Borderland State Park - November 25, 2018

The crew

Usually I paddle at least once over the Thanksgiving holiday, but it didn’t work out this year.  Instead I did the Papa Joe hike at the Borderland State Park. 

Borderland State Park was of the former estate of the Ames family. In 1906, Oakes Ames and his wife Blanche purchased this land on the border of Sharon and Easton where they built a mansion and created a nature preserve with woodland paths and roadways and man-made ponds. Today the park includes 1,843 acres with more than 20 miles of trails including sections of the  of the Bay Circuit Trail.

We started at the main entrance, and hiked 6.3 miles around Leach Pond and through the park. It didn’t rain during the hike, but the many of the trails were flooded.  Still a good time.  

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A Windy Day on the Sudbury - November 10, 2018

Heading out - Erik, Bill and Al

After hiking last week, Bill, Al, Jonathan and I decided to do some paddling on Saturday. Throughout the week we debated locations, but potential rain, wind and high water kept us close to home. In the end, we decided to paddle the section of the Sudbury River from River Street/Route 27 in Wayland.  

The Sudbury - a National Wild and Scenic River - arises in Westborough and flows generally northeast for 41-miles to its convergence with the Assabet River at Egg Rock in Concord to form the Concord River. In Sudbury and Wayland, it forms the huge wetlands that are part of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. In hindsight these wide-open marshes weren’t the best choice on a day when strong wind gusts were forecast.

Portage at Pelham Island Road

Bill, Al and I had paddled up to the Route 27 Bridge from Sherman's Road back in August, so this would be continuation of that trip. We met at the put-in on River Road (Route 27) in Wayland, and checked out the Old Town Bridge before paddling west toward Route 20.  The water was high, the sky was cloudy, but fortunately we didn’t get any rain. 

With the high water, we had to portage the Pelham Island Bridge. As we continued upstream toward Heard Pond the wind picked up. After 3 miles, and knowing that we would be paddling into the wind on the return trip, we decided to turn around and head back to the put-in. Wind gusts of 25-miles per hour made for a long slog back – especially for Jonathan who was paddling solo. Even so, it was a good time.

The Crew - Al, Jonathan, Erik and Bill

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Sudbury River Boaters Trail

Hop Brook/Memorial Forest - November 3, 3028

Planning the trail

The forecast was for clouds and rain but warm temperatures, so why not go for a hike. I have been looking forward to the first hike of the year for Papa Joe’s “Winter” hiking group.  

The first hike was at the Hop Brook Conservation Area. Straddling the border of Sudbury and Marlborough, this 615 acre track of public and private land includes the Hop Brook Conservation Area, the Memorial Forest and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Marlborough State Forest, and other conservation land owned by Sudbury and Marlborough.

Heading out

Bill was at my house at 7:30 for the drive to the trailhead at 347 Dutton Road in Sudbury.  We had 11 hikers for this 5-mile loop. It rained on and off throughout the hike, and we were constantly avoiding flooded trails, but it is a great area with gentle terrain and lots of features. We stopped for brunch at the Sunnyside Café in Marlborough. 

Plenty of rain 

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Memorial Forest and Wildlife Sanctuary