Blustery winds of 17 mph with a temperature around 25 degrees set the scene for our 1.8 mile hike today. The trails here are very pretty. They also have plenty of mature trees to help slow down some of the wind gusts. Needle ice was plentiful. It’s something we always love finding. It forms when… Continue reading

Station Road is a favorite hiking place in Conway. Early in the 1900s the rivers in Conway provided abundant water power that made Conway a hub of manufacturing. A railroad provided transportation of those goods to the valley below. A trolly connected the railroad depot to the center of the town: its old route is… Continue reading

My watch tells me I climbed 8 flights today, but fails to tell about how wonderful a day it was. (And it was!) Early on we ran across a rock covered with Rock Tripe – it’s not rare, but always tempts us to have a bite as it’s nutritious, but not at all delicious.The way… Continue reading

The “Second Summer” weather continues and our 3 mile long stroll on the West side of the Westfield River could not have been more wonderful. So much to marvel at, and as well, just being together in such weather, had us in hiking heaven. The first photo is for you, Phil. Fishermen were over on… Continue reading

We Thursday Hikers and about 20 other hikers were welcomed most heartily by staff of The Hilltown Land Trust today for the opening of their new ” Boulder Trail”. 112 acres with unique glacial erratics bordered by an incredible acreage of wetland. An enormous dead “Wolf Tree” (perhaps the largest we’d ever seen) caught our… Continue reading

We love hiking in the 7882 acre Dubuque Forest. Dubuque Forest stretches through the towns of Hawley, Savoy, Plainfield and Buckland MA.. We’ve wanted to hike its “Goatherd Trail” for a long time and today at last we did it. The trails were single file and uphill but with plenty of switchback trails to keep… Continue reading

Great hiking weather: windy, 63degrees. Restoration of Nashawannuck Brook, wetlands, flood plain, and wildlife habitat is in progress at “Pine Grove”. which was once a 100 acre golf course with grants including those from Mass Audubon. We had a 3 mile wonderful hike full of fun including excitement at the base of a giant White… Continue reading

Halloween had us in high spirits for our hike at Bright Water Bog. The morning temperature quickly rose into the 70s and those with zip off pant options soon had cooler legs!.The large meadow that goes down to the lake is covered (beneath all the leaves) with Trailing Arbutus (“May Flower”) and we’ll return in… Continue reading

I am so thankful to be well again and out on memorable trails with such great friends. Trails that we’ve always loved and where Tony was especially well remembered by all of us today.. Stay well! With love from Penny Continue reading

A bit of history and facts: From about 300-200 million years ago (late Paleozoic Era until the very late Triassic), the continent we now know as North America was contiguous with the continents ofAfrica, South America, and Europe. They all existed as a single continent called Pangea.They rifted apart during the late Triassic Period. Mount… Continue reading