Two hikes, really! We started out at Tony’s house where we hiked up to see the Fringed Gentians that are now blooming by his beaver pond. The sun hadn’t reached them yet, so we had to settle with seeing them unopened. Their spectacular color was evident in the unopened buds. We’ll go back later some day soon and see them fully open. Then we hiked back down and across his horse pasture, got into our cars and trucks and drove to Williamsburg to deliver the picnic table that we Thursday hikers have gifted to the WIlliamsburg Trail Committee to celebrate the construction of the WIlliamsburg “Dam Trail”. It took all of us to lug the big table, which now sits beneath an old apple tree ready for picnics. We Thursday hikers have spent a lot of volunteer hours working on that trail and it is, I have to say, spectacular. Skilled workers, volunteer engineers, built the bridges and constructed the shelf trails. Most of us Thursday hikers did invasive plant removal and brush pile building. It’s glorious up there! Once at the top, the remains of the dam that failed in 1874 (and was the worst tragedy in of its kind in America at the time) can be seen and explored. Temporary signs are up,and a grand trail opening celebration will happen later this year. I needed to leave the hike early so didn’t I get to have lunch at the picnic table. Tony, now our head pastry chef, made yet another blueberry pie for the celebration. The art work on the crust depicts the dam bursting and the water raging through it (not a dragon fly as some might think:) P.S. Gwen is now wearing Baxter’s dog tags on a string around her neck, so in a sense, all our dogs were there with us today. Getting nippy at night! Love,Penny
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