North-South Trail - Hike #8

I would never have believed it if last April you told me that it would take me almost a whole year to finish my North-South Trail.  But with crazy schedules and other seasonal activities, that's the way the chips fell.  Being a relatively short segment to finish, I thought it would be nice to get a whole bunch of people together to celebrate the completion.  Alas, that was not to be  As it turns out though, with just Betsy and me hiking, this turned out to be the perfect finish.

It's Patriot's Day in Massachusetts.  In Boston, the 121st running of the Boston Marathon is taking place.  We're not doing a marathon today simply because 1)  we're not running, 2) we're not going  26.2 miles, and 3) we're not in Massachusetts.  Nonetheless, I do have the day off from work, a delightful surprise from the company that recently acquired my employer.  We just enjoyed a wonderful Easter with family yesterday and considering all the running around we've done in the past week or so with end of Lent and Easter, Betsy suggested that we take this free day and go for a hike. 

Okay - let's go!

To begin, I offer Betsy a patriotic plastic rose (found laying by the roadside).

There are boulders everywhere, but this is an especially big glacial erratic.

This gives you a little sense of "boulders everywhere".  This part of the trail is quite similar to the Midstate section just on the other side of the state line.

Like most of the North-South Trail, the markings leading the way were excellent. 
The weather was around 71 degrees - perfect temps short sleeve hiking .

This rock cliff was quite impressive.  Lucky for us, we get to skirt around it rather than going over the top.

An additional motivation for our hike today was for Betsy to try out her new hiking boots.  These Hoka hiking boots look and feel a lot like sneakers and we're hoping they will provide enough comfort and support for an extended period of time.

There was a registration box along the path.  I recorded our names and this blog site in case anybody wants more details about how we did.

Here we are at the Midstate Trail stone marker in Douglas State Forest, Massachusetts. 
The last time we were here was 4 years, 4 months, and 9 days ago.  See Midstate Hike 17.

At this point, the hike on the North-South Trail is complete.  Unfortunately, we're in the middle of the forest.  We'll turn south on Benson Mountain Trail and head to the Buck Hill Management Area parking lot.

We cross over this dike and we've got less than 1/2 mile to go.  After that, I have to go retrieve the car.

This is my own version of the Marathon's Heartbreak Hill.  However, instead of rising just 88 feet in 0.4 miles,
I had to ascend more steeply:  191 feet in 0.64 miles.  I kept my head down and hoofed it up and over the hill.

It looks like we've got a new post-hike tradition - going out after.  Today we visit The Angler Restaurant in Westminster where all the fried specialties are cooked in a gluten-free batter on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Betsy successfully hiked 5.78 miles and I added another 1.04 on top of that for a total of 6.82 files, the last mile of it being the killer.  But by doing that extra mile, we only needed one car.  The best news:  the North-South Trail is done!  There's no patch this time, but just knowing that I've now hiked across two states is pretty cool in and of itself.

Impromptu New Year's Hike

I was invited to join some friends on a New Year's Holiday hike on a section of (my old friend) the Midstate Trail.  With all our holiday company gone, including my wife, I figured I could take some time for some fresh air and start the new year off right.

The section of trail we were hiking was around the Barre Falls Dam (essentially Hike #8 from my Midstate trek in 2012).  I met my fellow hikers at the picnic area near the dam, from there we shuttled back to Intervale Road in Rutland.

As I said, I was invited along on this hike; this was Brian's hike as he attempts to hike as much of the Midstate as he can this year.  I started out just hiking, but soon found much of the scenery to be winter-wonderland beautiful, a pleasant surprise for me as I had never hiked this section of the trail in the snow.  To that end, all the pictures I have are just from my phone, since I wasn't originally planning to blog this hike.

Lots of snow, and it's not so clear to see the trail.

Lots of snow, but at least I can clearly see the trail.

Not quite enough snow to warrant snowshoes;  micro-spikes will do it today.  Nonetheless, sometimes I couldn't see my feet. I wish I would have remembered the gaiters.

