Hidden Harvard Hike - March 20, 2019

HIKE REPORT

Wednesday, 20 March 2019, Hidden Harvard Hike

Hike Leader:  David Fay

~2.5 hours, 10:00 am start from the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge parking lot, Harvard, MA

Hikers (9): David, Don Mannes, Jack Mroczkowski, Kaz Zelny, Patrick Ward, Rochelle Holman, Roy Westerberg, Sally Chapman, and Susan Sabin.

In gorgeous weather and warming temperatures, we left the Oxbow parking lot equipped with both waterproof boots and microspikes - good thing because we needed them.

As we walked north on the old Fort Devens tank road we heard stories about real-life tanks coming down the trail at 40 mph; about Johnny Appleseed, who was born nearby.  We also crossed the Union Turnpike which was constructed in 1805.  After a perilous pond crossing, we reached Route 2 and bushwacked east on a deer trail to the nearby 1840's railroad tracks, where Kaz discovered an ancient telegraph pole.

We made made our way south on the railroad tracks, keeping a careful eye out for the train from Worcester (which passed us later).  We then crossed over to the 1650 county road from Groton to Lancaster which brought us to the Fruitlands farmhouse (see photo) where Louisa May Alcott spent the winter of 1843.  Kaz was awarded the hike door prize of an antler from a 3-point buck, which he is holding in the photo.

From there we proceeded south on a mid-1700s road to the remains of the Phineas Willard farm, deep in the woods, and finally on an undated farm road back to our cars.

Most of us went to lunch upstairs at the Harvard General Store where Scott, the owner, told us how the acoustics of the room, which were truly excellent, had been designed by a guy who was once the soundman for Jimi Hendrix.  We also heard about Sally's recent trip to Austria and Pat's trip to Norway.

Report by David Fay.