By early March in New Hampshire, winter grows quieter. The excitement of the first snowfall has faded, spring still feels just out of reach, and the landscape settles into a brief pause between seasons.

If March comes in like a lamb, we know it may still leave with the roar of a lion. Skiers, snowboarders, and sledders squeeze in as many runs as possible, fully aware that longer, wetter days are on the horizon. For others, winter has begun to feel repetitive, and many of us are watching closely for the first real signs that the seasons are about to change.

For artists, this is when the landscape starts revealing new details. When the weather cooperates, deep blue shadows stretch across snow-covered fields, and old stone walls slowly reappear from beneath their winter cover. As a photographer, I begin searching for open water — those small pockets of thaw that create clear, mirror-like reflections of the surrounding world.

March is New Hampshire’s true in-between season, when spring cautiously starts pushing back. Country roads turn muddy under passing cars, interrupted now and then by a final burst of heavy, wet snow that usually disappears as quickly as it arrives.

It’s also the perfect time to prepare yourself for warmer days ahead. Pull on the mud-muckers and take a daily walk. Change your routine. Drive a short distance to explore one of the state’s many rail trails, stroll along a lake or pond as the ice slowly pulls away from the shoreline, or — better yet — head to the beach and let the sound of open water remind you that spring isn’t far behind.

The In-Between Season

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