Lifestyles

Bramblings: Gift of beauty

By BECKY NELSON
By Becky Nelson

We had a rare opportunity to visit the White Mountains for a mini vacation last week and weekend. We made the investment in a used camper early in the year, and have escaped three times, each time to the same campground. My days of tenting are over. Sleeping in a bag on the ground held a special luster in my life some decades ago, but the toll that would take on my sextagenarian body isn’t worth the luxury of being away. Our son, his wife, in their late twenties, are frequent tenters, and call our camper the “traveling hotel room.” That’s OK with me. I like the “glamping” life.

While in the mountains, we enjoyed a slew of interesting weather events. Temps in the 70s, temps in the 30s, wind, rain, snow and bright skies. Unusual for the north country this late in the season, we also were able to enjoy amazing foliage with mountain views of reds, yellows and purples. We have been to the northern parts of the state after Columbus Day many times before, always with very little foliage, and always with fewer fellow travelers. There were more cars at the trailheads all through the White Mountains than there were either of the other two times we went hiking earlier in the year in June and August. I know that foliage always attracts throngs to our state, but this was amazing to me. The few campgrounds still open were packed, parking lots at all the hotels and motels we passed were full, and he streets were mobbed with folks patronizing the small shops and restaurants in North Conway. A bit worrisome with so many people in fairly tight quarters in the towns, so we avoided these places and hit the wilds.

Most of the people we came across in our hikes were very respectful, keeping as far apart from us on trails as possible and almost all were wearing masks, as were we. The advantage of the camper is being able to eat away from others, though we did go to a couple of restaurants with outdoor seating with tables about ten feet apart, so felt pretty well protected from virus as we tried to enjoy our time away.

I feel spoiled, being able to travel within the state without a lot of fear of contracting COVID-19 and taking a vacation as others have had to cancel their travel plans. I would not be caught on a plane or a bus or a train or a cruise ship, but know that others must travel for work or emergencies, and in some cases vacations. I‘m glad I can vacation out my back door. I do worry, however, that the masses of out of state cars carrying visitors from other areas may be bringing some disease with them in their attempts to escape lockdowns. Again, I was impressed by the care folks were taking, wearing masks and keeping apart, but I wonder about all the north country restaurants and the waitresses and waiters working the front lines every day with patrons at tables not wearing masks as they eat, and the clerks in all the little shops where social distancing is an impossibility.

When we came off a trail we hiked on the Kancamagus highway, we were noting the home states of the cars parked at the trailhead. Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York made up the bulk of the license plates, with only a few New Hampshire plates everywhere we went. There were singles or two representatives of others…Kentucky, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Florida. As we approached our truck, our Colorado next door neighbor was getting into her car and I commented that she was a long way from home. She said they had come to escape the smoke that was choking her state from wildfires. She said the experts were saying that going outside at home was akin to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, and they looked at the map and drove away to get away.

We are blessed. Though we are struggling with an uptick in Coronavirus cases, struggling with trying to teach our kids with safeguards and the potential of hybrid or fully remote learning, struggling to keep our elders and immunocompromised citizens safe, struggling with severe drought in parts of the state. We are blessed. The struggles of the nation plague us at every turn, but we are blessed. I personally am blessed beyond measure with a healthy family, a stable business and a community that cares. There will always be “rebels” who refuse to conform to any request out of the ordinary, but for the most part, I find our community and our state a safe and caring corner of the world. I’m hopeful that all other states and other communities are just as caring. With parts of our nation suffering horrible loss and devastation from fires, flooding and losses to COVID-19, I can only hope and pray and send financial support to get their world back to an oasis like the one I call home.

With colorful foliage still plentiful in parts of the state, and the mountains, seacoast and midlands always beautiful no matter the season, I urge you to get out and take a drive. Even here in our own towns in Sullivan County, we have sights that should not go unnoticed. We live in beautiful spaces, beautiful counties, a beautiful state. Get out. Put the worries and the angst of your daily lives behind you for a minute. Enjoy this gem that we call home. Others aren’t quite so lucky, and we need to appreciate the gift of beauty we have been given.

Becky Nelson is co-owner of Beaver Pond Farm in Newport, New Hampshire. You can contact her through the farm page on Facebook and Instagram, visit the retail store or email her at [email protected].

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