are suffering. Then, offer the option to them that they can call Starting Point’s confidential support line: (800) 336-3795. You can call, too. Remember that part about how domestic and sexual violence affects us all? If you have a loved one dealing with abuse or the trauma of sexual assault, or you have witnessed violence in your workplace or neighborhood, we can help you, too. We’re talkers, but we are also excellent listeners. Accountability belongs to the one causing the harm. Culpability belongs to us all. When we allow others to be oppressed, we all suffer. This is hard to acknowledge for those who do not experience oppression. “Privileged” is in danger of becoming a catch phrase that gets ignored like a car alarm, but it is very real, and ignoring it can be very dangerous. Privileged does not mean that the one with it does not suffer, it means they do not suffer additionally or solely because of the color of skin or gender identity. And, equal rights are not like pie; if everyone has a slice it doesn’t mean you get less. Starting Point provides quality and confidential services to all victims of domestic and sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking. We are available 24/7/365 days a year for intervention and year round for prevention. With your help we can all live free of domestic and sexual violence. Okay now, talk amongst yourselves, please!

Raetha Stoddard has been working with Starting Point for 10 years, first as a volunteer and for the past five years on staff. She is passionate about providing quality services to victims and survivors and about helping others do the same. She’s lived in Carroll County her whole life and can swim, fish, hike, bike, and dance like a native! Especially when no one is watching.

Fall 2019

Starting Point Services include: • 24-hour crisis intervention and support line • Shelter • Court and hospital advocacy • Child and youth advocacy • CAC support (Children’s Advocacy Center—forensic interviews) • Transitional services and personal advocacy • Housing First Program • Support groups • In-school education/prevention programs • Professional and community outreach programs

So, what can we do? Here’s a short but expansive list: You guessed it: TALK ABOUT IT. Talking about oppression makes the perpetrator’s world smaller. When there are no locker rooms to hide in then boys really will be boys— decent and compassionate just as they were born to be, instead of misshapen by toxic masculinity. Educate yourself on the consequences of oppression. Oppression is the weight that marginalized people, such as women, people of color, minority populations, live under. The result of that oppression we all bear. Oppression displaces harmony in our communities and steals from us the potential of those who are marginalized. I have watched victims become survivors and flourish in ways that benefit our community. Once they overcome their trauma, they go on to fulfill their dreams—becoming activists and artists or community leaders. Many survivors become volunteers, returning to Starting Point not for services, but to make sure it doesn’t happen to another. Join us. Become a volunteer or attend one of our outreach events. Volunteer training is being offered in September. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so be sure to check in for upcoming events and activities at www.startingpointnh.org. And, call us. We will gladly talk about all of this with you. We are available for workshops, forums, trainings … and if necessary, a 3 a.m. call. Contact an advocate 24/7 at 1 (800) 336-3795 or Monday through Friday from 8 to 4 p.m. at (603) 447-2494. Learn more about Starting Point at www.startingpointnh.org or email community@startingpointnh.org. 21

Andrew Drummond photo

THINKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD TO

BACKCOUNTRY SKIING WITH GBA By Jake Risch

n its first season, the Maple Villa glade has proven to be a valuable addition to the Mt. Washington Valley’s outdoor offerings. This new backcountry ski zone—the site of a historic Civilian Conservation Corps’ (CCC) cut ski trail—was resurrected by the Granite Backcountry Alliance quarry dogs in the fall of 2018. Working with the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust, Town of Bartlett, and the U.S. Forest Service, GBA expanded the historic ski trail on Bartlett Mountain into a 1,700-vertical-foot gladed backcountry ski run. The new zone is popular with locals and visitors alike. Its proximity to town provides locals a quick before or after work playground. Visitors are offered a reliable, north-facing backcountry ski area with great maps and a well-marked skin track. The glade is a go-to location for the local guide services, leading backcountry ski tours, and teaching intro to backcountry skiing courses. Maple Villa provides a safer option for ski and snowboard touring when the avalanche danger is elevated in the alpine zones. Over the 2018/19 season, traffic on the Gulf of Slides and Sherburne Ski Trails was noticeably lower,

thanks in large part, to the Maple Villa glade and other GBA projects opening. Last winter, on most weekends and many weekdays, the trailhead parking lot was full— with license plates from around the Northeast and beyond. Even with a full lot, the design of the glade network and the route of the skin tracks dispersed traffic such that parties rarely crossed paths. The glade never felt crowded. Because of this popularity, Maple Villa is not the place to search for fresh tracks days after the storm. The area offers great bump runs tree skiing with unique terrain features that make for fun runs all winter long. Because of the traffic, it is a great option for a tour when the dreaded crust sets in, locking up your secret powder stash. If I have a full day or most of an afternoon, I like to head up to the main skin track bearing left onto the east skin track to the top of the eastern glade zone. From the top, I’ll ski laps on the upper steepest lines—“Intervale Dream,” “East Branch,” and “B & M”—transitioning each time on the bench where the skin track crosses

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“The GBA quarry dogs will be back at it this fall, expanding their existing glade projects and bringing new ones online. They received permission to expand the Maple Villa glade onto Pine Knoll this season, adding another ~600 vertical feet of skiing to the zone.”

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Parking

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1. Plan Ahead and Prepare 2. Travel on Durable Surfaces 3. Dispose of Waste Properly 4. Leave What You Find 5. No Unauthorized Cutting 6. Respect Wildlife 7. Be Considerate of Others

FOR EMERGENCY CALL 911

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Overflow Parking If the parking area is full, please park at White Mountain Stove Shop at 15 Town Hill Road, 1/2 mile from the Ware Preserve. On-street parking is NOT allowed and cars will be towed at owner's expense. Please be respectful of how and where you park. Map Design - Jack Nessen © 2018 Granite Backcountry Alliance Data - Granite Backcountry Alliance, GRANIT GIS

the ski lines. When I am ready to head down, I’ll either ski the rolling wide-open run out of these eastern lines until they rejoin the old logging road, or cut hard right off the top of “No. 3” line and ski the moderate grade knife-edged “Spine” back to the logging road approach. If I have time at the end of the day, I’ll take a quick jaunt up the Maple Villa trail proper and ski PBR or the Maple Villa Ski Trail proper back down and out the approach to the parking lot. For a quick in and out dawn patrol or after work, run skin into the top of the east lines and head down “No. 3” with its winding complex terrain with plenty of rocks and other natural terrain features to pop off of. The GBA quarry dogs will be back at it this fall, expanding their existing glade projects and bringing new ones online. They received permission to expand the Maple Villa glade onto Pine Knoll this season, adding another ~600 vertical feet of skiing to the zone. They will also be traveling around New England with the backcountry film fest.

• 1,700 vertical feet • Highest glades top out 400 vertical short of summit as WMNF investigation of lynx habitat continues • 10 runs total = 12,000 +/total vertical feet of skiing

FALL 2019 GLADE SCHEDULE Andrew Drummond photo

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October 12, 2019 Maple Villa Glade Day Intervale, NH | 9-4pm Leaf Peeper Bike Bash from 6-10pm | FREE BIKE! October 19-20, 2019 Mahoosuc Land Trust & Black Mountain of Maine Overnight camping at Black! Rumford, Maine | 9-4pm October 24, 2019 Fire on the Mountain Ski Night Cara’s Pub, Dover, NH November 2, 2019 Crescent Ridge | Bill Hill Gorham, NH | 9-4pm November 16, 2019 Maple Villa Glade Day Intervale, NH | 9-3pm Artwork created by Backyard Concept, LLC for GBA. 25% of proceeds go to GBA. Print/distribution: Vintage Frameworks

November 16, 2019 Backcountry Film Fest Theater in the Wood Intervale, NH | 5-9pm

Check out granitebc.org for the full schedule of volunteer workdays and fundraising events. Fall 2019

THE CRAFT BREW BEER GAME IS STRONG!

By Clem McAuliffe

Fall Flavors Fight Back

Wow—what a summer! The weather cooperated (finally), but it was the fresh batches of brews that kept rolling in—like the endless barrels I used to jump over playing Donkey Kong— that had me rate Summer ‘19 a 10 out of 10. As fast as they could toss out new beer, Player One knocked them back and advanced to the next level. I binged plenty of my nights away moving up the ranks and keeping an overwatch on all these new brews. Granted, it took longer than a fortnite, but rest assured there was never any threat of mortal kombat. Let’s just say no beer was left undrunked. It’s a tough game, but someone has to play it. This fall, the Valley has all the local clubs sporting their blue chip favorites and a bevy of top-rated rookie brewcruits. Starting with the beer voted most likely to not fit on the back of a jersey: HobbstOberfest. (Now there’s a mouthful!) This is a traditional Hobbs Brewing (duh!) Märzen-style beer that is one of their favorite lagers they brew all year, only available on

draft. This amber Märzen will harken you back to the rolling hills of Germany. In fact, if you put your empty glass to your ear, you’ll hear the faint lilting of happy peasants yodeling. Then again, if you don’t want beer in your ear, Hobbs has a few more brews to choose from. Pitch-a-Tent, an 8% DIPA brewed with Citra and El Dorado will be back in cans this fall, as well as Back Road Brown, their robust American Brown Ale. Either one is equally fit to keep you company through the cooler fall nights. Rounding out the crew is the new Gose, Salinity Now!, blueberry peach. Gose goes great with Indian summer days that are filled with finessing furniture and farm tools back into their winter wombs. Lastly, anyone looking for a tropical vacation, Hobbs has been operating a brewery in Belize since February. For real! They brew and package two different beers there and currently have the only IPA brewed (and packaged) in the country. Now back to beer closer to home, and nothing is more

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Brewing Company

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home than Tuckerman Brewing. Their Conway brewery has respawned Fall Line, a rich copper IPA with a robust initial rye flavor. Spicy bitterness up front gives way to a smooth and dry ewing Company malt finish. At 6.5% ABV and 55 IBUs, Fall Line is a perfect brew for the start of the fall season. The beautiful cans wrapped in Beer Co. artwork by the amazing Hanna Lucy are available in their tastace Brewing ing room and at local beer stores. Tuckerman also unveiled the k Inn Brewery new 50 Cent Day IPA cans adorned like the rest of the lineup with custom art done by, of course, Hanna Lucy. Stop by the Brewery tasting room and check out the new art and the current tap g Brewery choices, including limited edition brewers’ specials. Take a tour through the brewery to see where and how the beer is produced. Tuckerman’s Tasting Room (TTR) offers free music every Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is family friendly. Geek away the day with trivia contests on Wednesday, or toss a few beers and bags on Thursday at the cornhole competition. The schedule is posted on their website and Facebook page. In celebration of the grand opening of REI Co-op (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) they have joined together and crafted a beer in honor of the amazing Snow Rangers that rescue, research, and inform adventure seekers about avalanche awareness and safety. Snow Ranger is a Belgian white ale that takes it easy on you at 5% ABV and will be available in draft and cans at your favorite MWV area pub, beer store, or at the TTR. Join Tuckerman Brewing and raise your glass to say cheers to the Snow Rangers for their help keeping us safe up on Tuckerman Ravine and all over the backcountry. (Just don’t say it too loud.) & Brewing

Ten percent of sales of Snow Ranger will go to Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, a not-for-profit organization seeking to preserve and protect the unique alpine and sub-alpine eastern slopes of Mount Washington, and supporter of the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center.

Fall 2019

WHITE MOUNTAIN BREWERS COPPER PIG

SCHILLING REK’•LIS

IRON FURNACE

MOAT MOUNTAIN

ONE LOVE WOODSTOCK

SEA DOG SACO RIVER TUCKERMAN

HOBBS TAVERN

Moat Mountain Brewing Co. Saco River Brewing Tuckerman Brewing Co. Hobbs Tavern & Brewing Co. Sea Dog Brewing Co. Rek’•Lis Brewing Co. Woodstock Inn Brewery Iron Furnace Brewing Schilling Beer Co. Copper Pig Brewery One Love Brewery

Intervale, NH Fryeburg, ME Conway, NH West Ossipee, NH North Conway, NH Bethlehem, NH North Woodstock, NH Franconia, NH Littleton, NH Lancaster, NH Lincoln, NH

SPACE INVADERS Next time you’re in a beer store, even if you don’t like beer, just walk around and take a look-see. You might be surprised by the intricate artwork, dazzling patterns, and funky graffiti that have taken the place of red, white, and blue cans, and green bottles. Yes folks, craft beer is here, and it’s not going to leave. This doesn’t mean those classics are going to disappear, but they’re definitely getting closer to being clipped out of bounds. Try comparing the slow moving black and white geometric objects of old arcade games, like Pong or Asteroids, to the fluid fast-paced and visually stimulating futuristic graphics of Halo. Sure, I fed every quarter I could find into those squawking boxes, but today’s games are like being dropped into the best action-packed animated

endless array of styles and varieties available means there is literally a beer to fit any palate. Even you, Grandma. Next point, the cans look better. Sure, looks don’t count for everything, but they do matter. As much as I like to think I’m impervious to the magic of marketing, the truth is I like cool looking cans. The beer cooler at the Vista Bev & Market could be a separate wing at the Museum of Modern Art! The cantemporary art includes everything from detailed paintings to goofy, hilarious cartoons, turning the packaging into a provocative and tantalizing treat in itself. Check out any Collective Arts Brewing, Prairie Artisan Ales, or Tuckerman Brewing cans to see for yourself.

movie ever—and you’re the star. It’s no contest, Halo wins hands down; and so do craft beers. Simply put, craft brewers offer better beer with cooler graphics and far more pertinent information.

Final point, the information is better. Of course, the standard information like the style of beer and ABV% is given, but craft brewers practically walk you through the whole brewing process. Starting with where the water is sourced, and which malt, wheat, oats, or grains are used. Additional ingredients such as fruit, herbs, and spices are clearly listed or simply included in the name (e.g., Moat’s Miss V’s Blueberry Ale). Even some lesser known stats like IBUs (international bittering units) and SRM (a scale that ranks how light or dark a beer is) can usually be found. Then there’s OG, which stands for original gravity and not original gangster, which is unfortunate, because reading about the former is super boring and the latter is badass. Many craft breweries give the answer to the most frequently asked question: “What hops are in it?” IPA aficionados love to know what hops were used and have preferences for some—and even detest certain hops. “If it has Azacca, you can take it backa!” More importantly, and bit more seriously, different hop varieties have all sorts of flavor profiles that naturally appeal to different tastes. Right now, I happen to be a fan of the Chinook hop, which exhibits tropical fruit notes, whereas my mother still prefers the sock hop with its rhythmic notes of do-wa diddy, diddy-dum, diddy-do.

First point, the beer is better. More intense flavors and aromas makes for a tastier beer; combined with an emphasis on brewing smaller batches, keeps the beer fresh. Plus, the seemingly

So, take notice big beer bosses! The invasion has begun, and you have to adapt your skills and power up to the next level if you want to stay in the game.

