Notes From Hiking Friends

January 7, 2025

Hi,

Thanks for the Trail.

I backpacked the Monadnock Sunapee Greenway on Nov 15-19, 2024  I had amazing weather and I want to thank all the people that have built, maintained, and documented the trail.  It’s well marked and an astounding accomplishment.  It’s a walk in history and a testament to the pioneers.  It illustrates the return of mixed hardwoods and modern forest practices. And the location is in a pristine part of the state where gravel roads connect towns and a post office can be as simple as a community group of mailboxes.

WrightI traveled South to North and because of it being November, I usually finished the day needing my headlamp.  Allltrails GPS guided me in the dark to the shelters.  They were all well cared for amazingly also had composting toilets. This is a testament to all the Greenway volunteers from a tired hiker who felt honored to be on the trail.  Many of the trails were obviously once cart paths or roads.  They place you in history, when individuals set out to build and secure their homes and then connect with surrounding areas.  The printed cards about former homesites brought their history into perspective.  The details about the different generations that built the homes and then succeeding families helped imagining the past.  And walking past Nelson Center or The Church of the Adventist in Washington illustrated how people of the era continue to support and remain proud of their communities.

WashingtonWashington Center was a confidence booster. The general store was the right size to get provisions and mix again with people.  Before reaching the center, a bow hunter gave me the encouragement to push through a 15 mi day.  Lovewell Mtn was a beautiful walk out of the valley and I finished the day at Steve Galpin Shelter-set up to enjoy the following day with a shorter climb across Sunapee Ridge.

Solitude The ridge walk feels alpine and capping the ridge are whale shaped ledges with short mixed spruce and fir woods; moss and lichens.  Lake Solitude is a gem at 2500’ nestled against the rising mountain.  At the trial end It’s a surprise to break out of the woods onto the open ski trails and see NH spreading out below.  Just 2 weeks later I found myself skiing from the same spot.

The MSG has the best maintenance and trail blazing that I’ve ever seen on a trail system.  I have one comment.  Both the guidebook and the map point out views from Lovewell Mtn summit.  But the view is blocked by birch and spruce and I could barely see beyond the trees even in November. I had looked forward to seeing ahead to Sunapee from Mt Lovewell.

Best,

Fred Vetterlein

December 24, 2024
A link to Kaleb’s Greenway Adventure September 2024

December 9, 2011
Thanks again for letting me help out and having me at the Greenway meeting last month! It was really great to be able to give back to such an awesome trail. I hope to be there for the next workday as well. My hiking companion’s dad has a blog and wrote a post about our adventure.
Read more at There’s a part of me


October 26, 2011
Hi, I just hiked the Greenway last week and loved it! I wanted to thank you so much for maintaining it and was looking for a way to help out. Is the November workday an open invitation? If so, what should I bring? Thanks!


September 6, 2011

Just wanted to say how much we enjoy backpacking on the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway. It is a beautiful trail, and we feel lucky to have such a trail so close to home. Thanks so much for everything that the Monadnock-Sunapee Trail Club does and to the landowners for letting us walk on their land.


August 30, 2011
The Rhythm of the Trail
Summers are Short, Life is Sweet: Time to Hike the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway
Read more at The Bobcat’s Tail.


August 5, 2011

My husband and I competed the Greenway trail yesterday. We started at the Monadnock Headquarters on Monday afternoon and was picked up by our daughter on Thursday. The trail is beautiful and everything that we imagined!!!! We stayed at Spiltor Shelter, Crider Shelter, and the Max Isreal Shelter; they were absolutely lovely!!! Thank you for all the hardwork that was put into them. Thank you again!!!!


July 22, 2011

I just completed the MSGT. I started out on Fri 7/15/11 & finished Tues 7/19/11. My goal was to complete 50 mi (1 for every year I’ve been alive). You guessed it I’m 50! I did the walk w/just myself & my hiking dog Miss Jackie (Jack Russell/Corgi mix). She did excellent! I only encountered one other person doing the entire trail (Jeremy from Rindge). It was challenging exhilarating & yes even frustrating sometimes all at once!! The trail was well marked & the only negative I found was the Oak Hill area & the lack of blazes where they have clear cut. It was obvious you go straight up & then over but in winter I could see this as a potential problem. I wonder if your group has considered hosting a gathering (once a yr?) for people to attend & compare notes, stories? Pot luck sounds good to me (course I’ve got leftover mac/cheese any takers? :-). Thanks for a GREAT experience