HIKED ON: August 7, 2024

All walks tell a story.  Most of the time we do not articulate it.  Maybe many of them are just a laundry list of errands; "I bought a coffee then walked to the office then walked to lunch," and so on.  However, some try to be more.  A person or persons get together and try to create an adventure that will underscore or celebrate the story of a place or thing.  The mid state trail is one of those walks.  The "story" gives glimpses into the landscape, economy, history and people of Worcester County.

This, of course, is the second leg of our journey.  The first--a walk through and around the Douglass State Forest--was wooded.  This hike starts in a similar way, with a few miles left of Douglass.  This area had been more heavily populated and industrialized in the early 20th Century.  Similarly to our first hike, there was ample evidence of previous habitation.  Now, however, nature is clearly in control. After the park, the trail dips between country roads and forested back yards until emerging in downtown Oxford.

Most of it was lovely.  The road parts were a bit hard on the feet but the traffic was lighter than we had feared, which was nice.  There was also a slight navigational challenge.  Maps of this route are constantly being updated as the Worcester branch of the Appalachian Mountain Club negotiates with towns, businesses, and homeowners for access to the forested areas on their various properties.  Growing up in New England I am familiar with sometimes-jealously-guarded borders.  It cannot be an easy task. That said, they seem to be doing a good job of it!  Many times our maps (we were using both Google maps and the Alltrails app) would have us on yet another road.  However, the signage informed us of another compact that squeezed a half-mile more of forest for our enjoyment. Life has been crazy lately.  However, I am tempted to volunteer for the local AMC. Right now I am grateful for their work.

As for sights, there was a nice old graveyard about halfway through the day's journey.  We stopped for our break there and re-arranged our rain gear.  The stone markers went back to the 18th Century and--presumably--the first white settlers on our route.  There were a number of working farms as well, and many rolling fields.  Much of the area reminded me of Dutchess County New York, where I worked on my grandparent's farm in the summer and fall when I was a kid.  There were roads and road crossings that required our attention but...mostly not.  In general it was an easygoing 11.5 mile trip!

A couple of notes: Be sure to bring enough snacks!  While you will be on roads for about half of this section, there aren't really a ton of places to provision. Also, consider a reflecting vest or your hunter orange gear.  The roads--not surprisingly--don't have very wide shoulders and there are no sidewalks.  I would think twice about bringing your dog for this same reason.  Also, think hard about your footwear.  The roads are hard and smooth but many of the "backyard" portions are rocky and--at least in our case--wet.  There seem to be a number of seasonal riverbeds involved in the current route. You could also make a great case for hiking poles even though there are those road parts.

Finally--as I mentioned earlier--be sure to take your time to looks for signs and blazes.  The trail is a living document and you can miss a turn easily.  We sure did. In our case we landed in a cul-de-sac and turned around.  However, in the forested sections you could end up wandering through someone's yard very easily.  A best it is a mild trespass.  At worst, you could also startle the many dogs and livestock you encounter, creating chaos for yourself and others!

All told it was a good trip.  I had been dreading the roads a bit but they were fine.  From our map it looks like the next section will be similar.  Then--north of the City ---the green spaces are closer together.  Something to look forward to...

Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.  --Isaiah 43:19

I have been thinking about this quote from Isaiah a lot lately.  I find it reassuring to think that the Great Whatever that encompasses all of us is always starting anew in a perpetual cycle of beginnings, endings, and in-betweens.  Right now I am in the midst of endings and struggling to find the trailhead for whatever comes next.  Mostly that is an OK place to be.  However, it isn't ever easy.

Perhaps that is why I recently started a manageable new thing. Sometimes an achievable goal can help us practice for harder ones. The way the world is right now, we can all use the practice.

The Mid-State Trail runs the roughly 90-mile length of Worcester County from the border of Rhode Island to the border of New Hampshire.  I have explored a good chunk of its northern end but done very little with the space south of the City of Worcester.  Worcester is New England's second largest municipality.  However, it drops off fast, meaning that while there is plenty of road walking, most of it is in the woods.

​This project is more gentle than the mountain climbing "lists" that I spend much of my time with.  Also, Worcester County is much more accessible to me.  I can work on it when I can and put it away when I cannot. Finally, it is an area I enjoy exploring.  For the last two decades I have lived in the 'burbs.  By just heading that little bit west of my home I can pretend that I live somewhere else. I wrote up a few of those previous hikes on the trail, therefore...

​I will put a number of links at the bottom of this post so you can learn more about Mid-State!

The trail has its roots in the 1920's but came to fruition quite a bit later.  It was finally completed some time in the 1980's and is now maintained by the Worcester Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club.  They are always recruiting volunteers.  I should look into that. Anyway, the goal was--and is--to maintain a long trail that ties together the numerous smallish parks that decorate the maps of Central Massachusetts.  The first sections were in the North, where the road walks are not that intense.  Mounts Watatic and Wachusett are two major gems in the region going back before colonization.  As I noted in a previous post, Henry David Thoreau had some things to say about that area as well. ​Again, links to previous hikes are below.

My goal for this trail has always been to hike from one end to the other, using car-spots to prevent too much doubling back.  While I have explored it a great deal, I am a completist by nature and the gaps in my geographical mind-map bother me. My friend Sarah Stewart is doing this with me and will be providing that other car.  She actually lives in Worcester so the commute, while fairly simple for me, is even easier for her.  An added benefit is that Sarah is also a preacher, so we can talk shop without bothering our spouses.

Even though I said that we are hiking south to north, we walked this southernmost section in the other direction.  This was thanks to some complications.  First, I had a meeting, which threw a wrench into our plans.  Second...there is no parking lot at the ​actual beginning of the trail.  So, after much thought, we found that the simplest thing to do would be to start at the parking lot at Route 16, head south to the beginning of the trail, then turn north to hike a few miles back to the main entrance  to Douglas State Park, where we put our southernmost car.  In the end, it took about 7 miles of walking to complete the first 5.5 mile section.

The entirety of this day's walk occured inside Douglas State Forest.  The trail, itself, was relatively flat and featured some views of one of the few Atlantic White Cedar wetlands in the region.  Apparently there is a boardwalk over part of it.  However, if we cross it at all, it must be on a different day.  Along the way we stopped talking to listen to the birds and to notice the abundance of bear scat on the trail.  We didn't linger too much thanks to the presence of a large number of singing insects.  There were also blueberries and a blueberry-like fruit which seemed related to the "bilberries" I ate in abundance while hiking in Scotland. More research and eating is necessary...

There was also evidence of former human habitation.  Cellar holes and stone walls dotted the forest.  Also, the trail, itself showed evidence of being a road earlier in life.  I have done some research in what the area might be...but I haven't come to any great conclusions.  The next section will start in Douglas as well, so maybe by then I will have something to report.

That is all for now.  It is fun to start on a new thing, particularly one without a deadline that gets us outside, moving around, and breathing the fresh air. When the end to a beginning seems attainable. It helps with the less attainable ones, right?  In any case, it strengthens us for the journey and adventures of life.