Monadnock from Route 124

Last Saturday I had some friends visiting from out of town, and we decided enjoy the gorgeous summer weather and climb Mount Monadnock. Mount Monadnock is located in Jaffrey, and is about a 40 minute drive from the Chesterfield Inn. We had breakfast at the inn, got our water bottles, bug spray, and hiking boots, and headed to Keene to pick up lunch to eat at the top of the mountain. From Keene, we followed Route 101 East to Marlborough and turned onto Route 124 towards Jaffrey.

Mount Monadnock is one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the world. Its name comes from the Abenaki word meaning mountain that stands alone, and has come to mean in geological terms any isolated mountain that rises above the surrounding plain. The mountain is 3165 feet in elevation and the top has a rocky crown that offers 100 mile views of of all six New England states on a clear day. The mountain can be climbed with starting points on all sides, and has about 40 miles of trails on its slopes.  Click here for an overview of the hiking trails and more information on the mountain and state park.

View From Marlborough Trail

Phil and I  discovered the Marlborough Trail years ago and we find it to be the fastest way to the top with the shortest drive for us. The trail head is on South Shaker Farm Road, which is a left turn off of Route 124 on the Marlborough/Jaffrey  border. The dirt road is a bit rough but is fine for cars without 4 wheel drive as long as you drive slowly. There is a small parking lot and map at the trail head. The trail starts out on level ground but quickly turns up hill and soon you are climbing rock faces on the wooded trail. The trail is clearly marked with white dots, dotted lines, and M’s painted on the rocky surface. At some points the trails is marked by cairns , which are man made piles of rocks in a cone shape, strategically placed at trail turns and junctions.  There were several points where we could stop and enjoy the expansive view of the valley below. We made it to the top in about 2 hours, moving at a steady but not too fast  pace (not bad for 2 50 year-olds and 2 teenagers).

The top of the mountain has no trees, but is rocky and craggy, with great views, and many nooks and crannies to explore. There were plenty of people up there when we arrived, which was surprising, because we had seen only about 15 people on the hike up. The Marlborough Trail is not the most popular and there are many other routes for people to climb. We sat on the rocks and ate our lunch, which was so much more delicious than it would have been if eaten at home! It was sunny and breezy and cool, which was very refreshing after the long climb up.

We then headed down, back the way we came, and arrived at the bottom about an hour and a half later, with tired legs, but a great sense of accomplishment!

Chesterfield Gorge

There’s a picture on our web site that several guests have asked about and said ” I want to go  there!” There is a waterfall  in Chesterfield Gorge, a small  13 acre New Hampshire State Park, located right in Chesterfield. Chesterfield Gorge is seven miles from the Chesterfield Inn, on Route 9 East. Dogs are welcome there, but you can’t take bikes or ATV’s on the trails.

The gorge is a terrific place for a short walk in the woods with a big pay off. You can park in the parking lot right on Route 9, and in 5 minutes, you are standing on the side of the gorge, staring at the rushing water far below.  By definition, a gorge is a deep ravine carved from the landscape by flowing water. The gorge trail is very well marked, with red blazes (red wooden trail markers nailed to tree trunks every so often) as well as directional arrows. Footing is generally good  and hiking boots are not necessary, although I wouldn’t recommend wearing flip flops. The trees are close to the trail, and it is shady and mossy. In the spring and summer when it’s green and lush, the  forest reminds me of scene  in Star Wars when  the Ewoks and Stormtroopers are riding  around on those flying motorcycles.

One of the Gorge Waterfalls

The trail winds down one side of the gorge, with several places where you can stop and enjoy the woodsy views of the cliffs and the Wilder Brook below. The park service has even placed metal fencing at the most precarious points so that you can look without worrying about falling.  The trail slopes gradually downward to a flat area where there is a wooden bridge that crosses the brook , allowing hikers to continue on the other side of the gorge.

