Submitted by John DamonChristmas Farm Inn Class of 2008
What do you do the weekend between the divisional playoffs and the Superbowl? Judy (no, not that Judi, the Judy that was the recipient of the
2010 GSA Hospitality from the Heart award) and I looked in on the
Sled Dog Races on
Lake Chocorua in Tamworth and the
Snow Sculpting Competition held at the
Black Mountain Ski Area in
Jackson, NH. Both events ran both Sat and Sun. The weather was great and the crowds manageable.
The Tamworth Outing Club has hosted one of the races on the sled dog racing
circuit for many years. This race is one of the longest continuous running sled dog races in the Northeast. Many of you
probably know that Admiral Bird’s sled dog teams were trained in the Wanalancet part of Tamworth, NH. I moved to Tamworth in 1964 and volunteered in '65 by packing some of the race course on snow shoes. While most of the up to 20 miles of course is packed by snow machines, some places still need the snow shoe approach. Eventually I worked up to cook hamburg's and hot dogs. I firmly believe the dogs have the most fun. They sure love to run. I counted 4 handlers plus the driver holding a 9 dog team back at the starting line until "mush" was called over the loud speaker. There were all kinds of whining and barking while waiting to go but once they heard "mush" there was instant silence. The "mushers" were holding on for dear life when they left the starting tunnel. We also had a chance to see the kids race a couple hundred yard sprint with only one dog pulling them and the sled. In a couple of cases it seemed that the kid was doing most of the work. Going into Jackson on Sunday we went through the famous covered bridge and by my Alma Matter, Christmas Farm Inn, site of my GSA training in 2008. We climbed up 16B for a couple of miles to the Black Mountain Ski Area where an invitational Snow Sculpture competition was being held. This is the only New Hampshire State Sanctioned Snow Sculpting Competition! We got there just as the judging was about to begin so all the creations were in pristine condition. The general public had a chance to vote and Judy's choice was also the choice of the public. Exhibitors also judged. Non NH exhibitors judged the NH entries and the NH folks judged the non residents. The winner was to go on to a National competition and possibly International. It certainly is amazing what you can do with a pile of snow. I found it hard to imagine how they were able to keep the snow so clean. There were about 15 creations and one heck of a lot of talent was on display. There is so much to see and do. Being a GSA makes me more aware of the many things that are close by and interesting.
