This cache series is the brainchild of "Bo" of the StaBoRoPaSi gang. He's been interested in "exploring" more of the Gordon Hill/Windham Town Forest trails since the Gordon Hill Multi cache (Salem's highest point). He also wanted to leave the geocachers a little present before flying south once again. Before he migrated, we came in to “explore” these trails with a backpack full of containers and left hours later with an empty pack and some well marked trails. These caches were placed with snowshoes in mind, but are obtainable all year round. We hope you enjoy them no matter what season you choose. The StaBoRoPaSi Gang.
PARKING:
Main Parking - Windham Town Forest - N 42 50.484 W 071 15.621, Try parking here first. Four Wherigo's start here that you will not want to miss.
Secondary Parking (Winter friendly) - Aladdin Road - N 42 49.523 W 071 14.674, Use this if the Main parking area isn't plowed. We marked a trail with caches that connects the Gordon Hill area to Windham Town Forest Trails.
NOTE:
Please, DO NOT PARK in the Gordon Mountain road condo development. Windham has temporarily closed this trail head.
Speed skating
Speed skating began as a rapid form of transportation across frozen lakes and rivers. It made its debut on the Olympic program at the 1924 Winter Games.
Early pioneers
The Dutch were arguably the earliest pioneers of skating. They began using canals to maintain communication by skating from village to village as far back as the 13th century. Skating eventually spread across the channel to England, and soon the first clubs and artificial rinks began to form. Passionate skaters included several kings of England, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon III and German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Early competition
The first known skating competition is thought to have been held in the Netherlands in 1676. However, the first official speed skating events were not held until 1863 in Oslo, Norway. In 1889, the Netherlands hosted the first World Championships, bringing together Dutch, Russian, American and English teams.
Olympic history
Speed skating appeared for the first time in 1924 at the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix. Initially, only men were allowed to participate. It was only at the Lake Placid Games in 1932 that women were authorized to compete in speed skating, which was then only a demonstration sport. It was not until the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley that women’s speed skating was officially included in the Olympic program.
The events almost always follow the European system, which consists of skaters competing two-by-two. At the 1932 Olympic Games, the Americans organised American-style events, i.e. with a mass start. This decision brought about a boycott by many European competitors, which allowed the Americans to win the four gold medals. This system would give birth to short-track speed skating, which was added to the Olympic program in Albertville in 1992.