$aving!

The current trend we're noticing in the current economy is that people are downsizing, not eliminating extras but trimming their budgets... for instance- instead of going to Starbucks for their morning java, they're heading to Dunkin Donuts.  

When thinking winter sports, do you think about the $60 to $75 you'll spend per-day just for lift tickets at a big mountain and wonder how you can trim those costs?

King Pine is positioned for those people who are looking to have a wonderful winter experience with their families, without leaving a big dent in their wallets... 

King Pine has so many activities to enjoy that we're often checking to see if there's anyone in this region who can truly offer more... and better yet, most activities can be accessed through the alpine ticket you can purchase this season for only $42!  

On that one ticket, you can ski or ride King Pine, ice skate in our Zamboni groomed, covered Tohko Dome, and access our XC ski and snowshoe trails. Rentals are an additional cost but ALL of these activities are included for $42! Personally, I'd love to challenge anyone to find a better deal.

Save even more by bringing a group!  For $17, a junior can ski all day, midweek. King Pine has created some new, interesting programs this year for groups like a Winter Carnival (a midweek trip for parties over $100), discounted tubing slots, and affordable overnights in a rustic, lodge setting.

Save EVEN MORE money on lift tickets by staying with us at Purity Spring Resort.  Purity offers a variety of lodging options from condos and inn rooms to rustic lodges and slope-side accommodations.  Midweek, your alpine tickets are free and Purity offers different activities each week night like sleigh rides and tubing, COMPLEMENTARY!  

Until Next Time,

SH

Fun in the rain at Purity Spring Resort- here are a few ideas.

Year after year guests visit Purity Spring Resort. Some years the weather is beautiful and some years, like this one, it's pretty damp. But that shouldn't stop guests from having a good time, there's plenty to do- even in the rain provided there's no lightning or high winds. Common sense is always key in any weather event.

Hiking in the woods can be particularly beautiful on a rainy day. Gear up with some rain wear, even if it's just a rain coat, it's warm enough that getting wet won't cause any great discomfort, and step into the woods. The rain drops glisten off of each leaf and pine needle making the woods sparkle on the cloudiest of days. It feels good to get outside, moving around and enjoying the sights, sounds and scents of a rainy day in the woods. Pretty soon you'll be enjoying the rythmic sounds of the rain falling on the leaves overhead and you'll be happy you ventured out. Spend some time in our Audubon Sanctuary and discover frogs and toads, see what our resident wildlife is up to (they don't stop because it's raining) or just hike some trails for exercise. It's a great way to lift your spirits when you need it.

Swimming can be allot of fun on a rainy day. Especially on a morning like today. Yesterday was in the 90's and the night was pretty warm too. This morning we awoke to some showers but the water is still warm from yesterday's heat... warmer in fact than the air. With inflatables like our iceberg, jumping into warm water on a rainy day can be particularly fun. This is the stuff memories are made of- making fun out of a seemingly washed out day.

Fishing and boating are great rainy day activities. Our resident loons are still here and they're beautiful. Kayak out to the northern end of the lake and find them fishing or teaching their baby to fly. It's an amazing sight... loons need a long runway for take off to begin with, and the baby needs even more. You don't see mother nature like this every day. Or, throw a worm on your hook and try your hand at catching fish on Lake Purity. Our pickerel are particularly feisty and ready to fight. The excitement of having a "fish on" will certainly make you forget about the rain.

These are just a few things you can do here at Purity Spring Resort and around our beautiful valley even during the rainiest days. Just remember- you won't melt! So get out there and enjoy some smiles.