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New Moat Mountain Brewery cans! Say it loud and say it proud. That’s right, Moat Mountain has new skins for the new batches of Miss V’s Blueberry Ale and Iron Mike’s Pale Ale. You don’t have to stare for hours into a flashing screen or blindly buy packs of unknown bundles just hoping you get lucky enough to click ‘n drag these beauties into your bag. Get this concept: they’re available to everybody! And with these new threads, you’ll be the envy of any campaign. To keep the party balanced, just add any of the other four flagship players the Moat offers or hide out and hang on for the seasonal specialties. Call it a Day (DIPA), Opa’s (Octoberfest), and Flavah of the Day (rotating hop IPA) are a few fellas that can fill in your fall festivities until your face falls into your flat screen. Pen drop! Saco River Brewing has their finger on the pulse of the hop head nation. With Mason slinging out fresh pints of IPAs and DIPAs like a mad tapper, you’ll have to be quick to keep up. Watch on social media to stay one step ahead and catch as many of these gorgeous glasses as any good

SAVOR THE HOPS.

gamer would. Whether its Hornet’s Nest, Batch 200, Flip-Flop or Dig-Dug, whatever! They’re all delicious. If you choose to skip IPAs, Saco River will keep your attention and challenge your buds with a slew of saisons, stouts, seasonals, and slightly lighter styles. Just when you think it’s time to type in your three-letter abbreviation, Saco River rewards you with stronger and livelier characters. Their barrel aging program continues to grow and includes the release of their wild fermentation barrel-aged sour, just like the release of Ms. Pac-Man, it takes time but it’s worth the wait. Thanks for pushing Player Two and joining me on my journey through the MWV’s World of Beercraft. My end game is to help you find all the brewed treasures the Valley has to offer, because it’s not just minecraft, it’s your craft, too. Until next time, good luck to you beating the boss (without using any cheat codes) and enjoying the grind even if you don’t get the high score. Now I’m off to begin my fall of duty.

Clem McAuliffe, owner of Vista Bev & Market, loves beer. He loves talking about beer, reading about beer, writing about beer and, of course, drinking beer. All who enter the store quickly understand the benefit of asking, “Clem, what am I drinking today?”

S TA

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www.barleyandsalt.com Settlers Green Streetside, 1699 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH 03860 • (603) 307-1037 Fall 2019 Fall 2019

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Klementovich Photography

We Asked

7 LOCAL PRO

PHOTOGRAPHERS to SHARE THEIR TOP 3 PHOTO TIPS

he Mt. Washington Valley and the White Mountains of New Hampshire offer, arguably, some of the most scenic fall foliage photography opportunities in New England, if not North America. Whether you live in the region full- or part-time, or are making the trip to the Valley for the first time, the mountains, lakes, and rivers of the region provide us with a photographic palette just waiting to be captured. Regardless of the type of camera you have, there are plenty of ways to capture great photographs. Particularly during the autumn, being more aware of how you compose your photographs

can help turn a good photo into a great one. Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using your smartphone or a fullbodied DSLR, knowing what to look for and what to do when you find it are key factors in boosting the WOW factor of your shots. We invited seven local photographers from around the Valley to give us their best tips and share their (secret) favorite drives with us. Follow along the next few pages and we guarantee that your next outing will be a better one. We want to see how you do with these tips, so remember to share your work on our social media channels: @mwvvibe!

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Joe Klementovich Klementovich Photography KlementovichPhoto.com klementovich

TOP 3 TIPS 1. Find a back road and go explore it. There are lots of outof-the-way places throughout the area with amazing views and wonderful colors. Go out and explore! Don’t settle for the same images you’ve seen over and over again. Who knows what else you’ll find out there?

great layers of color and interest to any image. Maybe you’ll find one alongside that back road your exploring.

2. Water adds several opportunities to create unique autumn images. Floating, underwater, reflections … the list goes on. If you’re scratching your head to find something to photograph, grab a map and look for any body of water; swamps and wetlands are always first to change color and provide

3. Change your perspective: get low, climb a tree, wade into a stream, embrace all that nature has to offer. Changing vantage points makes for more interesting images and it will help you find more creative ways to look at fall foliage. FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVE My favorite drive is Route 2 through Randolph. There are lots of great views of the northern Presidential Range, the Moose and Israel rivers, as well as plenty of back roads to explore.

Joe works with a wide range of non-profit organizations, newspapers, and magazines around the Mt. Washington Valley. His work focuses on life in the outdoors and how we can better understand, enjoy, and protect our natural world.

Nicholas Gagnon Nicholas Gagnon Photography NicholasGagnonPhotography.com nick.gagnon220 TOP 3 TIPS 1. Find a back road and go explore it. There are lots of out-of-the-way places throughout the area with amazing views and wonderful colors. Go out and explore! Don’t settle for the same images you’ve seen over and over again. 2. Bring your tripod and a neutral density filter for long exposure photographs to capture the swift moving water in rivers or waterfalls. This set-up is fantastic for capturing clouds moving over calm lakes or ponds glowing in the foliage. 3. Try a new angle on a classic view! Look for a perspective you have not photographed before at those iconic foliage locations throughout the White Mountains. Have you tried photographing Mount Chocorua from a kayak on the lake? FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVE My favorite drive hides off Route 302 at the northern edge of Crawford Notch along the Mount Clinton Road. I begin the drive just opposite the AMC Highland Center (near the Mount Pierce trailhead parking). Be mindful of others as the road is fairly narrow, but driving north provides a magnificent view of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range. Growing up in New England, Nick has been inspired by the environment from the seacoast to the mountains and the changing seasons. He enjoys exploring and sharing the sights while on his adventures, and can often be found camping and hiking in the White Mountains or cycling through the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Nicholas Fall 2019 Gagnon Photography

Bryce Harrison Bryce Harrison Photography bryceharrison1214@gmail.com bryceharison.photography TOP 3 TIPS 1. Shoot during the right time of day. I have found that the early morning and evening are best because the angled lighting from the sun provides sharp contrast and texture. 2. Make sure to get off of the beaten path. Everybody has a shot from any number of scenic vistas, but the best and most memorable shots are often captured when you explore and find secluded locations that are not crowded with people. Bryce Harrison Photography

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3. Take lots of shots from a variety of angles and positions. Very few of us, myself included, are going to get the perfect shot if we only take a few pictures at each location. In the digital age, we are no longer limited in the number of shots we can take, so take a lot. Experiment with new and unfamiliar settings so that you can then go back and have a variety of shots to choose from. FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVE My favorite fall drive is along the Kancamagus Highway. The dramatic slopes and sharp curves provide a number of unique vantage points from which you can capture the magnificence of fall in New Hampshire. Bryce takes photos with the goal of inspiring others to get outside and enjoy the beautiful world around them. Growing up in the Mt. Washington Valley has given him the privilege to live life immersed in nature. He hopes that sharing his work with others instills in them appreciation and respect for the natural world.

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Wiseguy Creative Photography

Dan Houde Wiseguy Creative Photography WiseguyCreative.com wiseguycreative wiseguyphotography TOP 3 TIPS 1. Think in layers. Each one of these tips include adding elements, or layers, to your photography. One-dimensional shots of a mountain scene or a covered bridge can be nice, but step up your game and seek out the money shots by approaching a scene and seeking interesting objects to include in the foreground. 2. Get in tune with the weather. Watch for low overnight temperatures. Cool mornings in the fall mean that the warm summer waters will produce fog. Watch for rainstorms moving out, and be ready for the misty remnants left behind by the warming sunshine. Focus your camera on an old foliage-covered tree and recompose to let the fog create the rest of the photograph. If there’s the possibility of snow in the forecast overnight, be ready at sunrise for a rare treat. Remember to add something to the foreground. 3. Use silhouettes to add dimension and create contrast. Find twisted tree branches or a broken-down old fence—or any oddly shaped object—then position your camera so the object is in the foreground of your photo, perhaps just off to one side. Now recompose and look for a colorful background scene to create a cool silhouette. Adjust your exposure accordingly to darken the foreground object. Once again, always try to create layers in your photography and stay away from flat shots. FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVE Head out to any back road in the White Mountains, away from the crowds. Park and throw your prepared camera bag over your shoulders and walk away from the road. Fall 2019

Karen M. Lord Karen Lord Photography karen@vinegarhillnh.com kmlordphotography Located in the Main Street Art Gallery, North Conway, Karen first moved to New Hampshire in 2011 and began photography in 2014. As a member of the Mt. Washington Valley Arts Association and North County Camera Club, Karen now resides in the Silver Lake Region.

Karen Lord Photography

TOP 3 TIPS 1. Use the early morning to capture cool colors that glisten and reflect off the water, or late afternoons to bring warmth to images. Mirror-like reflections require a tripod, a polarizing filter, and absolutely no wind. It’s nice to incorporate something in the water, like a rock sticking up, that will help define the top and bottom of the image.

3. I’m always looking for a different angle to give a standing image a new and fresh twist. Photographing the underside of leaves by putting the leaf between the camera and sun will reveal the details of the leaf vein and makes the leaf colors luminous. Another angle favorite: put the camera on the ground looking upwards through brightly colored fall trees for a different perspective on the spectacular fall foliage.

2. Don’t be afraid of windy fall days. It’s an opportunity to create great abstracts by capturing fall leaves reflecting on a stream or lake. The movement of the water creates a mottled background and does not require a slower shutter speed. Or focus (f22) on a single leaf floating downstream on a windy day. Your leaf will be sharp, and your stream background will become abstract.

FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVE My favorite drive is Route 153 north from Purity Spring Resort to Conway, but I especially like just walking in the woods at my house or the short hike up Foss Mountain. Any hike with my camera is just perfect in the fall, and I always spend more time photographing than hiking. Oh, well!

Enjoy Fine Dining On The Rails! An old-fashioned railroading experience in the White Mountains!

FALL EVENTS Johnny Appleseed Express Weekends, Sept 7- Oct 14

Autumn Express Oct 20

Pumpkin Patch Express Oct 18-20 & 25-27

Murder Mystery Dinner Trains Oct 25 & 26 and Nov 1 & 2 Please visit our website for details on these and more events!

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Corey McMullen Corey David Photography CoreyDavidPhotography. myportfolio.com coreyoutdoors TOP 3 TIPS 1. Foliage is, of course, beautiful from any angle. I always find that the deeper and higher you get into the mountains, the more stunning and rich the colors tend to get. That, and having a high angle looking down into a valley or an autumn scene is incomparable. It makes it a lot easier to frame your images with the natural curves of the mountains combined with the trees. 2. The earlier the better. Going for a hike, or even a morning drive, on the country roads proves to enhance photos tenfold when done with the beautiful morning light. Also, weather and clouds are a lot more dramatic in the morning than in the evening. Overnight, temperatures fluctuate more, causing changes in ground moisture and cloud movement. 3. Plan ahead. Foliage is a time of year that requires more of photography to stand unique. Anyone can step out their front door or lean out their car window and take a photo of the first tree they see. This area of New Hampshire offers so much more. Grand scenes, dramatic landscapes, and some of the most stunning colors around. The more effort you put into getting to a certain location or planning a particular frame, the better results you will get. FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVE Tripoli Road in Waterville Valley is one of my favorite fall foliage drives in the White Mountains. I often feel the most immersed in the foliage when the roads are quiet, narrow, and sometimes even dirt rather than pavement. Full of off-the-beatenpath campsites, trailheads to some of my favorite hikes, and water sources, Tripoli Road has it all.

Corey David Photography

Fall 2019 2017 Autumn

Corey is a 28-year-old outdoor lifestyle, landscape, and mountain sports photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Inspired by the lifestyle and landscapes of the outdoors, Corey is a strong believer in pushing oneself to enjoy the full breadth of the outdoors and strives to document people broadening their experiences through living the outdoor and mountain lifestyle. 33 33

Joe Viger Photography

Joe Viger Joe Viger Photography www.joeviger.com JoeVigerPhotography JoeVigerPhoto TOP 3 TIPS 1. Shoot the reflections. Fall colors look amazing reflected in water. The color takes on a luminance that can be really stunning and they often blend and merge in a way you wouldn’t anticipate. This turns the most modest of photographers into a full-on abstract artist! 2. Isolate your subject on a backdrop of stunning foliage. The striking color always makes for a great background for whatever you’d like to feature—be that your children, a church steeple, or barn in a field. The contrast of your subject against the fall scene will be a winner every time. 3. Try marshland for early fall photos. Often the maples in these wet areas are the first to turn red. And if you shoot early morning, you’ll sometimes have mist from the water adding to the drama of the scene.

FAVORITE FOLIAGE DRIVES Dixville Notch is an amazing drive. Most of you will take Route 16 and go along the Androscoggin River to get there, and that could be one of my faves as well. But as you approach Dixville Notch, there are two great waterfalls on the south side that are worth the stop. The Notch is stunning and so is the view to The Balsams. If you’re ambitious, run up Sanguinary Ridge. You won’t be disappointed. Joe is a freelance photographer from Freedom, NH with a special focus on sports photography and endurance events. His work appears in a variety of publications including Trail Runner, Runner’s World, Competitor, Velo, Men’s Health, UltraRunner, and numerous newspapers. While he loves to photograph athletes, Joe’s interests in photography are diverse and his work also includes landscapes, portraits, events, and real estate.

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Mushroom Farming in the Valley By Lauren Clem

Now producing over 1 000 pounds weekly for a client list that tops 200 , , the NH Mushroom Company has redefined mushroom farming in the region.

he workday never ends at the New Hampshire Mushroom Company (NHMC) on Gardner Hill Road in Tamworth, and weekends are no exception. Late on a Sunday morning, staff members can be found climbing the ladders of the massive wooden shelving units where hundreds of plastic bags hold the ingredients of a future mushroom crop. In the main room, 90s-era alt rock plays over the sound system as the staff carefully examines each bag, checking for the telltale signs the fungi are ready to burst from their sawdust seeding ground and fruit into the tree-like structures familiar to most eaters. At the first sign of growth, they whisk the bags off the shelves and into a specially designed grow room, where the mushrooms move on to the next step of the growing process. In the front office, Eric Milligan, cofounder and CEO, sits preparing for the upcoming week. In two hours’ time, a

dozen or so locals and tourists will arrive for the free Sunday tour, and the working farm must be ready to receive them. The phone rings, and he answers. A voice on the other end wants to register for the mushroom cookery class he’s hosting the following week, and he grabs a pen to scribble down the name. “It’s just a wheel, just a cog that keeps on moving,” he says as the noise of production filters in from next door. “The machine doesn’t stop. Because we have restaurants that are relying on us to provide them fresh produce weekly.” It wasn’t always this way for the New Hampshire Mushroom Company, now in its seventh year of operation. When Milligan and co-founders Keith Garrett and Dennis Chesley founded the company in 2012, the farm produced only a couple hundred pounds of mushrooms a week. Now, that number’s grown to 1,000 pounds weekly, with a client list

that tops 200 and a distribution area that stretches from New Hampshire to Boston and Maine. The farm delivers all of their restaurant orders by hand and sells direct at farmers markets and from the main room of the Tamworth facility. According to Milligan, it’s a good time to be in the mushroom business. Mushroom consumption is on the uptick, a trend that could be due, in part, to the growing body of research about the health benefits of edible fungi. Mushrooms are naturally rich in protein and can synthesize vitamin D, and studies have also shown them to be high in antioxidants that combat aging and may help ward off diseases such heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. The New Hampshire Mushroom Company grows 10 regular varieties, ranging from commonly found oyster mushrooms to the more exotic chestnut, and often trials new species to ensure the offerings are never stale.

