Former swimming hole now a scenic pond at Endean Recreation Area, Norwood
The new trail guide, Easy Walks South of Boston, uses the same template as the other trail guides, with information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing and something of interest along the way) in towns that are contiguous to each other.
Walkers, bicyclists and other non-motorized travelers can now go from Acton to Concord, MA on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The trail stretches from Lowell, MA in the north to Framingham inthe south. Progress on developing the Sudbury/Framingham sections is ongoing. An impressive bridge connecting the two sections now stretches across Rt. 2 in Acton, near the Concord rotary, and continues south into Concord.
Book cover photo, taken along the north side of the Cape Cod Canal looking east
It had been a while since we visited the Cape Cod Canal bikeway. Easy to get to, no need to cross either canal bridge if you stay on the north side, and so scenic. A place that is easy to access can be taken for granted. However, like other places we may feel tempted to dismiss as “boring,” the canal offers great variety when you look a little closer for what can change between visits.
It was Memorial Day weekend, a time for remembrance of those who gave their lives in service of our country. These days, however, it is for many the unofficial start of summer. It was a beautiful day, and we knew lots of folks would be out and about.
We hoped to avoid crowds so rather than visit one of our local rail trails, we headed north with our adaptive tandem bicycle to investigate a trail we had not ridden on previously. The Rockingham Recreational Rail trail starts in the New Hampshire seacoast area. The eastern trail head begins in Newfields, New Hampshire, directly next to the Amtrak rail road right of way, which carries multiple passenger trains north and south along the coast.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical park (C&O Canal) runs alongside the Potomac River valley from the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. to Western Maryland. What was once the tow path for the canal is now a broad, level footpath that is great for walking or bicycling. The Potomac River is within view for much of the section north of Williamsport, Maryland, where we traveled. The trail surface is in good shape, covered with packed stone dust for most of the section we traveled, with a few muddy spots along the way.
Spring is a great time to get outside, but like the fall, visible signs of spring and the changes that happen in this season are compressed into a few short weeks. Summer and winter last for months on end. If you miss the window of opportunity to catch these quick changes, you will have to wait till next year to witness, and possibly capture in photos the wonders of new life springing forth all around us. At least, this is what I reasoned after realizing I have very few good photos of spring in my files.
A few pictures from other springs
Thus I welcomed the opportunity to get outside on a windy spring afternoon in April at Choate Park in Medway, MA. I met up with Marilyn and Dave Doré, collaborators with me for our now published book, titled Easy Walks in Massachusetts South of Boston. We were excited to get started on this trail guide, a companion to the other Easy Walks in Massachusetts books already available. We published the book in September, 2023 and it is now available in paperback and ebook formats.
We visited the Marginal Way in Ogunquit on an overcast spring weekend. It was given this name because it brings visitors to the “margin” between land and sea.
Warmer days offer a great excuse to get outdoors (as though we need an excuse). Grass is poking up through the soil. Maple trees are setting out buds that trim the woods’ edges with a reddish hue. My spring favorite, skunk cabbage, unfurls its shiny, rubbery looking shoots on the edge of, and sometimes in the middle of woodland streams and wetlands.
This blog and my books often make note of my challenges in getting outside. (Total paralysis on my right side from life-saving brain surgery that has partially resolved.) Many of you have your own reasons for seeking out Easy Walks. So… what has made the difference in helping me get outside safely? Family, yes. Friends, yes. People who are willing to drive me to far-flung destinations, yes. However, learning how to best use physical supports to aid me in walking outdoors has been a more challenging quest. Tools I have found useful have varied as my body has healed and become capable of doing more on my own.
When I returned home from the hospital after brain surgery in 1993, I did a great deal of sitting. Getting across a room was an effort; reaching the other end of the house to use the bathroom was a major undertaking. I spent a lot of time observing my healthy, active children and visiting with neighbors from my cushioned rocker in our living room.
By my side, ready at a minute’s notice, was the cane I had brought home from the hospital. Ugly stainless steel, four little feet at its base to provide better balance, this cane remained standing even when I could not.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 