Baby Loon

For over 2o years loons have been documented nesting on Lake Purity.  I love going through the historical records of Purity Spring Resort and hope someday to find records dating back further, we shall see.  Some years the pair are successful in breeding, and sometimes, not.  This year she laid a clutch of 2 and one hatched.  The picture to the right, taken by our brilliant marketing director- is the newborn chick, the day we learned of its birth, on the back of its parent.  As you can see the chick is healthy and probably yelling at its mom for its next meal.  To tell you the truth, I can't tell mom and dad apart... I can when they are side by side but that's not too often.  Anyhow, that particular day I was fiddling with our new camera, trying to get video for our new website and was able to spend some very intimate moments with this special, brand new family.  They are so amazing to watch... their spectacular beauty is mesmerizing in itself, but their actions as a new family are so sweet and at one point, I was in my kayak not even 2 feet from dad who was checking me out.  Mom is swimming the baby around and because she lets everyone get so close it seems like she's showing the new fluff-ball off.  The chick moves around allot... from its mother's back to the water, hops on her back again, snuggles into mom's wing for a little nap, then back to the water.  What patience a parent must need for that!  Being a jungle gym for junior's every whim for three-weeks can't be easy.  But they do it with such grace.  Both parents are there for feeding time.  Most of the time one parent stayed with the chick but I did see a time when they were both diving and the little one was like a furry, black  ping pong ball dipping up and down like a row boat in a hurricane even with the smallest movements of the water.  So cute... and vulnerable I think to myself... but I keep watching and realize, they can see what's going on underwater if they're down there.  I watch, and learn that when the chick is in the water, its parents have their entire heads under water all the time scanning for danger. Perhaps they learned their lesson from last year when (what we think was) a snapping turtle took one of their 2 chicks.  But they're taking such good care of this chick and have since moved it to a quieter spot on the lake away from the busiest beaches of the resort.

Reconnecting with nature is such a special part of this place.  Kids come here from the city and suburbs and learn that there is so much in their world they know nothing about.  They get such a kick out of exploring new things... like taking walks in the rain through quiet woods, tye dyeing shirts, swimming in a pristine undeveloped lake, kayaking, mountain biking, and even the kids who come here begrudgingly love it in the end.  Like watching the loons, it's always fun to see families interact with their kids.  I mean really interact... teaching them new things, things they themselves forgot they loved so much.  To watch a dad teach his son how to catch a fish, and watching the kids pull in his first fish, eyes full of excitement, body ready to jump straight from the skin, wondering what to next, makes me as giddy as the kid.  This is real happiness-  and it's just another reason I love Purity Spring and what it does for people.  It's the best.   These experiences are EXACTLY what this world needs to combat all the bad in it.  And just like the loons, our time with our kids is so limited.  This is the most important time in their lives- and we need to be there to teach them everything they need to know to be okay growing up on this planet.  What a perfect place to foster strong bonds, and teach them what it's like to have good, clean fun!  

Do you have any memories of learning to ski/ride King Pine?

Feel free to share them with us anytime! Use this post as a spring board and dive in!

"Green" - Hey.... we already do that!

Kermit didn't think it was easy being green but for Purity Spring Resort and its sister companies, King Pine, Camp Tohkomeupog for boys, Danforth Bay Camping and RV Resort and The Bluffs, it's always just been a way of life. And even though it's a wonderful way to sustain a business and our mother earth at the same time, and even though I believe that it's great that our nation is honoring the greenies, it still makes me proudly snicker inside because of my pride for our resort.

When I sit at my desk and look at these old walls around me, I can just imagine how the Hoyt family has sustained their through the hundred plus years it's been in business. It has always been green. Whether it's saving money by pulling nails out of old boards and reusing the nails and wood for a new project or by managing its land oh so carefully in order to provide recreation in a pristine environment for over 4 generations, we're doing something very right here and we're doing it for the good of our business and our environment.

Here's just a sampling of our current efforts:

• King Pine purchased 24 "energy efficient" SMI tower guns in 07/08 to reduce the amount of fuel used for our snow making program.
• Purity Lake has been kept 100% free of development. Other than the few buildings built many many years ago, the Hoyt family has kept all development to an absolute minimum.
• Camp Tohko boys are taught to minimize their impact while on the property and forever by focusing on the "Leave No Trace" program. During hikes and retreats they are taught to be stewards of the environment. For instance they are taught to stay only on marked trails instead of using short cuts to minimize erosion.
• While building The Bluffs adult RV resort, the Hoyt family knew they'd promote themselves better and have more luck with sales of these sites if they created them directly on the water's edge. Instead they opted for the environment and kept sites 500 feet away from Huckins Pond.
• Four of the five pools in our campgrounds are salt-water pools that use 90% less chemicals than traditional pools.
• Our Marketing Director has switched printing companies in order to to have 80% of our collateral printed on FSC certified paper using soy based inks. FSC certification means that the companies that produce the paper are using; sustainable forestry practices and a portion of the product is derived from recycled wood and fiber.

