skug

Kylie starts middle school next week, and they always start the year with a 4-day hiking retreat in the White Mountains. Today we test-drove her new hiking boots with a short hike in the Skug River Reservation in Andover. I've driven and biked past the trail head hundreds of times, but this is the first time I've actually been in there.

The mighty Skug River:


And then there's this glacial erratic, "an enormous stone monolith that climbers use to practice elementary climbing techniques." Francie and Kylie are both climbers, but didn't bring their climbing shoes, and ordinary hiking/walking shoes aren't up to it.