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“For me at this point, it’s a no-brainer why not mushrooms,” says Milligan. “It’s just fairly unique that there’s not a lot of mushroom farmers. In fact, all the mushroom farmers that are in the Northeast, we all sort of work together, because there’s room for us all.” His own childhood growing up in rural Maine offered little background in mushroom farming. A native of Rumford, he spent his teenage years working in paper mills and hauling hay before heading

getting his feet wet on a mushroom farm. The gig didn’t last, but Milligan was left with a love for foraging, a hobby that would bring him into contact with other self-proclaimed “mushroom nerds” at foraging events around the area. He met Chesley while the two were working at Melvin Village Marina. Garrett, the company’s tech guy, was a friend of his brother’s. Milligan and Chesley spent years working on the business plan and searching for the perfect location for the company, which,

maintain the strict temperature ranges critical to mushroom farming. It was also equidistant from their anticipated major distribution centers in Boston, Portland, and Burlington. They took out a lease, and in September of 2012, planted the first mushroom crop within the walls of their new facility. A little over a month later, on October 29, the New Hampshire Mushroom Company harvested its first pick and distributed the results to friends and supporters at the annual White Lake

off to the University of Maine, Orono, to study theater. Later, he traveled the country working as a project administrator, taking frequent jaunts to Europe before returning to the U.S. to pick up where he’d left off. His first introduction to the Mt. Washington Valley came in 2001, when he moved to the area and spent six months

in addition to Garrett, would eventually include five other co-partners. In 2012, they struck gold when they discovered the Gardner Hill Road building, a former storage warehouse owned by Jim and Kathy Baybutt of the Baybutt Foundation Co. In addition to being close to their preferred foraging sites, the building had 10-inch thick walls to help

Mushroom Foray at nearby White Lake State Park. “I cried, the first mushroom pins that grew,” says Milligan, referring to the small growths that turn into fully-grown mushrooms. The victory, however, was short-lived. In their second run, the new business lost 567 bags of growing fungi to bacterial

Mushroom consumption is on the uptick a trend that could be due in , , part to the growing body of research about the health benefits of edible , fungi including studies that show the ability to combat aging and may , help ward off diseases such heart disease cancer and Alzheimer,s. , ,

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At NHMC, hundreds of pounds of specialty mushrooms in various stages of growth thrive in the farms, engineered growrooms. From top left to right; Chestnuts, a finicky species to grow, and one of the farms most popular sellers. Blue oyster, the work horse of small mushroom farms. Eric Milligan, co-founder and CEO, displays a freshly harvested box of phoenix oyster. Bottom, left to right. Piopinni, a species the farm has been trialing, with encouraging results. The stunningly beautiful pink oyster is cultivated during the summer months.

contamination. It was then they learned the first lesson of mushroom farming and farming in general: catastrophic failure is always one wrong step away. “We’ve had a lot of successes and a lot of failures,” he explains. “That’s kind of the nature of farming, and specifically mushroom farming. It’s a very high-risk endeavor.” In the case of mushrooms, the farm grapples daily with the challenge of creating an environment stocked with nutrients for edible fungi while keeping mold and other unwanted contaminants at bay. They use a mixture of sawdust and soybean hulls as a substrate to create a base for the mushrooms, replicating the role of a log or a dead tree in the wild. As they grow, the mushrooms “decompose” the substrate, creating a nutrient-rich byproduct the farm sells as compost. Before the mushroom spawn (“seed” of the fungi) can go into the substrate, the materials must be sterilized overnight in a piece of equipment Milligan describes as a “giant pressure cooker.” Once this step is complete, a farmer enters an airtight laboratory to inoculate the bags with spawn, a fuzzy-looking substance not unlike the white mold you might find on the rind of a salami or a piece of food that has been left out too long. Like the

substrate, the spawn must be kept free of contaminants that would thrive in the moist growing environment. Staff move the completed bags to shelves in the main growing area, where mycelium in various stages of growth—indicated by the white tendrils carving their way through densely packed blocks of sawdust—are visible on the towering shelves. “Every single bag you see gets handled a minimum of 13 times before it becomes compost,” explains Milligan. “So it’s up and down a ladder quite a bit.” The mycelium continue growing anywhere from six to 65 days, depending on the species. When it’s ready to fruit, workers cut slits in the bags and transfer the blocks to temperature-controlled grow rooms, where a pressurized mist keeps the newly sprouted mushrooms under constant humidity. A digital system controls the temperature and carbon dioxide levels, and pumps fresh air into the grow rooms, bathing the crop in thousands of cubic feet of air every minute. Like many things at the farm, the system was custom designed to suit the unique needs of mushroom farming. “We find ourselves having to invent a lot of things. Because something didn’t exist, you need it, so you just make it yourself,” he says.

Along with inventor, the farmers at New Hampshire Mushroom Company fill a number of roles on a day-to-day basis. In the front room, they’re conducting an experiment with reishi, a medicinal mushroom, that will likely become a display piece to educate visitors about mycelium growth. Out back, another experiment tests the ability of fungi to biodegrade plastic. As one of only a handful of mushroom growers in the region, Milligan has joined the ranks of the academics and local experts who advocate on the industry’s behalf. Earlier this year, he found himself at the State House testifying on a bill that would create a commercial license for wild mushroom foraging. “I get to do a lot of different things. I get to be a farmer, which I think is a very noble profession. I get to be a teacher, which I think is a noble profession. I still get to perform. I perform weekly during the tours or the dozens of lectures that I give every year,” Milligan points out. As he walks the room, it’s clear Milligan brought the theater kid along with him when he launched a career in mushroom farming. Asked which species is his favorite, he deadpans that he doesn’t eat mushrooms before cracking a smile and explaining that each variety has a different taste. Oysters are nutty in flavor.

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Where Life is Good! Enjoy live music every Friday at 5pm

Learn from the experts In the early days, NH Mushroom Company co-owner, Eric Milligan, learned many of his tricks from local foragers, including Dr. Rick Van de Poll, the biologist and former Plymouth State University professor widely regarded as the expert on mushrooms in New Hampshire and beyond. These days, Milligan teaches workshops on foraging alongside Van de Poll and other experts. Can You Eat It? Mushroom ID Class Sunday, September 22. The class includes a mushroom walk and ID session, plus a buffet-style lunch with mushrooms from the farm’s cultivated stock. Fantastic Forage Mushroom Festival Saturday, September 28, 29. Mushroom displays, walks, presentations, cooking demos, kids activities, craft and food vendors, New Hampshire-made beer samples, and more. www.fantasticforage.com. Fall 2019

Fall Mushroom Walk Sunday, October 13 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Join NHMC’s Eric Milligan for a morning mushroom walk. Call to sign up, (603) 323-0097, and meet at the farm. Bring a basket, water bottle, snack, and good walking shoes. $20 pp. www.nhmushrooms.com.

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White Lake State Park Foray Sunday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at White Lake State Park, Depot Road. Join Dr. Rick Van de Poll for the last mushroom walk of the season. Eric will make his famous consommé soup. Meet at the boat launch off of Irene’s Way. Call NHMC at (603) 323-0097 for directions. The event is free, but donations are welcome. For additional information, updated dates, and new events, visit online at www.nhmushrooms.com

Lion’s mane is often used as a substitute for crab meat. Savory, sweet, earthy, umami—the descriptions run the gamut of the culinary palate, and this foragerturned-farmer has tried them all, or at least, more than most. “Because I’ve eaten literally dozens of different species, it’s almost like comparing beef to chicken or pork,” he says. “We use mushrooms in dessert. There’s a mushroom that tastes like maple syrup.” One of the more sought-after varieties is the black trumpet, a wild-growing species known for its smoky, rich taste. Foraged black trumpets from the New Hampshire Mushroom Company find their way into Tamworth Distilling Company’s award-winning black trumpet blueberry cordial, along with Smuttynose Brewing Company’s Satchmo black trumpet beer. The law around foraging remains murky—because there’s no certification process for foragers, foraged mushrooms are not a legally approved food source—but that doesn’t stop chefs from incorporating local mushrooms, whether foraged or farm grown, into their dishes. In Portsmouth, Black Trumpet bistro owner Evan Mallett, the company’s first client, incorporates the farm’s mushrooms into the meals that earned him James Beard Award nominations four out of the past seven years. One block over, Matt Louis, also a James Beard nominee, does the same at his restaurant, Moxy. In Dover, Evan Hennessy, the third James Beard nominee on the client list, leaves room for New Hampshire Mushroom Company produce on his constantly evolving tasting menus at Stages. Closer to home, Valley residents can find New Hampshire Mushroom Company produce in their meals at Hobbs Tavern and Brewing Company or Thompson House Eatery, where owner Jeff Fournier joins the dozens of local chefs Milligan says are keeping the region on the map when it comes to food. And it’s not just chefs who have embraced the local food movement. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the number of farmers markets around the country has increased by seven percent over the past six years, and Milligan thinks New Hampshire is further ahead than most. His crew spends their Saturdays at the Tamworth Farmers’ Market, where 100 pounds of mushrooms can easily sell in three hours. It’s a testament to the strength of a movement that has customers demanding more of their grocers and local producers benefitting from the demand. “People want to know where their

food’s coming from. People want to know what’s going into their bodies. And if they don’t, they should,” he adds. Another boost to the movement is a growing network of incentives for lowincome buyers. Many farmers’ markets, including Tamworth, offer matching funds for SNAP participants who use their benefits to purchase produce from local farms. So a customer with $10 in their pocket might suddenly discover they have $20 to spend on local mushrooms. Even with the extra incentive, Milligan acknowledges the company’s price point is high. One of their immediate goals, he says, is to bring down the end price so that the half-a-million-or-so mushroom eaters who’ve never explored beyond the grocery aisle can become part of their regular customer base. “We have people wanting to feed their families healthy. Having incentives like that helps more people who typically are out of the bracket or demographic that can afford these high-priced specialty mushrooms—and they’re high-priced because they’re very expensive to produce—have the ability to become regular mushroom eaters,” he clarifies. Along with bringing down the price, Milligan hopes to expand the distribution area and increase the output over the next several years. It’s a difficult industry with narrow margins and a finicky product, but the growth in demand has already far exceeded their expectations, due in part, to the engagement of the community and the interest of visitors stopping by. The farm has carved out a niche in the local farming community, as well as the wider network of New England chefs who depend on their mushrooms to create new products to eat and drink. Casual consumers, meanwhile, are becoming more attuned to the health benefits of mushrooms and their uses beyond food and drink. And for Milligan, that’s enough to dig his heels into an industry and a business that, as far as he’s concerned, has a long road ahead. In Milligan’s words, “Mushrooms aren’t going anywhere.”

The New Hampsire Mushroom Company can be found at 153 Gardner Hill Road, Tamworth NH or by calling (603)-323-0097. Visit www.nhmushrooms.com for additional events and information.

Foraging 101 Wild mushroom foraging has grown increasingly popular as locally sourced ingredients continue to take center stage in the food movement. At the same time, areas of the country have seen a spike in mushroom poisonings as a larger number of inexperienced foragers hit the trails. For those hoping to head out into the White Mountain National Forest—or their own backyards—in search of tonight’s dinner, Milligan has some tips for how to make the best of their foraging experience. When in doubt, throw it out. The first rule of foraging, is to never eat a mushroom unless you’ve 100 percent identified the species. Though he’s never ingested a poisonous mushroom, Milligan knows plenty foragers who have. And popular knowledge is usually not a substitute for a positive ID from an expert in the field. “Wives’ tales are 100 percent false when it comes to mushroom foraging, in my experience,” says Milligan. Be leery, but don’t be afraid. For all the warnings, foraging remains a popular pastime that allows participants to discover the edible wonders growing in places they frequent every day. Some foragers use complex weather and altitude data to zero in on ideal hunting spots, but Milligan says casual foragers can find edible species in their own backyards. In New Hampshire, species such as chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, black trumpets, oysters, and chanterelles are common finds. Look-alikes are everywhere. Part of the difficulty is that many edible mushrooms have poisonous look-alikes that grow in the same area. A casual forager on the hunt for a golden chanterelle might accidentally stumble upon a poisonous jack o’ lantern mushroom instead. And that’s not counting the thousands of species, by Milligan’s estimate, that aren’t listed in any book. “Every time I go out, I might see something I’ve never seen before. I’m definitely going to see something I don’t know the name of,” he says. Luckily for him, he has a couple hundred books on mushroom hunting in his library to help ID the find. For the rest of us, best to stick with the ones we know won’t land us in the emergency room.

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While her ideaScale for the trail comes 0 miles 1 2 3 from her experiences cycling throughout the country, she credits the Cross 0 km 1 2 3 Vermont Trail as her most direct inspiration. The Cross Vermont Trail spans 91 miles and holds many similarities to New Hampshire’s new gem! At a recent presentation to the Randolph Mountain Club, Borowski described the xNHAT as a trail that is “multi-surfaced, linking com-

rivers and streams, and includes some quiet paved back roads as well. “Mixedterrain cycle touring” is defined as cycling over a variety of surfaces on a single route with a single bicycle. The xNHAT is exactly this! The xNHAT travels through 10 different towns in New Hampshire and two towns in Maine. Its founder, Marianne Borowski, describes the xNHAT as

riding. These “all-road” or “gravel” bicycles perform like traditional road bikes, but can fit wider tires (up to about three times the width of a skinny road bike tire) capable of handling dirt roads, grass, gravel, as well as pavement. These tires may be smooth (“slicks”) or might have some tread, but are not the typical heavy knobby tires used for rugged mountain biking.

munities along the way, while providing recreation for local residents as well as opportunities for cyclo tourism for visitors.” The key is connection! While some robust riders may choose to complete the xNHAT trail in a single day, it is more common to create a multi-day adventure. Typically, cyclists take three days to ride the xNHAT. Begin-

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he Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail (xNHAT) is enjoying its inaugural summer, officially opening in May 2019. The first and only mixed terrain cross-state bicycle trail in New Hampshire, it spans 83 miles from the Vermont border to Bethel, Maine. The route offers a multi-day, primarily offroad touring adventure on dirt and gravel roads, shady paths and rail trails along

While some robust riders may choose to complete the xNHAT trail in a single day it is more common to create a multi-day , adventure. Typically, cyclists take three days to ride the xNHAT.

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El e va t i o n P r o fi l e ning their pride is evident in her descriptions of 1 4 0 0trek at the Vermont border in Woodsville, riding to Littleton on day the small-town culture, history, wildlife, 1200 one; moving along to Gorham on day two; and natural beauty of New Hampshire’s eastbound North Country. The region has lodging, 1 0 0 0 riders finish in Bethel, ME on day three. Borowski envisions a weekcoffee shops, restaurants, bike shops, and 8 0connecting 0 long trip xNHAT to the Cross other amenities, making the area an ideal Vermont where eastbound riders host for cross-state cyclo-touring. Citing 6 0Trail, 0 would begin in Burlington, VT; travel its beauty as ranking among the most 0 towns in northern Vermont, through4 017 spectacular in the country, she proudly including Montpelier and Marshfield; states that New Hampshire it all.Bowman Her Woodsville Lisbon Littleton Whitefield Rt has 115A Bath

Borowski envisions a week-long trip connecting xNHAT to the Cross Vermont Trail where eastbound riders would , begin in Burlington, VT; travel through 17 towns in northern Vermont

cross over the Connecticut River in Wells River, VT to Woodsville, NH; and then continue on the xNHAT to Bethel, ME. Borowski speaks with high praise when she talks about her collaboration with the Cross Vermont Trail Association. Its members refer to the notion of their trail being pieced together in the manner of a patchwork quilt. This group provided support and encouragement towards the goal of continuing their route into and across the state of New Hampshire, forging a trail using existing roads and trails. That was the beginning of her adventure of connections! And so, the idea for xNHAT was born. In fewer than two years, it was established and traveled! Borowski’s

endorsement of the Granite State comes from her extensive history as a cyclist. Borowski cycled across the country in 2002. Since then, she has pedaled in 47 of the 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii! She has completed several crossstate trails; most recently, the KATY Trail in Missouri. Borowski cites the initiatives in Vermont as exemplars for success. Like the pioneers in cyclo-tourism in Vermont, she shares the goal of providing opportunities for locals as well as for tourists to enjoy New Hampshire’s North Country from the unique perspective that cycling off the beaten track provides. She places emphasis on the trail’s capacity to function as an enhanced offering for local

Food: an Essential Adventure Planning food and water is key to a successful adventure. There are many choices for riders along the XNHAT. HERE ARE A FEW: Gorham coffee shops,Gilead Woodsville: Gather Together Café, Slick’s Ice Cream, Saltwater Bar & Bistro Bath: The Brick Store for smoked cheese, Jamie Lynn’s Kitchen for farmto-table dining Lisbon: Thai Kitchen, market deli, gas stations, convenience stores Littleton: Littleton Freehouse Taphouse & Eatery, Littleton Diner, the Little Grille, Schilling Beer Co., and other restaurants, coffee shops, groceries, candy store Jefferson: Israel River Campground— snacks and ice cream bars Gorham: many restaurants, Scoggins Cool Shack ice cream, Mr. Pizza, Libby’s Bistro, SAaLT, Nonna’s Kitchen Bethel: multiple full-service dining options, Dicocoa’s Bakery & Café, bakeries, The Good Food Store, and of course, ice cream

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Lodging Borowski has visited all of the lodging options below and has shared background information about the trail with each innkeeper. She has been delighted with the warm reception and receptiveness. She has been welcomed to leave brochures and maps and stickers at the various lodging options. She notes how eager each establishment has been to learn about mixed-terrain cycle touring.

