BI bliss : 53 project week 37 (part 2)

Saturday hike on Block Island

The wind was gusty and wild, 

working the waves into a beautiful frenzy.

To see Part 1 of this series click here.

to see Part 3, click here.

when life hands you sumac, make pink lemonade

I went walking on a newly established set of trails in Marstons Mills last weekend. The Danforth Trails start on Race Lane, wind under the road, behind the airfield, and then head west through an amazing sumac grove and fields before meeting up with trails in Otis Atwood and West Barnstable Conservation areas.

The Sumac grove is magical because you're able to walk under the canopy and feel like your'e a kid all over again. The young plants come up with pink fuzzy stems which I found really charming, and later in the season you can use the flower heads to make a sort of pink lemonade. Find the recipe here.

You can see photos of the walk on my flickr photo page.

walking weekend 2009 day 3

On the last day of the hiking weekend, Marcella and I joined a dozen other hikers, led by Mark Robinson, for a shore to shore tour of Cotuit pathways and conservation land. A beautiful walk from the ocean through woods, marshes, cedar swamp land, and ending up at Eagle Pond.

All photos are posted on my flickr photo page.

walking weekend 2009 day 2

Today I joined 19 other walkers for a hike through the glacial moraine of Beebe Woods in Falmouth, where we explored kettle holes, ponds, and vernal pools, heard lots of birdsong, and discovered that Cape Cod is not flat. A few photos below -- more on my flickr photo page.

walking weekend 2009 day 1

Last year at this time I was participating in Cape Walk 2008, which is held every other year. This year I'm doing the more relaxed Spring Walking Weekend. Today I joined 14 other walkers and Nickerson State Park Interpreter Todd Kelley as we climbed the Great Divide that separates the Nickerson State Park watershed from the Brewster watershed, and walked the trails around the Little and Big Cliff Ponds.

I'll be doing several more walks this weekend and there will be plenty of photos on my Flickr photo page.

Photos from last year's Cape Walk 2008 are still available here.

winter hike

I went on a hike today in West Barnstable with friends Marcella Curry and Gordon Starr (their respective spouses were otherwise occupied.) We had been given the task by the Barnstable Land Trust to try to find navigable trails connecting pieces of conservation land and the newly acquired Bayview Farm property. Having Gordon along was a godsend because he knows this land by heart and led us on a merry adventure through the woods and over the marshes. We got close to bushwacking (no machete -- but Gordon brought his clippers! Obviously he was a Boy Scout.) In addition to lots of wildlife, we saw the remnants of old buildings and stone walls around what were once farm fields and are now dense woods. Also saw animal tracks, fur and feathers, hunting camps on the marshes, and vintage vehicles left behind on the sides of the trails. A beautiful day with the ice beginning to melt, and a few signs of spring.