This stone structure looks like a foundation or more likely a retaining wall for a cistern.

Frozen brook.

Underneath, there's still some water flowing.

Nearing the end of the hike, here's a view of the dam from below. 

Looking back down, you can follow the trail back into the woods on the left.

This is the control house for the dam itself.

Back at the picnic area, I join my fellow hearty hikers:  Brian, Tom, Dave.

This hike actually winds through three towns:  Rutland, Hubbardston, and finally Barre.  Our distance was 3.78 miles in 1:46 (2.12 mph).  Not fast, but 1) we weren't going for speed, and 2) there was lots of snow on the trail.  Sadly, I forgot to take and "end" picture of where we went to rejuvenate after the hike.  That would be the Gardner Ale House where we enjoyed some appetizers and beer.

AMC Paddle: Nashua River from Still River Depot

The Nashua River is my home town river.  It passes right by the bottom my street, Johnny Appleseed Lane, here in Leominster.  It is traveling south at that point, but turns around to head north when it meets up with its southern branch in South Lancaster.  From there it continues a northerly journey through Massachusetts towns in Worcester and Middlesex Counties until it finally flows into the Merrimack River in Nashua, NH.  Besides the local stories that we know about the river, much can be learned from a paddling guide I used on this trip available from the Nashua River Watershed Association.

This AMC outing was postponed from a couple weeks ago due to a pretty intense rainstorm.   Today, however, was a near perfect day. 

Our adventure started at the Still River Depot put-in off Rt 110 in Harvard.  It was 39 degrees when I woke up, so we had a rather chilly start to the day, with some paddlers in winter coats.

The paddling could not have been prettier.  Much of the summer algae was gone, replaced by a blanket of leaves on the water's surface.

Still water.  Fall colors.  Picture perfect.

We had nine paddlers on this trip, all in kayaks.  My, how times have changed;  it used to be canoes always outnumbered kayaks on trips like this.

At one point, we explored one of the little tributary coves winding away from the main part of the river. 
Lilly pads abounded here in the shallows.

This was really cool.  A new special landing dock at Hospital Road. 
You paddle your boat into the v-shaped chute ...

... then pull yourself and your craft up over the rollers to a larger dock area when you can exit.

You get to keep your feet dry.  After landing, we headed up the bank to a nice lunch spot.
Prior to stopping, some of us continued to head down river to the Ice House Dam up at Rt 2A in Ayer.
There was a take out there to allow an easy portage around the dam, but that will be another trip.

After lunch, we headed back upstream to our starting point.
Along the river's edge stood the ruins of a foundation and this old stone fireplace.

Since there was almost no current in the river, the paddle back upstream was easy.  Besides the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, we also passed by the Fort Devens South Post where Army Reservists do weekend training.  Shots could be heard from the nearby rifle range.  We also passed by MCI Shirley Prison and underneath busy Route 2.

It was a leisurely outing today. Our total time on the river was 5:22.  The mileage to Hospital Road was 9.0 miles, while the total mileage and time to the Ice House Dam as 11.2 miles with 4:00 hours of paddling (it was an extra 25 minutes and 1.6 miles each way beyond Hospital Road).  By afternoon, it did warm up to the low 60's so those winter jackets finally did come off.

Four Generation Hike

Kathy & Tony are in town visiting for the Columbus day weekend and Kathy has brought along her hiking boots.  So guess what we're doing?

Alex and Cassandra's new house is literally across the street from the Midstate trail, so it seemed like a no-brainer to start from there and take a little jaunt over Crow Hills down to Redemption Rock.  That said, I kind of forgot how much elevation gain/loss was involved with traversing the Crow Hills.  Fortunately, we were not out to set a record pace, but rather to have an fun family adventure.

Catherine is ready hit the trail with Mommy & Grammy.

Just before we step off, I snap a photo and ask everybody to wave.

Catherine was awake for most of the hike.  So much to see!

We take one of our many sight-seeing breaks while grabbing a snack.  Grandma has a ski-hat on, even though it's comfortable in the mid-50's.

