It’s the end of the year and we’ve turned our backs to the sun. Plants and animals need this time of coldness, short days, and long periods of darkness, and I suspect I, also a part of nature, do too. I’m not quite sure why, but I feel like roaming around outside, to find out what’s going on out there. I want to pick up and go without a ticket or a reservation. I may be with a 5-year-old child or with a 75-year-old companion.
Tree hunts
I could go to the Groton Conservation Trust 2021 Winter Tree Stroll and the fifth annual Littleton Little Town Tree Hunt. The tree stroll and the tree hunt are self-directed walks in search of decorated trees on conservation trust lands in Groton and Littleton. Both run through December.
The Groton stroll takes place on three trust properties where local nonprofit groups have decorated trees. The properties in Groton are the Bates Land on Old Ayer Road, General Field on Farmer’s Row, and Shepley Hill on Sand Hill Road.
The Littleton Conservation Trust’s Tree Hunt involves 18 properties listed at www.facebook.com/LittletonLittleTownTree Hunt.com, or for more information, contact by email: LittletonLittleTown TreeHunt@gmail.com.
After keeping a sharp eye out for decorated trees, I may notice that I’m observing other hidden features of the forest as well by using that particular mid-distance focus of the eyes that catches motion or flashes of color. I may keep a list of what I see, maybe with drawings and haikus, or maybe create a scavenger hunt for the kids.
Wachusett Mountain
Wachusett Mountain State Reservation (not to be confused with the ski area) offers free programs through December at the visitor center on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The programs are under an hour and a half and geared for families. Topics covered are geology, old growth forests, tree bark, animals in winter, animal tracks, and snowshoeing or hiking.
Even if I don’t participate in the programs, I hope to walk up the mountain, in the light of day or in the dark hours, either on a trail or on the road (which is closed to traffic for the season). For directions, maps and December program descriptions, go to mass.gov/locations/wachusett-mountain-state-reservation.
Caroling on Shirley Common
It would be hard to find a more picturesque image of winter spirit than caroling around pretty Shirley Common. I could meet other carolers at the Shirley Meeting House, Sunday, Dec. 19, at 3:45 p.m. and begin singing as the light fades at 4 p.m. All ages are welcome. Treats and warm cider will be available afterward.
Winter solstice at Old Manse
The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord is putting on a solstice event at the Old Manse in Concord on Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. There will be a bonfire and drumming. Before it gets dark, I might stroll along the Old North Bridge path or explore the nearby network of trails comprising sections of Reformatory Branch Trail and the long distance Bay Circuit Trail. I’ll turn around at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and return to the Old Manse.
However, if I feel a little nervous about a large gathering at the Old Manse during this pandemic, my family may celebrate the solstice with s’mores around the fire pit at home. We’ll look up into the sky and rejoice that we have darkness in order to see the stars.
New Year’s Day walk
And then, suddenly, it’s a new year, and we’ve begun, ever so gradually, tilting toward the sun. To celebrate the new year, the Harvard Conservation Trust will host a free and open-to-all New Year’s Day walk.
Walkers will meet at the parking lot behind Hildreth Elementary School on Jan. 1, 11 a.m., for a guided walk on the Small nature trail, which begins behind the elementary school, goes through the Dolan-Mason land to John’s Field on Slough Road, and back—just under 3 miles.
The walk will climb short gentle hills through a diverse forest before opening out at the high open land along Slough Road. Besides being a pleasant walk, these trails link the historic and cultural center of town to its rich agricultural heritage and wildlife environment. Linking different parts of town to conservation lands via walking trails is a long-held goal of the Harvard Conservation Trust.
So I’ll lace up my boots, grab my walking poles, and start the new year by striding freely, not trespassing, not excluded, on land not exclusively for a few, not private, but held for the true enjoyment of it for all—as envisioned by Henry David Thoreau in his essay, “Walking”—with special thanks to the efforts of the Harvard Conservation Commission and the Harvard Conservation Trust.
