The torrent that is the Assebet River in spring flood.
God is at home. It’s we who have gone out for a walk.
-Meister Eckhart
Christine and I decided to take Waldo for a walk on the upper part of the Assebet River Rail Trail. It starts at the South Acton Commuter Railroad Station and runs south through Maynard to a dirt road that passes by a tiny airport on Crow Island. The northern part of the trail ends on Sudbury Road, just before you get to Honey Pot Hill Orchards. We’re going to only go as far as the beginning of the dirt road and turn around. That’s 3.55 miles one way, 7.1 miles round trip. Like Hudson, they never plow the trail there, so we’re not sure just how much ice we’ll find.
The day is one of those tween days – when, without layers, it’s impossible to dress warm enough without being overdressed at some point. I opted for my parka, a ski cap and gloves. Christine is wearing a suitable jacket and a baseball cap. Waldo has his sable birthday suit.
The sky cover is broken, filled with puffy gray clouds and there is an intermittent breeze. When the breeze is blowing, I’m grateful for my coat. When it’s not, I’m overheated and I want to take my coat off. I compromise and unzip the thing almost all the way down and it’s good enough. I’m zipping and unzipping a lot, though. Christine is hunched in the wind, but appears comfortable when it’s not there. Waldo is… well, he’s just Waldo. He likes these temperatures.
There is no ice on the path as we start out. To our left is a busy street and on our right is swampland. There are some fancy bridges we pass over to get past the wettest areas, and soon, we’re in downtown Maynard. The trail passes behind businesses that line the street and there are a few people out and about with us. Maynard isn’t a big town, but it does boast several coffee shops, restaurants and parks. At one time, DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) was located on the edge of a mill pond in the south part of the town. They were quite big in the world of computers at one time, but it was their judgment that no one would put out the money required to buy a personal computer and never got on the bandwagon. DEC is now extinct.
We pass over a bridge that crosses the Assebet River. With all the ice melt, it is a rushing furious torrent, with rapids. It sure is a lot different from this fall when Waldo and I were blocked by a still, placid flow of water at Honey Pot Hill Orchards. Its color is blue/gray with whitecaps. I’ve seen canoes floating down the river in other places; I wonder if they ever come on this part.
After we leave the town, we’re in real country. The trail runs close by the shore of the Assebet River and we’re soon in the woods. It’s not hard to imagine that we’re walking through an 18th or 19th century countryside, with the river on one side and wilderness tracts of trees and bushes on the other. This must have been what New England was like before it became “civilized.” Today, we have a paved trail to walk on, such as it is. There are patches of ice that run all the way across the tarmac and we have to gingerly pick our way across them to avoid falling.
Waldo is really enjoying himself, exploring both sides of the trail and meeting the people and dogs we pass. I think he’s happier being someplace new, or at least newer than our usual jaunt. The happiest I’ve seen him is when we’re off the pavement and on root-rutted, stoney dirt paths. It’s as if he sometimes needs to get away from the detritus of human habitation as much as I do.
It’s been a little while since Waldo and I have walked with Christine. Gone are the days when we’d walk 12 miles, twice a week or so, as we walked across the state of Massachusetts. We finished the Bay Circuit Trail and haven’t yet found a replacement and we haven’t set up a regular schedule to walk together. This isn’t the time of year to start another project like that, but we do talk about other options, like the New England Trail that runs from Connecticut to New Hampshire, or the Midstate Trail that runs a bit further west than the New England Trail. There’s also that part of the Appalachian Trail that runs through Massachusetts. I’m thinking we’ll opt for the Midstate Trail first, but we haven’t yet come up with a definite plan. Meanwhile, Waldo and I want to finish walking the entire Mass Central Rail Trail, and Christine and/or Phyllis may join us for part of that. Come spring, after things have had a chance to dry out, we really do need to embark on a new joint adventure, though.
All too soon, we’re back at our cars and ready to go home.
Walks are so much more pleasant when shared.
Near the upper end of the trail, not far from the South Acton Commuter Rail station.