On the far side of the bridge, if you head up hill a few steps, and over to the edge of the water, there is a calm spot with a sandy area, where kids (of all ages) can actually play in the water. Once you’re finished dipping your feet in the water, and splashing around, you can get back on the trail and head down the far bank of the brook to the second bridge, cross back to the other side and wind your way back up the gorge. There are some very nice views of the waterfalls on this section of the trail, looking up from the lowest part of the falls and up through the cliff and woods. The gorge is a  quiet place to walk and enjoy the woods and gorgeous scenery. There are no crowds there, and all you can hear is the wind and the birds singing. It’s a great place to “walk off” breakfast or for a quick walk before you head home.

We now have Walpole Creamery ice cream on our dessert menu at the Chesterfield Inn! The Walpole Creamery is located right on Route 12 in Walpole, which is about a 20 minute drive north of the inn. Their ice cream is made entirely from scratch, using all natural ingredients, and hormone free milk from Walpole  farms.  You can visit the Walpole Creamery from noon to 8:00 PM daily and sample any of their delicious flavors.

We serve their Sweet Cream ice cream with all of our desserts as the house “a la mode”. It’s just delicious on the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp! Or, if you like, you can have your Sweet Cream  in a marbled white and dark chocolate cup with chocolate or caramel sauce. We also offer one of the other flavors as a monthly special. This month the special flavor is Chocolate Chocolate Chip.  It’s fabulous!

Spring is definitely here! We know it because anyone who has rhubarb in the garden is picking it, and cooking with it. Rhubarb is the first  plant that  can be harvested in the spring, generally from late April through June. The stalks are the edible part of the plant, while the leaves are toxic to humans and are discarded.  The flesh is red and green and very crisp with a fresh  astringent flavor.

Rhubarb, the First Harbinger of Spring

I made a rhubarb compote on Sunday morning to go with Ruth’s coffee cake (the recipe is included in my blog posting of October 28, 2008) and people were asking for seconds! My favorite way to cook rhubarb is to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. Here is my recipe:

2 pounds rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 pound strawberries, quartered and hulled

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oatmeal

3 Tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to the strawberries, discarding any extra liquid from the rhubarb. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Combine all of the remaining ingredients, and mix with your fingers until large crumbs form. Sprinkle  the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake 30 minutes at 375. Reduce the heat to 325 and bake for 30 more minutes. Let rest 10 to 20 minutes before serving.

Delicious with ice cream, whipped cream or both!

Daffodil

One of my favorite things about Chesterfield is just up Welcome Hill from the Chesterfield Inn. As you come from Brattleboro, Vermont on Route 9, you’ll come to an intersection where,  if you turn right on Cross Road, you’ll end up at the inn. If you turn left onto Welcome Hill Road, you’ll see the old cemetery, the Burying Ground, dating from 1772, with its weather beaten tombstones still standing in the rocky New Hampshire soil.

Follow the road up the steep hill, until it turns to dirt, and you’ll come to what the locals call The Daffodil Garden. It’s on the right side of the road, and on the side of the hill that slopes down to a wooded stream. The garden is part of someone’s yard, but they’ve been generous enough to notice that people come up the hill just to see the garden, so they’ve made the public welcome. There’s a place to pull over and park your car, and two park benches overlooking the garden, so you can sit and enjoy the flowers. The handwritten sign at the top of the path that leads into the garden says: “Please remember: no dogs, no running children, no picking (of course), open from 9 AM to 8PM.” There’s even a bound guest book to record your name and thoughts, protected from the rain by two metal trays and a rock to keep it all from blowing away.

The garden is a riot of spring flowers, in bright colors: yellow forsythia, yellow and white and orange daffodils, yellow narcissus, white dogwood, and pink azaleas, all connected by a meandering path that winds around the clumps of blooms. I like to come up when I have a minute to myself  and just sit in the  dappled light, letting the colors blur a bit as I listen to the birds sing and bask in our long awaited springtime!

