Week Five is a short week!
Day 29: Appleton Farms Grass Rides, Hamilton, Ma
There are several old carriage paths that lead through the woods here. they are wide and green and quiet. Catherine and I had a nice hike passing by a stone pinnacle that once sat on Gore Hall (once the library at Harvard). Even though we spent just over an hour there we left plenty of trails unexplored for some other day.
Day 30: Warren-Weld Reservation, Essex, Ma
This was a cute little property tucked away down a quiet road. Catherine was particularly fascinated with the leaves today. She loved the way they crunched beneath her feet and she went shuffling through them at the trail head. Once up on my back she kept leaning out to grab leave off the branches of nearby trees.
Day 31: Halloween Surprise Reservation, Middleton, Ma
After trying on two occasions to find this trail (and failing) we decided to take our last hike of the month on a trail I spotted on the same road. There was only a sign with the usual message: carry in, carry out- watch for hunters- be respectful. With out a map we went in blind and quickly came upon a rude bridge and a wooden staircase going up the bank on the other side. We walked for a while through the woods and with no sign of a loop trail, we turned back towards the car. A pleasant hike, indeed.
I feel as if there should be some sort of wrap up now that the month is finished. I had a great time hiking my way through October. I was thrilled that I was able to find a distinct hike for each day of the month all so close to home. I now have an arsenal of great places to go for hiking, picnics and romps in the woods. I feel as if I had become jaded by the abundance of commercialism in this area, and this month I was reminded that there is more to the North Shore than malls and movie theaters. I spent some quiet time with my daughter showing her God’s handiwork and I had time to myself to ponder His plan for me.
Leanne suggested creating a GoogleMap of the locations that we hiked in. Thank you, Leanne, here it is!
Make sure you are wearing hunters orange when you are hiking in a lot of the reservations and wilderness areas this time of year. we found that out a few falls ago out near templeton/athol.
and… wilderness management areas (there is a huge one in groveland/georgetown) are awesome because no one uses them UNLESS they are hunting. and that means in the spring/summer they’re all yours. and you don’t have to wear orange.
some people do not care if it is posted “no hunting.” they’ll go out with bow and arrow setups so there is no gunshot. So even if it is posted, be very careful. there are a lot of selfish cheaters out there.
and finally, there is no hunting on sundays, so you’re free and clear… unless someone is cheating. again.
🙂
YAY! This map is GREAT!
Have you guys ever hiked Mt. Watatic? It’s in Ashburnham, and is my favorite spot. We’ve done about 3 hikes there this year with kids from school. It’s a decent challange at spots, takes under 45 minutes, and has a rewarding view at the top. Check it out if you havn’t already!