By Tamsin Venn

Trails in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont all beckon this time of year.

Many of us kayakers give up ocean in winter but not our desire to wander in the great outdoors, trading paddles for Nordic skis or snowshoes. Instead of crossing a tranquil sea or bouncing waves, we glide through forest, hill, and meadow. Not all who wander are lost, says J. R. R. Tolkien, and here are three favorite places to do that, grateful for public access. 

The Inland Woods + Trails at the Bethel Inn in Maine has 15 miles of XC trails and nine miles of snowshoe/fat bike trails. At the end of last January, we skied crisp, fast trails. Post-rain, groomers had broken the icy crust and left a light, snowy trail, optimal conditions.

Some of the trail network here is newly located in the Chadbourne Forestlands, managed for timber harvesting, multi-use public recreation, and wildlife habitat, in the interest of preserving Western Maine’s timberland. Inland Woods has partnered with the Conservation Fund and the landowner, White Pine Forest LLC to manage the trails for the public and you are asked to respect private property plus timber operations.

Other trail users include moms with kids, speedy XC skaters, and snowshoers. Dogs are allowed on all snowshoe and fat-tire bike trails but only the Dog Days Nordic ski trail. Start at the Nordic center in the back of the Bethel Inn, take Tibbetts Loop and connectors out to the overlook at the upper reaches of Grover’s Grind, with a great view to the north to the back side of Locke Mountain at Sunday River. You can proceed to the end of Grover’s Grind, and then head back. Bonus, the Millbrook Tavern back at the inn has nightly winter specials. Wednesday is $10 burger night plus trivia. The rambling 18^th century Bethel Inn is a short stroll down Main Street to the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum, which has Earth’s largest chunk of Mars in its collection. 

Another favorite wander is Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt. Last Easter we skied up to the Slayton Pasture Cabin, a three-mile steady climb from the Nordic Center. The pasture is named after the farming family that once owned this hill-top acreage, a corner of the 2,600 acres of woods, rolling hills and meadows owned by the Trapp Family Lodge.

Normally, after a rest, hot stew and cocoa at the cabin, you scream back down back to the lodge but in the corn snow, we were on red alert to avoiding a sudden stop and launching like an un-guided missle. That did not happen. Johannes Trapp, with a degree from Yale Forestry School, cut the rolling loops through the woods and fields and created the first commercial Nordic center in the country in 1968.

Since it was Easter, Trapps brought out its lambs to entertain the children. Yes Rosemary Crusted Rack of Lamb was on the lodge menu.

Over in Lincoln, N.H., we enjoy the Lincoln Woods Trail on the Kancamagus Highway, a few miles down the road from Loon Mountain Resort. The dog-friendly trail starts at a large parking area, Lincoln Woods, follows the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River into the woods of the White Mountain National Forest. That leads into one of the largest roadless areas in the eastern US known as the Pemigewasset Wilderness. 

Leaving the parking lot on skis or showshoes, you cross the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River on a 160-foot suspension bridge, then make a sharp right turn. Follow the river and the Lincoln Railroad’s old route, up to the Osseo trail juncture (1.4 miles) or the Black Pond trail juncture (2.8 miles). You can also hike to Franconia Falls, a favorite summer swimming spot.

An alternative is to follow the East Branch Road on the river’s other side, which may be less crowded.  It is basically a flat easy run through the woods, just turn around when you feel like it. As with many wilderness trails, the farther out you go, the better the tracks. You pay a recreational user fee at the parking lot.

By Tamsin Venn,

Photos by Stewart Ting Chong

On a settled winter day, a trip along the east coast of Cape Ann, Mass., putting in at Rockport, will give you a sight of one of the most striking winter sea ducks along the Essex County coast, the Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis).

The ducks (formerly known as Old Squaw) summer and breed in the Arctic tundra in Canada but spend winters on open ocean here. You might see them in the company of eiders, scoters, Harlequin Ducks, Northern Pintails, loons, and Buffleheads. They tend to swim farther offshore so best to have your binoculars handy.