Today we are the Brattleboro Blog! The Chesterfield Inn, although located in New Hampshire, is a short 10 minute drive across the Connecticut River to Main Street, Brattleboro.  A Brattleboro vacation can be spent in town or on the river, the mountains, or the rambling trails in the woods. Brattleboro is a very vibrant place, with lots going on and many nooks and crannies to explore.

If you are considering visiting Brattleboro, Vermont, here are ten places to visit while you’re here.

1. Amy’s Bakery: a must for a latte and an almond horn, a baguette or for lunch.

2. Vermont Artisan Designs: chock full of the finest art and objects crafted by Vermont artisans.

3. The Book Cellar: a real independent book store, with great selection and fabulous customer service.

4. Latchis Theater: 4 screens in a a Art Deco building with movies and live shows.

5.Grafton Cheese Company: cheese factory and a shop full of edible delights

6. Brattleboro Food Coop: the place to meet the locals; much more than a grocery store.

7. Farmer’s Market: Saturdays on Route 9 in West Brattleboro in the warm months. Farmers, food and fun!

8. Walker Farm; a heavenly oasis for flowers and plants as well as fresh, organic produce seasonally.

9. Tom and Sally’s Chocolate: on Route 30, for the best chocolate and fancy candies in town.

10. Brattleboro Retreat Trails to the Retreat Tower: a wonderful walk in the woods to the tower that overlooks Brattleboro.

We’d be happy to tailor an itinerary for you to use while you’re here if you give us some idea of your interests. Just speak to anyone at the front desk!

It’s maple sugaring season in New Hampshire, a sure sign that spring is on the way! The weather dictates when sugar season begins, since for the sap to run there must be temperatures above freezing in the daytime and below freezing at night. This New England tradition was begun by the Native Americans, and continues to this day. Sugar houses can be found all over rural New Hampshire, with operations both large and small. New Englanders love their maple syrup, and enjoy it on pancakes, french toast, and ice cream.

When the temperatures are high enough for the frozen sap in the trees to thaw, the sap melts, and pressure builds up in the tree until the sap begins to run. Maple syrup makers tap the trees by drilling holes in them, collect the sap, and boil it down into syrup. Trees are tapped and a bucket set on the trunk of the tree to catch the sap. The farmer then goes from tree to tree in the sugarbush emptying the buckets into a larger bucket to transport back to the sugar house to boil down. (In larger operations, the taps are set up so that the sap runs into tubing that runs between the trees and collects the sap at a central point, saving time and labor).

Once the sap is back transported to the sugar house, it is boiled down over a very hot wood fire, until the water evaporates away and syrup is formed. If you visit a sugar house when they are boiling, when the syrup is finished, they offer around little paper cups of syrup so that you can taste the freshest maple syrup you will ever have. When our children were young, we  visited a sugar house each spring so that they could see the syrup being made and have a taste. Another big treat, called Sugar on Snow,  is to pour the hot maple syrup on packed snow, where it hardens like taffy and you can twirl it up and eat it, followed by a bite of dill pickle to cut the sweetness. Yum! Our local sugarhouses are open and boiling, so come on up and try some!

The maple syrup that we serve at the Inn comes from a local farm in Chesterfield owned by the Mitchell family. Peter Mitchell and his dad make syrup every year, and have it down to a fine science. Bill Mitchell has been making syrup for 70 years, since he was a boy, and it is delicious!

Well, this is when it starts every year. Those of us who choose to live in Northern New England start to go a little crazy in the beginning of March!

By now, we’ve had at least 4 months of cold weather, and at least 3 months of snowy weather. That means we’re accustomed to the cold, and skilled at snow removal from walks, roofs, and driveways. It also means that we think it’s warm if the temperature goes above freezing,  and we throw off our gloves, and drive the car with the sun roof open when it’s 35 degrees out.

