You can count on me,

Please just let me know,

Which flavor tickles your fan–cy!

Two cold December nights– will find me,

At Clamber Hill –where the firelight gleams,

And I’ll leave there with a Cheesecake,

And it won’t be just in my dreams!

* to the tune of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

Clamber Hill's Strawberry Cheesecake -- strawberry flavor through and through

The Clamber Hill innkeepers in Petersham, MA have a long history with Cheesecake, and it goes all the way back to the first Christmas after we married.

When giving the gift of clothes at Christmas time, one always gambles that they will fit, and often they do not.   So when my family made the annual pilgrimage to the local shopping mall to exchange  sizes, my husband Mark, not interested in women’s apparel disappeared.  After shopping was complete, a search of the mall turned up the missing newlywed in a bookstore where he was purchasing “The Joy of Cheesecake”.  All things considered, not a bad place to find a missing husband.

Clamber Hill's White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake -- a holiday favorite!

Why the interest in cheesecakes?  Mark’s mother baked fabulous cheesecakes, but she refused to share her recipe with her daughters or her sons, even as a Christmas or Wedding presents.   So one upsmanship being what it is, my husband Mark set out to develop his own cheesecake recipe that would be better than his Mom’s and the book, the “Joy of Cheesecake” by Dana Bovbjerg & Jeremy Iggers was a perfect place to start.

The authors claim that cheesecakes are the most sensuous of all desserts.  And OK all you chocoholics out there, maybe it takes a Chocolate Cheesecake to stake the claim to the most sensuous of all desserts, but not to worry that recipe is in this book too!

They even claim that the struggle to make the perfect cheesecake is the most noble struggle in the human race.  Well, Ok, maybe they are exaggerating but then again maybe not.  My husband certainly bought in.

That January, he baked 10 cheesecakes.  Yes 10 cheesecakes in one month, experimenting with different recipes to get it “perfect”.  Heavy, light, New York style, with cream cheese versus  Neufchatel, Ricotta or cottage cheese (yuck!), different crusts, different toppings….in typical USMC fashion (did I mention he was an active duty Marine Lieutenant at the time) he marched through the various recipes and succeeded in creating a better cheesecake than his Mom’s by the end of the month.  What a delicious month that was but I gained at least 20 lbs and needed to go shopping again!

A variety of Clamber Hill Cheesecakes with Triple Chocolate Cheesecake upfront

When Clamber Hill started our small restaurant in Central Massachusetts, Cheesecakes became a favorite dessert, especially for holiday parties.  So when Clamber Hill stated doing Holiday Shopping Extravaganzas, it was natural to take cheesecake orders for the holidays.   We now have eleven different flavors of cheesecakes.  And this year, as a holiday special, we are offering a free cheesecake to anyone that books two nights at the inn between December 5th and December 25th.  Let us know, which flavor tickles your fancy when you check in and you will leave taking a fresh 8″ diameter Clamber Hill Cheesecake home for the Christmas holidays!

Merry Christmas from Clamber Hill!

P.S.  Clamber Hill Cheesecakes freeze well!

A little slice of heaven --Clamber Hill White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake!

The view of the Quabbin from Enfield Lookout

I will never forget that sign because the word “discontinued” seemed like such an odd word to use.  After we moved here and opened Clamber Hill Inn, I began to understand.  While beneficial to Boston and 46 other cities and towns the creation of the reservoir was devastating to Central Massachusetts, at least in the early days.  2500 people were displaced, 7561 dead bodies were dug up and reburied, and 650 homes were either relocated or destroyed in order to provide a public water supply for the city of Boston.

It was never debated that Boston needed water, what was controversial was that rural land could be taken by eminent domain for an urban population center 70 miles distant.

The first winter we were here, we discovered that the surrounding towns, still hold memorial services for the lost towns and bitterness is kept alive as the Quabbin history is taught in the local schools.  The Swift River School in New Salem created a website about the Quabbin as a school project, delving into history, interviewing many local experts and learning modern technology at the same time.

The view from New Salem

In hindsight, the creation of the Quabbin has been a good thing for Central Massachusetts (although not for the families that were displaced) as it has created a huge wildlife refuge in the center of the state which has slowed development and created a tourist attraction.

The Quabbin is a truly great recreational area.  We hike there often, exploring the trails created by the discontinued roads that are now the 55 “Gates” around the reservoir.   The gate to Dana is a favorite hike with our inn guests, as you can see the old Town Common with the surrounding cellar holes.  Fishing is big on the Quabbin with the season starting in April and ending in early October.  When friends visited from South Carolina we took them fishing on the Quabbin and had a great day on the water catching a few fish and hearing and then seeing some Common Loons.  Hunting in the Quabbin Reservation is popular in the fall.  The Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt is an annual event conducted on Quabbin Reservoir watershed lands, implemented as part of the anagement  program to maintain a balance between deer herd densities and forest regeneration.  And the 1982 Massachusetts Bald Eagle Restoration Project has been tremendously successful.  The best time and place to see the eagles is February and March from the Enfield Lookout in the Quabbin Park in Belchertown.

