Outdoor Enthusiast

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Trail 6 – Wolf Trees and Many Trails

The Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway is a 75-mile “emerald necklace” of fourteen hiking trails surrounding Lake Sunapee, crossing Sunapee, Ragged and Kearsarge mountains, and maintained by Greenway volunteers. Today, friends Steve, Craig, Ellen and myself, are hiking Trail 6: Great Brook Bridge in New London to Route 4A in Wilmot, located with the Red Arrow below.

Two items make SRKG Trail 6 special to me.

Wolf Trees

Let’s start with Wolf trees. Frankly, until today's hike, I had never heard of a Wolf Tree. “Look! Wolf trees!” My fellow hiker pointed at a tall tree with substantial girth and spreading dead branches, higher than the trees surrounding it with live springtime buds at the top. At first glimpse I thought they were dead trees.

If you have ever seen a tree in the forest that seems out of place because it is much larger than the trees surrounding it, signifying that the tree was once the only tree in the area, you may have experienced a wolf tree. Many wolf trees are over 150 years old and are different than their smaller neighbors. A wolf tree is not a specific species of tree. It may be oak, pine, birch, whatever ... simply a tall old tree.

The quote on the sign on the below Wolf Tree Trail reads: “Along this path are several large old trees, probably left to shade cattle when the Bunkers cleared this hillside in the 1800s. They grew rapidly “WOLFING” sunlight and water from any seedlings nearby. LOOK FOR THEM"

Click the below video and hike with Steve and friends.

Many Trails
The second feature I found special in Trail 6 was the many trails. Our SRKG trail today included following Wolf Tree Trail, Webb Forest Interpretive Trail, and the White Pine Trail. Most of the trails in this section are well developed paths and logging roads on former farms with stonewall confined forests that were once fields for cattle, sheep, hayfields, and gardens.

Our Goal today was to hike the SRKG Trail 6, marked by the SRKG white and green trapezoids, starting at the western trailhead at the northern end of Pleasant Lake in New London, NH, and ending at the eastern trailhead at Route 4A in Wilmot, NH. We began at Great Brook Bridge, an elevation of 800 feet with the SRKG trail rising along an old logging and farm road to 1500 feet and then dropping to 1200 feet at Route 4A.

Below is the MapMyRun Google map of our hike.

All the trails of Section 6 are readily marked with SRKG trapezoid signs/blazes. Most junctions included a map with “You are here” in red.

SRKG Completion Medal

Click this link to SUBSCRIBE to OutdoorSteve's YouTube Channel

We were assisted on this hike by the SRK Greenway Trail Guide. I am proud to be a member of the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway.

Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway (SRKG) Trails Hiked by OutdoorSteve and Friends - Click below links

References

++++++++++++++++++

"Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Kindle and hardcopy at Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London, NH, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Gift Shop, Lebanon, NH.

Outdoor Play has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. The book will motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life. If you want 5 or more books signed, send Steve an email and we can work out the logistics.

Additional Sources of Books at:

Hardcopyat: http://outdoorsteve.com and https://www.amazon.com/dp/098503842X

E-book at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/098503842X

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway: Trail 8 Wilmot Center to New Canada Road

The Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway is a 75-mile “emerald necklace” of fourteen hiking trails surrounding Lake Sunapee, crossing Sunapee, Ragged and Kearsarge mountains, and maintained by Greenway volunteers. I am proud to be a member of the SRK Greenway.

Today we are hiking Trail 8: Wilmont Center to New Canada Road (Upper right corner - Red Arrow.)

First, let me give full credit to the SRK Greenway Trail Guide (srkg.com.) It is an excellent detail resource for locating and hiking the 14 trails designated as the 75-mile Sunapee, Ragged, Kearsarge Greenway Trail. To date, I have hiked five of these trails, and all clearly marked with a trapezoidal white and green blaze, the “trademark” of the SRK Greenway Trail. Living and hiking in this area gives me a nice feeling whenever I spot this friendly trail blaze.

Using the SRK Greenway Trail Guide

We carried the Guide with us on the Trail. Once we had to refer to it when we came to a fork in the trail, and the Guide quickly solved this predicament for us. Most of the time, we used the Guide for information about the Beaver Pond, cellar holes, and ancient stone walls. Reading the Guide before we went made conversation when it warned us, “…the trail crosses a brook… The brook may be difficult to cross when swollen.” This caution did not bother us, but indeed brought back many memories of spring hiking in the White Mountains where the crossing of streams and brooks, sometimes meant looking further upstream or downstream for a safe crossing, or removing one’s clothing and wading in ankle to waist high freezing ice thawed water. As you will see in the below video, we readily crossed this ten-foot-wide stream jumping from exposed rock to rock – all done safely.

