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Voice of the Wapack

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Voice of the Wapack Fall / Winter 2017 Voice of the Wapack Published by the Friends of the Wapack, Inc. Issue #100 President’s Letter — The Idea of the Wapack Trail In our Spring newsletter we reported on the portance of each trail section. This idea has provid- Northeast Wilderness Trust’s (NWT) successful ed impetus for conservation of the range, and for campaign to protect 488 acres in New Ipswich as trail protection. The Wapack Range takes it’s the Binney Hill Preserve. We are now working name from the trail, which existed before the with NWT in the effort to provide permanent legal range was named. Indeed, the trail brought the protection for the mile of the Wapack Trail on the public’s attention to the idea of the range, and the new preserve. We are close to protecting one of the need to conserve it. Before Marion Davis named last long unprotected sections of the trail. We’ll the trail, there were the Boundary Mountains, the give an update on this at our annual meeting on New Ipswich Mountains, Mt. Watatic, and what October 21 (see the Annual Meeting notice in this Thoreau referred to as the “Peterboro Hills”. The newsletter). trail is not just on the range, it is an integral part The Friends of the Wapack exists for trail of it. And this linkage, the idea of the two, has maintenance and to protect the continuity of the been part of every successful effort at conservation Wapack Trail. The Wapack Trail is fundamentally and trail protection on the Wapack Range. an idea that links hills and forests together that The idea of the Wapack Trail makes clear that would otherwise be seen as separate. You can hike the lower routes between the mountains need pro- each of the mountains separately, but it is the idea tection as much as the trail on the mountain tops. of the long distance trail that elevates the im- (Continued on page 5) Remembering Ollie Mutch The Wapack Trail and this or- hikes with Lee Baker. ganization lost a true friend this He and Jan Miller always year with the passing of Ollie had an adventure planned. Mutch. Ollie was a long time trail They visited the rural areas of worker, Section Captain, an mem- Peru, paddled the canals in On- ber of our Board of Directors. He tario, and spent several months was a good friend of my family, and on a camping road trip visiting particularly a friend of my Dad the US national parks. Previ- with whom they enjoyed numerous Ollie Mutch (right), receiving a gift of a ously Ollie enjoyed many travel hikes and skiing trips. Ollie was Friends jacket at our 2016 annual meeting adventures and outdoor experi- also active with the Harris Center, in honor of his many years of service to the Friends of the Wapack and the trail. ences with his late wife Jane. leading the popular first Friday (Continued on page 6) Friends of the Wapack Trail Workday Reports The Voice of the Wap- The 2017 spring ack is published workday was held twice a year by the on April 29th on Friends of the Wap- ack, Inc. The Friends the section of the are nonprofit volun- Wapack in the re- teers dedicated to the cently established maintenance and preservation of the Binney Hill Pre- Wapack Trail System. Financial support is provided by member donations which serve. Seven are tax deductible to the extent allowed Friends of the Wap- by law. The Wapack Trail is a 21-mile ack participated including George Socur, Bob Saari, Rick skyline footpath from Mt. Watatic in Blanchette, Paul Willis, Tom Brumaghim, Pat Little, and Mike Ashburnham, MA to North Pack in Przybyla. In addition, Marisa Riggi and Shelby Perry of the North- Greenfield, NH. Completed in 1923, it is the oldest interstate hiking trail in the east Wilderness Trust were there to discuss trail maintenance go- Northeast. ing forward and their planned work along the trail. The Friends of the Wapack, Inc. is recog- We concentrated on drainage nized as a charitable corporation under work on the section of the trail Section 501(c)(3) of the US IRS code. between Binney Hill Road and Copyright © 2017 Friends of the Wapack, the southern end of the pre- Inc. serve. We installed a large wa- Friends of the Wapack ter bar at the base of Emerson P.O. Box 115 Hill and cleaned out a number West Peterborough, NH 03468 of other drainage ditches that Web: www.wapack.org Email: [email protected] had been blocked by vehicles. Observations since the workday Once it’s gone, It’s gone forever show that these are all operating successfully do in no small part to the two gates that the NWT installed which has virtually eliminat- ed vehicles in