New Path in Lowell

Tonight Abbey and I meet Clare Cain and Matt Rowbotham and his wife out in Lowell to scout a potential new route for the North Country Trail through the Lowell State Game Area. Earlier, Clare and I were frustrated with her negotiations with the DNR and their refusal to consider any trail that did not follow existing openings in the woods—such as illegally used two tracks. As a result, I was skeptical that an appropriate route could be found that would be an improvement upon the existing trail in the area.

I was pleasantly surprised tonight.

The path Clare and company lead me on through the woods was excellent right from the start. As one leaves Lowell and gets to the end of North Monroe Street, the road passes some majestically tall honey locusts and a fragrant stand of red pine that signal the coming woods.

The path cut across the corner of an abandoned Boy Scout archery range and immediately began to climb a bluff along the Flat River. The views in the summer are scenic, but are sure to be outstanding in the fall and winter.

The trail then turns and enters a beautiful beech-maple forest. My mind quickly wandered to images of first peoples living in the woods thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. What a spectacular place this must have been before the farms, dams and roads that now define the area.

It’s amazing what a little familiarity with a piece of land can do for planning a hiking trail. Clare spent some time to walking and exploring the area and came up with a fantastic route.

I’m eager to see this new trail established and used to showcase the North Country Trail to the residents of Lowell.

And I’m sure Abbey wouldn’t mind returning another summer day to sample a few more of the blackberries found along the way.