A view of Pottapaug Pond from the lost town of Dana

With so much to do, the Quabbin is a great place to visit, any time of the year.  The towns of New Salem, Shutebury, Pehlam, Belchertown, Ware, Gilbertville, Hardwick and Petersham from a circle around the reservoir just like the 55 gates leading to the reservoir.  Exploring these small historic towns and the landscape  that surrounds them is a nature enthusiasts dream vacation come true.

Canoes come in different styles and shapes and are build of many different materials.  Originally built of wood, they are also built of wood and canvas, birch bark, aluminum, fiberglass, kevlar, polyehtylene and even concrete!   Most folks won’t believe the concrete but there is actually a concrete canoe race on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia and teams from top universities across the country build and race concrete canoes!

A concrete canoe in on the Schuylkill River

Here in Athol, Massachusetts there is also an annual canoe race, the River Rat Race on the Millers River.  Not as exotic as the one on the Schuylkill River but just as zany.  This 5 mile race is run by the Athol Lions Club and now draws people from all over as 250 to 300 canoes compete each year for the greatly coveted title of “River Rat”.

The River Rat Race in Athol MA

But sport is only one aspect of canoeing.  Recreation is another major draw.  Many nature and outdoor enthusiasts are interested in canoeing as a means of exploring the world around them, gaining access to otherwise inaccessible places.   Central Massachusetts is a great place for exploring in a canoe, on the abundant rivers and lakes that abound in this undeveloped area.

The Appalachian Mountain Club has a great book, the “Quiet Water Canoe Guide” talking about the best paddling lakes and ponds in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.  Clamber Hill Inn keeps a copy of the first edition of this canoe guide in our library, one of the many resources the inn keeps for our guests to use.  And of course, the innkeepers Mark & Deni check out many of these places personally so that they can give accurate recommendations to the inn guests.

An island in Tully Lake

Clamber Hill in Petersham MA is centrally located to seven of the paddling ponds recommended in this canoe guide: Paradise Pond in Princeton MA, Moosehorn Pond in Hubbardston MA, Tully Lake and Long Pond in Royalston MA, Lake Dennison in Winchendon MA, Lake Rohunta in Orange MA,  Quaboag Pond in EastBrookfield MA and East Brimfield Lake and Holland Pond in Sturbridge MA.

Tully Lake, a great spot for canoeing or kayaking

These seven ponds are just the tip of the iceberg as there are many other wonderful places to paddle including Connor’s Pond right here in Petersham MA, Queen Lake in Phillipston MA, Dunn Pond State Park in GardnerMA, Laurel Lake in the Erving State Forest and Barton’s Cove (actually part of the Connecticut River) in Gill, MA.

Canoing in Barton's Cove on the Connecticut River

So if you like to canoe, as a means of recreation not as a sport, load up your canoe and come to Clamber Hill in Central Massachusetts.   We are blessed with acres and acres of conservation land and state parks.  In fact, there is so much to explore in this area, you will find that you may never want to leave.

Lake Dennison on a September Afternoon

Here in Central Massachusetts, we are lucky to have two Living History Museums close by.  The more famous one, Old Sturbridge Village is located on 200 acres.  It now has 59 buildings, 3 mills and a farm.  It exists thanks to the Wells family of Southbridge MA, who established the museum between 1935 and 1946.  Channing Wells, AB Wells and Cheney Wells were all avid collectors of antiques.  In 1935 they established the Wells Historical Museum in Southbridge.  At a meeting in 1936, one of the brothers made the comment that a whole village was needed to house their various collections and the idea of Old Sturbridge Village took off from there.  The first major step was purchasing the farm of David Wight in Sturbridge MA, complete with a saw mill, grist mill and working mill pond, all of which are still in existence today.  From there, the mission expanded to collecting houses from all over New England.

After years of collecting and relocating houses and other structures, Old Sturbridge Village (OSV)  officially opened on June 8, 1946.  Included in the Village is the Friends Meeting House, the Center Meeting House, the Tin Shop, the Salem Town House, a Law Office,  a Parsonnage, the Asa Knight Store, the Thompson Bank, the Fenno House, the Fitch House, a Printing Office, a Shoe Shop and a Town Pound.  There is even more to visit as you walk down the country roads to visit the farm or the mills.

With such a collection of houses, it’s difficult to pin the history to a particular year.  The period portrayed ranges from 1790-1840.  This period is of major significance to New England because lives were transformed by the rise of commerce and manufacturing, improvements in agriculture and transportation, the pulls of emigration and urbanization, and the tides of educational, political, aesthetic, and social change.

Interpreters or docents dressed in period costumes, help you experience village life  in the historical period.  But don’t think that history is boring.  This is a great place to bring children and let them make such necessities as wax candles or tin candle holders.