that section. Officers: Rick Blanchette, President, (603)878-1464 The September 23rd Dwight Horan, V. President, (603)878-3779 workday concentrated on two Lee Baker, Secretary, (603)525-5262 small relocations on the Cliff Bruce Myrick, Treasurer, (603)352-8616 Trail The first was to move a Standing Committee Chairs: short section out of a wet ar- Lee Baker, Trips, (603)525-5262 Rick Blanchette, Trails, Newsletter, (603) ea to higher more rocky 878-1464 ground. The second was a re- Mitch Call, Ways & Means, (603)924-7544 route around a ledge. For the Mike Przybyla, Management / Right-of-Way, (603)878-3350 latter the trail now cuts Directors: straight and passes adjacent Tom Brumaghim, (603)878-6167 to the ledge. Additional work Ray Jackson, (978)597-8813 was done to clear some brush Bob Saari, (603) 913-7265 on the main trail going up North Pack where vegetation was ob- Sherisa Sterling (978) 827-3272 Archivist: Jeannette Baker scuring the original route causing hikers to make a new trail Trail Master: Mike Przybyla around it. Thanks go the Tom Brumaghim, Heil Linquist, Bob Web Master: Jon McInerney Saari, and Ray Jackson. -Mike Przybyla, Trail Master Page 2 Voice of the Wapack The Friends of the Wapack, Inc. invite you to our 2017 Annual Meeting Saturday, October 21 Sharon Meeting House, Rte. 123, Sharon, NH Featured Guest Speaker: Steve Roberge “The History and Future of New Hampshire’s Forests” Please join us for our 2017 Annual Meeting and enjoy an informa- tive and entertaining presentation by Steve Roberge on The History and Future of New Hampshire’s Forests: Fire, hurricanes, beavers and hu- mans have all made their mark on the forests of NH. We’ll take a look at how our forests are shaped over time by natural and human disturbances and travel back in time to discover what European settlers may have en- countered when they ventured into the wilderness from the shores of the Atlantic. Steve earned a B.S. in Forest Science from UNH and a Masters of Forest Science from Yale University. As the Cheshire County UNH Ex- tension Forester it is his responsibility to educate forestland owners about their important role as stewards of the forest. Steve currently serves on the New Hampshire Forester Licensing Board, a Trustee of the Harris Center for Conservation Edu- cation, board member of the NH Maple Producers Association, and is one of the founding board members of the Glass Museum, a non-profit arts and music organization in Peterborough. Steve and his wife Rachelle Beaudoin live in Peterborough with their dog, Theo. We hope to see you there! Everyone is welcome! 9:00AM Hike (optional). Berry Pasture Trail, Sharon. Join us on a morning hike on the Berry Pasture Trail on the Lincoln-Davis Preserve in Sharon. We’ll hike to the Temple Mountain ridge. Along the way we’ll view a recent timber harvest on the property, and enjoy the great views from the old ber- ry pasture. Meet at 9:00 AM at the Sharon Meeting House, Route 123 in Sharon, NH. For details contact Lee Baker (603) 525-5262 or email Lee at [email protected]. Noon Informal “bring-your-own” lunch at Sharon Meeting House. The Friends will provide beverages and light desserts. Bring a dessert to share if you like. Yes, there will be Featured Speaker Steve Roberge, followed by Friends of the Wapack, Inc., 1:00PM door prizes! business meeting with highlights from this year and election of officers. Directions to Sharon Meeting House: From the East: Rt. 101 to blinking light for Rt. 123 South in Peterborough; left at 123, 3.7 miles to Sharon Meeting House, on left, a bit north and across the road from Sharon Arts Center, and behind the old Sharon brick school house. From the West: Rt. 101 through traffic light in Peterborough; east to blinking light for Rt. 123 South; right onto Rt. 123 South (Elm Hill Rd.) 3.7 miles to Sharon Meeting House, on left. From 202 North: Rt. 202 South to Peterborough; left at stop sign onto Rt. 101 East; east to blinking light for Rt. 123 South; proceed as above. Friends of the Wapack Upcoming Events All are welcome to attend the following meetings & events Check our website for updates and additions www.wapack.org Board Meetings First Thursday of alternate months unless otherwise noted. (November 2, Jan 4, Mar 1, May 3). All are welcome. Shieling State Forest Barn in Peterborough, NH, or Ashby Public Library, Ashby MA.. 7:00 PM. Check with a board member to confirm date and location. Trail Work Days Saturday October 28th - Barrett Mountain This day will focus on clean up and drainage work along the Wapack Trail on Barrett Mountain where a timber harvest has damaged the trail.
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