Your Gift Is Waiting

This is a very busy time of year, shopping, cooking, socializing, and weathering a difficult economy. You probably are cutting back on your Christmas spending this year to help make ends meet. If you feel like you are being shorted a little this year under the tree, then you aren't looking under the right tree! Come visit Libby Hill Trails which this year finally came completely protected for the future.

While we still need to pay off our mortgage, your gift of open space awaits. Eight miles of trails, free skiing, and a place to escape the stress of these troubling times. So your gift is out here waiting for you to unwrap it. Maybe like many gifts you get, you at first aren't sure what to do with it. Trust me, if you make an exploratory trip out into the woods with the new snow you'll suddenly feel you got the gift you always wanted!

Tomorrow, Sunday 21st we'll attempt to hold our solstice walk to take a fun winter walk in the woods and share some fun with fellow walkers. Keep an eye on the weather and maybe bring your snowshoes or hiking boots.

Come see what you got for Christmas!

First Snow Comes - by Sharon Caulfield

I can see my breath as I climb the hill. Pockets of ground that were muddy last week are now frozen over, horse tracks memorialized on the trails. At 7:30am, only the chickadees are out and about. Me, the chickadees and the lightly falling snow.

Everything seems quieter than usual this morning. The cars on the turnpike are muted. When I stop to look at the woods, I only hear a light crunching as the flakes fall on my jacket. I raise my face to the sky to taste this first snowfall, and I remember how I felt as a child, playing the in the woods in my backyard. Tasting the snow is kind of a silly tradition, but I can’t help it. There will be time to whine about snow come March. But in December, snow is still a marvel. And so on I hike, in the peacefulness of an early morning, and in celebration of snow.

Sharon is an avid trail user at Libby Hill and blog contributor.

A Sunday on the Trails

Did you know that the Moose Odyssey trail, at 3.1 miles, is the same distance as a 5K?

Yesterday, I ran the BURN OFF THE TURKEY 5K put on by the Gorham Recreation Dept. and since I still had some Thanksgiving indulgences to burn off, I decided to do another 5K today, Libby Hill style, the Moose Odyssey way! There is a certain kind of excitement running with a crowd, of course, but there’s another kind of thrill to be found out in the woods. It makes getting up and out in the cold worthwhile.

At 8am, things were pretty quiet on the trails. A man walking his dog. A woman in the parking lot, waiting for her running partner to show up. A few random birds. And me, crunching across the leaves in the early morning sunshine. After a summer of focusing on running on the roads, I am trying to get myself reacquainted with the trails in time for the first snowfall. I’m in better shape this year and looking forward to the chance to snowshoe more of the trails. And hopefully, Santa (or his elves) will bring me a pair of cross country skis for Christmas and I will get to use those on the trails as well.

When I made it back to the trailhead, a horse and rider were getting ready to head out. I love that we have this resource right here in town, and that it’s offered free, for all of us to use. Come on over and do your own 5K in December. You’ll get that peace and calm that only the woods can bring – and you might just get to enjoy a few more holiday goodies, guilt free!

Happy Hiking!

submitted by Sharon Caulfield - avid trail user