Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Walden Pond winter hike - January 27, 2016

 HIKE  REPORT


Wednesday, January 27, 2016, Walden Pond winter hike
Hike Leader:  Judith McMichael
10:00 am start from The Food Project parking lot, Lincoln, MA

Hikers (17):  Judith, Adena Schutzberg, Ann Northup, Anne Fortier, Chuck McWilliams, David Sachs, Ilkka Suvanto, Margie Lee, Marie Keutmann, Maurice King, Mike Hanauer, Patrick Ward, Romaine Randall, Roy Westerberg, Sander Nydick, Susan Sabin, and Tony Lee. 
Present at lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

Our group of seventeen set off at 10:06 am, entering the Walden Pond State Reservation from Hemlock Path, just opposite Baker Bridge Road.  This access point gave us the advantage of free parking at The Food Project and the novelty of a little-used trailhead.  We made our way first to Heywood’s Meadow, at the SE corner of the Reservation.  The Meadow was dammed by beavers in 2010 and is now a beautiful pond that contains four beaver lodges, though we are not sure if they are all active.  We made our way clockwise around the Pond, including all the uphill options, and stopped to take in the lovely view from the NNE side.  The group very courteously listened to me describe the Pond as a kettle hole, formed 12,000 years ago when the North America ice sheet was retreating northward.  We continued around the Pond, spending time on the Esker Trail, Emerson’s Cliff Trail (enjoying another wonderful view from Emerson’s Cliff), then returned to our cars via Heywood’s Meadow Path and Hemlock Path, finishing up around 12:20pm.

Including some planned and unplanned steps, we completed around 5.3 miles.  The temperature averaged a balmy 42 degrees and sun dominated, with just a few scattered clouds.  We had to contend with a bit of ice, but a fine time was had by all.   Nine of us continued on to a wonderful lunch at Trail’s End CafĂ© in Concord, joining the many cyclists who chose riding the wet, salty, and sandy roads over hiking in the woods.  Thank you to all who participated on my first ever WW hike, as hike leader, and to Helen for her ongoing coordination of WW hikes and rides. 

If you want to learn more about how the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) responded when the beavers first took up residence in Heywood’s Meadow, and about the formation of the Pond 12,000 years ago, you can read a paper (attached) which I wrote in 2010.

Report by Judith McMichael.

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, January 27, 2016, 
Ride Leader:  Ken Hablow
10:00 am start from The Food Project parking lot, Lincoln, MA

Riders (xx):  Ken, Barbara Martin, Barry Nelson, Bernie Flynn, Dom Jorge, Francie Sparks, Frank Hubbard, Gene Ho, Jack Donohue, Kaz Zelny, Larry Kernan, Lindy King, Marc Baskin, Rich Taylor, Rick Lawrence, Richard Vignoni, Robyn Maislin, Selig Saltzman, Tom Allen, and Wing Chow.

This was an unexpectedly large group for a rather chilly day.  Bernie was cold at the start and took off with Dom and Larry never to be seen again.  Since they were a group of three, there was no reason for them to stop.  Jack volunteered to lead a small slow group.  As the rest of us got spread out, we stopped several times to re-group.  After two stops Jack’s group caught up with us, so we all stayed together and made several more stops. 
 
The day was mostly cloudy.  Unfortunately the temperature went down several degrees, instead of up as forecast.  This meant that some of us (the leader included) got chilled, as we had dressed for the predicted increasing temperatures. 
 
As we came back into Concord, I stopped about a mile from the finish to be sure everyone was still with us.  Someone told me that Marc Baskin was on the side of the road with a flat tire, and I rode back a couple of miles to assist him.  He had hit a pothole coming down the hill on Sudbury Road.  We finally got a new tube in place and inflated - this took two CO2 cartridges and some manual labor with a hand pump.  Ironically, just as we finished, a town truck came along and patched the pothole.  It was late enough when we finished that we decided there probably would not be many people back at Trail’s End.  So we turned around, stopped at Verrill Farm for some soup, then split and rode home.  Marc was nice enough to buy me lunch.
 
