3/21/15 Paul Bunyan Trails

Upper twenties and snowing with rain predicted for this afternoon. The start of this hike is only a couple of miles from home so we thought we could get in a hike before the rains came .

Supposed to be light snow but it was coming down pretty good.

The fresh snow made a nice background for pictures

Wooded section of the trail

We went a little further than planned because I wanted to reach a spot that had had water in winter in the past.  And Kelley gets her first water ( though not much ) in a long time.

And one more plant.

This was a day I would have rather stayed home but it turned out to be a nice hike. There is something peaceful about walking in the snow, especially with no wind. Kelley was excited about the snow and the water and seemed to be having no difficulties.  2  1/2 hours 

3/20/15 Glenburn Trails

Twenty degrees and  sunny. Decided to return to Glenburn and continue the trail we stopped on last time we were here.  Kelley seemed up for a hike. I could not find a map that showed the continuation of the trail.

The Kenduskeag near where the trail forks.

We again followed the stream and  into a short section of woods and then came out on a large field

Looking back at the woods

This windmill looked new  but didn't look like it was for pumping water.

At least one plant in snow

After another brief stretch of woods we came to another large  field and then a road I was not familiar with. A short while after crossing the road I decide we had done enough- not wanting Kelley to overdo it.

Heading back

A pretty good hike, though the  new section we did was not as interesting as the earlier trails. Kelley was enthusiastic throughout, it warmed up to 32, and we didn't meet anyone. 2  1/4 hours

3/19/15 DeMeritt Forest

Fifteen, sunny, and windy again. Kelley seems OK but I wanted another short easy hike for her.  There had been enough use on most of the trails so walking was mostly easy. We met no one until a couple near the end. kelley seemed to enjoy herself and showed no signs of discomfort.

I only took a couple of pictures to show that there is still lots of snow and it's still pretty.

A pleasant morning  1 1/4 hours 

3/18/15 Glenburn Trails

Thirteen degrees with cloudy skies and winds predicted to be 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 . Kelley was eager to get out and showed no signs of the problem she had last time we attempted this hike, I was counting on the woods to protect us somewhat from the wind.

We started , again, from Broadway and took the left fork first. A sign said " Dead End" but there had been a little  use yesterday and the footing was pretty good at first.

Further on the snowmobiles swung left but we continued  straight  on the less used trail- a bit of a slog- until the trail ended at a road.

We turned back and head down the trail we had done before. At that time when we came to the Kenduskeag we crossed it and continued to the end. Previous route in green on map above.

The Kenduskeag at that point

Today we took the trail that followed the stream and soon crossed another part of the stream or a different stream - it was difficult to separate the different streams with all the snow.

The trail then followed a stream  and it was pretty and more open to the wind but we were getting some sun.

When the trail turned in to the woods I decided we had gone far enough - I was still concerned about Kelley - even though she seemed fine and was not showing signs of a problem.

We headed back the way we had come and when almost to the end met a couple on a snowmobile. They stopped and we got some trail information from them. Some of the side trails, like the turn off near the end of the dead end were trails from peoples houses, used to access the main trails. The second trail we were on goes on to intersect other trails and we will explore that in future.

A nice hike. The cold was not nearly as bad as it seemed it would be, Kelley was enthusiastic and without apparent problems, and  the woods were pretty.  2  1/2 hours

3/16 and 3/17/15 Glenburn and DeMeritt Forest

After Saturday's hike Kelley seemed tired and I decided we needed a day off. It snowed Sunday so we just walked around  the neighborhood. Yesterday we went to Glenburn to continue the trails we had not yet explored. The fresh snow made the woods really pretty.

A short while into the hike Kelley came up very lame and could hardly walk so we turned back. I was very worried about her and didn't know what today would bring. When we got up she seemed her usual self but I decided we would do a short hike to see how she did and we went to deMeritt Forest.

Twenty five degrees and snowing. We started from the Sewall Rd. entrance. The road was in good condition and we found the side trails had been groomed. Kelley seemed her usual self and was enthusiastic, leading the way most of the time and wanting to take particular trails which we did  The route his her choice until I started picking to ensure a short hike.

It was very pretty with the fresh snow and the walking was easy- good for both of us. 

A short one hour hike but very pleasant. We met a man and his dog at the start but no one else the rest of the hike. 

3/14/15 City Forest

Cloudy. upper 20's with snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow. We hadn't been here in awhile but thought the trails would have good footing.

We found the West Trail quite lumpy with frozen foot prints with  somewhat slick tops- meaning you had to watch your step.

Don't know if you can see that in this picture.

Further down the trail was better - probably because there had been less traffic.

The nice surprise was when we got to the rail bed we found a snowmobile had been down it and made a great surface. ( normally they are not allowed on this section) . We had not been down the rail bed toward forest Ave, this year because of the deep snow and lack of use. In summer it is very wet and not hikeable

Couldn't resist a couple of plants in the snow

Don't know what this is

Alder Catkins

On the way back we used Main and the Loop Rd. which had been plowed and made for easy walking .

Turned out to be a better hike than anticipated from the lumpy start. We only met one man and his dog on the way out but several on the way back. Kelley seemed tired near the end - very unusual - so we will take a day off tomorrow- probably a short walk in the snow in the neighborhood.  2  1/2 hours 

3/13/15 Glenburn Trails - Yet Again

Fifteen degrees but sunny and the trees helped with the wind. We Started from Broadway where we stopped yesterday- this was another section we had not done before . The cold overnight made the surface firm with good footing.

We took the right fork and were soon near the Kenduskeag

Looking across

  and from the middle

The terrain on the other side was more open

I have added our route to the map so it may not be accurate. Eventually the trail ended at the end of a regular road and we turned back.

Kelley does not like slatted bridges and would not cross but went around. On the way back I got pictures.

Almost back

A nice hike. Once we got moving the temperature was comfortable, it was quiet, and we met no one. We saw two more trails that ran off of the trail we took ( 3 ) and there is also the left fork  - continuation of (1) - to explore.  2  1/2 hours.