Hanover, NH Adventures

Day one was spent driving up to Hanover. The original plan was that Lou and Ginger would exercise before leaving, but they decided they needed a little more sleep more than a little more exercise. It turned out to be a good thing they left when they did, because a snow storm came through and at one point there were seven accidents within a two-mile stretch on the highway. It took almost twice as long to get to Hanover than usual. When we did arrive, we thanked our lucky stars for getting there without incident then set our minds to getting food from the co-op next door before settling in for the night.

Our first full day was spent going separate directions. Ginger dropped Lou and Jess off at Mount Sunapee for the day and she and the dogs headed for Andrew Brook Trail, which would take them up to Lake Solitude. With Phila having increasing difficulty getting around after the longer hikes, she wanted to start the trip with a relatively easy one. It turns out to be not quite as easy in the snow as it is the rest of the year, especially when the brook doesn’t ice over sufficiently to cross without falling through. The cross-overs were also much more difficult to detect. She thinks at one point she trespassed through someone’s private maple  syrup tubing. When she first saw the lines from the other side of the brook she thought they were search and rescue lines for winter mishaps but a closer glance and the words “food grade tubing” on the larger black one proved her wrong. Bottom line is that she didn’t quite make it up to the lake after determining crossing the brook might mean falling in and an unpleasant walk back down the mountain. After collecting Lou and Jess, who both said they had a great time skiing and snowboarding, we went back to the hotel for a shower before an early dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Jesse’s Restaurant & Tavern. That’s when we learned that the hotel didn’t have any hot water. Fortunately they have a reciprocal agreement with the River Valley Club which is conveniently located right next door, and we were able to have a fabulous dinner in clean skin and dry clothes.

Jess decided to treat herself to a rest (and spa) day on the second day of the trip. Lou and Ginger spent it hiking the Rivendell Trail with the intention of reaching Mount Cube. We barely made it, and to be completely accurate, only one of us did because the other was too scared of slipping and falling on the ice-covered ledges. You can tell by the pics which of us learned how to take a selfie this day. About half way through the hike we knew we were going to be facing increasingly difficult terrain. At one point, Ginger asked to go back but Lou wouldn’t let her give up. In spite of her intense fear of one of them or their dogs sliding off the mountain, no one did. We all made it back to the hotel, where we learned there was STILL no hot water. Since this was a crock pot dinner night and Jess had already taken a shower at the RVC, Lou and Ginger went to bed dirty immediately after dinner.

Our third day was spent much like our first day; Lou and Jess at Mount Sunapee and Ginger hiking with the dogs. This time, they hiked the Newbury Trail to South Peak and made it to within 200′ of their destination before they were stopped by a steep rocky ice climb. It was a beautiful and satisfying hike nonetheless, and the most physically challenging she’s done in some time. By the time she made it back to the car and drove it into town for gas, Lou and Jess were also ready to call it a day. When we got back to the hotel we discovered that they STILL didn’t have hot water AND the housekeepers hadn’t come for a second day in a row. Lou blew a gasket and had words with the manager. We decided that after our RVC shower we’d treat ourselves to another dinner at Jesse’s, where Ginger and Lou splurged on a hamburger AND fries.

On our final day we treated ourselves to a massage at the RVC spa (Jess had hers earlier in the trip). When we got back to our room we half expected that the hotel would comp us SOMETHING for the lack of hot water, but they didn’t. Lou said he has the complaint letter to the company written in his head and will send an email later this week. Meanwhile, he’s looking for a different pet-friendly place for us to stay on our next trip.