Dog Sledding in New England with Muddy Paws (Literally!)

Recently while I was Googling "Things to Do in New England," one of the most popular activities that came up was...dog sledding. Though no native-born New Englander I know has ever been, how could one turn down this opportunity during a winter with record-breaking snow?

Upon arriving at Muddy Paws in Jefferson, NH, we could hear the barking begin!  A tour (i.e. two other people) were in the midst of leaving for their run and the dogs were more than excited.  According to our musher, the dogs barking are the equivalent of them asking, "Pick me! Pick me!"  They are second-chance dogs, which means they have been rescued or were former race dogs (including dogs that have competed in multiple Iditarods!).

Blackfoot is often chosen as the lead dog due to her courage and calmness

                                 

         Playtime with the dogs before the run. Muddy paws definitely showed up on my white jacket!

After some play time, we harnessed up ten Alaskan and Siberian huskies to begin the run.  As we waited in the tobagan, I couldn't have imagined the pace we would have hit.  These ten dogs were pumping their little legs to carry three adults to the point where some turns gave us air!  Off through the New Hampshire woods we went for a little over an hour taking just a few rest breaks in between (for the dogs of course. My friend and I were doing nothing more than holding the blanket that rested on top of us).

Happy and warm (sort of) in our tobagon

After a perfect dog run, we headed of to the small (very small) town of Whitefield, New Hampshire to The Lion and The Rose Bed and Breakfast. It was as if Robin and Chris had been waiting for us as the door opened up for us at arrival.  Their elegant Victorian home was a wonderfully warm on a cold, winter day (and yes, it has multiple hot tubes!).  It was my first time at a B&B and I must say if the hospitality and comfort is like this, I will be staying at them more often!

                                                

The Lion & The Rose Bed and Breakfast, Whitefield, New Hampshire is TripAdvisor rated top-notch!

The next day before the 3.5 hour drive back to Boston, we stopped by Mount Washington Resort located in Bretton Woods of the White Mountain National Forest.  Ziplining tours are offered year-round - yes, that also means ziplining during the winter!  Being single-digits degrees out, we decided to forgo the 3+ hour tour and prompted for one quick run down the Williwaw Racing Zip for $15. Ziplining in the snow?  A very, cool (literally!) experience that lets you race your partner!

After a quick 30 minutes of snowtubing, it was time to head home to beat the snow storm.  See you next winter, White Mountain!

Think You Can Rampage? NLP's Rampage Team Fitness Challenge!

Coming across a LivingSocial deal, I somehow roped three of my semi-athletic male friends to join me in one of the toughest fitness competitions in the nation: The Rampage Fitness Challenge!

The NLP Rampage is a team fitness competition in Manchester, New Hampshire that benefits the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Comprised of 12 events, participants compete in teams of four to push and pull cars, roll monster truck tires, and carry teammates on stretchers across parking lots (this was my favorite event as I was the petite one relaxing on the stretcher which ultimately led to a win in the event).

 Pushing Monster Truck tires - not for the weak!

Competing on a team, each member will bring strengths and weaknesses to each event.  In our case, it was clear to see that John led us in rock climbing, Max won the sprints, Dan quickly chugged the beer (yes, that's the final event!), and we all failed in weightlifting!

 I rock climb while Max outlasts the other sprinters!

What I enjoyed was that this race provided a strong sense of cameraderie as the four of us would sometimes compete shoulder-to-shoulder, and in other events, we'd compete individually allowing the others to cheer on.  This setup also let us get to know the other teams through friendly banter.

Fearing we'd come in last, it turns out we tied for fifth place out of ten!  Mission accomplished and sore bodies to be had!

Enjoying post-race drinks at Milly's Tavern, the only brewery in Manchester!

Chunky's Movie Theater, Pelham, New Hampshire

An impromptu trip led me to the small town of Pelham, New Hampshire for the night.  Kevin Bradbury, worked as a "boom guy" (film language that I still don't understand after years of living in Los Angeles) for a short movie and off we went to the premiere!

Chunky's Cinema & Pub is much more than a movie theater.  In my opinion, it's what every movie night should be: an experience.  Here, clientele sit and socialize at tables while eating dinner before the film even begins.  Ice cream sundaes while relaxing in larger-than-life-and-comfortable recliner chairs from Lincoln Town Cars?  Yes!

The admission prices of this small-town theater stay low at $5.75/matinee and $7.50/evenings (half the price of Manhattan ticket prices!).  It was the premiere of Thirty Minutes to Salvation, a short about "breaking generational curses and choosing your destiny."  I was never a movie critic, but I'll just say that the room was packed and the director's wife discussed the parallelism of the movie to their own lives; that for me was the deal breaker as once things become real, I become interested!

An hour outside of Boston, the Chunky's experience is well worth it and the first trip to New Hampshire was a thumbs up!