"Preserving the land for the future enjoyment of our children... it is just the right thing to do." -Edward E. Hoyt

For more information about our programs, please contact Dan Houde, our Marketing Director.

SH

Welcome Spring & Summer!

Even though there are few a still snow showers happening on top of Mt. Washington, you have to come to terms with the fact that summer is almost here. Let the black flies be a temporary reminder of the fun that's about to descend on this valley.
Last weekend I took a wonderful group of gals that were staying at Purity down the Saco. We put in in Conway and took out in Fryeburg. What a glorious day! Sure we were warned of showers and high waters but we took a safe part of the river and not once did it shower! The highs were in about the 80's in the sun but the water was a cool ~50 degrees. I'm personally looking forward to swimming when it warms up and the group I was with echoed my sentiments. It's right around the corner.
It's amazing what our region has to offer if you're willing to make just a little bit of effort. There are beautiful walks right on our Audubon Sanctuary here at Purity Spring- I'm fortunate enough to know, lunches are often spent out there.
In any case, enjoy these longer days to their fullest! There's plenty of time and a myriad of places to take wonderful treks alone, with the dog, or with the entire family.
Enjoy! Life IS good.

Away for too long...

Since King Pine's last day, so much has happened. It's kept me busy, too busy I'm afraid to say to update this blog. For that I apologize.

My family and I took a little vacation and while we were gone, the Matriarch of the Hoyt family, owners of King Pine, Laura Hoyt Mahoney passed away after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Because of her legacy at this resort and her warm and welcoming ways, there was much to do to prepare for the myriads of guests that would want to join us for her service. And we wanted to do it perfectly for her. Something of definite note, the days after Laura died were absolutely beautiful- full sunshine and abnormally warm for April in New Hampshire. The entire resort staff banded together and on May 4th our friend Laura was remembered during a beautiful service held on the land she was born to work on. We heard from her sons, remembering their mother, honoring their mother, and loving her as hard as their hearts could handle. Their words will always be in my heart from this mother's day on... I hope, that when my time on earth is done, I've accomplished as much for my own son.

Laura always had a way though of not making things about her... she was such a humble person. When she was enduring the cancer treatments, driving 2 1/2 hours each way to receive them, I asked if there was anything she and her husband Jack needed. I explained that I understood that she had lots of friends and family but that I was always willing to help if there was anything I could do to make any of this easier on them. She looked me in the eyes and said, "Shannon, you are my family now." Then she went on with her work (yes, she still worked at the resort- until she absolutely couldn't) as if that statement came as naturally as anything else. I'll never forget that moment. Not that Laura and I were inseparable best friends- but that when I joined her in her life's work of making this beautiful place called Purity Spring Resort a successful business, I became her family. And she meant it, and I loved her for it.

So now our work continues, as does Laura's life work. We continue to beautify the resort readying it for the summer guests. Suzie Hoyt is working the gorgeous gardens here already tending to the needs of the plants that are blooming and those that soon will. Our chef's are attending regional cooking competitions, others attended the MWV Business to Business Expo, and we all continue to contribute to the greatness of this business.

Soon the lilacs will be out, they're her favorite I've learned and they're used as the logo for the new foundation created in her name- The Laura Mahoney Autism and Epilepsy Foundation.

You see, Laura's first grandchild Drew developed these two conditions as the years went by after his birth. Drew is non-verbal, and his "lovey-touch" is touching someones nose. I was lucky enough to witness this touch and the love between them many times. Laura's son Andrew summed it up elegantly, and simply, "she loved him just for who he is". In my early teens and until now, I've been blessed to have special people like Drew in my life too. People and children with special needs have always held a special place in my heart and I've come to be quite fond of Drew too... Who, believe it or not, has been doing amazingly well despite the loss of his Grammy. We all believe that Laura is with him, taking care of him and making his life easier in these days.

To make a donation please send it to:

The Laura Mahoney Autism and Epilepsy Foundation

1251 Eaton Road

East Madison, NH 03860