He(Art) Hike Celebrates Love for Conserved Land

When I read on social media that the Monadnock Conservancy would be bringing back its He(Art) Hike this February, I knew that I had to head to Jaffrey's Mountain Brook Reservoir to go on my own heart adventure. I was disappointed to miss out on the hike last season and wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. The He(Art) Hike runs through the month of February and reflects the traditional celebration of love on Valentine's Day. This conservancy project is completed in collaboration with local artists and places painted wooden hearts in trees along Mountain Brook Reservoir's Gramwick Tail to delight hikers, akin to a visual scavenger hunt. This year's hike features 29 dangling commissioned hearts by local artists Jeanne Thieme, Debra Stevens, Alicia K. Drakiotes, Mary Iselin, Julie Waltrip and Ben Cosgrove. Gramwick Trail traverses about one mile along the shore of the 77-acre conservation property of Mountain Brook Reservoir. Herb and Colette Gramm gifted this land to the Monadnock Conservancy in 2016, and the trail is named for the Gramms, as well as for their friend Tom Sedgwick who helped to build it. Although the conservancy's social media suggested snowshoes or cleats following the recent snowfall, we arrived several days after the He(Art) Hike began and the trail appeared packed down enough to not need them, so I opted to leave mine in the car. Leashed dogs are welcome on this trail, though, so I did bring along my eager four-legged hiking companion who was thrilled to sniff his way through the snowy forest. The trail is fairly level without much change in elevation, although hiking a mile on an uneven snow-packed surface feels much farther than a mile on pavement. Also, keep in mind that the trail is not a loop, so be prepared to hike back the same distance. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the end of the trail as I stopped to admire each heart and take photographs for this story. It was deserted the entire weekday afternoon that we were there, which made for a peaceful and much-needed nature reset. We got back in less time, taking about 30 minutes to return. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I only successfully located about 20ish of the hearts, but I was pleasantly surprised to see several on the way back that I had initially missed. I'm not sure if my tired eyes simply missed the rest, but hopefully that was the case and they haven't totally disappeared. The painted animals and landscapes by the visual artists spun and twisted joyfully in the afternoon breeze. The heart by traveling composer, pianist and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cosgrove featured a QR code for listening to his beautiful music. Although I was perfectly content to hike solo on that day with my pup, this would be a romantic way to celebrate love with your partner. It's also a wonderful idea for families seeking a special outdoor activity to celebrate Valentine's Day together or to enjoy over February school vacation at the end of the month. This hike is perfect for curious little eyes that will be excited to discover each and every unique heart. The He(Art) Hike is proof that art plus conserved land does indeed make for a beautiful love story. Learn more about the He(Art) Hike and participating artists online at monadnockconservancy.org/news/post/meet-the-heart-hike-artists. Find updates on social media @MonadnockConservancy. Directions to the parking area for Gramwick Trail at Mountain Brook Reservoir and a trail map can be found and downloaded online at monadnockconservancy.org/explore/hiking.