On many occasions, my father and I have traveled on snowmobile through the bumpy trails of Nelson. Invariably when we hit the ice of Nubanusit my breath is taken away. The snow sweeps across the ice in the bitter wind, making a dance of ghost-like figures. The snow drifts over the surface of the ice, stirring thoughts of scourging hot sand on faraway deserts.
Birches weave in and out of the evergreens on the shores.
The 700-acre lake seems large and wide, and as my father and I travel the edge of the shore we interrupt the lake's haunting silence. It is a winding shore, as the lake bends and turns here and there. For much of the 19th century, its shape, which followed the path of a brook, caused it to be known as Long Pond, but about 120 years ago its original Abenaki name was restored. Although Nubanusit has long been known for its outstanding beauty, it also served as an industrial resource. In the 1850's the water level was raised about 14 feet.