One of the incredible parts of living in New England is you experience all four seasons in their fullest expressions.
Let me be clear, it isn’t all glory, there are times when this is down right miserable. Seriously, don’t try to go rock climbing, heck do anything other then sit in the river on a scorching summer day in Northern New Hampshire. If you brave a visit in June, especially after a rainy May, be prepare to be devoured by black flies. And trust me you have never felt the roar of Old Man Winter until you have ridden the Wildcat Mountain lift when the temps are hovering in the single digits and the wind is howling. The extreme weather in New England can also be a gateway to injury. This magnificent environment takes a body that can perform at its best. Just an achy knee or ankle can stand in the way of reaching the peak of a mountain.
Now that I have fully warned you about the risks and absolved myself of being the scapegoat for seasonal adventures gone wrong…the good stuff.
Every once in a while you find yourself in a magical moment around here. One of those pinch yourself, this is what happens in the movies moments. You reach for your cell phone camera and realize there is no way you capture the beauty of this moment so instead you stand in humble gratitude for the magnificence around you.
This has been the winter of bitter cold, freezing rain and less then ideal winter conditions (bringing all the aches out!) and yet those moments prevail. By just adding a compression wrap to any part of your body that needs a little help, you don’t have to miss out on the magical moments New England offers.
Standing in the fields below Mount Washington (a golf course in the summer), I am alone on acres upon acres of frozen ground. The sun sets to the West, the mountain glows to the North, the summit calm for a moment. The stillness is palpable. I pause and realize that I am the only person witnessing this moment, in this way, then, the wind shifts and the groomed course beckons me to ski on.