UPPER LEFT: The covered bridge is the pedestrian-bike bridge over the Ammonoosuc River in Littleton. It is part of the Littleton Riverwalk recreation pathways. UPPER RIGHT: Observation platform at the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson. The Presidential Rail Trail travels through the refuge for 4 scenic miles of forest, pond, and wetlands. This deck is a fine place to take a lunch break with a view. ABOVE: Cyclists are happy even as light rain begins to fall. It is never bad weather when you are prepared with the right clothing! They are on the Ammonoosuc Recreation Trail in Lisbon, headed north to Littleton.

residents who may want to do hourly or day-long trips exploring the off-road sections of this trail. These off-road sections provide four-season adventures on a bike, on horseback, in running shoes, hiking boots, snow shoes, or even via crosscountry skiing. Motorized vehicles, including ATVs, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles can also enjoy areas designated for their use on the rail trails and specific pathways. Support for the xNHAT has come from the National Park Service in the form of a one-year assistance grant providing knowledge and expertise. In March 2019, she was awarded a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund. The focus of the grant is to support mapping, signage,

website, publicity, promotional materials, etc. Through the grant, Borowski has been able to commission Larry Garland, cartographer for the Application Mountain Club (AMC) for the trail map, Marty Basch, author and columnist for the Conway Daily Sun, and contributing writer to the Concord Monitor for publicity, along with graphic artist Spencer Hawkes for logo design, stickers, and patches. Small metal trail signs, to be placed along the trail, were made through the New Hampshire Department of Corrections. Just as there are multiple connections inherent in the trail’s design, there are many applications of the word adventure when describing the journey. Borowski affectionately refers to the trail as an “information project” rather than

• Nootka Lodge, Woodsville • Littleton Motel, Littleton • Thayers Inn, Littleton • Israel River Campground, Jefferson • The Inn at Bowman, Randolph • Moose Brook State Park Campground, Gorham • Hub North, Gorham • Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground, Bethel On the inaugural trip in June, 2019, the group stayed at the Littleton Motel (pictured above) on the first night, and was greeted by the gracious desk clerk who was not fazed by the mud and dirt that covered the relieved smiles of each rider when she showed them where to wash off bikes and gear. She provided the group with helpful information about bike shops and eateries. The second night, the group stayed at Hub North, a unique style of accommodation inspired by the owners’ many backpacking trips to New Zealand. Jason and Kara Hunter purchased the former Sunset Valley Girl Scout Camp in Gorham in 2016, converting its 24 acres into a multi-use lodging that includes bunk rooms, private rooms, glamping in fully furnished dome tents, and a yurt. The site is currently set up for “24 pillows” and has already received several groups of xNHAT riders.

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Some fun group photos in the sunshine at the observation deck in the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Presidential Rail Trail. This area is also a great spot for birdwatching.

Getting Started on the Trail The official start of the xNHAT is on the Vermont side of the Route 302 bridge over the Connecticut River on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire. The river is actually considered part of New Hampshire. So, to officially bike to the border, riders will need to start on the Vermont riverbank. The early part of the west-to-east journey includes parts of the ATV-shared Ammonoosuc Rail Trail, which takes riders to the little towns of Bath and Lisbon. Next is transitioning on and off quiet, paved, and dirt country roads on the way to Littleton, which is at 22 miles and concludes the first day. Departing Littleton, the route takes riders along the Littleton Riverwalk. The journey continues through 10 miles of scenic, but more heavily traveled, paved roads through Whitefield, to quieter paved roads, and then onto the hard-packed dirt and gravel of the scenic Presidential Rail Trail. There is a project underway to extend the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail for 5 miles through Littleton, reducing the paved miles on 116. Riders will want to give time for photo opportunities as they pass through the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge before heading east towards Gorham. For panoramic mountain views, the route follows quiet Israel River Road and Valley Road on pavement and on dirt before returning to the rail trail and riding all the way to Gorham, which is at mile 59 on the trail. On day three, riders will experience the most difficult riding of the trip as they navigate Hogan Road, which travels along the Androscoggin River on the right. It is here that many riders meet their first challenge. A mile-long section of Hogan Road was washed out in the Halloween storm of 2017. Navigating Hogan Road includes riding parts of a dried out riverbed, and presents riders with plenty of rocks, rubble, and changing conditions. Some riders will ride straight over these obstacles, while others may walk their bikes through the toughest parts, all the while enjoying the river views. Many riders cite this as the best part of the adventure, while others are happy to see the sleepy, paved back road ahead, signaling the end of Hogan Road. The last lap of the journey is where Hogan Road meets pavement on North Road, a lovely quiet road of beautiful scenery and rolling hills that goes all the way to Davis Park in Bethelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;where the 83 miles xNHAT ends.

Fall 2019

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LEFT: “Glad” cyclists pose with Pollyanna at her statue in front of the Littleton Public Library. Littleton is known as “The Glad Town” due to Pollyanna’s author, Eleanor H. Porter, who lived in Littleton and in 1913 wrote the classic stories about the world’s most optimistic character. ABOVE: Cyclists on the Presidential Rail Trail in Jefferson, headed east towards Randolph.

a construction project. She talks about the concept of stitching together existing rails and roads versus building trails. Stitching together existing trails and roads for the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail looks like this: Ammonoosuc Rail Trail Back Roads—Lisbon and Jefferson Littleton Riverwalk Route 116 Littleton to Whitefield Presidential Rail Trail Hogan Road North Road Bethel Walkway

In essence, there is no new construction of roads, trails, or bridges required. The connecting is through information—website, maps, publicity, promotion—local awareness all with the goal of attracting cyclo-tourists while providing enhanced cycling options for local residents. Readers and riders will want to check the Cross NH website www.crossnewhampshire.org. Here riders find photos, maps, cue sheets, lodging, restaurants, parking, transportation options, and exceptionally great advice! Visiting the website is key to situating riders before embarking on the adventure. The adventure begins with choosing the right bike and the right tires for the

varied terrain. Riders need a bike that will maximize their cycling pleasure. The route is mostly off road on rail trails, dirt roads, bike paths, quiet roads, and even a dried up river bed. One could ride a mountain bike for day trips on the rail trails, or could choose a road bike for day trips on the paved sections. The best strategy, however, is to ride an all-road, gravel or hybrid bike to enjoy connections among the variety of surfaces. Mud puddles, potholes, ballast, gravel, washouts, and loose rocks may be present on part of the route. Recent legislation recognizes class II or I e-bikes as bicycles, thus allowing them to utilize non-motorized rail trails. E-bikes meet the standard of people-powered pedals. When riding the xNHAT, you are truly inside the postcard. Rather than traveling in a car, bus, or train looking through the window, you are immersed in breathtakingly beautiful scenery alongside majestic mountains. You, indeed, are living inside the beauty. When you are turning the pedals through the trail’s adventures, there is a level of connection, not only from town to town, or state to state, but a connection that grows from within. You connect with the child in you conjuring up the nostalgic unmatched freedom that riding a bike evokes. You feel it among your fellow riders as the conversation ebbs and flows in harmony with the

rhythm of the ride. At the end of the day, it is the connection with nature that is the profoundly satisfying adventure! Note from the author: In June 2019, I was privileged to be among a group of 10 cyclists from the Mount Washington Valley Bicycling Club to accompany Marianne on her first westto-east thru-ride of the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail. Our journey began June 25 at the Connecticut River, dodging raindrops, and ended under spectacular sunshine in Bethel on June 27. Marianne expresses her gratitude to her many supporters. Specifically, she cites the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund, the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, the Coos Cycling Club, and the Mount Washington Valley Bicycling Club. Photo credits for the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail - Marianne Borowski - Robin Clark - Jeff Latimer, Gus’ Bike Shop - Rob McConaghy - Laurel Smith

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Trail Tales from xNHAT Riders: I so enjoyed doing the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail. What I liked most was the variety of the surfaces—dirt, cinders, pavement, gravel, and rocks, sand, grass—the trail has it all. Laurel, Jackson, NH I joined a diverse group of mature adults in mid-June for a self-guided thru ride of the xNHAT. It’s a very doable 3-day ride; we found the xNHAT website provided us with the necessary information we needed to make the 3-day ride hassle free. The route was easy to follow and there were plenty of great places to eat along the way. The highlight for me was riding on the Presidential Rail Trail, which took us through fields of lupine, which were in full bloom. I highly recommend the xNHAT, whether you do it in sections or as a thru ride. Rob, Conway, NH So, you can ride side-by-side on old rail beds and back country roads. If there is someone you want to spend time with and get to know, or know better, take him or her on the xNHAT! Frank, Madison, NH This was such a fun journey. Some highlights include the lupine, the rail trails, and Hogan Road—fun adventure and snack spots. The trail is in good condition. Hogan Road was rough at times, but our mountain bikes rolled right over most of it. The patch and the sticker were a bonus! Thank you. This trail is so much fun! Lori, Twin Mountain, NH

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This route is a gem and a great adventure. Scenery was fantastic, as you’re not always in the “tunnel of trees” that rail trails can be. It’s reminiscent of the views along the Great Allegheny Passage. I slow pedaled the open sections below Mt. Washington just to soak it all in. Jeff, North Hampton, NH Thanks for the stickers. We will return to the route—we loved it. Easy to follow! We never got lost! It was beautiful. Looking forward to having less of Route 116. We also plan to do the Cross Vermont Trail! Thanks for all your help. Great website. We three are all in our 50s. We work, and then we love bike adventures. Dave, Middleboro, MA It makes me so happy to see guests arriving at Hub North on their bikes. It’s a great feeling watching them riding up the hill, looking forward to their stay, and sharing their stories about their adventures on the trail. Kara, Gorham

BREAKFAST ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!

To get your free map, similar to the one in this article, send an email with a request for the map, and an address, to: crossnewhamsphire@gmail.com. Also available at select bike shops and lodging properies along the route.

Fall 2019

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Garland Ridge Cemetery (AKA Bartlett Village Cemetery) Wiseguy Creative Photography

Behind the Veil The Culture of Death in Early New England By Heather Corrigan

lose your eyes and picture a cemetery. What comes to mind? A typical image might consist of nighttime, the fall, ghosts, spirits, creepy spiders, and perhaps some atmospheric mist. Horror movies, Stephen King, urban legends, local ghost stories, and pop culture have painted an image of a cemetery as being a dark, scary place, where ghosts pop out from behind gravestones or pets are brought back to life with horrific consequences. Almost every New England town has a cemetery with old gravestones and many smaller, often single-family, multigenerational cemeteries dot the landscape along roadsides and in the woods, especially here in the Mt. Washington Valley. Each stone, name, carved image, even placement can tell a story about the

history of a town, religious iconography, or funeral practices and superstitions. Let’s take a trip into a cemetery and peel back the layers of tradition left by our ancestors. Plenty of ghosts abound, but I promise they won’t be scary.

COLONIAL NEW ENGLAND (1620-1760s) Puritanism was part of the Protestant Reformation, which arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. Puritans believed the Church of England’s practices were too similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church, which they believed corrupt. Because of their deeprooted connection, or “direct covenant” with God, they believed in eliminating certain practices not mentioned in the Bible. Facing religious persecution from

crown and country, many Puritans emigrated to the New World in the 1620s30s. In return, they “laid the foundation for the religious, intellectual and social order of New England.” Puritan funerals during the 1600s were a reflection of their quiet, minimalist lifestyles. They were virtually silent events, with only the minister speaking a few words about the deceased. No sermons or eulogies were given, and the pallbearers silently led the bodies to the cemetery. Mourners pinned notes and trinkets on the bier, the wooden, moveable frame holding the coffin. The notes were then collected into a book as memorials to the deceased. However, the events leading up to the funeral were not sober ones. Mourners would view the body and

then go to the local tavern for copious amounts of alcohol, remaining there until it was time to proceed to the cemetery. As time went on, alcohol was brought to the viewing, and mourners would imbibe and converse until it was time to depart. When it came to gravestones, there was no question as to which images properly represented their religious beliefs. Since Orthodox Puritans believed that their connection with God was verbal, they feared that visual depictions of God, or heavenly beings, could lead to idolatry. These convictions were developed dur-

and gasps of death, the pale, horrid, ghastly appearance of the corps, its being laid in a dark and silent grave, there putrifying [sic] and rotting, and become exceeding loathsome and being eaten with worms (Isa. 66.24) is an image of hell. And the body’s continuing in the grave, and never rising more in this world is to shadow forth the eternity of the misery of hell.

ing their time in England and they were brought with them to their new home. In many New England cemeteries, gravestones depicted variations of a “death head,” a skull with a slightly demented facial expression, carved with a grin or smile or with wings. The stones themselves were about knee to waist high with rounded tops and/or edges. The space within the curved portion held the image of the death head, whose depiction was variously interpreted by different stone carvers. Death heads changed over the decades from being crudely depicted to distinctly representing skulls, some with wings and a more detailed visage. To modern society, these images may seem too morbid or frightening, an all-tooreal depiction of death and resurrection. But to the Puritans, the death head “was a more earthly and neutral symbol, serving as a graphic reminder of death and resurrection.” Death was imminent, everpresent, and as much a part of life as birth, and the image of the death head was a sobering reminder. The death head served as the reigning image on gravestones throughout the 1600s until the middle of the 1700s. Orthodox Puritanism’s decline, beginning in the 1720s, ushered in a new era of religious beliefs and gravestone iconography in New England.

sermons. Being able to talk about heavenly beings and creatures was a drastic change from the Puritans’ fear of idolatry. While the death head was still used on gravestones, it was not the dominant image it had once been. Death was still openly discussed, as seen in the above quote from Edwards, but the image of the cherub was more compatible with these new, softer religious views. Most of the gravestones from the Orthodox Puritans contained the image of the death head and an epitaph stressing the current status of the deceased, “Here lies ...” or “Here lies buried ... .” With the change to the cherub in the 1760s, a softened depiction of the death head, there is a shift in the phrases used on these gravestones. The epitaphs become “Here lies buried the body of ...” which emphasizes that part of the deceased remains and the “soul ... has gone to its eternal reward,” which places an emphasis on resurrection, instead of the brevity of life. The shift from the death head to the cherub, or winged cherub, began in the 1760s, but it became widely used by the 1780s and continued to be used until the beginning of the 1800s. By that time, another image had taken over as the dominant icon on gravestones, and with it a new take on the culture of death. The culture of death and mourning reached new heights by 1740. Families of the deceased would send mourners and ministers a set of gloves, signifying they were expected to attend the funeral and wear the mourning gloves at the service. By this time, the silent affairs of the Puritans were abandoned. Sermons

During the Great Awakening, with Orthodox Puritanism in decline, “revivalist” preachers, such as Jonathan Edwards, introduced the supernatural into their

and eulogies were given in honor of the deceased. Wealthier families sent mourners commemorative rings fashioned from silver or gold, with inscriptions such as “Death Conquers All,” or “Death Parts United Hearts.” The mourning rings kept many silver and goldsmiths in business over the years, especially as the demand for the rings reached epic heights. Soon, it became about how much money a family could spend in order to impress the town, instead about honoring the deceased. In 1741, the Massachusetts government felt compelled to put restrictions on

Almost every New England town has a cemetery with old gravestones and many smaller, often single-family, multi-generational cemeteries dot the landscape along roadsides and in the woods, especially here in the Valley. Each stone, name, carved image, even placement can tell a story about the history of a town, religious iconography, or funeral practices and superstitions.

