Starting The New Year Off With A Hike
Gary Moore
January 08, 2026
Despite the temperature and wind, Don Kollisch, Alexander Hartov and I hiked Tucker Mountain New Year’s Day.
Don a semi retired doc and I first hiked Moosilauke on New Year’s Day 2000 and continued to make the annual hike until recently when age and infirmities slowed us down and our desire to undertake an all day hike in winter conditions. In recent years, we have made Newbury’s Tucker Mountain our first hike of the year. It is much shorter and easier, allowing us to start the year off right.
We were joined this year by White River resident Alexander Hartov, a retired Dartmouth engineering professor.
Most times we are on Tucker we see other hikers celebrating the new year, but we saw no one this year. Perhaps the cold had something to do with it.
Going up Tucker Mountain Road was relatively easy except for the trees that had blown down across the road. It will take chainsaws and a lot of labor to clear out.
We reached the summit in bright sun but low clouds blocked the view of Moosilauke where we knew friends would be. It is tradition to wave to them.
It was windy so we spent little time on top but did break out the champaign for the toast to the new year before heading down via the Putnam’s Trail.
That was a mistake. Soon we were fighting our way through dense ice coated saplings bent to the ground. They completely blocked the trail causing us to crawl under and around throughout out the upper section of the trail.
It was good to be out, but hard slogging.
We celebrated our hike back at our house where Linda had made beer and cheddar cheese soup that is very thick and ideal for replenishing calories burned while winter hiking.
Alex, a dedicated hiker, was impressed with the many options and the network of trails and vowed to come back and explore them.
I sent him a link to the Windows To The Wild episode on NHPBS that Will Lange and I did right after covid to give him some background on the mountain and how the Newbury Town Forest came to be.
You can check it out at https://nhpbs.org/schedule/summary.aspx?progId=WindowstotheWild1610. I encourage you to explore Tucker and Bradford’s Wrights Mountain Town Forest just to the south. They are wonderful places now protected for future generations to enjoy.
Bits and Pieces
The annual Yankee Sportsman’s Classic show will be held January 16, 17 and 18 at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is inviting you to visit their exhibits and attend their seminars at the show.
“We are looking forward to talking with as many people as possible at the show,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder. “It’s a great opportunity for us to share the latest information about fish and wildlife, and it gives people a chance to talk with us about fish and wildlife issues. Our wardens, biologists and other staff will be at our exhibit.”
The 2026 hunting, fishing and trapping lawbooks will be available at Fish and Wildlife’s exhibit booth. Hunters, anglers and trappers will also be able to buy their 2026 licenses.
Show hours are Noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Learn more about the show at: http://yankeeclassic.net.
***
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will be conducting Introduction to Ice Fishing Clinics open to the public this winter.
“Families in Vermont sometimes turn to ice fishing during the winter months for a popular family outing,” said Fish and Wildlife Education Specialist Corey Hart. “Our educational fishing programs provide new anglers with the information they need to be successful, and additional programs will be added in the months ahead.”
The closest to us will be the Ice Fishing Festival held on Lake Elmore January 11 and an introduction to smelt fishing February 26 on Waterbury Reservoir.
You can register for a clinic on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website under Upcoming Events.
***
New Hampshire’s 2026 Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) Winter Workshop will be held on Saturday, February 21, at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, NH. Participants focus on one outdoor activity during the day-long workshop. This year’s choices include ice-fishing, winter outdoor survival, snowshoeing and wildlife tracking, winter hiking, and “Shoe and Shoot” (woodland target shooting on snowshoes). Information about each course is available at www.nhbow.com.
A fee of $100 covers the workshop, lunch, and most equipment use. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
All registration takes place online, and opens on January 12 at 6 a.m. To sign up, visit www.nhbow.com, where you will be directed to the event registration page. If the program is full, check back to see if spaces have opened through cancellations.
***
New Hampshire’s winter free fishing day will be Saturday, January 17. That’s a day you can fish without a license in New Hampshire.
Note that all other regulations must be followed. Learn more about fishing rules by reading the NH Freshwater Fishing Digest at www.fishnh.com/fishing/publications.html.
