Today we hiked toward the crossing at the Deerfield River on a section of this historic 100 mile native trail. In the 1800s the railroad that went all the way to Conway was built on that native trail and Conway was a thriving manufacturing town due to the water power of its rivers. It was a leisurely hike along the old rail bed. We stopped to investigate lots of wild flowers. Nancy showed us how to identify native Dogwood by ripping a leave and seeing how the leave responded. Along with seeing Bottle Gentian, Snake Root, Calico Aster, New York Aster, New England Aster, Blue Stem Aster, Silver Rod Aster, Jewel Weed, and Dog Bane we found a perfect little bird nest on the ground, some beautiful small rocks, a fat garter snake, a Cardinal’s feather, an owls feather, and heard the call of a Raven and the sound of its wing as it flew! and also heard the sound of a very determined Pileated Woodpecker at work. Tony is hiking with us again thanks to a new neck brace, but stopped at the half way point and took a rest with his best friend, Sukee. There is a steep drop off at the end of this portion of the trail where a high trestle bridge once stood and took the trains across the river. It’s fun, and challenging!, to hike down down down to the river! And it’s interesting to see structures that supported the trains across small streams along the rail bed trail. Built in the 1800s and still sturdy as can be. We ended up in Joe Zadroga;s back yard for our bag lunches, marshmallow toasting, and a little presentation to Madge who has just lost her sister to cancer. I’m thankful for days such as this, and for the wonderful friendship that we have. Wish you were here! Love, Penny 
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