If you don’t do anything else: Take the mail boat lake cruise
“You have to take a trip on the mail boat because not only is it nostalgic, but it gives you an up close and personal view of the lake,” Nix says. “You get to go out to the islands and have kind of a little bit of a picture of what it’s like to be living out on the islands in the summer.
The mail cruise leaves from the dock at Weirs Beach, in the town of Laconia twice daily, at 11 am and 2 pm, rain or shine, every day except Sunday. The two-hour cruise is extremely popular with visitors, so it’s important to purchase tickets ahead of time to make sure that you don’t get left at the dock. The dock is right along the Weirs Beach boardwalk, also where the train leaves, so you can’t miss it. The mail cruise is not the only lake cruise option, but it’s certainly the most distinct. Where else can you ride along with a mail carrier, while taking a ride around a pristine lake?
Passengers board the Sophie C and ride along the delivery route, while taking in the sites of the lake—pontoon boats, massive summer homes, tiny lake cottages, and fish birds soaring overhead. At some stops, they just throw the mail bag off at the dock, but at others, Sophie‘s visit is a social event. Island residents, like Bear Island’s Barabara Laround, often come to the dock to say hello. “You get to meet people on all of the different islands, and it’s just fun,” Nix says. Barbara’s husband likes to stand at the dock and receive a line to help the deckhand out.
During the voyage, passengers are invited to fill out and mail postcards right on board, complete with Sophie’s own unique, collectible cancellation stamp, and purchase shirts and hats. The morning and afternoon routes are different. In the morning, the boat is scheduled to stop at Loon Island, Bear Island, Three Mile Island, and East Bear Island. In the afternoon, Camp Lawrence, Birch Island, Sandy Island, Cow Island, and Jolly Island are scheduled, but some islands are not even inhabited every day. Throughout the route, the Sophie C can be spotted and waved to as it passes by.
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Tiny Loon Island only has one house, and the property has been in the same family for six generations. On a pretty day, don’t be surprised to be greeted by the current owner, and he may even dive in the lake as you pull off. “It’s a tradition,” Nix says. “The islanders like to jump into the wake because of the agitation of the water and how it feels against the skin.”
Three Mile Island has a distinct teenage vibe, but in an old-school kind of way. The property, including a lodge and 47 cabins, has been owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club since 1900, and campers can be found lounging on the dock when the sun’s out. “The island kids love to come down to meet Sophie so they can get a nice ice cream treat,” Nix says. When islanders go to town to shop, they have to put everything in freezer bags to keep it cool, so on hot days, it’s difficult to transport even today.
A Massachusetts woman suffered serious head injuries in a snowmobile crash in New Hampshire on Monday afternoon.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said it was notified shortly after 3 p.m. Monday that a snowmobile had crashed on the Lower Haystack Trail off of Bear Notch Road in Bartlett.
They said 40-year-old Jiamin Wei, of Chestnut Hill, had been driving a rented snowmobile when she failed to negotiate a downhill left hand turn and drove off the right side of the trail into a ditch, hitting a tree. Her 10-year-old son was a passenger on the machine.
Wei and her son were riding as part of a tour, and the guide was able to quickly call for help and provide an accurate location for rescuers. Along with a Fish and Game conservation officer, members of the Bartlett/Jackson Ambulance Service, the Bartlett Fire Department and the Bartlett Police Department responded.
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The 10-year-old was not injured and was able to be driven by snowmobile from the scene. His mother had suffered serious head injuries but was stable. She was placed in a rescue sled and transported about 2 miles back to the trailhead, where she was transferred to an ambulance.
She was taken by ambulance to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway for treatment. No update on her condition was available.
A Massachusetts woman was seriously injured when she crashed a snowmobile into a tree after she went off a trail in Bartlett, N.H. with her 10-year-old son on board Monday afternoon, New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
Jiamin Wei, 40, pf Chestnut Hill, was taken to Memorial Hospital in North Conway for treatment of head injuries, the statement said.
The boy was not injured in the crash that occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Lower Haystack Trail. The woman, who was riding a rented snowmobile as part of a group tour, “failed to negotiate a downhill left-hand turn,” the statement said.
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The machine crashed into a tree inside a ditch. The tour guide called for help, according to the statement.
Bartlett police and fire responded to the scene, along with a conservation officer, members of Bartlett /Jackson Ambulance Service, the statement said.
Wei was taken nearly two miles by a rescue sled back to the trailhead.
“Fortunately, the boy was not injured and was able to be driven by snowmobile from the scene,” the statement said.
No further information was available.
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Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.
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