The original topic of my writing was travel reviews of places that I have been to; and that's one of the most prevalent topics on my websites. I have covered everywhere from Sintra to San Francisco, everywhere in between, and some more.
As one may expect, people have asked me what my favorite locale I have highlighted is, and whether I would write about that place again. Naturally, people have had a variety of different guesses on what that place would be; ranging from Krakow to Moab.
Yet they would all be incorrect. The real answer is Waterville Valley, New Hampshire.
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Even though my family tries extremely hard to continue finding new places to travel on vacations, we always find ourselves back in the small mountain village. Which is fair, given that my great-aunt bought her condominium up there in 1980, and at least one member of the family has been up there every year since.
The first time I was up there, I was six weeks old; and my earliest memories that I can semi-soundly recall were walking through the Town Square. This was around 2009/2010 for reference.
Over the past fifteen years, I have seen firsthand the evolution of the village. A bakery that once occupied the second floor corner unit was replaced by emptiness due to rising rent. The construction of new townhouses right on the main road, which gives the appearance that people don't care where they are, so long as they are in the ZIP code.
A bridge, that once connected the Village Trail to the Inner Mad River, was destroyed in a hurricane in the mid-2010s, and was replaced by a more grandiose structure that would have a better sense of belonging on a coastal Maine boardwalk.
I have seen countless tourist-catering businesses rise and fall over the years; and as much as I have seen it, my great aunt has witnessed it all from the comforts of the first multifamily residential complex built in the town.
Of course, the Valley is not really one that tourists would have heard of. The Resort caters itself to a more residential crowd. There are four decent restaurants in the town and a general mercantile. But generally, people who come to the Valley live in residential units and cook their own food.
Even the hotels, which there are four at present, they are designed more so as condo-hotels; and for what it's worth, it's not so much a hotel you're getting at but rather location.
I sound like an old critic, but the reasons I outline for why some people may not like it are precisely why I and others in my family have liked it. You are away from the hustle and bustle of other mountain towns that are much more popular in New England, like North Conway and Killington, not to mention the behemoth Stowe.
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The main element that Waterville Valley (the locale) has to offer that isn't the impressive ski area is the Mad River, which Wikipedia so thoughtfully considers to merely be a tributary in the Pemigewasset River, which is giving the former name less credit than it deserves.
Despite some concerns over lack of water due to the rising temperatures, which is really prevalent for one, maybe two weeks in August, the river can be heard from a few hundred yards away; and is a key part in the ecosystem and trails around it. I used to play and swim in the river with my brothers when I was younger, and I used to fish there with my father some years ago. But I always make it a point to at least put my feet in the frigid cold water. (If not directly in the Valley, then in the Eddy. Which I'll have this article describe on my behalf.)
In the past five years, my family has usually rented a townhouse that happens to be situated right on the river. As such, we typically open the windows and make it the first place to go down the relatively steep staircase to the riverbank at the beginning of the day, and back up as the last place.
As me and my brother have gotten older, our relationship has evolved to a point of mutual and respect and similar interests. One such activity is our fondness for rather-long walks. We have especially utilized this more in the Valley. Where there are two different "loops" that one can take in the Valley. The "inner" loop is 1.56 miles, and the "outer" loop is 3.82 miles. It would not be a surprise to anyone to know that we often will do three, maybe four walks around these loops daily while in the Valley.
This is not even including the infamous Mad River Trail, which will take travelers to hidden spots in the forest that allow you to just stop and, breathe. Breathe in the fresh mountain air, away from everyone else. It can just be you and the trees
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One-hundred and eighty-four posts have been released on ZachsThoughts, and so far seven on this blog. People may consider it odd that I have written about this place now thrice. But there's a reason. There's always a reason.
In fact, even prior to the blog posts, I have written about the Valley in a certain capacity. I used to write short stories for my middle school's online magazine, and one of the stories was about an isolated mountain town with one road in and out; with very specific nods and allusions towards this place. I also associate the song "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors with the story. Take that as you will.
The first blog post on the village was released on the Eighth of August in 2020. It was the very first post published to ZachsThoughts and was the stereotypical "classic" travel review that I tend to write on places. I chose to write about the Valley first since I was just there, and thus still very much on my mind.
Credit: Visit Waterville Valley
The second post was written as a filler post during my time in Europe and Israel. Despite popular belief, I have been, and still am, incredibly poor at advance planning for the blog. The first "filler" post written was on Snapchat, and the second was a "Remastered" Version of the original Valley review post; since I wanted to make it an effort to rewrite the (very) old posts in a way that better reflected my changing style.
For this third post, I have been longing to go back to the valley, and I suppose that this post is a good outlet for that.
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People tend to ask, when you say you are going away on vacation, where you are going. I give the same reply: "Oh, I'm going up to the mountains in New Hampshire."
Usually that response will warrant some further inquiries, like "where", and maybe "why", but for the most part people don't know know about the valley or it's charms.
That, of course, is the whole point. Away from civilization and bound by Osceola, Tecumseh, and Tripyramid. A place where you can enjoy the peaceful river flowing without the constant barrage of talking and loud noises.
Just how I like it.
We continue onwards. We'll be back next week with another post.
Thanks for reading, see you soon.