Forest Society staff members love the outdoors!
![Gabe Roxby and his three daughters and wife sit outside around a fire while boiling sap.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/Winterstaff_GabeRoxbymaplesyrup_3-22.jpg?itok=40URTuiB)
Field Forester Gabe Roxby and his family love making maple syrup.
It may come as no surprise that Forest Society employees love the outdoors — even, and sometimes especially, the winter. While we don't get a winter February vacation like school kids anymore, we did manage to get outside and enjoy all that New Hampshire has to offer in the colder months. A few lucky folks even got to travel beyond the Granite State!
Here's what we've been up to:
![Sarah Kern and her family pose for a photo on the ski hill.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/winterstaff_SarahKern_skiing_2022.jpg?itok=908hU7y2)
Sarah Kern, Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator
Sarah went skiing with her family.
Frank Allen, Building and Grounds Assistant
About once a month or so my church, The Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia, in partnership with the Laconia Lions Club, holds a collection drive for soft plastics, bags, wrappers and the like. I spent about an hour helping bag the plastic before going to Gilmanton to join the Gilmanton Conservation Commission in exploring the Cogswell Mt Trail.
![Gabe Roxby and his three daughters and wife sit outside around a fire while boiling sap.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/Winterstaff_GabeRoxbymaplesyrup_3-22.jpg?itok=40URTuiB)
Gabe Roxby, Field Forester
We tap a couple trees in our backyard every year. It’s a good excuse for everyone to spend some time outside around a fire, and the result is some delicious syrup for our family to put on our pancakes and waffles, which our family eats a lot of these days. This year we tapped 7 trees, and have so far made about gallon of syrup. A big year for us!
![Many people dressed up like bunny rabbits are all skiing on one nordic ski through downtown.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/WinterStaff_ConnieColton_giantski_2022.jpg?itok=Yr5jbN1x)
Connie Colton, Land Protection & Stewardship Coordinator
I spent several days in February in the North Woods of Wisconsin, where they hold the largest cross country ski race in the U.S.: the American Birkebeiner. Thousands of skiers from around the country and the world participate in various events, culminating in a 50 km race through the woods to finish in downtown Hayward, WI (population: 2130). Northern Wisconsin was very cold and snowy and I went cross country skiing, rang the cowbell at many events, and witnessed my first giant ski race (6 people, 2 skis, lots of laughs).
![A hand holds maple taffy wound on a popsicle stick.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/FoJo_Maple_mapletaffy_AnnaBerry_3-1-22.jpg?itok=dc2vBOBD)
Anna Berry, Digital Outreach Manager
I made maple taffy with my kids and we visited a family friend's sugarhouse. You can read all about it in my Forest Journal column.
![A selfie of Carrie Deegan while skiing.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/winterstaff_CarrieDeegan_nordicskiing_2022_0.jpg?itok=ZU2rFs_m)
Carrie Deegan, Reservation Stewardship & Engagement Director
I went cross-country skiing with my kids on the Kearsarge Nordic Team.
![Maria Finnegan and her family pose in front of the blue ice of the Ice Castles.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/winterstaff_MariaFinnegan_icecastles_2022.jpg?itok=mFhCWlSx)
Maria Finnegan, Manager of Individual Giving
My mom was in town so we all went up to Woodstock for a family trip to the Ice Castles. It was my son's first visit and he had a blast!
![Chickens scatter on the snow.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/Winterstaff_LeahHart_chickens_2022.jpg?itok=vPfbsHBs)
Leah Hart, Land Protection Specialist
“On my winter vacation, hunted down compost scraps and searched for sunny spots to roost.” — Leah’s chicken.
While the chickens were holding down the fort, we were able to get away for some skiing and late-day sunshine in the farm fields and woodlands of Lancaster, NH.
![Leah Hart pauses to look at the mountain views on her skiis.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_free/public/d7/winterstaff_LeahHart_skiingFINAL.png?itok=9wsq7v1y)
![Dave Anderson takes a selfie with his son in the sugarhouse at his farm.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/d7/Winterstaff_DaveAnderson_3-11-22.jpg?h=8e28f27e&itok=H1gXKRoW)
Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education
Come spring, you can find Dave in the sugarhouse with his family at Meetinghouse Hill Tree Farm!