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North America’s Toughest 10k Huge Success

 

Pinkham Notch, NH—Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center is known for holding some of the Granite State’s most unique and challenging human-powered races, but one of its annual events sets the benchmark in both regards. First held in 1997 as Ski to the Clouds, the race has evolved over its 22-year history, but still holds true to its moniker as North America’s Toughest 10K, with the final 6 kilometers climbing over 2,200 vertical feet up the Mt. Washington Auto Road.
 
 
In 2013, a separate snowshoe category was added to entice snowshoe racers to take up the challenge, and was so successful that in 2014 the event was renamed as Ski & Shoe to the Clouds. In 2016, a new fatbike category was added, which quickly became the largest group of racers, but was sadly cancelled due to lack of snow. However, Mother Nature has been kind to us for the last two years, offering up perfect snow conditions, with 120 racers competing in the 2017 event, and a record 156 racers registering this year—17 Nordic skiers, 68 snowshoers, and 71 fatbikers.
 
 
Whether on skis, snowshoes or fatbikes, the race lived up to its reputation, testing the athletes as only Mount Washington can. The fastest time was posted by veteran racer Tristan Williams, with a blazing time of just 49 minutes 47 seconds, winning the men’s Nordic division for the second straight year. Tristan was closely followed by fellow Nordic skier Ryan Kelly (51:54), and the winner the men’s fatbike division, Logan Kasper (52:07). Kudos to all the racers who battled the Mountain and finished, but particularly to the winners of each division:
 
Men’s Nordic
Tristan Williams 49:47
 
Women’s Nordic
Amalia Siegel 1:01:20
 
Men’s Snowshoe
Francois Leger Dionne 58:42
 
Women’s Snowshoe
Annabelle Wilson 1:16:12
 
Men’s Fatbike
Logan Kasper 52:07
 
Women’s Fatbike
Amber Ferreira 1:02:50
 
 
Pictures and story contributed by
 
Crispin Battles, Marketing Director
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Woman Seriously Injured After Crashing Snowmobile Into Bridge

PITTSBURG, NH – A woman was injured in a snowmobile accident yesterday. Fish and Game Officials report that at around 4pm 29-year-old Ashley Riopel of Laconia sustained serious injuries after crashing her snowmobile into a bridge in the Northern Indian Stream area.

Members of her riding party assisted her back to Deer Mountain Campground in Pittsburg. While transporting Riopel, they made contact with a groomer operator who subsequently made an emergency call to 911.

Upon receiving word of the incident, Pittsburg Fire Department and 45th Parallel EMS to Deer Mountain Campground on US Route 3 where she was awaiting assistance.

Due to the severity of her injury she was ultimately transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon for further evaluation and treatment.

 

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Man Arrested For Allegedly Pushing Truck Down Route 16 In Front-End Loader

55-year-old Edward Evans of Wolfeboro was arrested for allegedly pushed a vehicle down Route 16 last Thursday (February 22nd) with a front-end loader. ~ Photo courtesy of Ossipee Police

OSSIPEE, NH – Ossipee Police arrested a man who was seen in a video pushing a car down route 16 with his front-end loader. On their Facebook page Ossipee Police reported that 55-year-old Edward Evans of Wolfeboro allegedly was upset and had assaulted staff at a business last Thursday.

The report goes on to say that Evans then allegedly became even more upset over a vehicle that was parked on the property of his business at 800 Route 16 in Ossipee, so he used a front-end loader to push the victims truck onto its side and proceeded to push it down route 16 to a different location.

Evans was charged with multiple counts of simple assault, criminal mischief, reckless conduct, and reckless operation.

Evans was released on $5000 personal recognizance bail.

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Fire Destroys Historic Barn In Wolfeboro

Photo courtesy of the Wolfeboro Fire Department

 
WOLFEBORO, NH – No one was injured, but an historic barn was destroyed in a fire in Wolfeboro Wednesday.

Wolfeboro Fire-Rescue said they were alerted to the blaze on North Main Street at around 11:11pm.

According to reports heavy fire and smoke was visible from many parts of town. A first alarm was immediately requested.

When fire crews arrived on scene they found a barn, owned by Elizabeth Nordbeck, fully engulfed in flame with a home about 50 feet away. Crews were able to prevent the fire from reaching the home.

The fire was declared under control just before 1am. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

 

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Maine Man Arrested for Evading Police In Stolen U-Haul

41-year-old William Wyman of Portland was arrested Sunday for allegedly eluding authorities in a stolen U-Haul truck. ~ Photo courtesy of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office

 

STANDISH, ME – A Maine man was arrested for allegedly stealing a U-Haul and attempting to elude police for the second time in 6 months.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said that a deputy was on patrol in Standish Sunday morning when he witnessed a white U-haul pick-up speeding on Route 35.

Authorities said that the deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over to no avail. The driver allegedly proceeded to accelerate and drive erratically so the Deputy stopped pursuing the truck.

Another deputy in Windham said he witnessed the vehicle go through a red light at the intersection of Route 35 and 302 at around the same time.

The truck was quickly located after it left the road near the area of Tandberg Trail and Knox Street sustaining minor damage.

The driver, identified as 41-year-old William Wyman of Portland, was arrested.

Wyman is being charged with theft of a motor vehicle, Criminal Speed, Driving to endanger, Failing to Stop for a Police Officer, Operating After Suspension, a Probation Hold, and other traffic violations.

