 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  A cistern in the woods 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!  More evidence of "civilization" 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.  The very edge of the wetland. 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...  The widest spot on the trail...and a lovely stand of trees. 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.  The stone where the trail starts...but not where hikers begin.
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Adam Tierney-EliotI am a full-time pastor in a small, progressive church in Massachusetts. This blog is about the non-church things I do to find spiritual sustenance. Archives
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