BETHEL – The Mahoosuc Land Trust will host its first winter hike of the season Saturday, Jan. 19, at Puzzle Mountain in Newry.

According to Jim Mitchell, the executive director of the Mahoosuc Land Trust, the hike on Puzzle Mountain will begin at 8:30 a.m., and will be led by Gabe Perkins, who predicts the hike will last until “around midafternoon.”

“This is a strenuous hike,” Mitchell warned. “Anybody who’s interested will have to bring snowshoes and poles. Hikers may want to bring their own water and lunch, too.”

Mitchell said that anybody who wants to participate in the hike must meet at the Grafton Loop Trailhead, which is found about 4.5 miles north of the Bear River Trading Post in Newry.

There currently are plans for the Mahoosuc Land Trust to do three more winter hikes after Saturday, including one led by resident Rich Churchill through Sunday River Valley on Feb. 16 and a children’s hike in Greenwood on March 16.

“We try to include some hikes for beginners,” Mitchell said. “We just like getting people on our land.” Mitchell added that, last year, the Mahoosuc Land Trust did a hike on Rumford Whitecap Mountain, which was very well received by the public.

Mitchell also pointed out that the Mahoosuc Land Trust will host a discussion about high-elevation birds on March 27 at Gould Academy, with guest speaker Judith Scarl from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com