Dugan
New member
05/28/2005: Approx 24.5 miles including back track & short cut as described in the guidebook to return to the car.
We met at our usual 6:30, on SW Main near the southern end. We brought a car to the northern end, with none of the confusion of finding the cow tunnel, since we well remembered its location from the last section.
We got off on the wrong foot by missing a well marked turn onto private land .2 into the hike. As we backtracked to find where we?d gone wrong, we realized we?d missed it because we?d been watching two barking dogs who?d been standing where the trail cut to the right. The stile over the stone wall is slippery when wet. Warning to men: don?t slip, it goes over barbed wire. The next stretch under the power lines was very nice, lots of spring growth, flowers, and bird calls. It was very well blazed. The guidebook mentions that the woods beside the brook that follows is one of the prettiest stretches on the trail. It was very nice, especially with a waterfall running high.
The next area, Hodges Village Dam, was confusing. At some point not noted in the guide book, the trail comes out on a dirt road. This is after the trail goes around a working quarry on the right if you?re headed south. Nothing was immediately visible, so I scouted down the road toward the right, while Cantdog scouted a trail across the road a little to the left. In my direction, a yellow blaze is visible on a utility pole very far down the road. Cantdog found blazes in her direction too, though they appeared very old. We decided to go in Cantdog?s direction because it seemed correct according to the map. The blazes were few and very faint, which made us wonder if we were perhaps off on an old section that had since been reloed. However, in the beginning, neither of us saw the painted over blazes that typically indicate this. We continued along, saw some blue blazes join us, and then saw the Mid-State blazes painted out. According to the guidebook map we still seemed to be going in the correct direction, so we continued. Cantdog had also read of vandalism consisting of painted over blazes. We reached the French River bridge, saw a reassuringly distinct new looking blaze. We continued along, with yellow blazes, and at some point after the bridge, saw a newly blazed piece of the Mid-State come in from the right. We can?t figure out where we went wrong, be careful in this area.
Then came a very long stretch of road walking. Despite the fact that I do not enjoy road walks, once we were out of Oxford center it was very pleasant. There were a lot of people out doing yard work that knew about the trail, and asked questions about our hike. This is the only stretch we?ve hiked where that happened. We saw and met very many friendly dogs. One couple (with a Viszla), used to live next to the trail in Paxton, moved to a house in Oxford next to the trail, saw the yellow blazes and have since educated themselves about it.
We road walked and road walked and road walked, I commented to Cantdog that I was ready for a food break, but that I really didn?t want to stop on the road. Low and behold, around the next bend, was a little bit of heaven called Whittier Farm Milk Store. There were picnic tables in the shade, a store with lots of fresh produce and milk, and a calf in a petting enclosure. We said hello to the calf, bought some fresh milk, and ate lunch in the shade with a slight breeze to keep off the bugs. This is a wonderful stop that is not mentioned in the guidebook. Near as we could tell, it was at mile marker 10.56 as measured from the southern end.
We finally got back into the woods on some nondescript woods trails. We enjoyed the cooling and bug inhibiting effect of some brief afternoon rains. We eventually crossed route 16 at a trailhead for Douglas State Forest. Shortly after this, there is an area where there was a fire. It appears to be this season, but not recent. The contrast between the vibrant green of new growth against the stark char was interesting, as was the clearly defined edge of the burn.
We continued along, stopping to meet a horse wearing a bug bonnet and to pet yet more dogs, and saw a horribly flooded section where there was luckily a blazed go around. We listened to thunder as we drew closer to the granite monument that marks the end. It was dry for pictures, but started to pour as we packed up to double back to the car. On the way back, we found the shelter. The guidebook does not mention that it is down a side trail from the trail. The side trail is off the blazed detour around the flooded area. I would recommend against using this shelter overnight. There are lots of ATV tracks leading to it, and very many beer cans in and around it. We headed back out as the rain stopped. I followed Cantdog as she successfully navigated us to the unmarked short cut back to the car.
We saw much flora and fauna: LOTS of poison ivy, big skunk cabbages, trilliums, sweet fern, lots of other wild flowers we didn?t know. We saw many dogs, all friendly, horses, cats, cows, a turtle, a 3? frog, a toad that looked like a stone, a belted kingfisher, several northern orioles, a scarlet tanager, and many others. We also heard ovenbirds, various thrushes, and even an American woodcock.
I hate to be disloyal to Mt Wachusett, a local favorite, but I think this was my favorite section of the Mid-State. The walking was easy, and the trails were in much better shape than I would?ve thought, considering the storm this week. And Whittier's Milk Store was a very nice surprise.
