EST Hike!

Yesterday the East Side Trail hosted hikers from all over Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Land Trust Conference was held at the Worcester Technical High School (right in between the Millstone Trail and the Ghost Trail (East of Skyline Drive) of the East Side Trail system.)

Approximately 28 folks headed out from the Worc Tech, circled around back to the vernal pools and hiked the trail up to the large field. We returned via the cart paths along DMH.

The trail was surprisingly dry. There were a few puddles and an occasional wet spot, but on the whole the footing was really good.

The trail crew consisted of Cristy Barnes, Naturalist MassAudubon Society, Russ Adams of Worcester Tech, then the GWLT contingent of Gene Tivnan (aka grandfather of the trail), Bob Quevillon (trail warhorse extraordinaire), and Colin Novick.

It was sunny, with a breeze, and not quite over freezing, but a pretty darned good spring day for a hike.

Reviews of the hike were outstandingly positive!

Triple Treat

Easter Sunday yielded a pleasant surprise. The 1st sighting of 6 deer on the 8th fairway of the golf course was at 5:45a.m. A loop around Greenhill Pond & back to the front nine and lo & behold the 6 deer were back, this time on the 1st fairway about a half-hour after the previous sighting. They scampered off into the woods along the trail that follows the westerly periphery of Green Hill Park. Following the trail & noting that the deer were out in front, the best was yet to come. A trailside staredown of approximately 10-12 seconds in duration with the 6 deer no more than 40' away. It doesn't get any better than this living in the city with wildlife being this close to home!

Spring comes to the East Side Trail

On this first day of spring, there are signs that the long winter is nearly over. Green leaves are popping up all over the trail. Along the Ledge Loop trail, I noticed the ground cover was disturbed in many places. I saw a lot of acorns that had been unearthed and eaten, presumably by foraging deer or squirrels who did not store enough food for such a long winter!

Trail Etiquette

The mud season of spring is upon us. Please stay on the established trails & refrain from diverting to either side of the trail to avoid damp feet. A 2' wide path is more desirable than a 4' wide path. Obviously those areas in need of a wetland crossing may leave no choice but to stray from the established trail due to deep water - use your discretion.

Rubbing my eyes in disbelief

After several weeks of staying off the trails, due to all the recent snow and rain storms, I hiked the lower portion of the EST and did a little bit of stewardship activity. The trail is actually in pretty good shape at this time. I picked up what little trash I found and moved to the side of the trail what little dead wood had fallen.

While hiking up the portion of the trail that goes from Elliot Street to the top of Chandler Hill I heard some rustling sounds about 75 feet to my right that I at first perceived to be other hikers that were going up the same hill but off the trail. As I turned in the direction of the sound I caught sight of a herd of five full size deer and I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not imagining what I saw. Sure enough the deer were there and had spotted me about the same time that I spotted them. As a group they started moving away from me and started traveling at a measured and deliberate pace though the woods towards Bell Pond.

I had a camera in my pocket that I pulled out and was hopeful that I could get some photos to share with you all. Unfortunately, none of the photos came out. On, other occassions I've spotted several deer together in this same general local, but didn't consider it significant enough to comment upon. I am now determined to document this abundance of wildlife so I'll be staking out the area and will post photos as soon as they become available.



In the meantime enjoy the photo (below) of some other wildlife (a swan) that was spotted at Bell Pond on another occasion.





Regards
Trailblazer