BostonBound59

On Saturday March 14, 2009 we headed out at 1:30 P.M. for our weekly bout of suffering. We were up in the air as to exactly what route we would follow, but as usual found a way to incorporate Kendall Hill Road in Mont Vernon into the run. We ran from our house for about five miles before crossing into Mont Vernon. After reaching the peak of Kendall Hill two (all uphill) miles later we decided to head down Joe English and the roads quickly turned muddy.

Joe English Road runs right under Joe English Hill, which is one of the most visible landmarks from a birds eye view when you fly into the Manchester airport. It sits less than a mile from what appears from the sky as a large white golf ball (which up close is more than six stories high) which in fact is a geodesic dome that protects satellite tracking antennas of the 23rd Space Operations Squadron of the U.S. Air Force. The antenna is located at the New Boston Air Force Station which served as a practice bombing range in the 1940's and still apparently has a few unexploded bombs in the woods as the sign above warns. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Boston_Air_Force_Station

According to the Town of Amherst website, the hill is named after Joe English who was what early histories called a "friendly Indian." He was the grandson of Masconnomet, the "sagamon" or chief at Agawam. Though Joe's real name was Merruwacomet, the settlers called him "Joe English" because of his affection for the local townspeople. According to Charles J. Fox's History of the Old Township of Dunstable, the local Indians had no affection for Joe and were determined to capture him. In approximately 1697 they unwittingly gave Joe English Hill its name when late one afternoon as Joe was hunting along the nearby Piscataquog River, he was surprised by two Indian hunters, who immediately pursued him. He ran east, toward the hill, which was a gentle slope on one side but an abrupt drop on the far side (see photo above...the cliff is much more dramatic in person but its the best one I could find online). Followed closely by the Indians, Joe ran up the hill and slipped over the edge onto a ledge. By now it was dark and his pursuers who were not as familiar with the hill, saw him go over the edge and, naturally enough, assumed he had fallen onto the rocks below and died.

As we ran under Joe English Hill we could look up and see the steep cliff which made Joe famous and to our left we could see nearly 40 miles into the distance to Mt. Kearsarge in Sutton. We made our way into New Boston, and at about the 11.5 mile mark turned around for the trip back. We faced many monster hills on the way out but fortunately had more downhills on the return trip and somehow traced our way back home to Amherst and after more than three hours on the roads (3:11 to be exact) were done. Just one long training run left.