…..delayed a bit because my camera was “non opperendi” but at last I have begged a few photos from friend hiker Tony.
We hikers met at the Cushman Cafe parking lot in North Amherst and I was amazed to be on the Robert Frost Trail in just a few walking minutes from busy Amherst. Many thanks to the Amherst Conservation folks who long ago preserved this vast treasure! Puffer Pond, well know to all UMass and Amherst College students, is an absolute gem. The trails were easy, with some nice climbs too. We were led by veteran Appalachian Mountain hiker Al Shane who was able to get us onto the private land where the heron rookery exists. Wow! What a wonderful day. As we neared the rookery, Al asked that we absolutely stop talking. (No easy feat for the Thursday Yakkers.) We spent a half hour at the rookery, in utter silence except for the sweet sounds and sights of the expansive pond, the dragon flies, black snakes, turtles, tree swallows nesting in natural tree cavities, of course the herons, and the sweet joy of being silently and listening. We left, quietly, rather changed for the better.
I have no lunch report to offer as I dashed home to be with Betty, now 17, and in her very golden moments. I’d love to return to the Cushman Cafe, and the trails, with any, and all, of you. Love, Penny
We hikers met at the Cushman Cafe parking lot in North Amherst and I was amazed to be on the Robert Frost Trail in just a few walking minutes from busy Amherst. Many thanks to the Amherst Conservation folks who long ago preserved this vast treasure! Puffer Pond, well know to all UMass and Amherst College students, is an absolute gem. The trails were easy, with some nice climbs too. We were led by veteran Appalachian Mountain hiker Al Shane who was able to get us onto the private land where the heron rookery exists. Wow! What a wonderful day. As we neared the rookery, Al asked that we absolutely stop talking. (No easy feat for the Thursday Yakkers.) We spent a half hour at the rookery, in utter silence except for the sweet sounds and sights of the expansive pond, the dragon flies, black snakes, turtles, tree swallows nesting in natural tree cavities, of course the herons, and the sweet joy of being silently and listening. We left, quietly, rather changed for the better.
I have no lunch report to offer as I dashed home to be with Betty, now 17, and in her very golden moments. I’d love to return to the Cushman Cafe, and the trails, with any, and all, of you. Love, Penny
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