We took a short off-the-trail Beaver Pond spur at the Pond/Trail sign. I highly recommend this small beautiful Beaver Pond with a beaver dam at one end, and a beaver lodge at the other. There was also a dedicated granite bench overlooking the pond. We continued on Beaver Pond Trail over boardwalks and logs. We reach the sign indicating the junction of the Beaver Pond Trail and the Patterson Farm Trail. Keep left on the Patterson Farm Trail go down a long hill, and then up to where we stop and look at cellar holes of a barn and house, and stone gateposts leading to a neighboring farm.

The Patterson Farm Trail joins the gravel Eagle Pond Road, and we are about 2 miles into our hike. The remaining hike is on Eagle Pond Road where we view Eagle Pond. We also have a nice view of Ragged Mountain, just before we take a left on the Northern Rail Trail. We to cross US Route 4 we can see the home of former United States Poet Laureate, Donald Hall. We also see Mt Kearsarge in the distance. We quickly reach New Canada Road, and hike today ends at the SRK Greenway Trail 9 sign for New Canada Road to Proctor Academy.

We used two vehicles for this point-to-point hike. I picked up my hiking partner, appropriately named Steve, where he parked at the eastern trailhead on New Canada Road, .9 miles from its corner on US Route 4, two miles north of the US Route 4 junction with NH Route 11. We then rode together to the western trailhead located by taking NH Route 11 west, then a right on NH Route 4A for 3 miles northwest, and turned right onto North Wilmot Road and parked my car at the Wilmot Town Hall.

Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway (SRKG) Trails Hiked by OutdoorSteve and Friends - Click below links

References

******************************************

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"
++++++++++++++++

Steve's 6th book is now available. Outdoor Play "Fun 4 Seniors" Volume III has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are also available as hardcopy and e-Books at Kindle and Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London, NH.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Jiggs Landing and the Braden River Trail, Bradenton, Florida

Until today, I had not paddled on the Braden River, a 21-mile waterway that drains an 83-square-mile area watershed in west-central Florida and is the largest tributary of the ManateeRiver. I found the Paddle Manatee: A Guide to Area Canoe and Kayak Trails (see REFERENCES below), an excellent resource to locate maps and places to go in my area. Much of the text in this post is from this Guide.

Kayaking from Jiggs Landing was a new kind of experience for OutdoorSteve, Cathy, and Martha because of Jiggs Landing’s unique accessible canoe/kayak launch. I learned of this canoe/kayak launch when Cathy and I scouted the location and saw first hand how kayakers and canoers launched from a platform docked on the shore of the Braden River. The launch gives paddlers access to the entire Braden River and its freshwater system. It is accessible for handicappers.

Frankly, I was thrilled as I experienced first hand positioning my kayak on the ramp, and with the ramp’s distinctive design using side rails, bottom rollers, and sloped platform, I slide safely into the water. Further, my take-out was from the same ramp. Wow!

The Braden River Trail is approximately 6 miles in total length. See the dotted BLUE lines of the map to reference this waterway trail. Public launch sites include Jiggs Landing, from which we put-in for our 3 ½ hour paddle.

Our entry at Jiggs landing and take-out was part of this trail. Our paddle was limited to a five-mile loop upstream meandering through many side coves and marshes, as seen in RED in the below map.

Manatees are present in the river almost year-round and may be found anywhere in the tidal river. We did not experience manatees on this trip, nor did we see alligators. However, beautiful birds and their songs, and their rookeries, were all along our paddle. In addition, varieties of beautiful flowers, mangroves, live oaks, and other various trees unique to this area were omnipresent.

The section from Jiggs Landing south upriver provides a peaceful, winding canoe experience. You can paddle from Jiggs Landing to the Linger Lodge (restaurant) and enjoy this eclectic local experience. We had dined at Linger Lodge before, and I encourage visiting it. However, our paddle upstream today did not reach Linger Lodge.

We certainly did not see all that the Jiggs Landing put-in has to offer. We definitely will return to Jiggs Landing and:

Paddle downstream to Evers Dam
Paddle further upstream to Linger lodge for lunch/dinner
Look at our map and make sure we finish paddling all six-miles of Braden River Trail.

