Loop around Ponkapoag Pond winter hike - February 21, 2024

 HIKE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 21 February 2024, Loop around Ponkapoag Pond winter hike

Hike Leaders:  Elsa & Tom Lawrence

~4.5 miles, 10:00 am start from Canton, MA

 

Hikers (17):  Elsa & Tom, Annemarie Altman, Barbara Jacobs, Carol Hartigan, Dan Nelson, Don Mannes, Judy Perrin, Marie Keutmann, Mike Hanauer, Rick Ward, Steve Venizelos, Susan Broome, Susan Sabin, Ted Nyder, Tom Allen, and Zach Woods.

 

It was a lovely sunny, cool day.  We hiked around Ponkapoag Pond starting at the golf course parking lot.  The trail is mostly through woods and follows the shore of the pond.  Along the way, there were great views of the pond and of the Great Blue Hill across the pond, as can be seen from the attached photo.

 

The trail also goes past an AMC camp which is available for use year-round.  We met a woman camper who described her early morning bath in the pond - after breaking through the ice.  There is no running water at the camp and the facilities are minimal.

 

After the hike, sixteen of us had a delicious lunch at Thyme Restaurant in Canton. 



Zach sent this entertaining podcast that focuses on the Blue Hills:

 

     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-atlas-obscura-podcast/id1555769970?i=1000645819537

 

Report by Elsa Lawrence.

Fairhaven Bay from Sudbury Road winter hike = February 14. 2024

 HIKE REPORT

Wednesday, 14 February 2024, Fairhaven Bay from Sudbury Road winter hike

Hike Leader:  Jack Mroczkowski

~4 miles, 10:00 am start from Concord, MA

Hikers (12):  Jack, Barbara Jacobs, Don Mannes, Janet Miller, Judy Perrin, Julie Dodd, Marie Keutmann, Phyllis Evan, Susan Broome, Susan Sabin, Ted Nyder, and Zach Woods.

Our hike was through an eclectic landscape, with twisting paths and small hills, close to the Sudbury river for the first half.  We stopped several times to admire a landscape covered in places by a dusting of fresh snow - much less than was forecast.  After the Fairhaven Bay overlook we made our way to the top of Fairhaven Hill.  There, we paused near a private skating rink surrounded by a safety buffer.  We noticed several speakers which could provide a musical background for skaters.

Most of us stopped at Verrill Farm for a post-hike lunch.

Report by Jack Mroczkowski.

Adams & Wright Woods winter hike - February 7, 2024

 HIKE REPORT

Wednesday, 7 February 2024, Adams & Wright Woods winter hike

Hike Leader:  Marie Keutmann

~5.5 miles, 10:00 am start from Lincoln, MA

Hikers (23):  Marie, Ann Northup, Annemarie Altman, Barbara Jacobs, Barbara Pike, Ed Hill, Elsa Lawrence, George Stromberg, Gerry Sheetoo, Janet Miller, Jim Whinfield, Joanne Samuels, Judy Perrin, Julie Dodd, Melissa Norton, Mike Hanauer, Richard Fortier, Steve Venizelos, Susan Broome, Susan Linz, Ted Nyder, Zach Woods, and first-timer Richard Stimpfle.

Present at lunch:  Richard Vignoni.

Twenty-three hikers met at Red Rail Farm in Lincoln.  The hikers set out through the woods, along the many ups and downs of the kettle holes left behind by glacial activity.  We walked around a bicycle race track (velodrome) that is the sole visible remains of a late 1800’s fairground which people reached by steam locomotive on the Fitchburg line.  At the velodrome, I gave a brief talk about the history of the fairgrounds (see the links 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 with great views of the water, as well as a large stone chimney and stone boathouse.  From there it was back into the woods and then back to our cars.  The crisp temps and bright skies made for a great day of hiking.

Thanks to Barbara Jacobs for helping me navigate the route, to Gerry for sweeping, and to Judy for the photos.

Approximately a dozen hikers ate lunch in the greenhouse at Verrill Farm.  We were joined by Richard Vignoni who is recovering from an ankle replacement.

Additional information:

Information on the race track/fairgrounds - the bicycle race track was part of the fairgrounds from the late 1800's.  The track is about 500 ft in circumference and has a pronounced bank on one end.  In its heyday, the fairgrounds included a dance hall, restaurant, baseball field, race track, and amusements.  On weekends, people flocked by the thousands to “Lake Walden” on the Fitchburg train line to go boating, swimming, and 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.

Auburndale - Two Famous Swing-Era Ballrooms, plus lots more! winter hike - January 31, 2024

 HIKE REPORT

Wednesday, 31 January 2024, Auburndale - Two Famous Swing-Era Ballrooms, plus lots more! winter hike

Hike Leaders:  Zach Woods & Judy Perrin

5.8 miles (~4 hours including lunch), 10:00 am start from Auburndale, MA

 

Hikers (21):  Judy, Zach, Ann Northup, Annemarie Altman, Barbara Martin, Betty Salzberg, Dan Nelson, Elsa Lawrence, George Stromberg, Gerry Sheetoo, Greg Stathis, Janet Miller, Joanne Samuels, Julie Dodd, Lynell Stromberg, Marie Keutmann, Patrick Ward, Phyllis Evan, Susan Broome, Susan Sabin, and Tom Allen.

 

The weather was cold and there was dampness in the air, but our big group enjoyed exploring along the Charles River starting in Auburndale, moving east to Waltham, and then crossing the river to head back west to Weston and, eventually, back east into Auburndale.  Along with enjoying the scenery and chatting along the way, we stopped to talk about recreation, industry, and history.  At about the halfway point lunch was enjoyed at the South Street Deli in Waltham.

 

There were some good laughs along the way as we passed by the Norumbega Tower which was built in an effort to reinforce the inaccurate claim that Vikings settled along the Charles River in the early 1000’s, and as we passed the Boston Marriott which is no longer owned by Marriott and is located in Auburndale, not Boston.  There was also a lot of interest in the life and significant first-in-history achievements of early woman architect Ida Annah Ryan.  We even discovered, as we walked by the location of the no longer extant entrance to Norumbega Park, that one member of our group had attended their high school prom in the Totem Pole Ballroom in Norumbega Park before it burned down!

 

Group photos were taken at the South Street Deli along with various photos at other spots along the way.

 

Report by Zach Woods.