October Farm Riverfront/Brewster’s Woods winter hike - February 19, 2025

HIKE REPORT

Wednesday, 19 February 2025, October Farm Riverfront/Brewster’s Woods winter hike

Hike Leader:  Janet Miller

10:00 am start from Concord, MA

Hikers (15):  Janet, Annemarie Altman, Barbara Jacobs, Don Mannes, Elsa Lawrence, Jack Mroczkowski, Judy Perrin, Marie Keutmann, Richard Vignoni, Susan Sabin, Ted Nyder, Tom Lawrence, Zach Woods, and first-timers Eileen Maloney and Phil Euling.

Fourteen hikers joined me on a cold, but sunny, day at October Farm Riverfront in Concord.  The parking lot there is small, but there is a second lot a short way back on Balls Hill Road (a single-track road).  Three or four cars arrived at once, after the lower lot was filled, causing a bit of chaos, but they all managed to either turn around or reverse to find parking in the second lot.

We started on a flat trail toward the Concord River, but it was hard work as we were breaking through the crusty snow.  The river was mostly frozen over and a few people joked that they wanted to check out the ice, but, I am glad to say, nobody did.

Then we walked south along the river and looped around to return to the river and head north.  Tom and Elsa decided they wanted to drop out and Zach and Judy returned with them because their car was blocking the Lawrence’s car.

The rest of us continued and passed by the foundation of William Brewster’s riverside cottage, together with a well and a canoe storage shelter.  Brewster, who was a renowned ornithologist and the first President of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, had purchased the October Farm in the 1890s.

From there we left the October Farm Riverfront conservation land and entered Brewster’s Woods, now owned by the Mass Audubon Society, continuing to follow the river before going inland and crossing a causeway.  We then walked back to the start along the Fisher Trail.  As we were the first to walk that trail since the last snowfall, it was definitely an energetic way to finish our hike.  Zach and Judy found their way back to the start to meet up with the rest of us after trying unsuccessfully to catch up with us.

After the hike, fourteen of us gathered for lunch at the Concord Market.  This venue was Jack’s suggestion – he had learned recently that the mezzanine there now has tables, making it the perfect place for a large group.

Report by Janet Miller.