Fairhaven Bay and Cliffs winter hike - February 11, 2026

 SNOWSHOE/HIKE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 11 February 2026, Fairhaven Bay and Cliffs winter hike

Hike Leader:  Jack Mroczkowski

~3.5 miles, 10:00 am start from Concord, MA

 

Hikers (10):  Jack, Betsy Harper, Judy Perrin, Kristina Leclaire, Lynell Stromberg, Marie Keutmann, Richard Vignoni, Steve Hoffenberg, Susan Sabin, and Zach Woods. 

 

The first challenge of the day was what footgear to use - snowshoes or microspikes?  The group was roughly split 50:50 on the two traction choices.  Richard offered to lead the group on his snowshoes for the first half of the course, with the goal of making it easier for those using microspikes.

 

After we reached the Fairhaven Bay overlook, the going got tougher for the microspikers, so we decided to skip Fairhaven Hill and, instead, just trek back on a path at the foot of the cliffs.  A large hawk was observed near the trail on the way back

 

Several of us went to Verrill Farm for post-hike lunch and shared some interesting adventure stories.

 

Report by Jack Mroczkowski.

XC Ski at Leo J. Martin Ski Track - February 4, 2026

 XC SKI REPORT

 

Wednesday, 4 February 2026, XC Ski at Leo J. Martin Ski Track – a short lesson followed by a tour of the LJM trails

Tour Leader:  Wes DeNering

12:00 pm start from Weston, MA

 

XC Skiers (10):  Wes, Alan Cantor, Judy Perrin, Kristina Leclaire, Lynell Stromberg, Marie Keutmann, Richard Vignoni, Zach Woods, and first-timers David Klingsberg and Judy Willett.

 

It was great to see some old friends that I haven't seen in years, and to meet some new people.  I haven't done WW on a bike in a few years, so I'm not surprised that I don't know many of the regulars.

 

We started with a quick meeting in the cafe, and, once all had arrived, we headed out to the manmade snow section.  Conditions were about as good as I've ever seen at the Leo J. Martin Ski Track and Golf Course - 35F, a slight to moderate wind, and a bluebird day.

 

We skied down and up the first small but slightly steep hill for about 0.1 miles.  It became immediately clear that the ability of the skiers was very diverse, which made it difficult to lead a WW bike-type tour.  We mostly stayed together, waiting for the slower skiers to catch up, with some dropping out as we went along, and I giving a loose lesson for the first 45 minutes.

 

We skied some of the harder terrain on the manmade side of the road, crossed over to the section directly across the road where there is a nice long, gradual hill.  We then crossed another road and skied what I think is the nicest part of the course - it is more wooded and is right next to the river which it crosses on a foot bridge.  At this point, we split apart again, with most heading back.  Just Lynell and I continued, and when Lynell was ready to call it we headed back to the clubhouse.

 

If we were to do this again, perhaps human arrows could work - we'd just have to have a very clear route in mind with lots of human arrows.  I'm not sure a Ride with GPS track would be possible, but I may experiment with it.  Those of us that love xc skiing are loving this winter!

 

Report by Wes DeNering.

October Farm Riverfront and Brewster’s Woods winter snowshoe/hike - January 28, 2026

 SNOWSHOE/HIKE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 28 January 2026, October Farm Riverfront and Brewster’s Woods winter snowshoe/hike

Hike Leader:  Janet Miller

2 miles, 10:00 am start from Concord, MA  

 

Hikers (9):   Janet, Betty Salzburg, Jack Mroczkowski, Judy Perrin, Lynell Stomberg, Marie Keutmann, Phyllis Evans, Susan Sabin, and Zach Woods.

 

Nine bold WWs gathered to hike through the deep, fresh, powdery snow on a very chilly but sunny day.  All but three came with snowshoes, but, luckily, there were enough snowshoers to break trail in places where it had not previously been traveled.  We started on the well-traveled main trail towards the Concord River, then turned off to climb Dakins Hill.  The view of the Concord River from the top was spectacular!

 

After descending the hill we set out to circumnavigate Holden Hill on unbroken snow.  This was definitely hard work and we switched the lead to take turns in breaking trail.  Thanks for all the help!  After we returned to the start of the loop we hiked along the river until we reached the main trail leading back to the parking area, where four people chose to head back to their cars.

The rest of us continued along the river until we reached a blue-blazed trail.  It took us past a tall, bald cypress tree, with its “knees” making little bumps in the snow.  It is a mystery as to why it is there, as it is well out of its normal range.  It may have been planted by William Brewster who owned this land in the nineteenth century, but nobody knows for sure.  From there, we headed back to the parking area.  We only covered about two miles, but it was slow work and it took us the best part of two hours.

We all met up again in the Concord Market, for post-hike lunch and conversation.

Report by Janet Miller.