Seen up close, in non-breeding plumage, the male has two long slender black tail feathers, curling upwards, a white head with a large black smudge on its cheek, colors are black and white, with a brownish tan face. From the distance in a kayak, they will present mostly as black and white. The female has brown back and wings with a white head and smudgy brown cheek, the tail feathers are shorter than the male’s.

They may be easier to recognize in flight with a long tail, white collar, dark breast, and white belly. You can also recognize them while on the water by their distinct nasal yodel sound (their Latin name means wintry trumpets). While solitary and territorial in the arctic breeding grounds, they congregate, sometimes in great numbers in their winter habitat.

They fly low over the water, land, float on the surface, then dive and disappear for a long time. They are in search of food near the sea bottom. They eat their prey underwater before popping back up. What makes them unique among the winter ducks is that they are the deepest diving sea ducks. They feed mostly within 30 feet of the surface but are known to dive to depths of 200 feet. Count the time you see them underwater. They are known to hold their breath for 25-60 seconds.

Of the diving ducks, Long-tailed Ducks log the most time underwater. During foraging excursions, they spend three or four times as long underwater as on the surface, according to Cornell Labs.

Unlike other sea ducks, the Long-tailed Ducks flap their partly opened wings to propel downwards, in addition to paddling with their webbed feet. They also propel themselves actively back up to the surface.

They dive to the lower depths of the water column in search of crustaceans, mostly amphipods; or mollusks (blue mussels, clams, periwinkles); also a few small fish. In the summer breeding grounds on the tundra they eat mostly aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks, fish eggs, and plant material like grasses and pondweeds.

When observing them from shore around Bass Rocks in Gloucester, Mass., looking at a NOAA chart, I estimated the ducks were out in the 20-foot depth zone, or maybe the 40-foot zone, but a pair was near a depth transition zone of 5-15 feet closer to shore, which could imply an upwelling or disturbance of sea critters to feed on.

They may have been foraging on arthropods, small fish, or perhaps plucking mollusks off the rocky bottom with the use of chisel-shaped bills that curve up at the tip. flat, upturned bills.

While the ducks around Cape Ann like the bold, rocky shore, they also like sandy shoals. A study in Nantucket in 2009 observed that Long-tailed Ducks foraged over shallow depths (less than 65 feet) up to 43 miles offshore on the Nantucket Shoals. The study showed they ate primarily Gammarus annulatus, a pelagic crustacean amphipod, which is common, congregates in big groups, and is eaten by many fish and sea mammals.

In all, they look very much at home in this great expanse of the Atlantic just off the rocky shoreline at Bass Rocks.

Tips: Winter paddling is one of the most enjoyable activities. You have the quiet winter world to yourself and being able to observe sea ducks right from the water. But on a cautionary note, this east side of Cape Ann is wild and rocky, with open ocean, you will be dealing with refracting waves off the rocks, few landing spots, and no other boats around. As always when winter paddling, wear a wetsuit or drysuit and pick a settled day, listen to your weather radio to make sure no high winds are expected.

Put-in: Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester. Labor Day to Memorial Day you can launch a kayak from the beach. Plenty of public parking. From here it’s a short paddle south to Bass Rocks, and about 1.5 miles to the Ocean House Hotel. Another put-in to observe winter ducks along this coast is at Granite Pier in Rockport.

You can also see Long-tailed Ducks closer to shore along the Merrimack River near the Route 1 bridge in Newburyport, which makes for a less exposed paddle. You can put in at Cashman Park, in Newburyport, then turn right and take a short paddle down the river toward downtown. At the Route 1 Bridge, you may see the pair of Peregrine Falcons that have been nesting in a man-made box since 2018. From Cashman Park, you can also turn left and follow the Merrimack up to Maudslay State Park, about a 2.5-mile paddle one way, to see the many Bald Eagles that winter here. Try to time these trips with the tides.