THE GREAT AWAKENING (1720s-60s) Jonathan Edwards, a preacher in Connecticut during the Great Awakening (1730s), wrote:

Death temporal is a shadow of eternal death. The agonies, the pains, the groans Fall 2019

how large and expensive funerals could be because spending was running out of control. The colonies were becoming richer in the years before the Revolutionary War, and spending for funerals became less about the deceased, and more about who could spend more money. Gloves could only be sent to pallbearers and ministers, there were fines for sending rings and distributing wine, and some

Depiction of the “death head” with wings, widely used from 1620-1790; Sturbridge, MA 1768. Photo courtesy of David Diaz 51

Photo courtesy of David Diaz LEFT: The winged cherub, or cherub head, was used in New England from the 1760s to the 1800s; King’s Chapel Burial Ground, Boston, MA. RIGHT: The willow and urn iconography on a gravestone in North Conway, NH, 1831. The willow and urn was used to commemorate the loss of a loved one from the early 1800s to 1830s.

towns restricted how long a bell could be rung for the event. In other cases, the prominence of the deceased was displayed by the quantity and quality of the black bunting used to decorate the inside and outside of houses. The period of the 1780s to 1810 saw a change in gravestone iconography and shape. The early gravestones from the Puritans and the Great Awakening had a rounded shape, but this period switched to the squared shoulder design. This also brought about another change in iconography, from the cherub to the willow and urn. Traditionally, there were variations of an urn, a weeping willow tree and/or a single willow branch. These images came from the interest in Greek design that coincided with the on-going excavations of the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the volcano Vesuvius in 79AD. Urns in Greek tradition housed the ashes of deceased loved ones and represented death, while the willow was an icon of grief. The urn is normally shown as being shaded by the willow, as if it were protecting the loved one’s remains. Other times, the urn is the larger image and the willow is of the same size or smaller. These icons represented memory, which later became a major theme in Victorian mourning traditions. Earlier stone carvers were responsible for defining the location of the deceased in their mortal form with their icons and “Here Lyes” epitaphs. But by changing the epitaphs to “In Memory of ... ”or “Sacred to the Memory of ... ” and the icons to willow and urns, it no longer becomes a “graphic

representation of either the mortal or immortal component of the individual, but, rather, a symbol of commemoration.” At times, there was no physical body under the stone, but the gravestones were erected to give mourners a place to visit. Later, the stones were erected to commemorate those who were buried elsewhere, in cases of war, called cenotaphs. STONE CARVERS IN EARLY NEW ENGLAND New England Puritans were devout, God-fearing, and lived simple lives. They were not flashy, loud, or boisterous. Even their artwork and furniture design was very simple, with classic lines and little ornamentation. But a study of their gravestone carvings during this time reveals a relationship and respect of death as a part of life, depicted with great artist expression. They allow the iconography and epitaphs on the gravestones to speak for them. Stone carving was not a very lucrative business in Colonial New England, and so for many, it was a part-time job. Simply being an artist by trade during this time was not as respected as other professions and many found they could “exhibit” and “sell” their work as stone carvers. Armed with a maul and chisel, they created frightening and beautiful carvings of the death head, the cherub, and willow and urn, depending on when they were carving. At times, although not very common, the artists would sign the stones to get their name known in the area. It is possible to trace which stones belonged to which artists, especially

when not signed, by looking at their style, the town they lived/worked in and a date range of the stones they worked on. They typically worked in a small area with a range of about 30 miles; once you travel outside their zone, one can see a change in artistic style. Artists were not the only ones to join the gravestone carving trade. During the 18th-19th century, many writers began to write elegies and epitaphs in memory of the dead, as a chance to showcase their writing. Most carved poems were short and to the point and they all contained an explanation of how the person died. The poems ranged from cleverly amusing to terrifyingly dark and macabre and no subject was left untouched. It became such a custom to have a poem featured on gravestones, that even the smallest cemeteries had “quaint epitaphs, apt quotations, and striking scriptural allusions, to say nothing of the grinning death’s heads, urns and weeping willows ... ” A poem from a stone in Oxford, NH reads ... To all my friends I bid adieu, A more sudden death you never knew, As I was leading the old mare to drink, She kicked and killed me quicker’n a wink. A popular epitaph throughout England and America was, Life is uncertain, Death is sure. Sin the wound and Christ the cure.

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Kelly Rogers ... Mt. Washington Valley’s Paranormal Investigator She IS—who you call New England has a rich history of haunted houses, cemeteries, urban legends, and creepy happenings. From spirits caught in time from the Revolutionary War to those who were claimed by disease, New England has a reputation as being a hotbed for paranormal activity. Kelly Rogers, paranormal investigator, is on the scene and on the case, ready to explore the unknown. From a young age, Kelly became interested in learning about the paranormal after an experience as a child. It had such a profound impact on her that she began to “live at the local library,” devouring every book about the subject. That was how she came across Hans Holzer, an Austrian parapsychologist, and author of over 120 books on the paranormal. He is credited with the invention of the term “ghost hunter,” after the title of his first book Ghost Hunter (1963). Holzer’s most famous investigation was the site of the Amityville Horror murders in New York in 1975, and he wrote several books on the subject. For Kelly and her team, investigating isn’t about getting the money shot or always finding evidence. Kelly knows what it is like to feel like no one could ever believe your experience and she wants people to know that they are not alone. Their experience is valuable to understanding the past Fall 2019

and why a spirit may be trying to contact them. “Ghosts are history demanding to be heard,” she says, and the history of a place is just as important as finding evidence. By getting into the heart of history, Kelly hopes to dispel any myths and “get to the real truth of any legend.” There is so much information to be found through historical sites—especially cemeteries, a frequent place of investigation. Unlike the paranormal investigators on television, Kelly does not have all the drama and suspense, and at times, no “true” evidence. It’s not all spooky sounds and the glamour as seen on the TAPS’ (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) show, Ghost Hunters. There are freezing cold or sweltering stakeouts, spider encounters, and downright dingy, scary spaces. Despite the conditions—every space, living person, and entity on the other side—is treated with the utmost respect and confidentiality. At the end of the day, it’s not about proving the existence of ghosts. Kelly and her team still have so many questions that one investigation simply cannot solve. They welcome differing opinions in the hopes that another eye can help debunk and make sense of an extraordinary experience. With their love of history, the team seeks to help historical societies raise

Armed with the tools of the trade, Kelly and team arrive on site with a number of instruments, such as a digital camcorder, SLS camera, K-2 EMF meters (detecting spikes in electromagnetic energy), digital and Polaroid cameras, among other tools.

money for investigations through their presentations. The team has a few highprofile investigations under their belt at famously haunted places, such as The Lizzie Borden House, Omni Mount Washington Resort, and the Slater Mill in Rhode Island, among other places. Along with paranormal investigations, they also perform Victorian séances with a scientific twist, ghost tours in the fall, house clearings, and other services. Look for an upcoming book on hauntings and personal experiences from right here in the Mt. Washington Valley. ALL NEW FOR 2019! A WALK WITH SPIRITS GHOST TOUR N. Conway Village, NH. Every Saturday, Oct 5-26 • Facebook.com/spookynconway This October, embark on a walking tour, guided exclusively by members of the Luna Paranormal Research team. Led by lantern light with a professional ghost investigator, you will experience ghostly tales of the spirits that still linger and dwell in the old walls of North Conway Village. Meet in front of the N. Conway Public Library. $35 per person. $15 14+ under. Lasts approximately 40 minutes. Email lunaparanormal@yahoo.com.

THE VICTORIAN ERA 1837-1901 The Victorian Era was a time steeped in tradition and superstition—and those beliefs were taken very seriously. In England, Queen Victoria was mourning the passing of her husband Prince Albert, who succumbed to typhoid fever in 1837. She mourned for the rest of her life until her passing in 1901. The Queen wore heavy black dresses and white linen

water, and childbirth claimed the lives of the mothers and their children. Out of every 1,000 children born, 200 infant lives were taken. As a result, death was always an open conversation and planning and practices were known to everyone in the family, even small children. They were given a “Death Kit” which came with a doll, coffin, and funerary clothing. It taught children how to behave at funerals

if someone told a person to end their mourning and simply “get over it.” During a second phase of the mourning period, women could wear jewelry; most pieces contained a lock of their deceased loved one’s hair, just as Queen Victoria did. Mourning was a highly respected and almost sacred event in a person’s life. Most people perished in their own homes, and a public viewing of the body

mourning headdress, and it is rare to see a portrait of her without her mourning outfits. These practices came over from England and shaped the elaborate mourning and funeral practices typical of the Victorian Era in America. The 1800s was a time of uncertainty, because it was as if death was around every turn. There were no vaccinations and people succumbed to common colds and diseases. There was contaminated

and also learned how to guide the events if necessary. The mourning period was a very drawn out, elaborate time that allowed families to grieve for a period up to a year or more, depending on their relationship to the deceased. Women whose husbands had died were expected to grieve for two years and stay isolated from society before they could consider ending their mourning. It was considered egregious

would take place in the parlor, like a modern wake. The entire inside of the house would be covered in heavy gray fabric, called crepe. The shutters were drawn, mantels, picture frames, mirrors, the doorknob, and knockers were all covered in crepe for a year-long mourning period. Family photos were turned over or removed for fear of the deceased’s soul possessing the living. After the wake, the body was taken out of the house feet first,

The modern world is not as in touch with our mortality as our ancestors were. Their religious beliefs, rituals, iconography, and traditions teach us that death should not be as scary as it is often portrayed. Rather, it is how it is approached, discussed, and displayed that give future generations a very real idea of how the subject of death was handled.

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The legendary Willey family of Crawford Notch, is buried at a small, secluded North Conway location. The family headstone offers a good local example of willow and urn iconography. Although still difficult to make out, the icon can be seen above on the top portion of the family’s gravestone. The willow and urn was used to commemorate the loss of a loved one from the early 1800s to 1830s. WiseguyCreative.com photography.

because if taken out head first, it was believed that the deceased was beckoning their family and friends to join them. Perhaps one of the most interesting, and certainly macabre, practices by the Victorians was their obsession with capturing the image of their loved ones. With Louis Daguerre’s invention of the daguerreotype (a printed image on metal) in 1839, they moved away from the painting and thus the business of postmortem photography took off. “Secure the shadow, ere the substance fades,” was a slogan introduced in the 1840s as a way to entice customers who were eager to memorialize their loved ones. Many of the subjects were children, who were placed in photographs with their favorite toys or with other family members, both deceased or alive. Many were shown dressed in their burial clothing while in their caskets, surrounded by subtle clues that the subject was deceased. There is some dispute among historians if photographers propped the bodies up using trusses, wire, or even the invention which kept a person’s head still during a photograph with a long exposure. Nevertheless, the families treasured these images and collected them into a book titled Memento Mori, the Latin phrase meaning “remember that you must die.” It was not to promote fear, but to inspire and motivate people to have a plan for their funerals. The modern world is not as in touch with our mortality as our ancestors were. Their religious beliefs, rituals, iconography, and traditions teach us that death should not be as scary as it is often portrayed. Rather, it is how it is approached, discussed, and displayed that give future generations a very real idea of how the subject of death was handled. So, the next time you stumble upon a weathered gravestone, pause and take a look at the carvings and the state of the stone. One can learn so much about those who came before and how they wanted to be remembered, frozen in stone.

Superstitions/Omens Have you ever wondered about the meaning “saved by the bell?” Myth or fact, we can’t be sure, however it’s quite likely the saying originated from the fear of being buried alive. In the 18th century, many people who were thought dead, were buried, and later awoke under the ground. Because of this, “safety caskets” were patented, so bodies could be buried with a string attached to their fingers. If they awoke, they could ring the bell which could be heard by the cemetery keepers. Mid-18th century belief that the next person to see the reflection of the deceased would die. Residents of homes in mourning would stop clocks because it would bring bad luck. They would be reset after burial. During the Victorian Era (1837-1901), they believed mirrors held the deceased’s spirit. Mirrors were covered with heavy black cloth so the spirit was not trapped. It was bad luck to cross paths with a funeral procession. One would turn around and walk the other way. If they could not, holding tightly onto a button would ward off negative effects. Omens that would lead to death: seeing yourself in dreams, seeing an owl during the day, seeing a sparrow land on a piano. Opening an umbrella inside would lead to a murder in the opener’s family.

A VISION OF CONSERVATION By Birch Malotky

Striking a Balance on the Green Hills Preserve

WiseguyCreative.com photo

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hat does it take to protect and manage 5,500 acres of land surrounded by a highly popular and continuously developing “adventure town?” Dedication to the spirit of exploration, respect for the natural world, thoughtful generosity, investment in community, and a lot of hard work. All these things went into the creation

of the Green Hills Preserve in North Conway, New Hampshire, and all are enshrined in its continued existence. Today, The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the Green Hills Preserve, but it’s also safeguarded by you, the user. Responsible use and active participation in stewardship are the best ways you can contribute to the vibrancy of this conservation area, and a vision of the future where people and nature thrive. THE POWER OF PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE We’ve always wondered how those hills escaped being developed with homes and power lines. – Mt. Washington Valley resident encountered in town

North Conway simply wouldn’t be the same without the Green Hills, a string of peaks and lush forest running parallel east of town, bounded by Hurricane Mountain Road to the north, and East Conway Road to the south. Their emerald slopes, unique ledges, and bald summits provide not only a picturesque, mountainous backdrop to the town, a selfproclaimed “land of recreation,” but also quick access to intact forest and far-reaching views of the Presidential Range, Cathedral and Whitehorse ledges, and the Moat mountains.

A pair of hikers atop Black Cap enjoy the sunset views over Cranmore Mountain, North Conway Village, and the Moat Mountain range. Fall 2019

Photo by Jeff Lougee/The Nature Conservancy

ABOVE: The threatened silverling (Paronychia argyrocoma) thrives in small pockets of soil that collect in cracks on the Green Hill’s granite ledges.