This is the second time the Cumberland County Sheriff’s office has had contact with Wyman in the past 6 months. On Halloween night, he attempted to elude Deputies in another stolen U-Haul that ended with a crash in Standish.

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Conway Adult Day Center Conditionally Approved

This architectural illustration shows a view of the four season porch at the Mount Washington Valley Day Center. The porch is just one of the features that will be designed to bring in natural light and nature for the facility. ~ Photo Courtesy of Memorial Hospital

 
NORTH CONWAY, NH –   The Conway Planning Board on February 22 conditionally approved the site plan for the $4.6 mil.14,000sf building that will house the MWV Adult Day Center subject to receipt of routine engineering permits. Memorial Elder Care Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Memorial Hospital, will operate the state-of-the-art memory care center, with multiple therapeutic and activity areas providing services to the guests and respite for their family and caregivers. The site is in Center Conway off Route 302 near the new Journey Church. The facility will see a ground breaking in spring 2018 and an anticipated opening in summer 2019.

Memorial will lease the facility from the buildings’ owner, The Betty C. Ketchum Foundation under a ten-year renewable lease.  The Betty C. Ketchum Foundation mission is to serve the senior memory care population and their families and caregivers in the Mount Washington Valley area.

The Center is expected to fill a great need in the Valley, a point validated by the feasibility study conducted by Memorial in 2016.  That study showed that by 2030 (less than 15 years away) Carroll County is predicted to be one of the oldest counties in NH with 48% of population over 65 years old and over 1000 residents in need of memory day care services.

The Center will result in a positive economic impact to the Mount Washington Valley in many ways, from generating new jobs to providing construction revenue to enabling family caregivers to return to the workforce.

The Center plans on employing upwards of 15-20 new staff once the Center is operating at full capacity.  The staff will include RNs, LNAs, therapeutic activity coordinators, social workers, administrative support and drivers. The staffing will increase as the guest count grows over the years. The building is designed to accommodate up to 75 guests, although both staff and the guests will be staggered throughout the Center’s daily operations, which will be open 10 hours a day, Monday – Friday.

The initial construction and outfitting of the building will generate millions in construction costs, including engineering, site work, building materials, equipment, furnishings and landscaping. Whenever possible, local resources will be utilized. HEB Engineers of North Conway, NH was contracted for all of the site design engineering and permitting. Local contractors interested in learning more about the project are encouraged to contact construction manager Landry French Construction of Scarborough, ME.

The services the Center will offer will impact not just the senior in need of memory care but also their caregivers, whether it’s a spouse or an adult child or other family member. With unemployment in the Valley reaching historic lows and local businesses scrambling for staff, the Center may positively impact individuals’ ability to be part of the workforce. The Center may allow these caregivers to return to work, miss fewer hours of work due to illness or increase their hours as their loved ones can receive excellent care designed to improve their cognitive function in a safe and enriching environment.

Memorial’s nursing home administrator Sue Ruka, RN, PhD, who earned her doctorate in geriatric care stated, “Now more than ever, people 65 plus are still working. They may be the adult child caring for the parent, or their spouse. This is respite for them as well.”

Ruka also hopes that the Center will be an important first step in Mount Washington Valley becoming known as a dementia friendly community.  This is a nationwide initiative to foster communities that are equipped to support people with dementia and their family and friends by working to become “dementia friendly.”  This could include special training for local restaurants and shops on how to provide a welcoming environment for those with dementia. There are 54 dementia friendly communications in Massachusetts and it’s a trend that is spreading as Baby Boomers age and the need increases. More information on dementia friendly communities can be found at http://www.dfamerica.org.

This designation could see ripple effects in the Valley’s tourism and real estate market as both visitors and those looking to relocate or retire here will know these vital services are available.  Visitors from away will be welcome to utilize the Adult Day Center’s services in addition to the local population, a welcome respite for vacationers who might not otherwise be able to partake in activities such as skiing or hiking due to caregiving duties.

Ruka continued, “People are living longer. Dementia is one of the most rapidly growing diagnosis. These people are living through other diseases. Age is one of the major risk factors. Our goal is to do common therapeutic activities, not clinical, to really help people maintain function and cognitive ability as much as possible. Mostly we want to bring quality of life and joy to people. People with dementia can experience joy. They should be happy, they should feel joy, and they should enjoy themselves. That’s a lot of what we’re going to do.”

The Adult Day Center will serve those with memory loss and cognitive and physical limitations. It will provide an array of memory-care services including structured activities, meals, health monitoring, art, music and physical therapy, socialization, and assistance with bathing and activities of daily living to seniors. The program is anticipated to offer affordable rates and potential financial support for participants may come from private family resources, long-term care insurance, veteran’s benefits, Medicaid, state of NH caregiver grants and fundraising efforts.

The Conway Planning Board’s approval is a vital next step in the construction planning for the Center, as the plan is for construction to begin later this spring. The Conway ZBA previously approved a variance for the site in December 2017.

For more information about the Center, contact Memorial Hospital’s Sue Ruka at 603-356-5461 ext. 2194. More information may be found online at www.memorialhospitalnh.org/adultdaycenter.

 

Story contributed by:

Kathy Bennett, Vice President – Community Relations & Development
603-356-5461 ext. 2198
kbennett@memorialhospitalnh.org