HIKE REPORT
Thursday, 23 December 2021, Adams & Wright Woods Hike
Hike Co-leaders: Marie Keutmann & Richard Vignoni
~5.5 miles, 10:00 am start from Lincoln, MA
Hikers (17):Marie, Richard, Adena Schutzberg, Betty Salzberg, Bill Widnall, Chris & Curt Dudley-Marling, Dmitry Gorenburg, Greg Stathis, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, Janet Westerhoff, Joel Bauman, Judith McMichael, Susan Sabin, Zach Woods, and first-timer Debby Sabin.
Seventeen hikers and three canines met at Red Rail Farm in Lincoln. The mention of a bicycle race track in the ride announcement caught the attention of Larry Finison, a bicycle historian, who showed up at the ride start for a brief chat.
The hikers set out through the woods along the many ups and downs of the kettle holes left behind by glacial activity. At the Velodrome we gave a brief talk about the history of the fairgrounds (see below), before we walked around the perimeter of the track. We then worked our way over to a route along the Sudbury River and Fairhaven Bay which offered great views of the water, as well as a large stone chimney and stone boathouse. From there it was back into the woods towards Walden Pond, then back to our cars.
The crisp temps and bright skies made for a great day of hiking, and we set a new WW record for dogs, both in numbers and in decibels.
Additional Information
Information on the racetrack fairgrounds:
The bicycle race track was part of the fairgrounds from the late 1800s. The track is about 500 feet in circumference and has a pronounced bank on one end. In its heyday, the fairground included a dance hall, restaurant, baseball field, a race track, and amusements. On weekends, people flocked by the thousands to “Lake Walden” on the Fitchburg train line to go boating, swimming, and to use the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds were built by the owners of the railroad to encourage ridership. There were several fires over the years, likely due to sparks from the steam locomotives, so in the early 1900s it ceased to exist. Today, the only visible remains are the race track and cleared ground between the trees.
Information on Wright woods where we hiked
Online Exhibition of Walden Pond images
Report by Marie Keutmann and Richard Vignoni.
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