The idea of going for a hike may intimidate some people because they have limited mobility, are afraid of getting lost or have some other fear, or they just don’t give it a priority due to being “too busy.” Here’s a more positive way of thinking about “a hike.”
If you have even the slightest inclination to enjoy a nice walk in the woods of about an hour, I suggest the 33-acre Gifford Family Memorial Forest in Orange, which includes the Senator Robert D. Wetmore Memorial Fishing Hole in the Tully River (West Branch). The property is owned and managed by the Athol-based Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust.
Now is a good time of year to go, as the water in the river is flowing nicely and the greenery is filling out and in good condition. The only downside is the presence of some bugs — black flies, mosquitoes and ticks — but the bugs can be defeated with the right attitude and use of repellents. Use Google to learn more, especially about ticks.
Here is what a visitor wrote on the popular website Trip Advisor:
“Easy trail to country brook. Recently opened conservation area with trail through New England woods to a babbling brook and fishing hole. Fairly easy short loop trail (roughly ½-mi round trip) along a brook. Nice spot for a quiet walk. I assume that the ‘fishing hole’ (a bend in the brook, really) is OK for fishing, but we were just there to enjoy a fall afternoon in the woods listening to the sounds of the brook and checking out the stone wall. Simple pleasures.”
The trail head, marked by a wooden fence, is located on Tully Road just north of Noel’s Nursery, 77 Tully Road, Orange. It’s on the west side of the road and there are places to park off the road on either side of the trail head – but cars shouldn’t block the fence. There is a kiosk with a good map displayed and a box with free maps you can take (unless they’ve run out!). Blue blazes mark the trail which is essentially a loop.
There are two specific destinations on the trail. First, follow the trail along on old cart road, slightly downhill toward the river where you will see a nice engraved stone marking the fishing hole named for the late Senator Wetmore of Barre, a staunch sportsman and environmentalist. Displayed on the kiosk is Wetmore’s easy-to-read and moving poem about how environmental degradation motivated him to become an elected official after returning home from military service in the Korean War.
From the fishing hole, follow the blue-blazed trail upstream along the river to the second destination, which will surprise you with its enormity. There are slow-moving and fast-moving portions of the river and many spots along this old fishermen’s trail to observe the water and the land and perhaps some wildlife. The quiet beauty invites you to stop for a photograph, a picnic or meditation. The loud sound of a pileated woodpecker might poke you out of those deep thoughts. Before long you will cross a little bridge (just some lumber) across a feeder stream and come upon a 200-foot long wall made of huge gray and white stones. This was once a dam, built to harness water power for a mill, but I’ve been unable to learn more about its history.
Turning around at the immense stone structure, visitors will follow more blue blazes (a different path, parallel to the other one, but no longer riverside) back to the original cart road. You are likely to see red paint marks on some trees. Those indicate the property line between the conservation area and privately-owned woodland. The adjacent forest is somewhat thinned, indicating recent logging.
Here is information from Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust about the property, with more on the website about Wetmore who once served with me on the organization’s board of directors:
“In 2002, the Gifford family worked with Mount Grace and MassWildlife to protect the land with a conservation restriction as part of the 9,000-acre Tully Initiative. In 2013, as a tribute to George and Laura Gifford, the family donated the land to Mount Grace to establish the Gifford Family Memorial Forest. The land encompasses both sides of the West Branch of Tully Brook for nearly half a mile.…In 2016, the area along the brook was dedicated as the Senator Robert D.Wetmore Memorial Fishing Hole to honor the legacy of a true environmental hero from the region.”
If you enjoy this kind of easy hike, and want to know about other moderate “walks in the woods,” contact Mount Grace and the North Quabbin Trails Association. I’m a member of both of these organizations, and you can join, too.