by Julie Gowel ·
Friday, March 7, 2025
The Harvard Conservation Trust held a night hike on Friday, Feb. 28, along the Barba’s Point trail that included a walk onto the frozen Bare Hill Pond. The New Moon Hike was intended to give participants the opportunity to see the stars on a night in which the moon wouldn’t be hogging the sky.
Unfortunately, the cloud cover prevented attendees from stargazing and robbed them of the last opportunity to view the planet parade that took place for most of the month. According to NASA, the parade is an alignment opportunity to view five planets in our solar system with the naked eye.
No one seemed to mind the missed celestial experience.
The fickle New England weather may have clouded on the hikers’ parade, but for the more than 50 people that turned out for the event, the real highlight of the night was experiencing the beloved pond in an entirely new way.
“That was the first time that I walked right there in the middle,” said Miguel Alba, of Harvard. “I come out all the time in the summer with the kayak and swim at the beach. It was nice to see the same features but in different ways.” Alba brought his family to the event, including his two boys who are in kindergarten and third grade at the Hildreth Elementary school.
Bob Douglas, a trustee for the HCT, served as the hike’s host and emcee. At the first stop of the evening, Douglas ran a head-counting exercise in which he asked participants to introduce themselves and name the animal they would choose to be if given the opportunity. From tadpoles to New England forest creatures to lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), most attendees were from Harvard with a couple of outliers from Bolton, Acton, and Brooklyn, New York.
“This is probably the most challenging hike that we’ve had to plan for,” said Douglas. “Safety comes first. At this time of year it could be raining solidly or [the path] could have been completely iced over.” Luckily, the warmer temperatures on Friday allowed for the trail to have a slushy layer of snow that provided traction for hikers. Additionally, many folks had geared up for the conditions, strapping spikes to their boots and using poles for stability.
Douglas stopped the group at a vernal pool about three-quarters of the way down the trail to the pond. There, he talked about it being a magical place and the largest pool in the area, where fairy shrimp lay eggs and sleep until the temperature is right, endangered salamanders come from up to three miles away to mate and lay eggs, and coyotes come to take a drink. It was that very vernal pool that saved the shoreline from being developed with condominiums, according to Douglas.
He recalled the time years ago, when a developer had acquired the land. Amateur biologist and Harvard resident Jack Whelan happened to discover a blue spotted salamander, an endangered species at the time, in the pool. “Jack found the critter and brought it to the attention of the state. The development was halted and the HCT was able to purchase the land. Now it’s been preserved by both the Conservation Commission and the trust for forever.”
Continuing down the trail, hikers came upon the wide opening of the trees which indicated they had reached the pond. Interested folks participated in a Q&A with Douglas. One youngster, perched upon his father’s shoulders, asked how the HCT knew the ice was safe for hikers to walk. He explained that the pole in his hand was not actually a walking stick but an auger he used to drill through the snow and ice to check the depth of the frozen pond.
Children climbed on rocks usually submerged in water but were now exposed due to the drawdown of the pond. Others played tag and threw snowballs, running where they might swim in just a few short months. While the section of the pond explored on the night hike was deemed safe, Douglas warned that many other parts of the pond were not fully frozen, and so people should not attempt to venture onto the ice without the proper precautions.
Douglas was happily astonished to learn the hike had reached capacity in the reservation system days before the event, but said he could also see the draw. “I think it is kind of a sweet spot. It’s something that people just haven’t done, gone out on the ice or on a nighttime winter hike. I think it was the right bait for what’s kind of a quiet time of the year.”
Liz and Martin Hawkes, Harvard residents for 35 years, proved Douglas’ hypothesis to be true. “I’m always amazed at the cool stuff to do in Harvard,” said Liz. “I look in the [Harvard Press], and there’s always these cool little things to do. I’m always game for a night hike.”
“The path wasn’t too long, so the kids didn’t get too tired,” said Alba. “My kids never like to go for walks, but they were very excited for this one. It was entertaining, we stopped along the way as [the HCT] explained some things. We had time to ask questions, it was nice. It was very interactive.”
“We are always participating in events with the Harvard Trust,” said Iryna Ostapenko, another town resident. “Bob is such a good storyteller. My daughter loved the fire, walking on the pond, and climbing on the rocks. For me, it was a great opportunity to see the forest at night. We don’t usually do that.”
Ostapenko was referring to the fire the HCT set up in a portable pit at Barba’s Point. The warmth from the flames was appreciated by the chilled hikers and relished by the kids roasting marshmallows.
For Norman Dandridge, of Harvard, who attended the hike with his daughter Ayla and her two friends, the fire was nice, but not necessary. “I’ve been in New England for far too long to become grumpy about the seasons,” he said. “It’s nice to see that other people are also interested in any time of year, not just the fair weather walkers.”