This weekend we had our first real taste of spring with temperatures in the 50’s and lots of sunshine. The snow started to melt, and the lawn and gardens started to emerge from their thick blanket of snow. We could hear the birds singing and even sighted a hardy robin in the yard. We rushed outside, to go for walk or to start to  clean up the downed branches from the last snow storm. It was a glorious day!

Then, we woke up to a snow storm on Monday morning which quickly covered the roads,  making everything white again. The roads were slick, and it snowed all day long; we were right back to shoveling. It was depressing, and even the hardiest among us let slip that we were tired of winter. This is just too cruel to bear, a glimmer of hope that spring is near, and then the door slams shut and winter returns.

But, things are looking brighter  today, now that the snow has stopped. The sun is out,  the birds are chirping, and yes, the snow is starting to melt. The trees are still snow covered and sparkling in the sun light, looking magical. So, we lift out heads, take a deep breath, and try to enjoy the last days of winter, ever hopeful for spring to come, ready to have our hopes dashed again before winter is finally over!

As anyone who follows the weather knows, we’ve lots and lots of snow in Southwestern New Hampshire this winter!  We’ve had at least one storm each week since early December, and the storms have all dumped at least 5 inches of the white stuff on us. Up here, we measure snowstorms on whether there’s enough to shovel-3 inches or more- and whether there’s enough to plow-5 inches or more. A blizzard is when we have white out conditions and enough to plow twice-12 inches or more! You get the picture.

Since our winter lasts so long, northerners know that the only way to get through it is to embrace it, to get outside and enjoy it. Yes, it’s cold, but there is a particular beauty to winter that is stunning. The air is bracing, the leafless branches of the trees stand out against the sky, the snow softens the landscape as it defines the soft evergreens in its white backdrop.

One of the best kept secrets of the Monadnock Region is Pisgah Park, right here in Chesterfield. The Park encompasses 13,500 acres, and has two entrances in Chesterfield, at Horseshoe Road and on Route 63 at Kilburn Pond.

Last weekend, my friend Annie and I headed out for a snow shoe in the park. Annie had never gone snow shoeing before but she picked it up right away and off we went. We used ski poles for balance, and moved right along into the woods on the trail. We met two other people the entire time that we were out  and has a lovely snow shoe on the pristine trail along Kilburn Pond. If we’d had more time we could have made the entire loop around the pond, which takes about 3 hours. After 2 hours we were tired, and headed home in the dusky late afternoon, feeling exhilarated by the strenuous exercise, and beauty of the outdoors.

Here they are, the newest members of our family! These adorable kittens are the happy ending of a sad story about our beloved cat, Sage. We adopted Sage from the Humane Society six years ago. She was a gray and black tiger who had been hit by a car and nursed back to health at the Humane Society. We fell in love with her when we saw her, and she was so friendly when we took her out of her cage that we knew she’d be a great pet.

Sage followed Mittie and Ellie, who we had for 18 years, so she was our first new cat in a very long time! (Some of our long time house guests remember Ellie, who sat in her box on the front desk and greeted everyone). Sage settled in and was a wonderful pet, a great hunter and was often at the front desk just like Ellie.

Just before Christmas, Sage died very suddenly and we were all heart broken. So, we started asking around about the possibility of anyone in the area having kittens at this dark and cold time of year. We were in luck: the Tolman’s had 4 kittens who were 8 weeks old and looking for homes. I piled all of the teenage boys who were at my house into the car and off we trekked on the icy back roads of Chesterfield, to the Tolman  farm.

At the farm, we all sat on the floor and played with the black and white kittens and finally chose Sophie Boots and Yoda (named by the boys). I had thought that one kitten would be good but we ended up with two because it was so hard to choose! The kittens have provided much entertainment and laughter since their arrival. They periodically visit the inn, and play in the lobby, captivating everyone who comes in the door. This past weekend we had a group of snow shoers who spent at least an hour each day playing with the kittens. In fact, the photo that you see above was taken by one of them!

So here’s an official welcome to Sophie and Yoda-come see us and meet them before they get too big and turn into cats!