1/22/03 REPORTS:  (from Dan Nelson -- thanks Dan!)
The Ford Sayre Club sponsored back-country ski outings on January 11 and January
19.  The first trip was around the Al Merril Ski Loop at Mt. Moosilauke. Three
participants broke trail in knee-deep powder snow on a cold, clear day with
gusty winds.   It was a good day to be below treeline.  Climbing skins came in
handy.  It was hard to say who was more startled -- the lead skier or the bird
-- on two occassions when grouse "exploded" out of the snow inches in front
someone's ski tips. The next weekend a group of five ventured up the Carriage
Rd. on Moosilauke. The temperature in Hanover was well below zero as we started
out, but we had lots of sunshine and there wasn't much wind, so we spent a half
hour on the summit in relative comfort. The trail had been heavily snowmobiled,
which made for a fast trip down.  Several inches of powdery snow over a crust
made for delightful skiing in the woods off the trail.