DIRECTIONS

Jiggs Landing is a 4 ½ acre site with excellent parking for cars and trailers and a kayaking/canoe washing area. Also a small restaurant with outside musicians playing. Jiggs Landing is located at 6106 63rd Street East, Bradenton, Florida. From Sarasota take I-75 north to Exit 217 (SR 70). Go west on SR 70 to Braden River Road (63rd Street East). Turn left (south) onto 63rd Street East. Jiggs Landing is .4 miles, just before the road turns east onto Linger Lodge Road East.

MORE DETAIL

For more pictures, videos and narrative on our Jiggs Landing paddle, Click here for a 12-minute video.

MORE FLORIDA PADDLES with OutdoorSteve

REFERENCES

Paddle Manatee River Guide

PDF 3rd Edition: Paddle Manatee

Jiggs Landing Preserve

Jiggs Landing Outpost

Braden_River

Linger Lodge Restaurant

Mangroves - 11 Facts you need to know

Google Search: Robinson Preserve

More OutdoorSteve.com Adventures

******************************************

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Picnic Island

Dundee, Mike, and I put-in at Picnic Island, Ellenton, Florida, and headed upstream. We snaked along the shoreline and explored its mangrove trail waterways. The paddle started as a relaxed afternoon kayaking on the Manatee River and would finish as a test of our stamina.

The below video misses much of this 2-mile round trip section of the river, as it became difficult for me to take pictures and paddle. First we searched a mangrove tunnel with an entrance and no exit. Second, We cross in a wide section of the river in a high wind. Third, we finished our return paddle to Picnic Island, facing strong winds and white cap waves.

As you will hear in the video, Dundee and I took a shoreline route in the mangroves. Videoing this mangrove tunnel was not possible due to the confines of the mangroves as well as discovering the mangrove water trail was a dead-end. We needed to back up our kayaks to exit the tunnel.

Given no traffic on the river, we decided to cross the river to get another view of the river’s habitat. We did this in against a strong incoming tide and wind It turned out what I thought was “the other shore” was a narrow mangrove forest called Marsh Island. I learned we were looking at a long narrow island as we went through a water trail through in the island and saw “the other side of the river.” You will see Marsh Island in the below map showing our paddling route in Red.

Our paddle to return to Picnic Island turned into a 15-minute power sprint into strong winds, against an upriver tide, and white caps.

Enjoy our afternoon paddle.

REFERENCES

Manatee Paddle: Emerson Point and Fort Hamer

Mangroves - 11 Facts you need to know

Robinson Preserve: Kayaking and Canoeing Trails Map

Google Search: Robinson Preserve

More OutdoorSteve.com Adventures

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"
++++++++++++++++
Steve's 6th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 Seniors has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle and Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Robinson Preserve

Cathy, Michael, Martha and Steve paddle nearly four hours in Robinson Preserve, Manatee County, Bradenton, Florida.

Robinson Preserve is a 620 preserve with 40 acres of peaceful mangrove-lined waterways and mangrove water tunnel passages for canoeing and kayaking. Manatee County acquired the Preserve in 2005. It offers well-maintained put-ins and take-outs with restrooms, picnic shelters, kayak and canoe wash stations with hoses, and a 40-foot observation tower with 360-degree views of the Preserve. Martha and Michael had paddled this area before and were our navigators and tour guides.

Enjoy the below 5-minute video of our kayaking in Robinson Preserve.

The Robinson Preserve fits perfectly with my Manatee Paddle theme as it borders the mouth of the Manatee River directly across from Emerson Point, which we had paddled a few weeks earlier. Also, this Preserve opens to Tampa Bay and Anna Maria Island.

You will see mangroves trees throughout our paddle. Mangroves thrive in conditions most timber could never tolerate — salty, coastal waters, and the eternal ebb and flow of the tide. This environment defines the Robinson Preserve.

To see a Bedford Community Television (BCTV) twenty minute production of this same paddle, go to Manatee Paddle - Robinson Preserve

MORE FLORIDA PADDLES with OutdoorSteve

REFERENCES

Mangroves - 11 Facts you need to know

Google Search: Robinson Preserve

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle and Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Emerson Point and Fort Hamer

The waterways of Manatee County, Florida comprise 75 miles of paddling trails in marine and fresh waters. This post shows four of the waterways I have paddled with friends.

My selection of paddling sites is based on where I live and recommendations of local friends. I found the Paddle Manatee: A Guide to Area Canoe and kayak Trails (see References below), an excellent resource to locate maps and places to go in my area.

