I was so delighted with the unnamed trail I found in Petersham that I decided to go back and do a far more known trail – one that hooked to where I had already hiked. It was also on Quaker Road, with a small parking lot, lots of signage, and a cellar hole right out front attached to the parking lot. Here I found 4 people parked HORRIBLY which forced me to park bizarrely in return but I figured it out…
It was a gorgeous day to go out and I was super happy to be back once again. Although the trail started through a meadow it wove through the woods in a very clear path. This was the sort of well-kept trail you often find closer to cities with lots of people on them but on this day there were hardly anyone else out there – just another couple of hikers on one of the adjoining trails and two women on horseback. This would be a LOVELY place to horseback ride!
Throughout the trail there were several cellar holes and other historical artifacts that may be of interest. The wildlife was buzzing that day as well – which sadly meant there were quite a few black flies and mosquitoes but that’s all part and parcel to coming out here. What I loved about this place is how quiet it was. There was no human noise what-so-ever. No traffic, no music, no people talking, no kids playing… it was like being dropped out in the middle of the wilderness, a beautiful retreat for the introvert in all of us. And there was moderate inclines every so often – not too bad even though I am woefully out of shape.
About halfway through the trail there’s a little spot where it juts off to another trail and there’s this awesome bridge which I stood on an enjoyed a view of the river for a while before sneaking back to the original loop I was on.
On this particular day I was huffing and puffing from being so direly out of shape, so I decided to only walk the first yellow loop on the map although there’s a bunch of other trails and even loops that attach to this one. In fact there’s an X of trails in between the loop trail, all named Tumble Down, which I am told I must go back to investigate, but we shall see about that! With a name like Tumble Down I have to wonder if it’s all ghastly hills and no scenery. I don’t know… I’ll leave that for a different day!
I tried to be good today and plan where I was going – but the Fates had other ideas. I was going to go conquer an old foe – Mount Monadnock. I even picked a trail, the Dublin Trailhead, but try as I may to find an address I just couldn’t get anything more specific than “Old Troy Road.” So off I went! I found Old Troy Road just fine but the farther I ambled down it the more signs popped up reading, “Private Way!” In previous travels I learned this usually means somewhere at the end is a pissed off dude with a shot gun. This is ‘Murica after all. So I turned around and decided to just drive around until I hit something else of use…. sort of like using the Prius as a dowsing rod for good hiking trails. It worked!
Somehow I found myself driving by Swamp Road, an old dirt road I never noticed before. A big sign read it was closed for winter and if there’s anything better than a dirt road to explore it’s one that’s so ill-used it’s closed for winter. Plus I have a fondness for swamps. I flicked on my directional and started to crawl into the woods at the usual 15 miles an hour, if that. There wasn’t a house anywhere in sight but there were a lot of trees! And then right after crossing a little bridge I noticed something odd. it was either a very long driveway or an unmarked trail. Turns out it was a trail that entered the Sharon Bog area. I parked, grabbed my camera, and headed in! Emboldened by a sign I found requesting no dirt bikes or off road vehicles.
The trail was pretty wide at most points and pretty obvious it was a trail but it wasn’t marked, or named, or even frequented, as far as I could tell. It was SO QUIET out there, not a soul in sight for miles, the perfect little escape for even the most ardent of introverts. I could hear a great horned owl in the distance asking, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?” And I was super happy to find a little salamander just living his little salamander life on the trail. He was pretty grumpy with me, didn’t want to turn his adorable little face towards the camera but I made due.
Eventually this path went into a field and I had to cross it halfway to see if it continued and from there I passed a number of different forks, again, completely unmarked. This was an adventure after all, though not one for people who need the reassurance of markers. I made it pretty far into the woods on that path before I was stopped, by a HUGE German Shorthaired Pointer. I stayed still. I knew that breed is known to be neurotic. It barked and barked, and backed off, and then came back to bark at me. Eventually it gained the courage to come sniff me. I stood still as I could and it seemed to go from a bit fearful to very playful, this time trying to run off with my macro lens. His owner and a MUCH older canine companion loitered behind. I had a brief chat with his owner, who said he was a dog of impeccably high energy that needed to be allowed to run like this EVERY day or he’d be too insane to handle. Made sense. Pointers aren’t pets. They’re working dogs… but in any event she was doing a great job with him (she even said she’d continued to walk him in the winter with a pair of snow shoes!) That’s hardcore, especially for a woman who looked like she was of retirement age. I bid her adieu and continued on. That’s when I came to a very obvious Y in the path. Did I keep going straight or should I turn? the turn looked more interesting but was also riskier being unmarked… plus I’d already been walking for at least a mile, maybe even two. I went straight and not long after that found myself at the end of a dirt road staring at two houses. HMMMM. I didn’t know where I was… so I turned around and went back to the car.
Eventually I’d meet up again with the dogs and their owner. This time since the dog recognized me he zipped around running full speed around me for maybe thirty laps. It was impressive! Besides this I didn’t see or hear any one else the entire time. And then when I got back to the car I decided to keep going and explore the rest of Swamp Road. I am glad I did! Because not far up ahead there was a GORGEOUS turn off where you could stand on the rocks and watch whooshing white water crash by you. I could feel the cool coming off the water and feel the noise engulf my being. I LOVE rivers! I took a few snaps before returning to the car feeling super happy about today’s little outing.