Thanks to Barry for sweeping and keeping the group intact.  Despite the dropping temperatures, it was a very pleasant day.

Report by Ken Hablow.



Sunday, January 24, 2016

Heard Pond Ice Fishing ride - January 21, 2016

RIDE  REPORT

Thursday, January 21, 2016, Heard Pond Ice Fishing ride
Hike Leader:  Barry Nelson
10:34 am start from Weston Town Hall, Weston, MA

Riders (8):  Barry, Bob Wolf, Butch Pemstein, Curt Dudley-Marling, Fred Bennett, Gene Ho, Ken Hablow, and Rich Taylor.
Present at lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

We had so many riders that we split into eight groups so that cars could get by us.  Apparently no one reads their email, since no one brought fishing poles.  We did stop at the pond and stayed for about thirty-two minutes, watching the fisherman catch a few fish (see the fisherman between Curt and Ken in the attached photo).  If you enlarge this high resolution photo, you will see he is pulling a fish up through the hole.  Also see his comfortable chair, since he spends hours out on the pond.  Finally you should note that the pond is not completely frozen.

Since we stayed on familiar roads, everyone knew the route, so we did not use human arrows.  All but Fred and Ken stopped in Concord for hot chocolate and coffee.  Helen greeted Gene and Barry at the finish for a fantastic lunch at Dumpling Daughter.

Report by Barry Nelson.


Sunday, January 17, 2016

Maudslay State Park Hike - January 13, 2016

HIKE  REPORT

Wednesday, January 13, 2016, Maudslay State Park Hike
Hike Leader:  Carol Anderson
10:00 am start from Maudslay S.P. parking lot, Newburyport, MA

Hikers (6):  Carol, Bob Anderson, Karen Saltus, Margie Lee, Maurice King, and Tony Lee.
Present at lunch (3):  Bob Sawyer, Helen Greitzer, and Michael Levine.

On a cold and blustery day, but with the promise of a fabulous hike, six hardy souls met in the parking lot of Maudslay Park in Newburyport.  A brisk pace, to get our hearts pumping, quickly nullified the cold.  A thin blanket of snow covered the park, like a lightly frosted cupcake.  Through the huge rhododendron and mountain laurel stands, along the Merrimac River, through the woods, through the old estate gardens, crossing open fields - the park is truly a beautiful place to walk/ski/snowshoe/mountain bike.  There were no sightings of seals in the Merrimac, nor bald eagles in the trees, but we had a great walk nonetheless.  With some hearty conversations, the hike was over in a short one and a half hours.

We then drove to our home, where pizza and salads were ordered.  Helen, Bob, and Michael arrived for lunch, after which we showed slides of our recent trip to India.

Report by Carol Anderson.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Whipple Hill & Arlington Great Meadows - January 6, 2016

HIKE & RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, January 6, 2016, Whipple Hill & Arlington Great Meadows (AGM) hike & Kick Off 2016 ride
Hike/Ride Leaders:  Tom Allen & Clyde Kessel
10:00 am starts from Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant, Lexington, MA

Hikers (17):  Tom, Adena Schutzberg, Ann Northup, Barbara Jacobs, Betty Hoffman, Dick Harter, Don Mannes, Helen Greitzer, Janet Miller, Joanne Samuels, Marie Keutmann, Maurice King, Mike Hanauer, Nancy Smith, Sander Nydick, Susan Sabin, and Winslow Green.
Riders (12):  Clyde, Barry Nelson, Butch Pemstein, Curt Dudley-Marling, Fred/Clyde Newton, Harriet Fell, Jack Donohue, Karen Featherstone, Pat Brennan, Rich Taylor, Selig Saltzman, and first-timer Fred Bennett.
Present at lunch (3):  Bill Widnall, Jerry Green, & Kathy Halmi

Hike report - The day was bright and crisp as seventeen hikers set out to tackle Whipple Hill.  We started through the Jerry Cataldo Reservation, along Mill Brook, and then skirted the shore of the Arlington Reservoir, to emerge on Lowell Street for a short walk to the entrance to Whipple Hill.

