First Day Hikes draw crowds to NH trails for the New Year

Erica Laue and her family spent their New Years Eve snacking and playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends. But the next morning, they decided to hit the trails and catch the scenery at Monadnock State Park.

“I am so carb loaded and ready to go,” Laue said before they hit the trails.

They were among the crowds of solo hikers, couples and families who made their way to participating New Hampshire State Parks on Wednesday as part of the annual First Day Hikes. The state has been hosting these self-guided hikes each New Year’s Day for the past 14 years.

Officials at Monadnock State Park say they saw maybe 80 to 100 people roll through on Wednesday — some hit the Parker Trail, which was designated for First Day Hikes, while others set out for the top of the mountain. Other participating parks in New Hampshire included Odiorne Point, Pawtuckaway and Milan Hill. It’s also a tradition practiced at state parks around the country.

The Laues have been doing First Day Hikes for the past eight years, originally starting the tradition when they lived in Colorado. When they moved to New Hampshire, they were happy to find that the state offered these hikes, too. At the time, they had a 2-year-old and another child on the way — and it’s turned into a family tradition.

They’ve previously explored Bear Brook and Odiorne Point State Park. But this year, they met up with Laue’s sister, parents and extended family at Monadnock State Park.

“As a family, this is something we really love doing, and so this is one of the ways we spend quality time together,” Laue said, adding that the kids got their first backpacking kits for Christmas and the family is planning a hiking trip in the summer.

Roxanne Loudon, an avid hiker from Peterborough, was also on the trails with her kids and husband.

It was her fourth year of First Day Hikes, and she chose Monadnock State Park this year because it’s close to home and she enjoys the reservoirs and dam.

Over the years of participating in the tradition, she said she’s seen everything from porcupines in trees to pheasants on the trails. (She says pheasants are the ones to be concerned about, because they’ll chase you down.)

Loudon said she’s pretty horrible at holding New Year’s resolutions, but she has one in mind this year: keeping her phone off the trails. She says if you want to enjoy nature, ditch the phone, buy a camera and take it with you on the hike instead.

“Our goal this year is to get a landline, that’s our goal, that’s our resolution,” Loudon said. “And I know I can meet that.”