February Recap
Though a short month, February was packed with winter exploration and activities. It has been a pleasure to finally experience a real New England winter. Although we didn’t have snow on the ground to ring in 2025, a stable snowpack has been present in most of New Hampshire since early January. For the first time in several years, February actually felt like a true winter month.
After returning from a ski trip to Colorado, I didn’t waste any time. Although I got to hang out with Mojave and tend to various indoor plants, there are still a few bucket list winter activities and spots I've been wanting to explore.
First weekend of February, I went to check out Dublin School’s Nordic Center in Dublin, NH. This private school maintains an extensive network of Nordic trails open to the public, and it was incredibly enjoyable to hang out there on a cold winter day. The trails feature perfect grooming and warming huts along the way!
The following day, after another significant storm, I decided to explore a spot that hasn't been very accessible due to low snowpack in recent years—I finally skinned up Mount Cardigan. Mount Cardigan is maintained by the AMC and is considered one of the classic backcountry tours in the Northeast. Sure enough, the parking lot was quite busy that Sunday, but I still managed to find a spot. I took Duke’s Trail both up and down; two-thirds of the trail weaves through an old-growth hardwood forest, eventually opening up to snowfields and an alpine zone towards the top. It was a blast to be out there—a good workout and a really nice run on varied terrain. I’d love to go back sometime and try the Alexandria Trail, which is the main ski trail leading to the actual summit of Cardigan, though it is a bit steeper than Duke’s.
Later that week, I learned that, yet again, like many things in New England, for the first time in several years, a Nordic center at Great Brook Farm has opened in central Massachusetts. Great Brook Farm is probably the closest Nordic center to Boston, so admittedly, they don’t get a lot of snow. However, when they do, you can enjoy lantern-lit Nordic touring on select evenings during the week. At $20, it’s a bit pricey, but I suppose it’s reasonable for the Boston area.
The snow just kept coming. Storm after storm, and with daytime temperatures never climbing above 15 or 20 degrees, it continued to pile up. I decided to seize the opportunity—I booked a quick weekend getaway to finally ski the Eastern Townships in Quebec and then skin the COG the following day.
I skied Mont Orford, and surprisingly, the snow conditions were mediocre, likely due to traffic and poor early-season snowfall in that area. Nevertheless, I still had fun and visited Spa Nordic Station after my day of skiing. It always feels great to retreat to that magical forest oasis and warm up in the numerous thermal features and saunas.
The following day, I skinned the COG and made it much farther than I did last year. Conditions were excellent, and there was actually a race happening, which provided extra motivation to reach the end. I didn’t summit due to exposed avalanche terrain towards the top, but I got past Jacob’s Ladder and enjoyed some airy alpine views. To cap off the weekend of adventures, I visited Waterville to watch a skijoring competition, which I had never seen live before. It was fantastic to experience it in person.
The month ended with several outings to local trails during the week, including a night at Dublin School (it’s lit!) and some uphill skiing and Nordic activities at Waterville Valley. Although temperatures began to rise in the last week of February, we concluded the month with at least 5-6 inches of snow on the ground in Southern NH. I’m grateful for that!