Part of the largest unfragmented block of forest in the Town of Conway, the Green Hills provide high-quality habitat to wildlife, as well as sanctuary for rare and interesting plants and animals. Moreover, the mountains carry the story of New Hampshire’s glacial history carved in their 200-million-year-old Conway granite summits and slopes. At the center of the Green Hills lies the Green Hills Preserve, 5,500 acres of Nature Conservancy property encompassing all the major peaks: Black Cap, Peaked, Middle, and Rattlesnake mountains, and Redstone Ledge. Surrounding the preserve are another 3,000 acres of conservation land managed by the Town

October of 1966 when Kay Billings, a Bartlett resident, and three friends decided to bushwhack up the western slopes of Peaked Mountain. They were enchanted by the stands of mature hemlock and pine, the scattered wildflowers and berry bushes, and the glacial scars they found on Peaked’s rocky slopes. After their hike—the first of many to come—the friends’ “immediate concern was how to save this mountain from the axe of development,” recalls Billings. Though used by the public, much of the Green Hills were owned by the Fletcher Granite Company, which operated a granite quarry to the south. The land was crisscrossed by logging roads, and an unstructured trail

1970s “bushwhacking in all directions and adding to [their] growing list of flora … Anna’s particular delight was an early May climb of Peaked in search of blooming arbutus,” Billings writes. Though a world traveler, Stearns had an abiding fondness for the North Country landscape, its trees, and its wildflowers. She credits her mother and father for this love, who took her to the White Mountains when she was 15 and built the family a summer home in Randolph, a home that eventually became Stearns’ permanent residence. Grateful to her parents for 60 years of visiting and loving the White Mountains, Stearns started thinking in the 70s about protecting a

of Conway, the State of New Hampshire, Tin Mountain Conservation Center, and the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust. Though well protected today, the area was not always conservation land. The Green Hills Preserve especially was hardwon, but the generosity and determination of two dear friends, a prescient town ordinance, and a close-knit community has ensured not only that it will be protected in perpetuity, but also that the people will continue to benefit from it. The story of its protection stretches across decades, but it all began in

system used by hikers, snowmobiles, bikers, and motorcyclists. Vulnerable as long as it was private, protecting Peaked Mountain depended on purchasing the land from Fletcher Granite. Fletcher Granite, however, was not interested in selling, and so began decades of patience and persistence. As the 60s stretched on, Billings continued to explore the Green Hills, introducing her friend Anna B. Stearns, an heiress and philanthropist living in Randolph, New Hampshire, to the area. The two spent many days in the

parcel of land as a living memorial to them. Naturally, her eye turned to her most beloved mountains, Peaked standing tall among them. By the end of the 70s, Stearns and Billings began to seek protection for this peak with renewed vigor. They couldn’t save Peaked alone, so they reached out to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for help purchasing and protecting the mountain. Inspired by the women’s passion and the conservation value found on Peaked, TNC began negotiations with Fletcher Granite in the early 80s, but progress was slow.

PART OF THE LARGEST UNFRAGMENTED BLOCK OF FOREST IN THE TOWN OF CONWAY, THE GREEN HILLS PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY HABITAT TO WILDLIFE, AS WELL AS SANCTUARY FOR RARE AND INTERESTING PLANTS AND ANIMALS.

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Joe Klementovich photo

ABOVE: Lilium philadelphicum, also known as the wood lily.

First, Fletcher Granite was unwilling to sell, and then the asking price was too high. In the midst of negotiations, a local contractor purchased the whole of the Green Hills, including Peaked. Billings recalls, “With this disappointment began the final phase to see if Peaked might be bought from [the new owner]. They were ‘willing to sell all of the Green Hills above the 800-foot level,’ because a local ordinance prohibited commercial development in the ‘mountain conservation zone,’ but funding was a problem, and it remained uncertain whether a separate deal could be struck for Peaked.” The new offer was both an opportunity and a conundrum. Suddenly, Stearns, Billings, and The Nature Conservancy had a chance to purchase and protect a much larger area of the Green Hills, rather than just Peaked as originally intended. However, no one knew how or if the necessary funds could be raised for such a large acquisition. When Billings explained the problem to Stearns, however, Stearns was undaunted. With deep generosity, she pledged enough financial support “to buy the whole of the Green Hills as a memorial to [her] mother and father,” to the amazement and joy of everyone involved. With Anna’s commitment, The Nature Conservancy moved forward with negotiations to purchase all the Green Hills above 800 feet, gradually bringing the deal to a close over the course of four more years. Finally, On January 3, 1990, The Nature Conservancy acquired its first 2,800 acres in the Green Hills—land to be preserved for the education and enjoyment of future generations through the generosity of Anna B. Stearns. Four months later, Anna passed away at age 94, her dream realized. A NATURAL HISTORY CARVED IN GRANITE There’s some very unusual and unique plant life up around the ledges … certainly not anything like you would expect to see in North Conway. – Dan Houde, founder and publisher of Mt Washington Valley Vibe magazine. The protection of the original Green Hills Preserve was an ambitious project: more than a decade of work, the largFall 2019

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Joe Klementovich photo

LEFT: The Nature Conservancy’s Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program teaches high school students about stewardship on the Green Hills Preserve. RIGHT: Mountain biking is a recreational option in specific areas of the Green Hills preserve.

est preserve yet held by The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire, and a significant financial commitment. But, the property was nearly matchless in outstanding conservation values, the protection of which is a central guiding principle for The Nature Conservancy. It was a project TNC was proud and excited to be a part of when it began in the 70s, and continues to be today. Besides obvious scenic beauty, the Green Hills Preserve has great ecological value. It is home to six rare plant species, most notably White Mountain silverling (Paronychia argyrocoma) and smooth sandwort (Minuartia glabra), both of which are threatened in New Hampshire. These two diminutive plants grow on

as scattered, individual trees, red pine can dominate certain rocky ridge habitats, growing in large, rosy stands that feel somehow warm and nostalgic. Their occurrence on the Green Hills Preserve is one of the largest and best conditions in New Hampshire, earning it the title of an “exemplary natural community.” State endangered nighthawks and whip-poorwills have also been observed on these rocky upper slopes, with one confirmed nest site. Both can be heard flying above the peaks around sunset early in the summer months. Below the unusual rocky ridge habitat, more familiar forest prevails. This area of classic New Hampshire hardwood forest is large and intact, providing key

even more important for species, such as moose and black bear, that require expansive ranges. The hemlock stands also serve as key overwintering areas for white-tailed deer—the lower winter snowpack under these evergreens allowing deer to expend less energy moving around, thus improving their chances of making it to spring thaw. Running from the summits through the lower forests are more than 25 miles of headwater streams, all of which flow into the Saco River and provide habitat for native brook trout and other fish species. Scattered vernal pools and swamps support breeding populations of salamanders, frogs, and other aquatics such as fairy shrimp. In the western portion

rocky ledges and exposed granite slabs with thin gravel soils, managing to succeed in areas that are usually the domain of lichens and moss. Though many occurrences of these hardy flowers are only a few individuals, the silverling on the Green Hills Preserve is one of the largest known populations in the region. Also noteworthy is the red pine rocky ridge community found above 1,000 feet on Peaked, Middle, and Rattlesnake mountains, and Redstone Ledge. Red pines grow in the dry, nutrient-poor soil of the Green Hills’ bald summits, thriving where many other tree species cannot. Though found elsewhere

habitat for some of the region’s most iconic wildlife species. In the parlance of New Hampshire’s Wildlife Action Plan (designed to conserve our state’s wildlife most in need), much of the Green Hills is considered “Tier 1” forest habitat, the highest importance to protect. Two forest types dominate: northern hardwoodconifer and hemlock-hardwood-pine, both of which support species of concern, such as ruffed grouse, several salamanders, a variety of bats, and many others. Though generally common forest types, they are increasingly fragmented by roads and development, making the large, intact area in the Green Hills

of the preserve, a swamp is home to black gum trees more than 400 years old. These wetlands and river corridors are crucial to a healthy forest, used in one way or another by more than 90 percent of the region’s wildlife. Fortunately, they, like the forest itself, are predicted to be highly resilient to climate change by TNC scientists. This means that even in the face of climate change, they will likely continue to support ecosystem function and biodiversity. Finally, no inventory of the tremendous natural value of the Green Hills would be complete without an acknowledgement of the “outstanding textbook

THE PROTECTION OF THE ORIGINAL GREEN HILLS PRESERVE WAS AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT: MORE THAN A DECADE OF WORK, THE LARGEST PRESERVE YET HELD BY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL COMMITMENT.

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Jeff Lougee/The Nature Conservancy

PINE ID

There aren’t many places in New Hampshire where you can see white pine (Pinus strobus), pitch pine (Pinus rigida), and red pine (Pinus resinosa) all growing side by side, but the Green Hills is one of them. Next time you’re out hiking, here’s how to tell them apart. Needles: Pine needles always grow in bundles (called fascicles) and the number of needles in each bundle is characteristic of different pine species. White pine needles grow bundles of 5, pitch grow in bundles of 3, and red grow just 2 needles per bundle. Bark: White pine is the thinnest and lightest bark of the three species. Pitch pine, because they are fire adapted, grow thick bark

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that becomes deeply furrowed with age. Red pine bark has a distinct reddish cast, particularly in certain light or after a rain. Cones: White pine cones are longer and more open than the other two species. Pitch pine have squatter cones with tight scales. Red pine cones are a similar size and shape to pitch, but their scales don’t have prickles on them.

Joe Klementovich photo

WiseguyCreative.com photo

LEFT: The Nature Conservancy has collaborated with Tin Mountain Conservation Center to improve brook trout habitat in Mason Brook. RIGHT: The Green Hills offer year round recreation for the conscientious and intrepid visitor.

examples of earth processes” found carved into its peaks and upper slopes. From that first hike in 1966, Kay Billings, a geologist by trade, admired and celebrated the area’s polished granite slabs. Made 14,000 years ago, visitors today can still appreciate the area’s glacial history, and imagine the dramatic changes New Hampshire has undergone in the past.

ENVISIONING A FUTURE FOR THE GREEN HILLS PRESERVE A decade of acquisition work is now behind us. Generations of stewardship lie ahead. – The New Hampshire Conservancy News, Winter 1990 Stuffed in an old filing cabinet at The Nature Conservancy’s office in North Conway, the manila folder labeled “Green Hills Media, early days!” is full of newspaper clippings, actual carbon copies, and most of all, opinions about what should happen on and with New Hampshire’s newest nature preserve. The land had been “saved,” but what did that mean? What would be done with it? And how would that impact the people who had used it for generations, and hoped to for generations to come? These questions swirled around the Mt. Washington Valley as an advisory committee, headed by David Van Note and composed of local volunteers, set out in 1991 to design a management approach for the Green Hills Preserve. The task was formidable: envision a way to balance the various desires of the community while protecting the area’s natural resource values, setting the stage for how the preserve would be used and managed into the future. Fortunately, they were not without help. The decisions they made were guided by a strong sense of

organizational mission, the vision of Anna B. Stearns and Kay Billings, and input from an engaged local community. Today, The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to conserve the land and water on which all life depends. To do so, it’s working to address the biggest environmental challenges we face: tackling climate change, protecting land and water, providing food and water sustainably, and building healthy cities. Threaded through each priority is both the desire to engage people with nature, and the recognition that humans play a critical role in protecting the environment. Ultimately, TNC’s strategies are grounded in science that says it is possible to build a world where people and nature thrive. Thirty years ago, the Green Hills Preserve offered the opportunity to create a microcosm of such a world: a local space where people thrive alongside nature. With key wildlife habitat, rare plant species, and an unusual red pine rocky ridge community, there was no doubt that the area was important land to protect. But it was also important to continue engaging people on that land. “We are not interested in acquiring this land, putting a fence around it, and throwing away the key,” said John R. Schott, the board chair for TNC New Hampshire, at the Green Hill’s dedication ceremony in July 1992. This is, in part, because of Anna B. Stearns’ “tremendous foresight that there should be a linkage between this land and the people surrounding [it],” Schott said. Anna’s decree was as much hindsight as foresight; the Green Hills had historically been deemed common land, to be used by the area’s original 69 settlers for timber and hunting. Kay Billings said she and Stearns “wanted to get them back to the people,” to be enjoyed for

exploration and nature study, as the two of them had enjoyed the area. But “what happens when you take a mountain preserve and mix in hikers, campers, hunters, mountain bikers, offroad motorcyclists, and snowmobilers?” asked The Mountain Ear on June 25, 1991. The advisory committee was to find out over the course of many letters and two public meetings held in 1991 to solicit the advice of community members on management of the Green Hills Preserve. As expected, “some users of the land … said the plan seems more restrictive than necessary … others wanted even tighter restrictions on uses within the preserve,” reported The Mountain Ear. Confronted by many passionate, and at times, conflicting viewpoints, the freshly minted preserve manager Peter Benson remained optimistic. He noted in a report that “the feeling from all was that through cooperation, a management plan could be drafted that would satisfy all,” and that “partnership between the community, the volunteer [advisory] committee and TNC … is at the core of successful protection and management.” Guided by the need to protect rare species and natural communities, as well as Anna and Kay’s particular fondness for Peaked, the advisory committee recommended that it, alongside Middle Mountain, be declared a core protected zone. The area would be restricted to hiking only, with the existing trails rerouted away from sensitive ledge habitat. Outside of this core area, management was more flexible. For example, snowmobiles and mountain bikes would be excluded from the two mountains’ upper reaches, but in acknowledgement of their traditional and existing use in the area, would be permitted elsewhere

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on the preserve. Likewise, hunting and fishing would continue to be allowed. Other off-road motorized vehicles, however, as well as camping, fires, and mining, were jointly deemed too harmful to the natural resources on the preserve, and would be entirely prohibited. “The concept of pedestrian recreation and education is the primary focus,” the committee’s proposal stated, “with the allowance of other uses in designated areas, provided that these uses do not damage the critical habitat or the natural areas.” This management mosaic, comprising a core protected zone around Peaked and Middle, and a periphery multi-use area, thoughtfully combines the best parts of The Nature Conservancy’s mission, Anna B. Stearns’ vision, and the community’s input. Together, everyone’s desires are balanced within the fundamental goal of conservation, allowing access and engagement to be maximized while impact is minimized. The proposal was received positively, with resident Chet Lucy telling the committee, “I think you’ve done an excellent job, and I go along with it so far.” THE TEST OF TIME The Green Hills will be managed to support conservation of the full array of terrestrial

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and aquatic ecosystems present … and to provide excellent public access opportunities that are compatible with the conservation of plants, animals, natural communities, and other important natural and cultural resources within the preserve. – Preserve Vision, Green Hills Management Plan, current The vision of conservation established by the Advisory Committee in the early 90s has changed little in the intervening years. While the goals remain the same, management has had to adapt to changes in both the preserve itself and the town around it. One of the biggest changes has been one of scale. The preserve has almost doubled in size, from the original 2,800 acres to its current 5,500 acres. The 1,400 acres abutting the original parcel were anonymously donated in 1998, and an additional 1,300 acres to the south were added in 2014, purchased with funds generously donated to TNC’s “Let’s Grow Green Hills” campaign. Together with town, state, and federal land, the Green Hills are an approximately 8,000acre block of protected land open to the public. Within this area, trails have proliferated, particularly in recent years. In 2000, the greater Green Hills area contained around 25 miles of multi-use

trails; now in 2019, it’s more than 50. Concurrently, usage and visitation has increased dramatically. In 1991, Richard and Jean Meyer, residents of Hurricane Mountain Road, wrote TNC worried that a summer day might find an “excess of 100 people making their way to the top [of Black Cap].” In 2018, based on trailuse data collected by TNC, that same summer day might have seen more than 400, quadruple the traffic that prompted concern from the Meyers. In some ways, this growth is like sweet victory. All the work that went into acquiring the land and deciding on a management plan paid off in a preserve that showcases people and nature thriving side-by-side. A true community space, it provides access to nature for a wide and representative swath of local and regional visitors. There are trails that nearby employees walk on their lunch break, trails that offer technical mountain biking, trails that one local reckons he hikes 60 times a winter, and trails that “can be climbed from age 2 to 92 with comparative ease and the added reward of a truly spectacular view from the summit,” as the Meyers put it decades ago. There is also still a thriving red pine rocky ridge community, glacial scarring on granite slabs, excellent wildlife habitat,

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HOW TO GET THERE To Black Cap Trailhead • From NH Route 16 north, travel through North Conway Village to the North Conway/Bartlett town line. • Turn right onto Hurricane Mountain Road (across from the scenic vista overlooking Mount Washington). • Travel approximately 3.6 miles to the parking area on your right. To Pudding Pond Trailhead • From NH Route 16, travel 0.5 mile south of North Conway Village. • Turn left onto Artist Falls Road. • Go 0.3 miles and turn right onto Thompson Road. • Drive 0.4 miles to the parking area for Pudding Pond and the Green Hills (just before the power lines).

