Trail at Macomber Reservation, Framingham
Do you enjoy walking on clear, open trails? Have you ever thought about the work involved in maintaining the trails you enjoy? Before I started researching our local trails for my Easy Walks book series, I thought little about who created and worked to keep walking trails open. Continue reading
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Hopedale Parklands
Everyone Outdoors is a blog created to be a community resource and recreation connection for people with disabilities, their friends, families, and supporters who enjoy the outdoors. I wrote a guest blog for this publication sharing 3 outdoor spots in south central MA that are not only Easy Walks, but are also inviting to those of all levels of ability.
http://tinyurl.com/qdudacm
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
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Mill Pond Westborough
Enjoy some “Hidden Jewels of MetroWest” in this recent blog post I shared with Massvacations.com
http://www.massvacation.com/blog/2015/06/5-top-spots-for-easy-walks-in-massachusetts/
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
rhododendrons
We see many small flowers on our walks along Massachusetts woodland paths. But it was a real treat to discover an Easy Walk, a broad open cart path along the way to where huge, bright pink, showy blossoms were in full bloom 
in the rhododendron colony in Dover, MA at the Peters reservation, (a property of Trustees of Reservations). June is the time for rhododendrons.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
Until a few years ago, the ponds of Delcarte Conservation area, just off Pleasant Street in Franklin, were private property, the trail around the ponds nonexistent. Ernie Delcarte left the property and ponds to the town of Franklin, and we are all richer for this gift. Take a simple walk around the ponds (plan for about an hour), bring the kids to the playground, fish off the dam (catch-and-release only!), or bring your canoe or kayak for a quiet paddle. You’ll find yourself returning to this gem of a spot, now protected for future generations, thanks to one man’s generosity.
From 495 take Rt. 140 south (exit 17) towards Franklin, past the Stop & Shop plaza, go through the light at Panther way, turn left at next light, Beaver Street. Go straight through the two lights at Franklin Center (St. Mary’s Church) the road becomes Pleasant Street, about 1 mile up on the right are two parking areas for Delcarte, second parking area is paved, with playground. Both parking areas provide easy access to the trail around the ponds.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
It’s been a long, cold, snowy winter here in Massachusetts. In south central MA where I live, the snow is still a foot deep in our yard. But spring fever has hit, and this weekend we headed out in search of an Easy Walk, with no ice. Continue reading
Comments Off on This is What Spring Looks Like in New England
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Winter offers challenges if you’re looking for pretty spots to take pictures of outdoor scenery. Lots of dead branches, lifeless-looking trees, low light. And yet… the
re is something so charming (to me) about being outdoors in cold weather, paying attention to how the outdoor world copes with harsh winter weather. In fact, so far this winter has been rather mild in New England. Ice is still trying to form on many ponds. The ground is just now beginning to harden–we feel the change as we stride along the trails.
Winter is also a quieter time. Lake Whitehall, a state park in Hopkinton, MA, is a mecca for boaters in warmer weather, but in the colder months those of us who prefer quieter spots have the place mostly to ourselves. Continue reading
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This summer and fall has been a time of getting out to do the field work for my upcoming book More Easy Walks in Massachusetts. (ed. Now available!) Along the way, I’ve learned of even more trails I will eventually add to my original, first trails book, Easy Walks in Massachusetts. Here’s a peak at one of the trails that “belong” with the original book. It’s located in Grafton, MA, which I’m learning about with the help of my hiking buddy, Al Sanborn. A
s y
ou’ll see, winter is setting in here in New England, the leaves have fallen, and ponds are freezing over. Yet there is still a charming beauty in these hidden-away places.
The beaver lodge is intriguing since its inhabitant doesn’t seem to have used much sense, chewing on the tree that overhangs his lodge! I expect one day there will be a crash and the lodge will no longer be the comfy refuge that it’s been.
By subscribing to this blog you’ll be sure to be notified each time I share new places to visit. Be sure to “Like” us on Facebook at “Easy Walks in Massachusetts” for updates on all things outdoors, especially events that other local organizations are sponsoring, safety information, and more.
Marjorie Turner Hollman
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a personal historian who loves the outdoors, and has completed two guides to Easy Walking trails in Massachusetts, “Easy Walks in Massachusetts 2nd edition,” and “More Easy Walks in Massachusetts.” A native Floridian, she came north for college and snow! New England Regional Chair for the Association of Personal Historians, she is a Certified Legacy Planner with LegacyStories.org, and is the producer of numerous veterans interviews for the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s History Project. http://www.marjorieturner.com
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Walks-Massachusetts-2nd-Northbridge/dp/0989204340
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The more work I do on my Easy Walks in Massachusetts series, the more I realize that my love of the outdoors is 
complementary to my love of history. Yes, I love to walk along rushing streams, and deeply enjoy overlooks that provide grand views of the countryside. But I also travel back in time with each stone wall I see. Open farm fields and pastures where trees now stand tall fill my imagination. Stone foundations that appear “out of nowhere” were, in another time, the center of a family’s life. Mill dams and mill races beside streams were once essential sources of power for a community.
I visited The Trustees of Reservations Cormier Woods in Uxbridge, MA and got a guided tour of some of the property with the caretaker, Mary Beauchamp. As we strolled along the trails Mary shared some of the history of the farm, but when we got to the site of an old homestead, she confessed they knew little about it. Continue reading
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The Blackstone River is a hidden jewel that is slowly being discovered. Here’s a quiet spot along the Blackstone that offers water access, and views of rolling hills upstream from the pond, on both sides of the river. The Blackstone Canal was built on the opposite bank of the river from where this photo was taken. 
I love how the water sparkles in the sunshine–a perfect fall day for an Easy Walk in the Blackstone River Valley.
Marjorie Turner Hollman
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a personal historian who loves the outdoors, and has completed two guides to Easy Walking trails in Massachusetts, “Easy Walks in Massachusetts 2nd edition,” and “More Easy Walks in Massachusetts.” A native Floridian, she came north for college and snow! New England Regional Chair for the Association of Personal Historians, she is a Certified Legacy Planner with LegacyStories.org, and is the producer of numerous veterans interviews for the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s History Project. http://www.marjorieturner.com
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Walks-Massachusetts-2nd-Northbridge/dp/0989204340
http://tinyurl.com/MTH-More-easy-walks
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
Marjorie Turner Hollman 