Paddling in Florida often present pleasant surprises of native marine mammals and reptiles, such as bottlenose dolphins, manatees, and alligators. Florida also offers unique habitat, such as mangroves as borders for the rivers, keys, and bays. These same mangroves can be pathways of caution as residences for snakes, alligators, fish, and mammals.

Given mangroves ubiquitous in this area, let me share education passages I found in the Paddle Manatee Guide:

"Two forms of coastal wetlands are present in the region: tidal marshes and mangrove forests. Healthy wetlands, including both freshwater and intertidal habitats, are important to the vitality of area waters because they provide food and shelter for marine life. Wetlands also filter pollutants while intertidal habitats, such as salt marshes and mangroves, help protect shorelines from erosion.

There are three different kinds of mangroves found throughout area waters. Red mangroves are found closest to open water. They have arching prop roots and have seed pods or propagules. Black mangroves are found growing among red mangroves. Black mangroves “sweat” salt from their leaves and send up twiggy projections from their roots embedded in the soil surrounding the tree trunk, called pneumatophores, which provide oxygen to the tree’s roots. White mangroves usually grow above the high tide line. Green buttonwood, although not a true mangrove, grows in the most landward location of the littoral zone, behind the other mangrove species. It generally has small, elongated leaves and bears round “buttons” that turn brown. Try to identify which types of mangroves you encounter on your paddling excursion.

Seagrass meadows characterize most of the shallow waters of the area. The most common species of grass in the area are shoal grass, widgeon grass, turtle grass, and manatee grass. The grass beds provide protective nursery areas for juvenile fish, shrimp and crabs, and provide surface for growth of algae epiphytes which serve as food for fish and crustaceans, as well as manatees."

Key landmarks in the below map are the Manatee River, Tampa Bay, Skyway Bridge, and Terra Ceia. I identified our put-in/takeout locations with oversize black numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Enjoy my videos and narratives:

Emerson Point Preserve put-in
Fort Hamer put-in
Ellenton Manatee River put-in
Manatee River Picnic Island put-in

1. Emerson Point Preserve: Six-mile loop paddle with put-in and take-out at Terra Ceia Kayak Launch on Emerson Point Preserve to Little Bird Key and return.

Today OutdoorSteve and five friends take you on a six-mile loop paddle from the kayak launch ramp in Emerson Point Preserve. We paddle through mangroves, open saltwater bays, and around Little Bird Key and back. We enter Terra Ceia Bay near the mouth of the Manatee River. Our sights are the Skyway of Tampa Bay. We look for manatees, bottlenose dolphins, and jumping fish. One of our group is a fisherman, and although he did not bring in a fish, he had a fight with jumping ladyfish until it escaped his hook.

Enjoy the below video as we paddle from Emerson Point Preserve, Bradenton, Florida.

2. Fort Hamer Put-in on Manatee River
As you will see in the outline in our below Google MapMyRun trail outline in red, Dundee and I meandered our canoe back and forth across the river and had turnarounds in ending bays.

Enjoy our canoe paddle on the Manatee River.

In Native American Legend, the Manatee River, dividing line between the Calusa and Timucuan peoples, was known as the "Singing River" because of the most beautiful and lovely music it mysteriously made on certain moons.

The river's headwaters at 136 feet above sea level is the highest point in Manatee County. It flows south, then west through Lake Manatee to Tampa Bay, a total of 46 miles.

Fort Hamer, named after a brigadier general of the Florida Volunteers, was built in 1849 on the south shore of the Manatee River across from the present public boat ramp, as one of several fortifications round Tampa Bay. The garrison of 165 men stood down in 1850 when the suspected Seminole uprising never came about.

*****************************

A blog post for the Ellenton Manatee River put-in and Manatee River Picnic Island put-in will be in a forthcoming post.

Click this link to SUBSCRIBE to OutdoorSteve's YouTube Channel

References

1. Paddle Manatee River Guide
2. PDF 3rd Edition: Paddle Manatee
3. www/facebook.com/manatee.natural.resources
4. Manatee Paddle - Robinson Preserve
5. Manatee River- Picnic Island, Ellenton, Fl
6. OutdoorSteve.com Adventures

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"
++++++++++++++++
Steve's 6th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 Seniors has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle and Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London.

Friday, December 13, 2019

2019 "Deck the ORFS with Christmas Red, White and Green!"

Our Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) Christmas and caroling pageant is an annual "extravaganza!" It remains a creative endeavor which warms the residents and our heart.

