The days are longer, the temperatures are rising, and the sun is warmer…winter’s grasp is lessening, and we welcome the first hints of spring. It has been a great snowshoeing season, despite much less snowfall than last winter.  To date, I have been out 85 days, about 12 days less than last year on this date.  But no complaints, since the conditions have been usually quite fine, Gryphon’s knee has recovered amazingly well, and my husband’s new knee has allowed him to get back out on his Tubbs! We’ve even had a few days of skijoring and kick-sledding ( Edgar only, of course), to break up our routine of daily snowshoe outings. Here’s a look at our snowshoe treks so far!

Each March, during Town Meeting week, we take a few days to head off to a different location for a few days of snowshoeing and skijoring. In past years, we have loved trips to Rangeley, Maine and the Adirondacks. This year,with knee rehabs still ongoing, we decided to return to a favorite hide-a-way in our Northeast Kingdom…the Nulhegan Confluence Hut. This lovely remote, off the grid cabin has served us previously as a base for snowshoeing and paddling. We knew that the access hike in is only about 300 yards, and there are a multitude of easy snowshoeing options nearby, so it seemed an appropriate place to go this year. The dogs’ Aunt Jackie has enviously heard our trip reports from the hut, so it was great that she was able to join us. We are ever thankful to the Vermont River Conservancy for building this hut, and for allowing outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy its charm.

We stopped off on the way to enjoy a Winter Wonderland snowshoe outing at the Northwoods Stewardship Center…what a delightful network of trails. Those Northwoods folks do so much great work developing outdoor recreation activities in the Northeast Kingdom. From the hut, our days were filled with conversation sitting by the fire, enjoying the hut’s trails full of wildlife tracks, and exploring nearby trails. A perfectly satisfactory vacation!

                    A beautiful hut, in a beautiful remote spot, with beautiful conditions!

Spring Fever…it’s what we , as paddlers, get when we start to see a bit of open water on our lakes and rivers. I think ice-out will be early this year, and have targeted April 15th (not a taxing activity at all) , to get out on the water. My canoe is having a few modifications to provide Griff’s repaired knee with a bit more room, Griff’s Ruffwear life jacket is being replaced ( with a new one…the current one is just a bit too groady and dirty after over 500 days of use), our local canoe camping reservations have been made, out trip planning for Algonquin Provincial Park is ongoing…yes, we are getting a bit anxious for paddling season!

Lots more snowshoeing ahead, and then we hope for a smooth transition into paddling season…Happy Spring!