The Linda Letters by Gabriel O'Sullivan: Monson - A Wonderful Way To Spend A Day

09 November 2021

1049

R. Linda:

Last week it was decided to have some "me time" for me Mam. She has been wanting to get out and see New Hampshire. Now she's seen a good part of it, but since the pandemic and her being of an age, she has been homebound. Not entirely, she does get out, but for recreation not so much.

I had last Wednesday off, so we decided to go to a local historical site, that she'd never been to. She got on her hiking boots, tied a sweater around her waist, and was ready to go. We stopped at a Subway and I bought us subs for lunch and two pops. So off we went, and I will say the day was simply perfect, bluebell sky, colour still on the trees, sun out to its full glory and we couldn't ask for a better setting.

We arrived at the site which is called Monson, an early settlement from the 1700s in the town of what is now Milford, N.H., and all be old foundations, trails, fields, and one house that I am not sure be original, but I got the impression you could go inside when it was open (wasn't that day) and view how early settlers lived.

There are two parking lots, one with a lovely view of the mountains and a fire station (by fire station I don't mean a modern firehouse, but a lookout where the rangers can spot a fire in the forest). Well, see here, but you have to look really close for the fire lookout:

This was one of the parking lots AFTER we finished our walk

I know it is a Where's Waldo photo, but it's right in the middle closest to the first tree on the right (in the middle).

The other lot was across the way and not as picturesque, but it had the entrance and was packed with cars. We got ourselves up the slight incline and as we came over the rise there were fields on both sides of the path. I noticed you could ride horses, hike, and cross-country ski and it costs nothing but being a good Do-Bee and not littering or tearing the place up. And I will say it was neatly kept. There were some young moms with their kiddos down the way by the one house, all eating lunch or in some cases, kiddos chasing each other around.

As you enter

Fields left and right

The house is straight on down

We walked on down and by the moms with their tribes and into the woods where we saw an occasional hiker or a couple with a dog. Otherwise, we had the place to ourselves.

The one building

Couple with dog way into the woods

We walked for a long time and stopped to look at a few foundations.

Some signage was faded but you could read it. This one was the site of a man who had 12 kiddos! The site wasn't very large so one had to think about where he put 12 kids. Most of the foundations were like this one.

Simply beautiful

We did have to make our way through one stream that covered the trail

We hiked for a good long time and decided to have lunch when we came back to the front fields. We did know there was a lake where there were benches, but we got off that trail and turned ourselves around. The trails are not marked that I could see, but I don't think one could get lost. Anyway, we found a wooden bench under a pine that whispered the entire time we sat there admiring the view.

The long shadows of the day started to appear

And so we admired the view until some man with his Jack Russell Terrier decided to walk from the one house, down the trail toward the chestnut trees, make a right into the field and then walk directly to where Mam and I were enjoying quiet conversation and lunch. The dog was of course, interested in what we were eating and stopped right in front of us with his master. No hello, we said that, but the man stood there almost like he expected us to share lunch with the terrier. When we did no such thing, he pulled the dog along (it of course did not want to go because it smelled FOOD), it decided to take a dump in front of us and its master just stood there like no big deal. WELL! Mam mumbled under her breath that lunch be over with THAT mess, but it did not phase the man at all, he just walked off, hungry dog in tow. That was the only negative we had.

And so we left a trail well travelled, but not before we picked up some chestnuts. Mam loves chestnut trees and we have none, so she is experimenting with planting them next spring.