Last Sunday was a family fun day, and this is the first chance I’ve had to write about it. After Mass and lunch at Dad’s (previously named Dad’s Scoops and Dogs), which had just opened up for the season, we went over to The Fells at the John Hay Estate. Interesting story behind this, and it’s on the list to do the tour at some point. John Milton Hay was the private secretary of President Lincoln, and ended up buying 1000 acres around the area on Lake Sunapee. He built a huge house and a bit of a complex in the area, and the family used it as a retreat for generations. The family gave much of the land over to become a nature preserve and public area for hiking.
It’s a fairly flat geography, so a good starter hike for the season for the family. We sprayed ourselves down with tick repellent and went exploring down the various trails for a couple hours. We followed a nice, little stream that emptied out into Lake Sunapee, almost directly across from the Town of Sunapee, where the girls go to school. Pretty much a perfect day for a hike, too — mid-60’s, mostly sunny, and not windy. Great day!
Columbia Gorge Dispatch 