Planning a vacation in New England during February vacation is never easy, especially when you want some outdoor activities.  The weather these past few years have made it difficult to plan vacations around winter activities.  This year when planning a few days away during school vacation week we put a lot of though into where we wanted to go and what activities we wanted to do.  We would have loved to either cross country or downhill ski, but with the unpredictable weather we have been having this winter, we decided to do something more focused on the indoors. Something we rarely do.   

One day I was asked by a friend to go for a hike after work.  When she first asked me I hesitated to say yes.  Going for a hike on a week night? How could I do that when I have a hundred other things I have to do after work? Dinner, homework, household chores, preparing lunches for the next day, the list goes on and on. Plus, I am always drained after a busy day at work, how could I find the energy to go for a hike.  The other side of me did want to miss an opportunity to hit the trail so I agreed to meet her after work. 

My daughter has been asking me for some time to write her own blog post for my website.  I have been encouraging her to share her love of the outdoors.  Tonight she has finished up her blog post below.  I hope you enjoy it and are able to find some encouraging words to get your kids outside more. "Proud Mommy moment."  

Last December I was looking for something to challenge myself in 2017.  There are always the same stand by resolutions of I will loose X amount of weight, I will exercise X amount of times a week, I will eat a cleaner diet, I will manage my finances better, or I will spend more time with loved ones, etc.  I'm sure you have heard them all.  Even though there is nothing wrong with these resolutions and they are important, I wanted something different. I was tired of the old stand by's of new years resolutions that I could never quite stick to.  As I was doing some internet surfing I came across the 52 Hikes Challenge.

It is the holiday season and we are always looking for that perfect gift for the loved ones in our lives.  I know there are many favorite holiday lists out there, so I thought I would jump on the band wagon and create my top ten favorite things.

One of the things I love about the hiking community is the excitement to share trail information. Recently, a friend sent me a list of local hiking trails that neither of us had heard of.  After reviewing the list, there was one trail that stood out to me. Hiroshi Hayashi Conservation Land Trail, which is part of the Sargent Camps in Hancock, NH.  The reason that it stood out to me was because of the pictures of a small pull along skiff that you can pull yourself across a stream on.  Of course I had to check it out.  

Over the years I have had people say to me, "your life looks so great by the posts I see on Facebook," or "I can’t believe how much you and your family do.”  Yes, I always post the positives on social media as I feel it should be used for happy events, not for complaining or drama.  I know, this is not reality, but I try to make it my reality, plus no one wants to hear about my drama.  It is also important to my husband and I to raise an outdoor child, as the outdoors was and is a huge part of our lives.  We make it a point to spend as much free time as we can in the outdoors, constantly picking new places to explore. I also enjoy sharing our adventures with others, with the goal of inspiring others to get outside more

One weekend during the first summer my husband and I dated he informed me that he wanted to bring me to one of his favorite places, but we had to get up at 5am.  At 19 is there anything worth getting up at 5am for? Because I was head over heels in love, I agreed to getting up at the crack of dawn for whatever adventure he had planned.. We got up early and gathered our beach gear for an adventure.  After being in the car for about an hour and a half we ended up at Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island in Massachusetts, where we drove to the end of the road to Sandy point.  I could see why my now husband wanted to get up early as there are limited parking spots and at 7am they were already half full. Once down on the beach, I understood why he loved this place so much. 

It was our last full day of our time in Vermont and I wanted to do something fun.  We have been wanting to check out an adventure park at a ski resort, but they are expensive.  While scrolling through my phone I looked through Killngton's Summer Programs, and found that on Tuesday's and Wednesday's New Hampshire and Vermont residents were 50% off for the Adventure Center. I could not pass up on a deal like this, especially on something we have wanted to do.  

