Indian Head, Lincoln NH

It’s our anniversary! And time to get away! COVID has changed our definitions for “get away”, but with proper planning and precautions, you can still enjoy traveling…

For our anniversary this year Darcy took the lead in selecting our adventure. It had to be within driving distance, interesting, fun, and most of all… OPEN! She found the perfect getaway in the mountains of New Hampshire, although she kept it a secret until the final turn into the spot. AMAZING!

We started preparing for our trip by COVID testing and trying to quarantine as much as possible. On New Year’s Eve we loaded up some hiking gear and some other comfy clothes in the Jeep and headed out. I made Darcy promise we weren’t staying in a tent…it *is* January. As we drove through Vermont I knew our destination was New Hampshire, but still clueless as to where exactly. Eventually we slowed down to take a turn and I noticed a train caboose in a yard, and said “damn, that would be cool!”

The Lil' Red Caboose

AND THAT’S OUR DESTINATION!!!

The Lil’ Red Caboose is an incredibly comfortable, very unique place to stay very close to Lincoln and things to do. There’s a bathroom with shower, a big bed, kitchenette… it’s a mini-apartment! I highly recommend staying here and relaxing on a train caboose.

New Year’s Eve we headed out to dinner reservations at Gordi’s Fish and Steak House. We were happy to see proper COVID restrictions in place, and of course I got a steak. A really, really big steak. A really, really, big, delicious steak. During dinner Darcy started coughing a bit and I said “Don’t worry everyone! She’s just choking! It’s not COVID!” Well, I said it more to Darcy than to anyone else. We got dessert and polished that off, then headed back to the caboose for a good sleep. It’s been a long time since we stayed up for the Ball Drop, and this year was no different.

New Year’s Day we cleaned up and dressed for the weather. Our destination was a hike… any hike, and after giving it some thought (travel time, etc.), we headed to the Indian Head trailhead just up the road. It was a beautiful day for it, and we were the only ones in the lot when we headed out. The trail wasn’t bad at all, and meanders under the freeway before heading up to the summit. The snow wasn’t deep so we opted for just trail spikes, and these worked perfectly as towards the top there was a bit more ice before reaching the bare rock summit. Only a handful of people were up there enjoying the first day of 2021, and all were in good moods it seemed.

We didn’t stay long at the summit and headed down after a few photos and getting in a few pets of a dog up there. We passed quite a few more people heading up as we went down, and soon found ourselves back at the Jeep. Just the perfect amount of hiking to get our feet under us again. It’s been a bit since we were out… at least it felt like it. I guess we were just in the Adirondacks in September!