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.