Unlike other areas of the country where Spring arrives at a normal time of year, we in Coos County have had to learn patience since we can’t control the weather. Sometimes we would like to reach into the tv and shake the weatherman until his teeth rattle and he tells us what we want to hear, but unfortunately (or fortunately for the weatherman at least) we can’t.
We must take our aggressions out elsewhere. So, to get those endorphins pumping, many of us head for the trail.
Hiking in Coos County, quite simply rocks. (We are in the "Granite State.")
We have the trails that will leave you rubbing your calves for the next few days while you limp into work and we have the kind of trails that even the average couch potato can accomplish.
We take pride in our trails here in Coos County. We are proud of the fact that the Appalachian Mountain Trail runs through our county. Our local Appalachian Mountain Club has even published a new guidebook in honor of the original printing 100 years ago!
We’re proud of the fact that we have three out of ten of the best hiking trails in the state.
We love that when visitors first come here to look at our mountains, they are stunned by their beauty.
Where else can you go to get this perfect combination of clean air, water, wildlife and breathtaking scenery?
Nowhere, just here.
You have to come to Coos County to be able to experience what all of us lucky folks have right at our door steps. We will be glad to share it with you, that’s just the kind of people that we are.
(Disclaimer: I, in no way am claiming that the trails are "mud-free" this time of year - it is what us locals refer to as "mud season"; however, we would love to see any great "MUD" photos you have. Who knows, maybe I can finaggle a prize?! hmmmm....... Only one rule - the photo must have been or must be taken in Coos County, NH.)
CREATING A POINT-TO-POINT HUT SYSTEM
Low-impact recreation is an underutilized concept in Coos County north of the White Mountain National Forest. I think it is time to change that to provide an economic boost to the region now that local agriculuture and many of the heavy industry mills have disappeared from the economic picture.
When we at the Cohos Trail Association founded the Cohos Trail the length of Coos County, it was, in part, to create a minor economic footprint on the county. I think that footprint should be larger and should include recreators such as hikers, leisure walkers, snowshoers, XC skiers, fishermen, rock climbers, ice climbers, kayakers and canoists, trail and petal road bikers, dog sledders, bird watchers, moose fans, and other nonmotorized enthusiasts who take advantage of a hut-to-hut walking system similar to those in Europe and roughly equivalent to what the AMC and the Randolph Mountain Club maintain on the high peaks.
I envision a system of low elevation huts that are accessible to a dozen different recreating groups so that more types of recreators can take advantage of a rustic hut environment some which could even be reached by paddling and bicycling.
I think it would be possible to create a system of huts from Jefferson to Pittsburg with units in such areas as within a mile of the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, at Bell Hill Road in Stark, in the Dixville Notch area, at Stewartstown or Clarksville and at the entrance to the Connecticut Lakes State Forest in Pittsburg. All of it would be connected to the Cohos Trail and perhaps other trails, and most would be near highways or country roads and a few would be located near rivers, such as the Israel and Upper Ammoonoosuc and Clear Stream.
Such a concept would be a big undertaking, requiring several years of study and development, but I believe such a system could attract many recreators to Coos County and make a system viable, in economic terms.
Kim Robert Nilsen
The Cohos Trail Association
603-363-8902
Posted by: Kim R. Nilsen | January 12, 2008 at 05:41 PM