Amazing day in every way imaginable: 42 degrees, no wind, sunny sky, trails clear of snow and ice, friends (that includes the dogs) in high good spirits, 2.7 miles. We came upon what will from now on be dubbed “The Whately Grand Canyon”. It was a wonderful sight and a real surprise. Deb, Lissa, and… Continue reading

44 degrees, glorious sunshine, 3 beautiful miles, and no wind….we couldn’t ask for more for our yearly campfire/pot luck/Joe’s birthday celebration hike. The trails around the lake were beautiful and n-ICE-ly challenging! Friend Gwen, who broke her arm in a bad fall last year, rejoined us at last and managed to have an abbreviated, but… Continue reading

Three miles, 23 degrees, little wind, wonderful open waters, slick bridges with no handrails, rolling hills with good trails, only lost once, a large pond, and best friends. Lunch at Atkins Farm (veggie burger lettuce and tomato with lots of water.) It was too biting cold for dogs so we hiked without them and we… Continue reading

Mount Warner is a keeper in our hike list. The trails are really good, although today most of them had become streams of water so we walked beside them on mostly deep, wet leaves. Once at the “Long View” we always stop and see if we can name the mountains in the distance. It was… Continue reading

I’ve been at Cave Hill with Tony and group led by a UMass Geology Professor. It’s astounding how I was able to forget the incredible information that was taught on that day! Geology ain’t for sissies, that’s for sure. In a nutshell, 180 million years ago, the super continent Pangea broke apart. Today I was… Continue reading

I hiked with the Pioneer Valley Fern Society today along with Thursday hiker Nancy (who know the ferns well, including their latin names.) It turned out to be such an enjoyable day with (serious) fern hunters. This is the last hike of the year for them. I learned some new things and sure do mean… Continue reading

We were given a perfect hiking day today: 51 degrees with a low November sun in the sky. I think this was one of our best days out together with spirits wonderfully high, dogs full of energy, a few small streams to cross, 2.8 miles with lots of up and downs, at the “top” a… Continue reading

With temperatures in the upper 60s and full sun lighting up the colors of the forest canopy, this was a day that we didn’t want to end. Narrow trails and moderate climbs to a wonderful long view of the mountains beyond. I had my picture taken while stopping on a wonderful bit of old stone… Continue reading

The day started out with dense fog but when it lifted the day was a quintessential October day. We couldn’t have asked for more: 62degrees, full sun shining down through the forest canopy, and lots and lots of fungi- including our favorite!: “Dead Man’s Fingers” (photo 6, look for the black “fingers” coming up through… Continue reading

RAIN! We’re so used to it, what with Conway MA having had the highest July rainfall total in the US, Canada and Puerto RIco (21.42 inches) that we just plod on. Nice hike today at Briar Hill, a place we haven’t hiked before. At the top of the trail there’s a lovely long view. We… Continue reading