Betsy said this log was at the prefect height for a seat.

Four generations on this hiking adventure.

A very pretty view, with just a splash of fall color amidst a sea of green.

From this outcropping on Crow Hill, you get a nice peek of Mt. Wachusett in the distance.

With about 3/4 of a mile to go, we find another seat-height log on the uphill path.

Dominic hiked almost the whole way, but need a little boost toward the end.

Here's our elevation profile.  The flat part was the picnic tables past Crow Hills. I had no idea that it climbed up that high again on the way to Redemption Rock.

 We made it to the car in 4:00 even covering a distance of 3.22 miles.  We ascended 767 vertical feet and came down 697 feet.  The downhill plunge after Crow Hills was by far the most challenging section.  The mountain laurel on the trail above the cliffs was particularly thick making the trail area pretty narrow.  However, I usually hike this section in the spring, compare here.

After finishing that, Tony & I went another 1.05 miles in 23 minutes and met the van at the base of Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.  That was a brisk walk at an average of 2.61 mph.

We didn't anticipate being out for 4 hours, but everybody survived and we enjoyed a beautiful fall day. 

AMC Paddle: George's Island

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time:  paddle out to George's Island in Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.  I've been out there several times taking the ferry boat from Long Wharf, but the idea of paddling out there under my own power just seemed like a really cool idea and a fun challenge.

Our put-in was at a beach on Morrissey Boulevard in Boston, just before the Dorchester gas tanks that you always hear about the the traffic reports for the Southeast Expressway.  Our AMC leader was very well prepared and even had printed maps for us of our planned route.  From Dorchester Bay, we were to travel easterly around the north tip Thompson Island to Spectacle Island.  After a short break there, we were to paddle around the north tip of Long Island, around Gallops Island, then beach at George's Island where we would break for lunch.  Then, it was more or less a straight shot back to our launch site, with a possible break at Chapel Rock in Squantum (Quincy).  This is considered a level 2 paddle requiring open water experience and a boat at least 14' long.

The beach at Dorchester Bay is all rocks.  We have to be careful with the boats, but at least its not mud.

Here's the landmark gas tank along the Southeast Expressway that will be our beacon back home.

Once out on the water, there was a terrific view of downtown Boston.

Our first stop was Spectacle Island.  This island is where all the dirt went when the build "The Big Dig", that is, the I-93 Central Artery / Third Harbor Tunnel Project through downtown Boston, the most expensive public works project in US history.  Everybody's tax dollars were at work here.  They built a very nice visitor's center here on the island as well as a small trail network.

On the beach in front of the visitors center.  If I look a little wet, that's because I just unceremoniously fell into the water trying to get out my kayak just before snapping this picture.

After some more paddling, avoiding the speeding ferries, we made it to George's Island.  The main attraction here is Fort Warren, a Civil War fort.  Interesting visitor activities are run here throughout the summer season.

The only rain we had on this trip was a couple minutes of spritzing during lunch.  Fortunately there was a nice big tent for shelter.  Underneath you can see my fellow paddlers:  Mike, Mike, Steph, Stephen, Nancy & Ed.

One can easily take a couple hours to explore the fort, especially if the kids are along.  I'm standing here on the edge of the parade ground on the interior.

The ramparts can easily be seen on the Goolgle Earth satellite view. 

Before we departed, we watched a long stream of sailboats past the island. 

One last look up the beach before we depart the island

All told, we paddled 13.58 miles in 6 hours.

No break was needed on the way back.  We had the wind and tide pushing us all the way to our starting point.  Just after passing by the south tip of Long Island, we had to cross a very busy channel. Until it was demolished in the spring of 2015, there used to be a bridge over the channel there from Moon Island and the mainland.  At one of the bridge supports that remained, we had to actually paddle backwards to stay out of the way of motor boats and many of the sailboats we saw earlier. Eventually, we crossed safely, paddling home into the late afternoon sun.  Total distance 13.5 miles.