It took a week to comment on our New Year’s weekend trip to Cardigan Lodge in New Hampshire, but it is worth looking back. This was a repeat trip to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s property in Alexandria at the foot of Mt. Cardigan. We first went there three years ago. This time, we were joined by our friends, the Roti Family, for some low-key hiking, snowshoeing, sledding, and hanging out. We cooked some fun meals in the lodge kitchen since offseason at Cardigan is “self-serve.”
In the summers, a Croo man’s the lodge and takes care of the 60 or so guests on a busy weekend. There was a caretaker on site, but we had to look after ourselves. We played games, relaxed, and enjoyed the views. This unseasonably warm New England winter has resulted in very little snow cover. We had an icy couple of inches on the ground, and that was about it.
The guys and girls alternated short hikes up Mt. Cardigan and the Firescrew. It was down right treacherous. It was foggy, damp, and dark. Kahtoola Microspikes were a much better choice if you had them because the ice was insane. I hiked in Yaktrax and I spent a fair amount of time on my rear end. It was ugly. My legs still weren’t working two weeks after the Lookout Mt. 50. This recovery is going to take a while. The hike was three hours of torture, but we got it done.
We enjoyed some less slippery walks on the surrounding nature trails and all of the kids enjoyed the outdoor fun. One highlight on the drive from Connecticut was the moose that we spotted. The big old bull cross the road in front of us and meandered into a field. He was huge. That made the trip!
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