Cross-Country Skiing In and Beyond the Monadnock Region

Snow in December! And then of course, a lot of it was washed away by rain. But many cross-country ski areas had a lot of snow before the rain and still have snow after the rain and grooming can do wonders. We skied half a dozen times in the mini-winter before the deluge and it was really good. And will be good again. But your mantra should be Carpe Skium — go skiing when the snow is good because it may not last. One of those places that should be on your Carpe Skium radar is Green Woodlands. I'd heard about it for more than a decade through the grapevine. East of Hanover, west of Plymouth and mostly in Dorcester. Where is Dorcester anyways? We finally got to ski there last February. What a treat. Worth finding your way to one of the parking access points, two in Dorcester on the east and another in Lyme on the west. Green Woodlands Foundation is a private, family-operated expanse of 23,000 acres of conserved land. Pisgah State Park, the largest state park in New Hampshire is only 13,000 acres. Green Woodlands is vast, and they maintain 50 miles of cross-country trails with a veritable fleet of grooming machines. The foundation focuses on wildlife management, supporting environmental research and education, historical conservation and outdoor activities. In addition to Nordic skiing, they maintain trails for hiking and mountain biking, and they allow access to some trails for horseback-riding, snowmobiling and ethical hunting. Surprisingly, they even allow well-behaved dogs to accompany skiers. I appreciate the foundation's commitment to providing access to a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts. The kicker is the admission fee — a smile! No charge for skiing or mountain biking at Green Woodlands. Hard to beat. They usually groom prior to weekends, and during the week if there's been a solid snowfall. And the excellent maps at almost every trail junction make it easy to navigate. Here's one possible outing. Not easy, but not too hard, that will give you a taste of the Nordic options. It's about 5.2 miles with a total elevation gain of 450 feet. We parked at 36 Clough Rd. in Dorcester, just off the North Dorcester Rd., heading south from Wentworth — ample parking lot here with good signage. Then head up the Ten Mile Rd. trail — a wide forest road with lots of room to maneuver — a long climb for about 1.5 miles. Near the outlet of beautiful, wildernessy Trout Pond, bear left onto the Trout Pond loop. It's another mile, flat and a bit rolly, to the warming hut at the junction with the Spur Trail. There's nothing so convivial as a cozy, wood-heated cabin in the woods with skis lined up outside and hot chocolate inside. There's a pleasant European ambiance in the air. From here you take a right and head downhill on the Spur Trail/Trout Pond Loop. This is one of two short, steep sections on this loop, so you'll need to use your snowplow stance here. Take a right at the bottom of the hill onto the trail on the back side of Trout Pond. It's narrower and more twisty but pleasantly skiable with one more steep section when you come close to the shore of the pond. It feels like you are miles and miles away from it all, in a good way. Back near the pond outlet, you'll turn left and start back down Ten Mile Rd., the way you climbed up. Now you can take advantage of all that elevation that you slogged up. It's fun to swoop down that last mile knowing that all the climbing is over. The Green Woodlands Foundation trails are a gift to the cross-country skiing community in New Hampshire. The trails are extensive and well-groomed, the warming huts are cozy and provide opportunities for socialization, and this expanse of preserved land provides clean air and water for all of us. Please respect all their guidelines and rules in return for the wonderful privilege of using their trails. Learn more about Green Woodlands Foundation at www.greenwoodlandsfoundation.org. Après Nordic Dorcester is back of beyond, so the après Nordic options are few. If you're heading south back towards Hanover, the Etna Country Store in Etna is a good bet. But it's only open during the week and not weekends. If you're heading back through Plymouth, then the destination of choice is Sole Track Brewing in Rumney — another true find. It's as similarly off the beaten track as Green Woodlands. It has a small and sunny bar room; the beer is fresh and the food intriguing. You can't go wrong with their Lil Miss Sunshine, their first beer, a fruity and hoppy IPA, or try their Cosmic Pineapple, a pale ale with a hint of pineapple. This last ale would go well with their food offerings which tilt Mexican and Caribbean with Arroz Congri y Ropa Vieja and some interesting vegetarian and gluten free options like a Mofongo Burger. I'll leave it up to you to figure out what those are. And, if you get a chance, check out the jewel box town library just down the road in Rumney village. These little town libraries are often architectural treasures. Recommended Photos: All photos by David Sobel except where noted Green Woodlands sign. (courtesy Green Woodlands website) caption: Excellent signage abounds throughout Green Woodlands 2. Green Woodlands, three skiers caption: Happy skiers on Ten Mile Rd. trail Green Woodlands, map caption: Trail maps at each junction make navigation easy Green Woodlands, skiers on trail caption: Well behaved dogs are allowed on the ski trails. Green Woodlands, warming hut caption: Warming huts make for convivial skiing. Green Woodlands, Bombardier grooming. (courtesy Green Woodlands website) caption: Green Woodlands provides great grooming on a network of wilderness trails.