Northern New Hampshire exerts a strong pull on millions of people attracted to its deep woods, cold ponds, and rugged terrain. Riverside towns add to the draw, combining historic charm and entrepreneurial grit. As waves of visitors flow in and out of the region on a seasonal cycle, rooted residents carry on the land-based traditions that distinguish North Country culture: forestry and the manufacture of wood products, close connection with nature, and thirst for outdoor adventure.
Last summer, Northern Woodlands and the Northern Forest Center asked filmmaker Asher Brown to document how residents in their 20s and 30s are upholding the North Country way of life and adapting it for the future. Brown, himself a young professional from New Hampshire, met people working in various sectors of the economy. Each has forged a unique relationship with the area, either beginning in childhood or as a recent arrival; yet, all have chosen to make it their home.
In what follows, we introduce four individuals with excerpts from their interviews: Sierra Giraud, John Moses, Rachel Freierman, and Helon Hoffer. Their stories continue in short accompanying films posted on our YouTube Channel.
Together, the images and words reveal an enduring appreciation for the importance of place, of family, and hard work – of looking out for each other and finding joy in the outdoors. This spirit is not unique to northern New Hampshire. Rather, it lives in heavily forested regions from the Great Lakes to Atlantic Canada, along with the trees and the wildlife that call many of us to the woods.
Sierra Giraud, 27, Lancaster
Weyerhaeuser, forester
Sierra grew up in central New York and studied natural resource management at State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. When she was offered a forestry job in northern New Hampshire after graduation, she jumped at the chance – and fell in love with the landscape here.
I’ve been living here about three years working as a forester. My father was a forest ranger. We grew up going to camp up in the Adirondacks, and he always talked about the forest, and he would teach me tree species and wildlife and that connection to the woods.
Forestry is a science and an art, so you can really choose your own adventure, essentially, with the forest. The end goal is to leave the growing conditions better than what they were. I would say we’re managing for healthy, sustainable forests. But we’re also managing for trees to reach their maturity in a healthy state.
We generally have two different types of forest. We’ve got northern hardwoods, which are sugar maple and yellow birch, and we have spruce-fir forests. And those take different types of management schemes.
I love the landscape and the culture here. I like the slower pace, and I like being close to the woods. One thing I find really fascinating is seeing some of these unique scenes that I come across on a daily basis and just thinking, I don’t know how many people have actually seen this: a rock formation or a cave in the middle of the woods. How many people have actually walked past this, taken a picture, or even just admired it?
John Moses, 31, Easton
Britton Lumber Company, product manager
John grew up in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and earned a degree in environmental studies from the University of New Hampshire. After college, he moved west to San Francisco and landed a job with a utility company. Family, work, the mountains and forests, and the lower cost of living drew him back home.
I like working with my hands and working with equipment. My dad had acquired Britton Lumber [while I was in San Francisco], so it was kind of in the back of my head that I would be coming back to work for him at some point. I like the idea of having a family business and hopefully continuing it on, and who knows, maybe eventually passing it down to the next generation.
I’ve learned every position in the mill. I started out at the bottom of the hill, literally, at the sorting sheds stacking lumber. From there I would come up to the sawmill and fill in a little bit, go up to the planing mill and fill in, go to the bagger, and just move around the operation and get a feel for how the different jobs worked. I enjoy the work. It’s tough, but it’s rewarding.
We strictly saw eastern white pine, all locally sourced by loggers within a hundred miles or so. The majority of our wood is sold through our wholesale department over in Fairlee, Vermont, to local lumberyards in New England and upstate New York.
I enjoy living back in New Hampshire. It’s a lot more peaceful. A lot of my friends went out and explored other parts of the country and realized that the Upper Valley and the North Country are nice parts of the country to live, and the quality of life is high, and the outdoorsy activities are here.
Rachel Freierman, 33, Bartlett
Appalachian Mountain Club, manager of A Mountain Classroom
Rachel grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and spent many childhood vacations in the White Mountains. She graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, with a degree in environmental studies and has traveled extensively. Beyond her work with the AMC, Rachel volunteers for a local fire department and, with her wife, runs a small farm.
My family spent a good amount of time outdoors. We used to go camping with my grandmother and my aunt and their cats. That was sort of my entry point into the outdoors: car camping with the cats and playing poker. That was how I came to know this place.
During February break, we’d go on a weeklong trip up to Suncook Lake up in northern Maine by Mount Katahdin. We would cross-country ski in seven miles, and this guy named Red would pull our stuff in on a snowmobile, and we’d stay in this little cabin that had no heat, just a wood stove.
A lot of my peers didn’t have those opportunities and hadn’t left the city or been in the woods. They certainly wouldn’t want to go hiking. That was outside of their comfort zone.
We work with school groups from all across New England, from every type of school and all different demographics. We teach ecology and earth science, as well as leadership development and team building. It connects students not only to the natural world but also to their classmates. We get students outside of the school setting, and I think that’s important because it connects what they’re learning about in a textbook to something real and tangible.
Helon Hoffer, 34, Eaton
U.S. Forest Service, trails manager and Mount Washington Avalanche Center snow ranger
Originally from Danville, Vermont, Helon went to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Hut Croo during college. Home is the Mount Washington Valley, where he is close to an array of outdoor recreational opportunities, and where he and his wife are raising two outdoor-loving children.
My folks loved hiking. They thought it was the greatest family adventure. We hiked New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers. We did some overnights at the AMC huts. That was a ton of fun. And that was kind of where I learned about the AMC.
The Avalanche Center does avalanche forecasting. We do search and rescue and promote avalanche education. Really, the ultimate goal is to give people who come to ski and climb in the alpine terrain a good experience, whether they’re beginners or experts. I kind of went into that job really sold on the Avalanche Center side of things, and then I just fell in love with the land management side of the job. Working with the Forest Service trail crew is great, because you can be an adult and still get to play in the mud during the day.
Recreation is a resource, and I think sometimes people don’t view it that way. The Mount Washington Valley and the White Mountains region as a whole, it’s a tourist destination. People come here to recreate. It supports a lot of communities, and I think it’s just super valuable for growing this area as a whole.
We love the community here and all our friends. The Mount Washington Valley is home. I’m super excited to raise my kids here.