What We Did for Winter Vacation

Forest Society staff members love the outdoors!

Anna Berry | March 11, 2022
Gabe Roxby and his three daughters and wife sit outside around a fire while boiling sap.

Field Forester Gabe Roxby and his family love making maple syrup.

It may come as no surprise that Forest Society employees love the outdoors ⁠— even, and sometimes especially, the winter. While we don't get a winter February vacation like school kids anymore, we did manage to get outside and enjoy all that New Hampshire has to offer in the colder months. A few lucky folks even got to travel beyond the Granite State!

Here's what we've been up to:

Sarah Kern and her family pose for a photo on the ski hill.

Sarah Kern, Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator

Sarah went skiing with her family.

 

Frank Allen and members of his church.

Frank Allen, Building and Grounds Assistant

About once a month or so my church, The Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia, in partnership with the Laconia Lions Club, holds a collection drive for soft plastics, bags, wrappers and the like. I spent about an hour helping bag the plastic before going to Gilmanton to join the Gilmanton Conservation Commission in exploring the Cogswell Mt Trail.

 

Gabe Roxby and his three daughters and wife sit outside around a fire while boiling sap.

Gabe Roxby, Field Forester

We tap a couple trees in our backyard every year.  It’s a good excuse for everyone to spend some time outside around a fire, and the result is some delicious syrup for our family to put on our pancakes and waffles, which our family eats a lot of these days.  This year we tapped 7 trees, and have so far made about gallon of syrup.  A big year for us!

Many people dressed up like bunny rabbits are all skiing on one nordic ski through downtown.

Connie Colton, Land Protection & Stewardship Coordinator

I spent several days in February in the North Woods of Wisconsin, where they hold the largest cross country ski race in the U.S.: the American Birkebeiner. Thousands of skiers from around the country and the world participate in various events, culminating in a 50 km race through the woods to finish in downtown Hayward, WI (population: 2130). Northern Wisconsin was very cold and snowy and I went cross country skiing, rang the cowbell at many events, and witnessed my first giant ski race (6 people, 2 skis, lots of laughs).

 

A hand holds maple taffy wound on a popsicle stick.

Anna Berry, Digital Outreach Manager

I made maple taffy with my kids and we visited a family friend's sugarhouse. You can read all about it in my Forest Journal column.

 

A selfie of Carrie Deegan while skiing.

Carrie Deegan, Reservation Stewardship & Engagement Director

I went cross-country skiing with my kids on the Kearsarge Nordic Team.  

 

Maria Finnegan and her family pose in front of the blue ice of the Ice Castles.

Maria Finnegan, Manager of Individual Giving

My mom was in town so we all went up to Woodstock for a family trip to the Ice Castles. It was my son's first visit and he had a blast! 

 

Chickens scatter on the snow.

Leah Hart, Land Protection Specialist

“On my winter vacation, hunted down compost scraps and searched for sunny spots to roost.” — Leah’s chicken.

While the chickens were holding down the fort, we were able to get away for some skiing and late-day sunshine in the farm fields and woodlands of Lancaster, NH.

Leah Hart pauses to look at the mountain views on her skiis.

 

Dave Anderson takes a selfie with his son in the sugarhouse at his farm.

Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education

Come spring, you can find Dave in the sugarhouse with his family at Meetinghouse Hill Tree Farm!