Phoebes Nable Woods Roads 3/23/13

"Exploring the North East Side of Phoebes" (pictures)

Scott and I did some "off trail" snow shoeing today. There is so much for us to still explore at MMR and the myriad of logging and skid roads allows ample opportunity to do that. And it's so easy to trek through the woods on snow shoes! We hiked up Burrows Farm trail and at the bridge went left onto an old logging road along the brook. It soon turned left climbing at a moderate grade. The climb continued up past a rock wall, old oak trees and connected to the logging roads we had been on in the summer that connect to our Phoebes Nable Mt. trail.

We took a left and sure enough connected to the upper junction. This would make a great trail instead of our original plan of the Phoebes Link, which would come straight up very steeply from the bridge. This route is more gradual and makes an awesome loop option. We will have to mark it out and get approval, perhaps a project for the Autumn season. We then took the "Phoebes Link trail" down to the view across to Beauty and Boulder ledges. Here we found some wolf tracks in the snow. I have been seeing a lot of wolf activity here at the property! We continued left down a woods road then another left back up to the upper road.

Here we retraced our steps down to an intersection. We went down another logging road towards the field before losing the road. We then cut through the woods to the brook and followed it back towards the bridge. The view from this side, of the rock wall built along the river and the mill site is pretty neat. We also passed by a large stone erratic before coming back to the bridge and heading back to the parking lot. Always fun exploring MMR!