Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield.
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Author Archives: walkcapeann
Atlantic Road, Gloucester.
Old North Bridge, Concord.
Bright windy day on Plum Island.
Surprised me vs. chickadee at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield.
With the North Shore Not Too Intense Hikers Meetup 🙂 Thanks for the great picture lol!
The only bad thing about spring in February is the lack of cute sled dogs
Pardon me for stating the obvious…but the dogsledding at Appleton this year was officially cancelled earlier this week due to lack of snow, sorry, folks 😦 It is actually possible for the race to be run using sleds with wheels, but the soft ground would mean that the fields would get pretty dug up by the time the race was over, which wouldn’t be great since Appleton is a working dairy and CSA farm as well as a popular hiking and cross country skiing destination! TTOR usually does a membership drive during this event as well, which I did not know. So, if anyone is reading this and realizing their Trustees membership has lapsed, or they want to buy a beach sticker this year, we’d love to hear from you!
Rockport, quiet place of enchantment.
Hope for snow so Feb. 4-5 can go to the dogs!
One of the most popular events during the year at Appleton Farms is the New England Sled Dog races! If you can make it up to Ipwsich that weekend, I HIGHLY recommend it. I’ve been dogsledding myself in NH, and it was amazing. The dogs have so much fun and are so intelligent, energetic, and spirited! I can’t believe I can see this locally without having to trek up some treacherous backwoods roads 🙂
Appleton Farms, Ipswich, first snow of 2012.
Lots of people took advantage of the gorgeous sunny afternoon today to cross country ski, snowshoe, or walk the many trails at Appleton Farms, one of the TTOR properties close to where I live. We saw many animal tracks in the snow (mouse, coyote), and some of the Appleton herd of Jersey cows were out getting some fresh air as well! They were gathered on top of a steep hill, and it was funny to picture for a moment “If cows could ski,” sort of like a bear on ice skates! Everywhere we went we walked through open spaces, sunny trails, past fields and hay. The trails go into the woods at some points, but most are open, which is PERFECT on such a cheerful sunny day in the middle of January, when you really want to soak up as much sun as possible! This would be such a great place to go if you have cross country skis. It’s almost made for it (just watch out for rocks on the trail in such shallow snow).
Protect and Enjoy
“Simply protecting land is not enough. As an organization, we always want people to have the opportunity to connect to the land through direct experience, and to become our partners in caring for it.”
— Jennifer Dubois, The Trustees of Reservations
I couldn’t agree more with this statement! I think the best and most gratifying way to get people to care about the environment is to create ways for us all to share the beauty of nature in our everyday lives. Whether it’s through fun activities for families, beaches, hiking or mountain biking trails, bird watching, or enjoying locally grown food, encouraging the formation of genuine connections between people and the land is the surest way not only to protect our future but to enrich all of our lives. Although I grew up in a family that cared about nature, wildlife, and land conservation, I’ve become more passionate about these issues over the years as I’ve discovered my passion for kayaking, hiking, and spending time outdoors. The more something becomes a vital, happy part of your daily life, the more invested you become 🙂
The pictures in the slideshow are from the Riverbend trail in West Newbury, along the Indian and Merrimac Rivers.
As we walked along the river trails we constantly heard the loud cracking and snapping of the ice breaking apart. Sometimes bigger chunks would make a scraping noise as they slid down other pieces, and splash into the water. In the cold brisk air, the ice cracking broke the stillness and quiet with a sometimes eerie, sometimes musical quality. Even in winter, when things around us appear dormant, there’s always something to watch or hear that surprises or captivates me. From where we parked our cars, the landscape looked stagnant and silent. But up close it wasn’t that way at all. It was violent and loud and beautiful.
walkcapeann 