ORFS step out of their comfort zones and become a caroler for three hours. Our leader, Kathy, asks us to TRUST, go WITH THE FLOW, and HAVE FUN! We first visit the Bittersweet Residence, and then the Lyon Brook Condominium, both located in New London, NH.

Al is on keyboard and Barb on the violin.

We are decked in Christmas red with song books for the "formal chorus!"

After singing is over at Bittersweet we socialize with the residents and wish everyone a very merry Christmas. We enjoy their hospitality of homemade goodies of pies, cakes and apple cider.

We then depart to Lyon Brook Condominium Community for a repeat caroling performance, a dinner, and famous Yankee Swap.

Special thanks go to Kathy for coordination of this gala event and for her costumes, props, music books, etc. Thanks also to Al (piano), Barb (violin), Rosemary (dinner) and Joy (Yankee Swap). Great leaders like you make ORFS fun and inspirational.

MERRY CHRISTMAS. MAY GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!

ORFS give the gifts of themselves and it is much appreciated and shared with the audience. Below we share the fun of belonging to ORFS.

The ORFS are part of the Chapin Council on Aging, New London, NH.

Who are the ORFS?
The Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) group meets every Tuesday year-round at 10 am. In the summer we kayak/canoe, swim and hike. In the fall we hike, and in the winter we snowshoe and cross-country ski. Our trips are from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, followed by lunch.

Directions and location are available for our Tuesday 10 am outings via email and the monthly New London Chapin Senior Center Courier newsletter. To learn more and join, contact the Chapin Senior Center at 357 pleasant Street, PO Box 1263, New London, New Hampshire 03752 or go to their web site at http://www.coachapincenter.org

ORFS is a very informal group and participation is for all outdoor enthusiasts wanting guaranteed good exercise with a friendly fun group.

" Everyone must do something. I believe I will go outdoors with family and friends"
++++++++++++++++
Steve's 6th book is now available. Outdoor Play: Fun 4 Seniors has trip preparations, routes, and narratives of bucket list places to go. Motivate friends and family to make the outdoors a key component of their daily life.

Steve’s books are available as hardcopy and e-Books at Amazon's Kindle and Morgan Hill Bookstore, New London.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) Bowl at Maple Lanes Bowling, Claremont, NH

This past Tuesday our 10 am adventure was at the Maple Lanes Bowling Ally 125 Maple Ave, Claremont, NH 0374. One of the ORFS rare indoor adventures, it is low cost and absolutely a fun time to chat and root for each. Being experienced in bowling is certainly not necessary - only being able to laugh at yourself and for each other is mandatory.

You do need to choose whether to do ten-pins or candle pins.

Thank you to Skip for leading this fun ORFS Tuesday gathering.

Directions to Maple Lanes
Directions from Claremont Opera House square: Take Pleasant St. South toward Charleston for 0.09 mile. Turn right at stoplight onto Maple Ave. and go 0.6 mile, turning right at Citco sign into Maple Lanes at 125 Maple Lane. Afterward we will meet at Imperial Chinese Buffet for lunch which is the next left after Wal-Mart turn off at 154 Washington St.

Who are the ORFS?
The Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) group meets every Tuesday year-round at 10 am. In the summer we kayak/canoe, swim and hike. In the fall we hike, and in the winter we snowshoe and cross-country ski. Our trips are from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, followed by lunch.

Directions and location are available for our Tuesday 10 am outings via email and the monthly New London Chapin Senior Center Courier newsletter. To learn more and join, contact the Chapin Senior Center at 357 pleasant Street, PO Box 1263, New London, New Hampshire 03752 or go to their web site at http://www.coachapincenter.org

ORFS is a very informal group and participation is for all outdoor enthusiasts wanting guaranteed good exercise with a friendly fun group.
******************************************

Outdoor Enthusiast

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Trail 6 – Wolf Trees and Many Trails

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway: Trail 8 Wilmot Center to New Canada Road

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Jiggs Landing and the Braden River Trail, Bradenton, Florida

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Picnic Island

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Robinson Preserve

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Manatee Paddle - Emerson Point and Fort Hamer

Friday, December 13, 2019

2019 "Deck the ORFS with Christmas Red, White and Green!"

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Outdoor Recreation for Seniors (ORFS) Bowl at Maple Lanes Bowling, Claremont, NH

Blog Archive

I believe I will go outdoors with my family

About OutdoorSteve

Recommended Sites

About Me

Followers