December 22, 2019: Mt. Roberts

I’ve hiked this mountain in the Ossipee Range a number of times in several different seasons, but I enjoy it the most in winter (or at least when there’s snow). The hiking trails are accessed via Ossipee Park Road, and the hiker parking lot is just before the gate near the horse stables on the Castle in the Clouds property. It’s about a 5.5-mile hike including the distance from the parking lot to the start of the trail. Maps are available for purchase from Lakes Region Conservation Trust, at the Castle in the Clouds gift shop, and also through several local businesses.

I was the first car in the hiker parking lot just before 8:00 AM, but I wasn’t the first person on the trail. About halfway up, there was a man coming down from the summit with his three dogs (and I think I may have crossed paths with them on a previous hike, since they seemed familiar). When I finally reached the false summit, another hiker caught up with me. I let him go ahead as I took a short break. We were both at the summit briefly, and I started my descent shortly after he left.

There was a bit more traffic on the way down. I encountered another man on his way up shortly after I left the summit (and he seemed familiar too – I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him on this trail before). Then just below the viewpoint there were two more groups of three people each. Upon reaching the upper edge of the horse field, there were three more people who appeared to be a family, most likely tourists out for a walk since I didn’t notice any backpacks or other hiking equipment.

December 21, 2019: A Walk through Bond Beach Park

Sometimes I can’t get out for a hike up a mountain. Fortunately, there are some nice places to walk right here in Laconia. One of them is Bond Beach Park, which serves as the town beach for residents of the Lakeport section of town. Besides the beach, there are about 1 to 2 miles of trails meandering through the woods along the access road, and one of the trails pops out right behind the elementary school.

I started off with a walk down to Paugus Bay, which is on the eastern side of Lakeport, before heading over to Bond Beach. There’s a thin layer of ice stretching over Paugus Bay as far as I could see.

Looking northward over Paugus Bay toward the Sandwich Range: Mt. Whiteface and Mt. Passaconaway.

Looking toward the southeastern shore of Paugus Bay, toward Barton’s Motel.

(click on the photos to see them larger and read captions)

After checking out Paugus Bay, I headed over to the elementary school to take the shortcut into Bond Beach Park. The long driveway leading to the parking lot at the beach is gated and closed in the winter. Fun fact: I have never been to Bond Beach in the summer to go swimming. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been in the park at all in June, July, or August – only during the off-season after Labor Day and before Memorial Day.