Thursday Hikers

Fantastic cool weather stayed with for this 5 hour hike in Hawley starting out at the home of Hugh Schoelzol, retired USAF, American Airline Pilot, and later American Airline Vice President. Hugh has put hundreds of acres into conservation restriction. As well, his land abuts the 5000 acre Dubuque State Forest (in Hawley MA). First photo is of his 1799 summer home and rolling land around it. He led us at an energetic pace, but we made occasional curiosity stops like looking at unusual rock formations (photo 2, stopping to eat blackberries (photo 3), exploring a 1700s cemetery ([photo 4),and taking porcupine quills out of Annie’s back leg and tail (photo 5). There were a lot of steep ascents and most of the trails were single file and relatively uncleared. (photo 6). At last!! We had climbed to “Moody Spring” ( photo 7 – that little pipe spewing water). Moody Spring is rather a legend in these parts and once was an area populated with pioneering settlers. It was about hour 4 of the hike when we got to the spring, and we might have wished for a concession food stand, but splashed ourselves in that “fountain of youth” and moved onward and very definitely upward! Quite a climb ahead of us. At last we came to a stone hiking hut built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (1933-42?) and took a 10 minute hiking break.(photo 8). The trip back down to Hugh’s house was as wonderful as the trip up. We wolfed down our bag lunches in his stone courtyard, sharing our food with 2 friends who had forgotten to bring a lunch. Hugh gathered tomatoes and cucumbers and blueberries and there was plant of food for all of us great friends to to share and be thankful for. Until next week, Love to you, Penny