BOS to PHL

 

Logan International Airport (BOS)

Boston Harbor

Approaching Philadelphia (PHL)

Back to the Future

 

Well, that was it for my Massachusetts hiking adventures. Now it was time to head back to Virginia by way of Philadelphia. Fortunately, most flights were on time on this particular Friday, including mine. Woohoo!

Regeneration

 

Clearly it has been a while since people hiked the White Pine Trail, since much of what is left of the trail has been obscured by tall ferns. Also, what trail markers might have once been in place are now long gone. At times, in fact, I had to resort to my compass to figure out where I was. No cell service here! 

Still, as often is the case, I made a new discovery traipsing through this part of the Mount Toby Forest. I discovered what a "regeneration system" is. According to one source I consulted, "Forest regeneration is the process by which new tree seedlings become established after forest trees have been harvested or have died from fire, insects, or disease. Regeneration is key to sustainable forestry and can be accomplished through two basic approaches:

1) natural regeneration, which occurs when new seedlings or sprouts are produced by trees left on or near the site (as with aspen) 

2) artificial regeneration, more commonly known as tree planting

White Pine

 

I have this strange penchant for taking the road or, in this case, the trail less traveled. Sometimes this results in my seeing some pretty interesting things. At other times, it gets me into trouble. This was one of those that nearly got me into trouble.

It started after I left the Cranberry Pond Trail, hung a right onto a fire road, then decided to take the so-called White Pine Trail, which appears on some maps but not on others. As it turns out, the White Pine Trail is very poorly marked. Heck! The last honest-to-goodness marker I saw was the one shown above . . .

South End

 

 

 

Here's the view from the southern end of Cranberry Pond looking north. According to the Secret Reel, this is "a small, 27-acre, cold water pond . . . characterized by clear watercolor and has a transparency of 15 feet. The mean and maximum depths are four feet and 26 feet respectively. The 1.1 miles of shoreline are undeveloped and emergent aquatic vegetation covers about ten percent of the surface area." 

 

Warning!

 

 

This was an unusually hot and humid day in western Massachusetts.And the warning about bringing plenty of bug spray, for once, was NOT an exaggeration. My sometimes perversely contrarian spirit, however, insisted that I could do without. Fortunately, I did wear a wide brim hat, which helped at least keep the bugs out of my hair and face. A bottle of water might have been a great help, too, considering the amount of perspiration involved. 

Sounds like a nightmare, huh? Well, it wasn't. Coming from Tidewater, Virginia . . . I'm used to hot, humid, and buggy conditions. Nothing new here! Also, there were these cooling views of Cranberry Pond all along the way.

 

Mount Toby Forest

 

So my next hiking adventure took me to the Mount Toby Forest where I planned to hike the Cranberry Pond Trail. Here's what the University of Massachusetts has to say about this area: 

"Department of Natural Resources Conservation at UMass-Amherst has responsibility for managing the 755-acre Mt. Toby Demonstration forest for teaching, research and demonstration. We also try to coordinate with recreational users of the Forest, as well as the Mass. DCR (who operate the fire tower at the summit), and other organizations. The Forest is topographically diverse. To the south are three hills, the highest being Mount Toby (1269 feet). Slopes are steep with small cliffs and ledges to the east and west. There is a deep valley between two of the hills – Roaring Mountain to the south and Ox Hill to the north – with a brook that drops in a waterfall near the eastern border of the Forest. Most, but not all of it, has been logged more than once, but some areas are so inaccessible that they were never logged. Today, UMass students and faculty use the forest for teaching, field exercises, and forestry research activities. Mount Toby is used heavily by the general public for a variety of recreational activities. These are allowed so long as they conform with the University Trustees guidelines for use of the Forest and do not interfere with teaching and research activities."

Trail's End

 

 

Clubmoss above and Golden Trumpet mushrooms below as seen on the Buffam Falls Trail near Pelham, Massachusetts

 

Amethyst Brook

Rock Art

 

Falls

 

"A trip to Buffam Falls includes a relatively flat and peaceful walk to three main sets of cascades and slides. No more than ten feet in height apiece, Buffam Falls is small, but still worth the visit, mainly because of the lowermost falls, a fanning slide about 7 feet in height. Buffam Brook takes its last major drop at this fanning slide before connecting with Amethyst Brook a few feet downstream." -- NewEnglandWaterfalls.com

Buffam Falls

Trailheads are not always easy to find in Massachusetts. I think it has something do to with how these so-called "conservation areas" are created through public-private initiatives. In any case, I had to stop and ask a very kind lady, who was out hiking herself, for directions.

Congregational Church

I've passed by this church many times before and admired what appears to me to be its quintessential New England architecture. This time, on the Fourth of July, I finally stopped to take a couple of photographs.

 

Sorrel

 

It may be known as Common Yellow Wood Sorrel to some, but it appeared quite uncommon to me as I ambled along the Norwottuck Rail Trail last week. I thought at first that it must be a kind of shamrock. Then I read this on thespruce.com:

"Wood sorrel is also often confused with shamrocks—another plant in the clover family. Sorrel is sometimes called 'false shamrock,' and during St. Patrick's Day season, it's common to find yellow wood sorrel misbranded and sold as shamrock." 

Bridge

 

My old friend, the Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge. The rail bed was "acquired by the state in 1985 and developed into the trail in 1993, as its current name. The name of 'Norwottuck' was the result of a suggestion by the Hadley Historical Commission, who believed that the name corresponded to the local Native American tribe, the Norwottucks. It was also the term for the entire area." -- Wikipedia

BOS

 

Again, I was very surprised at how few travelers there were July 3. When I've arrived at these counters before, the "mouse mazes" have been chock full with people dragging their carryon and checkin bags behind them. Not this time

Final Approach

My direct flight from Richmond to Boston on this day before the Fourth of July was smooth and on time. There were no delays at all, which, again, was surprising considering all the warnings that had begun to appear about this being the most heavily travelled week of the year.

In the photo above, I was, as I recall, cruising at somewhere near 34,000 feet at a leisurely 550 mph! 

In these next two photos, I was making my final approach into Logan International Airport with Boston Harbor down below and central Boston off in the distance.

Farewell

 

As I bid farewell to Massachusetts, my plane passed over Fort Independence there in the foreground and the islands of Boston Harbor beyond. 

Mt. Tom North Trailhead Park

Old Pascommuck

 

As I was setting out on yet another trail, this time near Northampton, Massachusetts, I happened across this memorial.