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Notes: Map Produced March 2018 by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Trails mapped by AMC and TNC. All other data from NH GRANIT. Contour lines are at 200-foot intervals, extracted from a 10-meter digital elevation model.

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and persisting populations of rare plant species. This simultaneous achievement of public enjoyment and preservation of nature is rooted in the advisory committee’s original mandate: “restrict access only where [natural] resources have been damaged or could potentially be damaged by certain uses of the land.” The dramatically increased visitation and usage of the Green Hills, however, raises questions about where and what could potentially damage natural resources. Could backcountry ski and snowboard use in low-snow conditions, for example, damage the fragile White Mountain silverling by scraping it out of cracks with hard turns on uncovered ledges? Could dense, heavily used trail systems cause behavioral changes in local wildlife? Such considerations need to be incorporated into a thoughtful, evolving approach for how to manage the area. Likewise, TNC must consider the way that higher use and visibility of the preserve increases the chance of vandalism on the granite slabs, trampling of vegetation, littering, unauthorized collecting of minerals, improper trail use, and potential for damage caused by illegal fires. Because these small damages can accumulate to cause real harm to the natural systems and visitor experience in the Green Hills, they form an important factor in the balance of natural resource protection with other conservation values. JOINING IN Stewardship matters. – The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

D EAST CONWAY R

**Please do not park on Thompson Road.

Ultimately, the growth in size, infrastructure, and visitation in the Green Hills has put increasing pressure on the stewardship staff responsible for managing the preserve. More than 100 drainages have to be cleared each spring, blowdowns need to be removed, kiosks stocked with maps and sign-in sheets, boundaries patrolled, illegal use monitored and combatted, trash removed, and signs maintained. And that is just a snapshot of the “must do stew.” Additional time may be spent on scientific research, community engagement, restoration projects, and trail repairs or reroutes. The less time staff need to spend on maintaining the preserve, the more time they get to spend improving it for both its natural and human communities. To tip that balance, they could really use your help. During the field season, from May through September, the Green Hills Guardians meet once a month to tackle stewardship projects in the Green Hills, from trail work and boundary monitoring to improving signage. Additionally, they visit the preserve on their own time to monitor and perform basic maintenance tasks. You can join the team by filling out the volunteer interest form at nature. org/nhvolunteers. If you’d rather volunteer on your own time, you can adopt a trail to monitor and report on four times a year. Or, just attend a workday! They’re announced monthly in the NH Volunteers for Nature News, which you also sign up for using the volunteer interest form. You don’t have to be a volunteer for The Nature Conservancy, however, to be a steward of the Green Hills. Stewardship

is any way you act that says: I care about this place, and want to keep it in good shape for future generations. You can pick up trash, or discourage someone from cutting switchbacks or picking flowers. You can send TNC staff an email if you encounter a blowdown, or when the maps run out at the kiosk. All these actions are welcome, but stewardship can also be as simple as using the preserve responsibly. Because TNC’s preserve use guidelines were enacted with conservation in mind, just following them helps protect the ecologically rich Green Hills from damage and deterioration. Responsible use, alongside active stewardship, are the best ways you can aid conservation, honor the vision of Anna B. Stearns and Kay Billings, and maintain community access to an area that has long been a resource to the public. A CASE FOR LAND UNTRAMMELED We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. – Wallace Stegner, Wilderness Letters

The Nature Conservancy, and the community, expect a lot out of the Green Hills Preserve. Together, users and managers want the preserve to be a thriving ecological system and an opportunity for people to experience scintillating pieces of nature. They are proud of how the recreational opportunities contribute to the local economy, and of the wide range of needs it’s able to meet for people. Likewise, they are excited by the number of visitors on the preserve and hope

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SMILE FOR THE CAMERA!

Thanks to the preserve’s diverse and connected forest types, almost every large animal species in New Hampshire is represented in the Green Hills, from moose and bear to deer, coyotes, fox, and fisher. Many of these creatures are most active at dawn and dusk, or are fully nocturnal, and are unlikely to be moving around during a normal day. Even if you’re up early or out late, they will likely avoid you, perceiving you as a potential threat. Fortunately, camera traps are a lot quieter than people, and can be watching 24/7. it helps to expand the constituency for nature. Because they are invested in this place, they are thinking often about how and where and why it should be used. Amongst all these uses, however, it is important to remember that land not being used is not useless land. In fact, the forest is using that land, able to be whole and express itself freely without the interruption of canopybreaking trails and root-exposing erosion. Wildlife is using that land, able to feed and breed and sleep without the

continual stimulation of an approaching potential threat. And people are using it, too. Maybe some are bushwhacking or waiting quietly in the woods for a bird to sing. Maybe they’re looking up from their car on Route 16 and admiring the sloping emerald hills with bald peaks marching parallel to town. And maybe, they just like knowing it’s there. Like knowing that alongside the development we need to live, we’ve had the forethought and restraint to protect some places from that development. Like knowing that

there’s still a balance to be had between progress and protection, and that it’s being struck in the Green Hills Preserve. Wilderness is not a commitment we make to a special place, it’s a special commitment that we make to a place. TNC thanks you for doing your part to support the commitment they, Anna B. Stearns, Kay Billings, and many others have made to the Green Hills.

THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING Learn, grow, and have fun while helping care for nature.

A volunteer experience is not only a chance to serve your community and the world, but also an opportunity to get outside, meet new people, and acquire all kinds of skills and knowledge. By volunteering, you will: - Spend time in beautiful, natural places - Get to know like-minded individuals - Explore new places in New Hampshire - Help maintain preserves as community resources - Learn more about the natural environment - Contribute to local conservation efforts - Connect with and support TNC!

, ,

Be sure to check in seasonally to find out when the Green Hill Guardians workdays will be held! For more info, visit www.nature.org/nhvolunteers. Fall 2019

Kevin Burkholder/Steel Wheels Photography

THE 7470 RETURNS TO THE VALLEY By Phil Franklin

THE STEAM ENGINE THAT COULD ... AND STILL DOES!

he grand era of steam locomotion spanned the century from roughly the 1850s through the late 1950s. It brought major and lasting changes to the United States and Canada. Steam locomotives pulled the trains that helped build our nations, moving people and freight at much faster rates than the horse and wagon or stages coaches. In 1800, Oliver Evans, inventor, engineer, and one of the first to build high-pressure steam engines, said, “The time will come when people will travel in stages moved by steam engines from one city to another, almost as fast as birds, 15 or 20 miles an hour … .” When two steam engines met at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869, a ribbon of rails stretched across the United States. Similarly, with the driving of the last spike completing the Canadian transconti-

nental railway on November 7, 1885, at Craigellachie, British Columbia, Canada, the western regions of our friendly neighbor to the north were opened. The infrastructure was set to bring Mr. Evans’ foretelling to reality. Steam locomotives would soon crisscross our nations and a love affair for these mighty giants was ignited. While the railroad industry phased out nearly all of the steam engines by the beginning of the 1960s, the fascination and nostalgia for these engines has only grown over the years. Fortunately, as the “steamers” were being taken out of “revenue service” and sold for scrap metal, a number of them were purchased by collectors. Some were mothballed in museums, while others were stored with the hope that someday they would run

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LEFT: 7470 crosses the low trestle in the intervale meadows of Conway. BELOW: Conway Scenic Railroad owner, David Swirk, gives the thumbs up and a smile as he drives the CSRR 7470 on its first run after re-certification, June 29, 2019

Phil Franklin photo

the rails again. Today, several of these great engines are used in excursion railroads. The massive Union Pacific “Big Boy #4014” engine was just recertified for operation in May 2019. It made a tour of the Midwest, drawing fans of all ages trackside to see this iconic engine. While certainly not as large or powerful as the “Big Boy” or made for long haul service, the Conway Scenic Railroad (CSRR) has a beautifully restored steam engine of its own. It is known simply by the number on its engine plate and the side of its cab, “7470.” Steam Returns to the Valley While out of service for an overhaul for the past few years, the 7470 recently made a triumphant return to tracks in the Fall 2019

Mt. Washington Valley. On June 29, 2019, the Conway Scenic Railroad reentered the 7470 into the category of “revenue service.” To the applause of several hundred passengers and onlookers, the CSRR 7470 chugged past the North Conway station platform, steam hissing from relief valves, its brass bell clanging, a drift of smoke coming from its stack, and with a blast from its whistle, it announced its return to rails. Dave Swirk, the owner of the Conway Scenic was at the controls with a smile and a thumbs up. The man who was responsible for this engine being a part of the Conway Scenic, Dwight Smith, was trackside. He was delighted to see “his” engine rolling again. The CSRR 7470 has been the centerpiece of the family of diesel engines and rolling stock (passenger cars) of the Conway Scenic Railroad since 1974. In that year, Smith, opened the Conway Scenic Railroad. The locomotive once known as the Canadian National Railway (CNR) 7470 began riding the rails pulling passenger excursion trains on a short, 11-mile, round-trip ride from the North Conway Station to the Conway station and back. It has been a rail fan highlight ever since. For the past four years, however, the CSRR 7470 has been absent from the rails of this famous tourist destination. On January 3, 2015, the engine made its last run before being parked in the roundhouse shop for a federally mandated inspection, overhaul, and recertification. And there it sat until October 2018, according to Swirk, with only minor repairs being done to it over those years. In October 2018, the Conway Scenic began a major overhaul of the engine. Specialized tradesmen were engaged to get this engine back in working order and on the rails again for all to enjoy.

Photo from Don McQueen collection

CNR 7470 out of service March 1966 on tracks in Wallaceburg, Ontario, headlight and bell removed.

The Birth of the 7470 The 7470 was a product of the Canadian railway system. To dig into the 7470’s Canadian history, we connected with Al Lill, chair of the Canadian National Railway Historical Association (CNRRHA). He, along with several of his associates, provided a wealth of early history information for this article on this engine, plus the operation of the Canadian National Railway in the era of steam. We thank them for their support in developing the 7470 story. Long before the CSRR 7470 became an excursion engine, it was a working engine in the railyards of Southern Ontario and Montreal. This steam engine was built in June 1921 in Canada in the Pointe Sainte Charles shops at Montreal, Quebec. Its boiler was built by the Canadian Locomotive Company of Kingston, Ontario. It was one of 50 small but powerful class “O-18-a, 0-60” steam engines built for the Grand Trunk Railway between 1919 and 1921. It was originally designated as GT 1795 (Grand Trunk 1795). In 1923, the Grand Trunk Railway was consolidated into the Canadian National Railway. At that point, the engine was re-designated as CNR 7470. The 7470 was built to function as a “switcher” or “yard goat” engine. The main function of a switcher was to “reclassify” trains. To get freight and passenger cars to their proper end destinations, long trains traveling great distances stopped in railyards where they would be disassembled, and the cars reassembled into new trains. This is similar to how major freight services, such as UPS and FedEx, move packages today from originating points to major distribution hubs to local distribution centers and then to your door step. Once a new train was assembled, the larger over-the-rail engines would then take the newly built train to its next location where it would again be reclassified. Switcher engines would also move train cars carrying coal, ice, and industrial supplies to companies within the limits of the railyard. The switchers could not haul long trains over the rails between cities as they were too small and only designed to run at a maximum of 20 miles per hour. 1814 - The first steam engine locomotive is built by British Engineer, George Stephenson

1825 - the first public railway for steam locomotives is created

The 7470 toiled in several different railyards throughout its working life. It was transferred from railyard to railyard as service needs of the railway changed across Southern Ontario. While there are no known records of where the 7470 operated from 1921 to 1944, information from our CNRRHA friends has given us a view into the 7470’s assignments in the last half of its service life. Between 1945 and 1959, the 7470 was assigned to railyards in Toronto, Windsor, Lindsay, Midland Ontario, Stratford, London, Sarnia, Chatham, Ontario, as well as Turcot and Montreal, Quebec. Precise dates of service are not exact, as there is no one journal that recorded the travels of any of these engines. Locations of the 7470 are only known through a manual search in Canadian National Railway records. And, since documents could be missing, we likely have an incomplete record of assignments for the engine. Throughout the service life of the CNR 7470, it, like all other steam engines, went in for minor repairs and maintenance or periodic major service overhauls. Normal maintenance work or minor repairs could be handled at any rail terminal. Large overhaul operations were conducted in the rail shops in Stratford or Pointe Sainte Charles, Ontario. Overhaul times were determined by the miles traveled by an engine and the measurement of the drive wheels, which would wear down over time. The CNR 7470 received its last major overhaul while working for the Canadian National in September 1955 at the Stratford facility. Overhaul work was done in union run shops and involved a number of tradesmen, including boilermakers, pipefitters, electricians, painters, welders, and carpenters. According to Lill, the length of time involved in the maintenance and repair of this engine could vary from hours to days. Overhauls could last weeks or months, depending on the type of work needed. While in Canadian National operation, the 7470 and all other switchers needed several crew members. They included the engineer and fireman in the cab of the engine. There were at least two switchmen who rode on the front of the engine or

1869 - Two steam engines meet in Utah, creating a ribbon of rails across the United States

1885 - The Canadian transcontinental railway is completed

Photo from Don McQueen collection

CNR 7470 renumbered at 303 at Wallaceburg, Ontario sugar refinery, 1961

running boards on the tender. They coupled and uncoupled cars for reclassification, threw the appropriate switches in the yard to get the 7470 to its proper track locations, and set or released brakes on the cars. There was also a man on the ground directing the movement of the reclassified cars. This was hard, sooty, and dangerous work for all of the people involved. With each new location for this engine, new crews bid for the jobs on the engine as they did throughout the railway operation. Senior men in positions could bump junior men to get better jobs, certain positions were “protected,” and rebidding occurred each April and October. The 7470 Ends Canadian National Service As we approached the end of the 1950s, the Canadian National Railway was replacing the labor- and maintenance-intensive steamers with new diesel engines. Of the 50 switchers in the class with the 7470, all were sold for scrap metal—with the exception of three engines. According to information from Lill, the “CNR 7470 and sister 7456 were both sold to the Canada and Dominion Sugar Company” (a beet sugar refinery) on September 16, 1959. While hauling for the sugar refinery, it sported the number “303” on its headlight. The 303 or 7470 was first assigned to the Chatham, Ontario refinery and then transferred to the Wallaceburg facility by 1961. This was the first of a short string of new owners of this engine. The sister engine, 7456, was eventually sold to Montcalm Community College, where it is located today, mothballed in the college’s Montcalm Heritage Village in Sidney, MI. The third engine to survive the Canadian National purge of the steam engines was sold to International Harvester in 1958. They scrapped the engine in 1961. This makes the 7470 the only operating steam engine of that class of 50 engines. In May 1963, the 7470 was sold to the Ontario Science Centre project after the sugar refinery was shut down. Tracing the lineage of this engine to the science center, we learned that they actually have no official record of the engine being with them— 1921 - The CSRR 7470 steam engine is built in Montreal, Quebec, originally designated as GT 1795 (Grand Trunk 1795)

1923 - The GT 1795 is re-designated as CNR 7470

(603) 356-0039 · 2101 Wht Mtn Hwy, North Conway, NH Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9AM - 5PM Saturday 9AM - 4PM, Sunday 12PM - 4PM Closed on Mondays 69

Phil Franklin photo

Photo courtesy of Conway Scenic Railroad

Phil Franklin photo

LEFT: David Swirk, owner of the Conway Scenic Railroad, stands with Dwight Smith, the visionary founder of the Conway Scenic, August 4, 2019. CENTER: Conway Scenic workers apply uniform heat to a piece of the CSRR 7470 fire box to refit it on the engine as a part of the renovation process for the engine. RIGHT: A view across the gauges, controls, and levers in the cab of the CSRR 7470 with Conway Scenic Railroad owner, David Swirk, at the controls.

but there’s a good explanation for this. At the time of the sale, the science center was just being formed, so the word “project” looms large in this part of the 7470’s life. Our contact at the science center told us that in 1963, artifacts and exhibits for the center were being considered for the museum’s collection, hence, the project of starting a museum. Apparently, a decision was made to exclude the 7470 from the museum’s collection, so it never made it to the official collection list for the museum. In 1965, the 7470 was sold to a man named Charles Weber. The engine remained unprotected at the Wallaceburg location for a number of years while it was owned by the science center project and Weber. Its headlight and bell were removed and presumably stored in the cab for safe keeping, according to Don McQueen of the CNRRHA. McQueen also said that local folklore has it that “ivory hunters” stole the headlight and bell, but this has never been substantiated. At an unknown date, the 7470 was sold to a rail car collector named Fred Stock of Reese, MI. By this point, the engine was moved to the CNR railyard in Sarnia, Ontario for storage. The engine was now about to undergo another change in ownership that would bring new life back to this engine. Dwight Smith, the 7470 and the Conway Scenic Railroad With the 7470 now in his ownership, Fred Stock may have considered moving the 7470 to his railyard in Reese, MI, according to Smith in his March 2007 article in Railroad Model Craftsman magazine. Thinking better of this, Stock placed a simple advertisement in Trains magazine: “0-6-0 Steam Locomotive for sale” (0-6-0 refers to the wheel configuration of the engine). That advertisement caught Smith’s eye at his home in Portland, ME. After some fast negotiation, in April 1968, Stock sold the CNR 7470 to Smith. The story of the history of the 7470 now turns to Smith and his vision to open a tourist excursion railroad in North Conway, NH. Today, we know that railroad as the Conway Scenic Railroad. And, forever, the 7470 and CSRR will be linked.