Unfortunately, the llamas weren't there to greet us.  After walking a bit, we encountered some icy going and folks stopped to don traction gear and pose for a photo.  We went around Locke Pond and began the serious ascent up the hill.  At the top (370 feet above sea level, the highest point in Lexington) Helen left the group to walk to Jerry Green's house to schmooze a bit and hitch a ride back to the restaurant.

Descending, we took different trails to another stretch of Lowell Street for a walk to the entrance to Arlington Great Meadows.  The meadows is entirely within the town of Lexington, but is owned by the town of Arlington.  In fact, at no point in the walk did we cross the boundary of Lexington.  About half way through the Great Meadows the leader began to get questions like, "How much farther?"  The answer was always a vague, "Less than a mile."

We joined the bike riders and other guests at Ixtapa, thus creating a sizable crowd.

Thanks to Dick Harter for trail sweeping.  He reports that sweeping hikes has challenges distinct from sweeping rides - folks would take unannounced, seemingly random detours into the woods for various purposes.  (OK, maybe these were all for the same purpose.)

For those curious, here is the track of the walk with some photos embedded.

Report by Tom Allen.

Ride report - It was perfect weather for a bike ride:  bright, full sun to keep us warm, but the night had been cold, so there was no melt water on the roads.  This really is the best time of year to be on a bike.

At the ride start, it was rather chilly, so for the first few miles we stayed close together so no one would have to stand in the cold to arrow.  Nevertheless, it quickly warmed up and Page Hill spread the group out, so we did eventually start using arrows.  Two regular WWs, Jack and Curt, joined us enroute (hardly surprising, since we did ride past Jack’s house).  The return route was a voyage of discovery, as it took us through a hilly section of Lexington on roads the leader had never ridden before.  There was one good natured complaint that Shade Road was a gratuitous hill, so the leader will remember to use it again on future rides.

One arrow (one of the Clydes) was, unfortunately, stranded when the sweep rode past, unnoticed.  The group (sans Jack and Curt, who had left the group at some undetermined point) and the sweep arrived back at the restaurant, when one of the Clydes phoned the other Clyde.  Clyde, the arrow, said that he had been waiting at a turn for a long time and asked if he should continue to wait for the sweep.  Fortunately, by then it was very warm and both of the Clydes were very comfortable and there was no complaint.

Thanks to Barry for sweeping and to all of the arrows.

Report by Clyde Kessel.

Hikers


Riders


Sunday, January 3, 2016

Say Goodbye to 2015 - December 31, 2015

​RIDE REPORT

Thursday, December 31, 2015, Say Goodbye to 2015
Ride Leader:  Ken Hablow
~28-30 miles, 10:30 am start from North Bridge parking lot, Concord, MA

Riders (9):  Ken, Arne Buck, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dom Jorge, Jack Donohue, Jeff Smith, Pat Brennan, Rick Lawrence, and Tom Allen.

Jack started out as sweep.  Since the group was small, we stayed together and there was no need for human arrowing.

Thursday was definitely an adventure. The temperature at the start was about 39 and went up to 45 at one point. There was very little wind.  The 10:30 am start was good, as we avoided ice on the roads.  Although there were small areas of slush, they were nothing we had to worry about.  At one point I opted to avoid cycling on certain back roads in Carlisle and deviated from the route to stay on main roads which were clear of slush.

Since Jack and I did not expect a large crowd, we figured everyone could ride one route with distance between the 20 & 39 mile routes that had been planned.  We vacillated on a route which would be as void of slush as possible.  I had a 27 mile route planned which Jack extended to 28 to avoid possible bad road conditions going through Great Brook Farm.  I did not load Jack’s version and, when we got to a specific intersection, I took a wrong turn and kept going, since I knew where we were.  Jack and Tom, on the other hand, took the correct turn and kept going.  At that point Curt swept the route back to Concord.  Although the two routes rejoined shortly after, my group was about two miles behind Jack and Tom.

Those who rode appreciated the route and a chance to get out on such a nice day.  Thanks to the two sweeps, Jack and Curt.

Report by Ken Hablow.