Find more information about ice fishing in New Hampshire, including videos, a list of bait dealers, and more at www.wildlife.nh.gov/fishing-new-hampshire/ice-fishing.
***
As I wrote last week, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will hold a public hearing on re-adopting rules related to Fis 800 on Wednesday, January 14, at NHFG Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. The hearing will begin at 12:30 p.m.
The rules related to the importation, possession, and use of wildlife are being re-adopted
The public is invited to attend to provide feedback or submit comments until January 22, via e-mail to comments@wildlife.nh.gov. The proposed rules can be viewed ahead of the meeting by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/proposed-rules.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
January 3, 2010: “Burlington, VT set its all-time record for a single snowstorm - 33.1 inches. 1 to 3 feet covered western and northern VT, but only 1 inch in Woodstock, VT.”
January 5, 1835: “Severe cold; mercury congealed (colder than –40 F) in Montpelier and White River, and Franconia, NH, -32 in Hanover at Dartmouth.”
Parting Shots
One way I get a feel for how the deer hunting seasons have gone in the area is to check with Dave McLam. The Bradford native is a wild game butcher whose shop is a very busy place during the fall hunting seasons. Year after year, hunters from about a 75 mile radius in Vermont and New Hampshire bring him their deer, bear and moose to process. He also gets animals from the western U.S. and many Canadian provinces that local hunters bagged.
Stopping by his shop often finds 30-40 deer hanging awaiting skinning and a crew of meat cutters at work in the meat room.
For me, it is the trends up and down year to year that are of interest. I also like to learn of unusually large animals and racks of antlers.
Last year Dave processed 503 deer, a record for him. He came close this year with 502.
The number of bear he received were up this year at 74 compared to 63 last year.
He also processed two moose this fall, Burt none last year.
***
New Year’s Day was cold and it only got colder on Friday with the cold hung on all weekend and into the start of the week. It was cold enough that I lost any desire to hike, ski or ice fish. Maybe it is just my age, but I prefer warmer temps and less wind when I recreate outside.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
Don a semi retired doc and I first hiked Moosilauke on New Year’s Day 2000 and continued to make the annual hike until recently when age and infirmities slowed us down and our desire to undertake an all day hike in winter conditions. In recent years, we have made Newbury’s Tucker Mountain our first hike of the year. It is much shorter and easier, allowing us to start the year off right.
We were joined this year by White River resident Alexander Hartov, a retired Dartmouth engineering professor.
Most times we are on Tucker we see other hikers celebrating the new year, but we saw no one this year. Perhaps the cold had something to do with it.
Going up Tucker Mountain Road was relatively easy except for the trees that had blown down across the road. It will take chainsaws and a lot of labor to clear out.
We reached the summit in bright sun but low clouds blocked the view of Moosilauke where we knew friends would be. It is tradition to wave to them.
It was windy so we spent little time on top but did break out the champaign for the toast to the new year before heading down via the Putnam’s Trail.
That was a mistake. Soon we were fighting our way through dense ice coated saplings bent to the ground. They completely blocked the trail causing us to crawl under and around throughout out the upper section of the trail.
It was good to be out, but hard slogging.
We celebrated our hike back at our house where Linda had made beer and cheddar cheese soup that is very thick and ideal for replenishing calories burned while winter hiking.
Alex, a dedicated hiker, was impressed with the many options and the network of trails and vowed to come back and explore them.
I sent him a link to the Windows To The Wild episode on NHPBS that Will Lange and I did right after covid to give him some background on the mountain and how the Newbury Town Forest came to be.
You can check it out at https://nhpbs.org/schedule/summary.aspx?progId=WindowstotheWild1610. I encourage you to explore Tucker and Bradford’s Wrights Mountain Town Forest just to the south. They are wonderful places now protected for future generations to enjoy.
Bits and Pieces
The annual Yankee Sportsman’s Classic show will be held January 16, 17 and 18 at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is inviting you to visit their exhibits and attend their seminars at the show.
“We are looking forward to talking with as many people as possible at the show,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder. “It’s a great opportunity for us to share the latest information about fish and wildlife, and it gives people a chance to talk with us about fish and wildlife issues. Our wardens, biologists and other staff will be at our exhibit.”