Waking up morning of day three presented us with another beautiful day, which has been rare this summer.  We decided to take in another day of being tourists as well as add an educational activity.  We drove back to New York, this time heading for Fort Ticonderoga, to take in a little history.  I love deals and on this vacation I used the app Entertainment, it's $1.99 a month, but so worth it as long as you use it once a month.  There are a lot of buy one get one activities, which we used at Fort Ticonderoga saving us $23.  

Today's adventure took us to New York. After researching activities in the area I came across Ausable Chasm, "The Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks."  This is your typical tourist destination.  Near the visitor center is spectacular Rainbow Falls, with a walking path providing views of the falls.

Vacation, you spend weeks, sometimes months planning it so when it arrives you hope that all your hard work has paid off.  I spend a lot of time planning ensuring there is enough to do to keep us entertained as well as get some relaxation time in, without spending a fortune.  I may be a little obsessive when planning, to make suer we get the most out of our trips. As we started our Vermont vacation I hoped I met my families expectations.

As I am continuing to work on completing my 52 hikes in 2017 challenge, I'm always looking for new hiking trails.  A friend, who is also doing the challenge, recently hiked Crotched Mountain and posted beautiful pictures.  With the cooler weather rolling in this morning I thought it would be a perfect chance to take a hike.

What is better than camping with friends? In my opinion, not much. When friends asked us to join them at their seasonal we could not pass up the offer. A couple years ago they found a seasonal at Mascoma Lake Campground on Mascoma Lake in Lebanon, NH.  They spend most summer weekends at their camper and are always talking about the memories they are making there.

Planning a vacation is never easy.  You want to make sure you chose the right place to entertain the whole family.  With that being said, the summer of 2016, my family and I chose to spend part of our summer vacation camping on Grand Isle on Lake Champlain north of Burlington, Vermont. When we arrived the state park was beautiful.  Well maintained grounds, spacious and clean sites, a small playground, clean facilities, a nature center with walking paths, a boat ramp and a swimming area.  After setting up our campsite we walked to the lake for a much needed swim.  While walking towards the lake we could smell something foul.  Upon arriving at the swimming area we observed a large mud flat producing a strong odor. 

“Is it time to go yet?” My six year old asked early one morning, excited for our annual end of school camping trip. Each June, my family and I pick a new area in New England to camp and explore. Last June we picked Kampersville Campground on Lake Dunmore, located on the western edge of the Green Mountains in Vermont. Kampersville is a beautiful privately owned campground with a general store, deli, ice cream, laundry, three pools, playground, game room, activities and  private beach with boat rentals. The campsites were in a wood area, well maintained and provided plenty of space for some privacy from our neighbors. 

As I was laying in bed early this morning looking out at the clear blue sky I thought to myself, "why am I laying in bed, it looks so beautiful out." Also I'm a little behind in 52 Hikes in 2017 Challenge so I need to get more hikes in.  As my family still slept, my dog and I snuck out to check out a new trail. I had recently heard about Wales Preserve Trail, located off Spring Hill Road in Sharon NH, and wanted to check is out.  I love when I can find trails close to home that I have yet to explore. 

Sugar Ridge Campground is an excellent campground.  I actually have no negative comments about the facility.  It appears that a lot of the sites are seasonal.  All the sites are very well maintained and spacious.  The campsite we stayed on was very private and the bathroom and free showers were clean.  The campground offers many amenities such as, two pools, two playgrounds, rec hall, mini golf course (small fee), daily activities, bike rentals, access to the Lamoille Bike Trail, hiking trails with beautiful views right on the grounds and a fishing pond, since it's on private land you do not need a fishing license. 

Growing up in the shadow of Mt. Katahdin, I had the opportunity to experience various outdoor activities, which contributes to my passion for the great outdoors. In the summer of 2015, I took my family to Millinocket, Maine to relive some of my childhood memories. For one week we stayed at The Woodworth Family Homestead at Camp Rhodora located on Millinocket Lake. This is an off the grid working homestead with animals and a garden. There is a great deal of history with this camp going back to the 1800's.