Bow Open Spaces - Fall Newsletter

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Fall Newsletter

Scout Prepares a Peek at the Peaks

Ava Tennett, of Goffstown, recently completed a display project atop Great Hill, in the Nottingcook Forest. The installation identifies three of the many mountains visible from that spot: Pack Monadnock, Mt. Monadnock, and Crotched Mountain. Tennett, 13, began the project as a Junior Scout in Troop 58101 of the Girl Scouts Green and White Mountains Council and has since bridged to Cadet level.
"We do a lot of hiking as a troop," said Lauren Tennett, Ava's mother and troop leader. "Ava did research on each mountain. The hardest part was limiting all the info and deciding what to leave out."
Bow Open Spaces Director Bob Dawkins served as a project mentor to Ava, and her father, Dennis, assisted in the construction. The display is titled "Dorie's Ledge," in recognition of Bob's wife, Dorie Dawkins, an avid Nottingcook hiker.
The display can be easily reached by following the trail to Great Hill, beginning at the trailhead on South Bow Road.

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Great Hill Cairns Vandalized

There are many, many good people walking the trails in town and assisting Bow Open Spaces in its stewardship mission. At the same time, we see the other side of the coin: destructive behavior that has seemingly no aim other than to destroy. One example - the vandalization of cairns on Great Hill. The cairns were constructed several years ago by a volunteer, built for both trail system safety and as historical/educational structures.
Much time and effort was put into the original construction, as well as the rebuilding of the vandalized cairns. Unfortunately, due to the latest vandalism, the volunteer can no longer rebuild the cairns, due to the physical demands of the project.
Please, continue to enjoy the trails. And, if you witness vandalism report it to us at trails@bowopenspaces.com.

Enjoy a StoryWalk® in the Knox Forest

Do you have a Young Reader who enjoys the outdoors? Both worlds can be explored soon on the Robertson Trail in the Knox Forest in Bow.
StoryWalk® is a fun, educational activity that places a children’s story (literally a book taken apart) along a popular walking route in a community. Conceived as a way to inspire parents, teachers, and caregivers to take young children out of doors for physical activity and to learn, StoryWalk® helps build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy activity for both adults and children.
In Bow, the initiative to create a StoryWalk® was led by staff members of the Baker Free Library. Bow Open Spaces approved the concept of using a portion of the Robertson Trail.
An initial StoryWalk® in September, featuring the book Look What I Found in the Woods by Moira Butterfield, received very favorable attention but was interrupted after vandals stole several of the story boards. Despite that disappointment, a second StoryWalk® is planned for October 16 - November 20, featuring the children's book Becoming a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery. Be sure to visit the forest and enjoy Storywalk®

Pictured: Juliana Gallo, Baker Free Library Youth Services Librarian, left, and Amelia Holdsworth, Library Assistant, Marketing, right, led the effort to produce and site StoryWalk®. Bow Open Spaces Director Martin Murray, center, assisted.

(Photo credit: Eric Anderson.)

Trails Committee Welcomes New Members

You are invited to join other lovers of our forests by joining the Trails Committee. The committee typically meets once a month (summer months excluded) via Zoom or at the Baker Free Library to discuss trail conditions and opportunities for improvements or additional trails. Committee members have no obligations; but are simply offered the opportunity to share their thoughts on how to make our forests as safe, welcoming and accessible as possible.
Interested? Contact the committee at trails@bowopenspaces.com.

Tackling the 4k's

Our Bow forests are fantastic as close-to-home, accessible hiking destinations. But, on occasion many of our members head north for a bit more of a challenge. New Hampshire is home to 48 peaks greater than 4,000 feet in height. Bow Open Spaces Director Eric Thum is an avid hiker and, following a three peak day with fellow Director Bob Dawkins, is now just seven peaks away from conquering them all.
Pictured, clockwise from top: Eric Thum at the Mt Cabot summit; the crew ascends wooden ladders on the trail to Mt. Zealand; and, Bob Dawkins on Mt. Liberty. A wealth of information on New Hampshire's four-thousand footers can be viewed here.