The 2026 hunting, fishing and trapping lawbooks will be available at Fish and Wildlife’s exhibit booth. Hunters, anglers and trappers will also be able to buy their 2026 licenses.
Show hours are Noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Learn more about the show at: http://yankeeclassic.net.
***
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will be conducting Introduction to Ice Fishing Clinics open to the public this winter.
“Families in Vermont sometimes turn to ice fishing during the winter months for a popular family outing,” said Fish and Wildlife Education Specialist Corey Hart. “Our educational fishing programs provide new anglers with the information they need to be successful, and additional programs will be added in the months ahead.”
The closest to us will be the Ice Fishing Festival held on Lake Elmore January 11 and an introduction to smelt fishing February 26 on Waterbury Reservoir.
You can register for a clinic on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website under Upcoming Events.
***
New Hampshire’s 2026 Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) Winter Workshop will be held on Saturday, February 21, at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, NH. Participants focus on one outdoor activity during the day-long workshop. This year’s choices include ice-fishing, winter outdoor survival, snowshoeing and wildlife tracking, winter hiking, and “Shoe and Shoot” (woodland target shooting on snowshoes). Information about each course is available at www.nhbow.com.
A fee of $100 covers the workshop, lunch, and most equipment use. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
All registration takes place online, and opens on January 12 at 6 a.m. To sign up, visit www.nhbow.com, where you will be directed to the event registration page. If the program is full, check back to see if spaces have opened through cancellations.
***
New Hampshire’s winter free fishing day will be Saturday, January 17. That’s a day you can fish without a license in New Hampshire.
Note that all other regulations must be followed. Learn more about fishing rules by reading the NH Freshwater Fishing Digest at www.fishnh.com/fishing/publications.html.
Find more information about ice fishing in New Hampshire, including videos, a list of bait dealers, and more at www.wildlife.nh.gov/fishing-new-hampshire/ice-fishing.
***
As I wrote last week, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will hold a public hearing on re-adopting rules related to Fis 800 on Wednesday, January 14, at NHFG Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. The hearing will begin at 12:30 p.m.
The rules related to the importation, possession, and use of wildlife are being re-adopted
The public is invited to attend to provide feedback or submit comments until January 22, via e-mail to comments@wildlife.nh.gov. The proposed rules can be viewed ahead of the meeting by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/proposed-rules.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
January 3, 2010: “Burlington, VT set its all-time record for a single snowstorm - 33.1 inches. 1 to 3 feet covered western and northern VT, but only 1 inch in Woodstock, VT.”
January 5, 1835: “Severe cold; mercury congealed (colder than –40 F) in Montpelier and White River, and Franconia, NH, -32 in Hanover at Dartmouth.”
Parting Shots
One way I get a feel for how the deer hunting seasons have gone in the area is to check with Dave McLam. The Bradford native is a wild game butcher whose shop is a very busy place during the fall hunting seasons. Year after year, hunters from about a 75 mile radius in Vermont and New Hampshire bring him their deer, bear and moose to process. He also gets animals from the western U.S. and many Canadian provinces that local hunters bagged.
Stopping by his shop often finds 30-40 deer hanging awaiting skinning and a crew of meat cutters at work in the meat room.
For me, it is the trends up and down year to year that are of interest. I also like to learn of unusually large animals and racks of antlers.
Last year Dave processed 503 deer, a record for him. He came close this year with 502.
The number of bear he received were up this year at 74 compared to 63 last year.
He also processed two moose this fall, Burt none last year.
***
New Year’s Day was cold and it only got colder on Friday with the cold hung on all weekend and into the start of the week. It was cold enough that I lost any desire to hike, ski or ice fish. Maybe it is just my age, but I prefer warmer temps and less wind when I recreate outside.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
Credit Alexander Hartov
Caption: Ice on the bushes on the roof of the kiosk located on the Tucker Mountain Road is indicative of what we soon encountered on the Putnam Trail
Caption: Ice on the bushes on the roof of the kiosk located on the Tucker Mountain Road is indicative of what we soon encountered on the Putnam Trail
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