Anyone want to join us for the RI North-South trail next?!
http://outdoors.htmlplanet.com/nst/nst_map00.htm
We met at our usual 6:30, on SW Main near the southern end. We brought a car to the northern end, with none of the confusion of finding the cow tunnel, since we well remembered its location from the last section.
We got off on the wrong foot by missing a well marked turn onto private land .2 into the hike. As we backtracked to find where we?d gone wrong, we realized we?d missed it because we?d been watching two barking dogs who?d been standing where the trail cut to the right. The stile over the stone wall is slippery when wet. Warning to men: don?t slip, it goes over barbed wire. The next stretch under the power lines was very nice, lots of spring growth, flowers, and bird calls. It was very well blazed. The guidebook mentions that the woods beside the brook that follows is one of the prettiest stretches on the trail. It was very nice, especially with a waterfall running high.
The next area, Hodges Village Dam, was confusing. At some point not noted in the guide book, the trail comes out on a dirt road. This is after the trail goes around a working quarry on the right if you?re headed south. Nothing was immediately visible, so I scouted down the road toward the right, while Cantdog scouted a trail across the road a little to the left. In my direction, a yellow blaze is visible on a utility pole very far down the road. Cantdog found blazes in her direction too, though they appeared very old. We decided to go in Cantdog?s direction because it seemed correct according to the map. The blazes were few and very faint, which made us wonder if we were perhaps off on an old section that had since been reloed. However, in the beginning, neither of us saw the painted over blazes that typically indicate this. We continued along, saw some blue blazes join us, and then saw the Mid-State blazes painted out. According to the guidebook map we still seemed to be going in the correct direction, so we continued. Cantdog had also read of vandalism consisting of painted over blazes. We reached the French River bridge, saw a reassuringly distinct new looking blaze. We continued along, with yellow blazes, and at some point after the bridge, saw a newly blazed piece of the Mid-State come in from the right. We can?t figure out where we went wrong, be careful in this area.
Then came a very long stretch of road walking. Despite the fact that I do not enjoy road walks, once we were out of Oxford center it was very pleasant. There were a lot of people out doing yard work that knew about the trail, and asked questions about our hike. This is the only stretch we?ve hiked where that happened. We saw and met very many friendly dogs. One couple (with a Viszla), used to live next to the trail in Paxton, moved to a house in Oxford next to the trail, saw the yellow blazes and have since educated themselves about it.
We road walked and road walked and road walked, I commented to Cantdog that I was ready for a food break, but that I really didn?t want to stop on the road. Low and behold, around the next bend, was a little bit of heaven called Whittier Farm Milk Store. There were picnic tables in the shade, a store with lots of fresh produce and milk, and a calf in a petting enclosure. We said hello to the calf, bought some fresh milk, and ate lunch in the shade with a slight breeze to keep off the bugs. This is a wonderful stop that is not mentioned in the guidebook. Near as we could tell, it was at mile marker 10.56 as measured from the southern end.
We finally got back into the woods on some nondescript woods trails. We enjoyed the cooling and bug inhibiting effect of some brief afternoon rains. We eventually crossed route 16 at a trailhead for Douglas State Forest. Shortly after this, there is an area where there was a fire. It appears to be this season, but not recent. The contrast between the vibrant green of new growth against the stark char was interesting, as was the clearly defined edge of the burn.
We continued along, stopping to meet a horse wearing a bug bonnet and to pet yet more dogs, and saw a horribly flooded section where there was luckily a blazed go around. We listened to thunder as we drew closer to the granite monument that marks the end. It was dry for pictures, but started to pour as we packed up to double back to the car. On the way back, we found the shelter. The guidebook does not mention that it is down a side trail from the trail. The side trail is off the blazed detour around the flooded area. I would recommend against using this shelter overnight. There are lots of ATV tracks leading to it, and very many beer cans in and around it. We headed back out as the rain stopped. I followed Cantdog as she successfully navigated us to the unmarked short cut back to the car.
We saw much flora and fauna: LOTS of poison ivy, big skunk cabbages, trilliums, sweet fern, lots of other wild flowers we didn?t know. We saw many dogs, all friendly, horses, cats, cows, a turtle, a 3? frog, a toad that looked like a stone, a belted kingfisher, several northern orioles, a scarlet tanager, and many others. We also heard ovenbirds, various thrushes, and even an American woodcock.
I hate to be disloyal to Mt Wachusett, a local favorite, but I think this was my favorite section of the Mid-State. The walking was easy, and the trails were in much better shape than I would?ve thought, considering the storm this week. And Whittier's Milk Store was a very nice surprise.
Anyone want to join us for the RI North-South trail next?!
http://outdoors.htmlplanet.com/nst/nst_map00.htm