1955 - The CNR 7470 receives its last major overhaul while working for the Canadian National

1921 to 1944 - Specific location of CNR 7470 operation is unclear.

Before Smith was purchasing the 7470, he was working with two new business partners, Bill Levy and Carroll Reed, both North Conway business owners, to open the Conway Scenic Railroad. In a March 2019 interview with Smith, he told the story of how the Conway Scenic came to be. The partnership of Levy, Reed, and Smith started in February 1968 when Smith arrived for a day on a Boston & Maine (B&M) Snow Train excursion to North Conway. This was one of the last “Snow Trains” to run on the B&M tracks through North Conway. A 1988 Conway Scenic Railroad booklet written by D. W. Swift, states that this train was chartered by the Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc., a Boston-based rail fan club. Smith, a long-time railroad enthusiast and employee of the B&M Railroad, upon arrival at the rundown North Conway station, saw this location as the perfect spot for a tourist railroad. He spent the day talking with local shop owners and eventually made the connection with Levy and Reed. They owned the station and associated railroad builds, but didn’t own the track. In a subsequent 30-minute telephone call from his home in Portland, Smith “sold” Reed and Levy on the idea of opening a tourist railroad— and so, the Conway Scenic Railroad was born. Of course, a railroad needs locomotives, train cars, and track; they had none of them. The legal battle to get the track rights from the B&M Railroad took six years. The purchase of the first CSRR engine took place rather quickly, as the 7470 was bought shortly after the idea for the railroad was struck. But the 7470 was just a non-working, rusted engine sitting in Sarnia, Ontario. Passenger railcars needed to be purchased, renovated, and readied for excursions. Smith said there were many doubters, including his wife, for a while. What the Conway Scenic had going for it, though, was the vision and tenaciousness of Dwight Smith. And so, we get back to the purchase of the 7470. Knowing he needed a locomotive for his railroad and believing that a steam engine would be best, Smith purchased the rusted 7470 1959 - The CNR 7470 is sold to the Canada and Dominion Sugar Company

1945 to 1959 - The CNR is assigned to numerous railyards, from Toronto and Windsor to Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.

The 7470 is a Class O-18-a, 0-6-0 engine. In layman’s terms, the class of the engine, O-18-a, designates it as a switcher engine that can haul heavier loads as compared to other switchers. The 0-6-0 refers to the wheel assemblies for the engine. This type of nomenclature is used for all locomotives. Breaking the 0-6-0 (zero-six-zero) down The first “0” refers to the most forward set of wheels or “truck” on the train engine. Larger locomotives with twowheel trucks have a “2” as their first designation number, some have four forward wheels, hence a “4” in the first number. These wheels help larger engines navigate the curves on the rails. The second number, “6,” represents the number of large drive wheels. The 7470 has six drive wheels. Larger engines can have eight drive wheels, for example, so their second number would be an “8.” The last “0” is the number of wheels in the rear truck supporting the fire box. In the 7470, there are no wheels beneath the firebox. In larger engines that have two or four rear truck wheels, this number would be a “2” or “4.” The other steam engine in the Conway Scenic Railroad railyard is the (currently inoperable) 501. This is referred to as a “2-8-0” because it has two front truck steering wheels, eight drive wheels, and no wheels under the firebox.

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Facts and figures about the CSRR 7470 • 62’ 8” long (with its tender) • Weighs 304,000 pounds (with its tender) • Carries 5,500 gallons of water in its boiler • Has four 22” x 26” cylinders that provide the power to drive the train, and the engine rides on 51” drive wheels • Maximum speed is 20 mph Its original “tractive effort” (weight it could pull or push) was 36,703 pounds, giving it a “haulage rating” of 37%. Today, that rating is down to 33% because of the age of the engine. While still a formidable engine, it is no match for the much larger engines that pulled the long trains between destinations. But then, it was never designed for the long-haul duty. As a switcher, it could hold its own, handling as many as 10 or 11 cars at a time.

1965 - The 7470 is sold to a man named Charles Weber, then later resold to rail car collector, Fred Stock of Reese, MI 1963 - The 7470 is sold to the Ontario Science Centre as a museum “project”

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OPERATING A STEAM ENGINE & THE ENVIRONMENT

The typical mental image conjured up when a person hears of a steam engine is a black-smoke-belching metal giant with steam rushing out of its relief valves. That is a fair image. But what of the environmental concerns with running a steam engine? People can say that these engines contribute to air pollution and the release of greenhouse gasses because of their source of energy: coal (or, in rare cases today, wood or oil). They can also say that these engines use precious water in the process of powering the engine. To address this concern, we first found publication EPA-420-R-98-101, Appendix L from the United State Environmental Protection Agency. This states, “Locomotives originally manufactured prior to 1973 are excluded from regulations … . ” Steam locomotives used in excursion railroads are in limited use, therefore, their carbon footprint is relatively low. The EPA document concludes with the following statement, “Since the benefits from emission control could be low, expressed as an annual mass of emissions, and the cost of controls high, exclusion of these locomotives from regulation appears appropriate.” The concern over the water is summed up by saying that the water expelled from the engine in the form of steam condenses into clean water vapor, which is then absorbed into the standard cycle of water evaporation. Next we discussed this topic with Swirk, owner of the Conway Scenic Railroad (CSRR). He said that the railroad is very concerned about the environment. He agrees with the EPA assessment that the CSRR 7470 is used infrequently, and therefore, is not a major polluter in the Valley. To add to this, he said that at the Conway Scenic Railroad, they blend a mix of 50% anthracite coal and 50% bituminous coal. The bituminous coal makes the thick clouds of smoke coming from a steam engine. While the CSRR 7470 is designed to run on bituminous coal, they prefer to run with this blend to reduce coal emissions. When you see the CSRR 7470, notice that the column of smoke coming from its stack is far less than one would expect. Yes, you still can experience the coal cinders coming from the stack, but CSRR is making a concerted conscious effort to reduce pollutants coming from its steam engine and preserve our mountain environment. in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada for $7,000. He quipped that he didn’t even tell his wife about the purchase until after it was completed. When he told her, she first thought he bought another small HO engine for his personal model railroad display, not a towering, non-working, rusted hulk. Smith informed her that this one weighs 150 tons! She eventually started speaking to him again. Moving the 7470 to North Conway was a feat in itself. The locomotive was pulled over the rails by another engine. The cost of moving the engine needed to be managed. Freight costs from Canada to the United States were much higher than freight costs of moving within the United States. So, the first move of the 7470 was simply from Sarnia across the St. Clair River to Port Huron, MI. Now within the United States, the second step was to have the engine “rebilled” to Portland, ME at a cheaper shipping rate. The trip to Maine would, ironically, go back through Sarnia and travel through Canada where it would eventually cross back into the United States and arrive in Portland, ME. Because the 7470 was inoperable, the towing operation could only go at a top speed of 15 miles per hour. Bearings on the engine needed to be greased with each overnight stop as the automatic lubrication process was not working on the 7470. Smith had different crews available to service the engine as it was being towed, and he joined in that journey. He said that people would come to see the engine as it passed by and stopped for overnights in train stations. One group of Canadian children came to see the engine, left for home, and then returned to provide Smith with lunch. The 10-day trip ended on Columbus Day weekend 1968 at the Rigby Yard of the Portland Terminal Company on a section of track rented by Smith. When the engine reached Portland, his wife saw it for the first time. She christened it by breaking a bottle of Champagne on the front coupler. The 7470 stayed in Portland until 1971, when it was moved to North Conway. It was here that Smith found some experienced boiler workers, mostly school teachers on summer vacation, who could do a professional job getting the engine

1968 - The CNR 7470 is sold to Dwight Smith and moved through Canada and into the United States, arriving in Portland, ME 1971 - The CNR 7470 travels to its new home in North Conway, NH

back on the tracks in operable condition. Smith’s words best describe the rebirth of the, now, CSRR 7470 in his March 2007 article in Railroad Model Craftsman magazine. He wrote:

The first steam up took place on August 3, 1974, and we ran our first revenue train on August 4, 1974. From then until the year 2002 the 7470 faithfully carried trainloads of tourists on an eleven-mile, round-trip excursion. In 2002, the 7470 was shut down for several years while it underwent restoration to comply with new FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) standards. In August 2006, the 7470 returned to regular service, to the delight of passengers, crew, and visiting railfans.

In a brief conversation with Gordon Lang of Jackson, NH on August 4, 2019, he proudly said that he was the man who first fired up the locomotive engine on August 3, 1974. He remarked that they needed a fireman for the engine. He was friends with the engineer and was a Jackson, NH fireman, so he “knew how to put out fires; the engineer taught him how to start a fire.” He said that he was replaced by a “real” locomotive fireman on the August 4th excursion. When the CSRR 7470 first came into service with the Conway Scenic Railroad, it carried the number “47.” Mr. Smith confessed that he changed the number because it was shorter to write than “7470.” However, he said that many people wanted it changed, so in 1989 he restored its Canadian National number, “7470.” To this day, however, some people still remember the engine as #47. The engine also made a brief film appearance in the 1972 film, A Separate Peace. In that film, it was lettered as “Boston and Maine 47.” Another Restoration and Rebirth On January 3, 2015, the CSRR 7470 made its last run for a long while, closing its 2014 season with the special “Steam in the Snow” train. It was on that date when the engine was again put 1974 - Smith opens the Conway Scenic Railroad

2006 - After a 4-year FDA restoration, the CSRR 7470 returns to regular service

1974 to 2002 - The CSRR 7470 faithfully carries North Conway tourists on 11-mile, round-trip excursions

in the North Conway station roundhouse shop for restoration, as required by the Federal Railroad Administration. The engine would again need to be recertified by the FRA before it could be operated again. For the next four years, something was missing in the summers and falls in the Mt. Washington Valley. The sound of the steam train was temporarily silenced. In an interview with the new owner of the Conway Scenic Railroad, David Swirk, he said that from 2015 to October 2018, little work was done on the CSRR 7470. In October 2018, however, he led the effort to get this engine recertified for limited use and back on the rails for everyone to enjoy. According to Swirk, this effort required “many” hours of effort by skilled professionals and was “not cheap.” The primary contractor for the overhaul of the engine was Brian Fanslau of Maine Locomotive & Machine Works of Alna, Maine. The restoration process required that every part on the CSRR 7470 needed to be inspected. This meant disassembling the entire engine so all that was left was the frame and wheels. Proper corrective, cleaning, or replacement actions were taken for each part of the engine and tender. This involved all of the engine pumps, compressions, the entire boiler, fire box, and any other working parts. If new parts were needed, they were either made at the North Conway shop or forged in a local foundry. There are no off-theshelf parts for this engine because of its one-of-a kind status. During the restoration, the boiler required the most attention. Swirk commented that all of the small tubes were removed from the boiler. A special process known as “needle scaling” was done to get the boiler metal cleaned of rust. This took many hours of difficult work by a specialized boilermaker. Aside from the boiler, all of the lubrication systems in the engine need to be inspected and rebuilt. All gauges needed to be recalibrated and valves checked for proper operation. After the engine was reassembled, an extensive testing process was undertaken to ensure that everything was operating correctly with all of the parts in the engine working in unison. Safety is paramount for this engine to be allowed on the tracks. The testing process for the engine began long before the engine left the shop, with the major test being a “hydro test.”

In this test, the boiler is filled with water and placed under pressure to identify any leaks in the engine. Track testing of the engine was done to ensure that everything was operating as expected. A major focus of this test is on the lubrication systems of the engine. There are five different lubrication systems in the engine, and all are critical to its smooth operation. One of the biggest issues with any moving parts is the wear caused by the rubbing of metal on metal. If any one of these lubrication systems fails, it could mean the seizing of that part of the engine. The track testing of the engine took about one month, with many repeated track runs. Once all the tests were completed and the engine was recertified for limited use over the next 15 years, she had another “maiden voyage” on June 29, 2019.

A Reflection on a Long Life Swirk has pledged that the Conway Scenic Railroad will preserve the CSRR 7470 as a piece of history for future generations. He added that while it is expensive to keep the CSRR 7470 alive and running, he sees it as a price to pay for the preservation of history in the Mt. Washington Valley. And with that philosophy, the CSRR 7470 is in a good home with an ever-watchful caretaker. Mindful of the engine’s past, on August 4, 2019, the 45th anniversary of its first excursion run with the Conway Scenic Railroad, a dedication ceremony was held. With Swirk at the microphone, the announcement was made that the CSRR 7470 is now officially dedicated to Dwight Smith. Smith’s name is permanently placed on the cab below the engine’s number. Swirk referred to Smith as the “Walt Disney of the Conway Scenic Railroad.” At the dedication ceremony, Smith remarked, “The engine was built in 1921 and I was born in 1925—and we’re both still running!” At 98 years old, this steam engine, like the other remaining operational steamers, stirs a nostalgic emotion in many people and a sense of wonderment in others. It relives memories and builds new ones. It escaped the trip to the scrap yard and became the centerpiece of the Conway Scenic Railroad. Just like The Little Engine That Could, the CSRR 7470 remains vigilant in its mission to the delight of the young and young at heart.

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2015 - After a special “Steam in the Snow” January appearance, the 7470 is again shut down for restoration June 29, 2019 - The CSRR 7470 takes its “maiden” voyage to the delight of hundreds of railfans

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Mt Washington Valley Vibe - Fall 2019

Articles inside

The 7470 Returns to the Valley