Editor’s Note: Going to Extremes

My favorite T-shirt doesn’t often leave the drawer. It’s a bright, loud orange, but mostly I don’t want to wear it out.

I rappelled down a 24-story building to earn it.

Two years ago, I was introduced to readers of New Hampshire Magazine via a photo that showed me suspended by twin lines of rope from the top of the Brady Sullivan Plaza. I was about to make my descent as a participant of Over the Edge, an annual fundraiser for local nonprofits organized by the United Way of Greater Nashua.

While Over the Edge is conducted under strict safety protocols by a company that specalizes in these events, rappelling 300 feet down the side of an office tower in downtown Manchester was by far the most extreme activity I had ever undertaken.

That morning in June 2022, my mentor was Randy Pierce, president and CEO of Future in Sight, who has made the descent several times — a true act of bravery for someone who lost his eyesight decades ago. 

After I reached solid ground, I had the honor of watching Susanna Hargreaves make her way down the side of the glass-covered tower. The breast cancer survivor, who is terrified of heights, was raising money for Pink Revolution, a nonprofit that supports cancer patients. 

“Going over the edge is like a metaphor for me,” Hargreaves told me for a story that appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader. “I’m facing my fear of going over the edge. I’ve already faced cancer. I just, thought, ‘Wow, I can do this. I can do this.’ ”

I’ll be going Over the Edge for a second time June 24. This time, I was inspired by Adam Hamilton, co-founder of Shire’s Naturals, a company in Peterborough that makes plant-based cheese products. When I told Adam about the program a few months back, he said, “I’d do that,” so we both signed up to raise money. Over the Edge supports more than 20 local nonprofits.

Extreme activity is not an inherent part of my DNA. I was in my 50s when I first tried mountain biking on a challenging trail at Bear Brook State Park. But I recognize that joyful, crazed look on the face of the cyclist on the cover of this issue. Longtime contributor Brion O’Connor, who wrote about his Mt. Washington Auto Road bike trek for last month’s Live Free essay, chronicles the Granite State’s long legacy of extreme sports (page 58). 

In his latest “What Do You Know” (page 42), Marshall Hudson takes a break from perambulating through history to take us on a joy ride at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he reached speeds of nearly 120 mph. (The only time I’ve ever driven on that Loudon track was to get a COVID shot during a mass vaccination event in 2021.)

Chill factor

For readers who prefer chills to thrills, editors Emily Heidt, Emily Reily and Elisa Gonzales Verdi — our “E3” team — toured the Granite State in search of great places to have a cup of tea, and if you’re lucky, a homemade scone made by a proprietor with a British accent (page 20). 

Gonzales Verdi is your tour guide for our annual “Summer of Fun” feature, which is packed with things to do all season long. We go to extremes to make sure you know about everything the great Granite State has to offer.