The other Freilicht museum near by is Historic Deerfield.  This is both a town where time has stopped and also a vibrant modern community with a nice historic inn and a famous prep school.  Unlike Sturbridge, the town and the museum are co-mingled which provides a slightly different experience for museum visitors.

Historic Deerfield was founded in 1952 and comprises 52 buildings on 93 acres.  Eleven houses are open during museum hours.  These were build in the period from 1720 to 1850 and with a couple of exceptions are all original to the town of Deerfield.

In addition to the buildings, the museum has a collection of over 25,000 historically significant objects including American Furniture, American & English Silver, American & English Textiles, English & Chinese Ceramics and hundreds of paintings on display in the houses.  In addition to the historic buildings there is a visitor center, a museum store and the Historic Deerfield Inn built in 1884.   The Inn has 24 guest rooms and a fine dining establishment.

Clamber Hill, another albeit smaller and younger historic inn with a fine dining restaurant, is located more or less equi-distant between these two wonderful museums.  So if you’re a history buff and want to learn more about New England, plan a weekend or even a week here in Central Massachusetts.

Swimming in pristine ponds or lakes is different from swimming in the ocean and both are enjoyable.  So if it’s a hot day and you don’t have time for a drive to the coast try one of these local options.

Enjoying the lakes of Central Massachusetts

There is a popular beach at Ruggles Pond in the Wendell State Forest.  This 10 acre pond offers crystal clear water for swimming and fishing. Picnic sites and a ball field with a pavilion are nearby.  Boating is possible on nearby Wickett Pond.

Dunn Pond State Park in Gardner MA is a 130 acre park with a 20 acre pond for swimming, boating and fishing.  There are also picnic tables and grills so you can enjoy the whole day at the beach.  It does cost $5.00 a day for parking (annual passes available also) but with the price of gas these days that’s a bargain.

Just off the Mohawk Trail in Erving MA one finds the Laurel Lake Recreation Area in the Erving State Forest.  This is another wonderful spot to swim.  The 51 acre lake sits high atop a mountain and the water is refreshingly cool.  Laural Lake has hiking, boating, camping and picnic facilities—once again there is an entrance fee.

In between Baldwinville and Winchendon, just off Rt. 202 is the Lake Dennison Recreation Area.  Lake Dennison is part of the Otter River State Forest, an 82 acre lake in a 12,000 acre forest.  There is a large, sandy beach here with lots of room to swim and play.  Again being part of the MA State Park system, there is a fee.  However the annual pass gets you into all of these places.

Lake Wyola is a 128 acre lake in Shutesbury MA, not far from the bustling college town of Amherst.   On the crystal clear waters of this beautiful lake, one can swim at the guarded beach or picnic at one of the many picnic sites all with charcoal grills.   But beware, typically this lake is crowded on a hot summers day.

All five of these DCR recreation area’s are close to Clamber Hill, and they are all lovely places to swim, or just cool off on a hot day.  Put our favorite lake is Queen Lake, a beautiful 150 acre lake just five miles down Rt 101 from the Inn in Phillipston MA.  There is a nice sandy beach at the southern end of the lake and you can swim long distances safely.

Queen Lake in Phillipston MA

Central Massachusetts has many great places to hike and many of them are just a short drive (or hike) from Clamber Hill.  The closest place to hike is out the back door, through our woods and into Harvard Forest.  It takes about 90 minutes to hike down the hill to Havard Pond….and then of course another 90 minutes back to the Inn.  There are lots of “loops” in the woods though so you can adjust your hiking time and distance with ease.

Hiking with the dogs at Jacobs Hill

Innkeepers Mark & Deni Ellis love to hike, especially with their dogs, and have many recommendations for the overnight guests interested in hiking.  There are twelve Trustees of Reservation Properties in Central Massachusestt and nine of them are very close to the Inn.  Three are right in Petersham, the North Common Meadow, James W. Brooks Woodland Preserve and the Swift River Reservation and hiking with dogs is allowed.  A fourth property is just down the road in Phillipston, the Elliot Laurel Reservation–beautiful when the mountain laurel are in bloom.  The next closest to the inn, all have beautiful waterfalls to be enjoyed along with the hike:  Doane’s Falls in Athol, Bear’s Den in New Salem, Jacobs Hill in Royalston and Royalston Falls (also in Royalston).  And the ninth is Rock House Reservation in West Brookfield.

Hiking alongside Doane's Falls in Athol MA

Another great place to hike is the Quabbin (however your canine companions must be left behind).  The Quabbin Reservoir, a 39 sq mile body of water, holding 412 billion gallons of water when it is full.  The reservoir has 181 miles of shoreline and 55 “Gates” which are basically old roads turned into hiking trails which lead in most cases to the shore line.  Most of the “Gates” take you to the shoreline with hikes of  1 to 3 miles.  One of the most popular Gates is number 40 which leads to the old Dana Town Common.  One can still see the old cellar holes surrounding the Dana Common.

And this is just the beginning of the list.  There is also the Federated  Women’s Club State Forest on the Petersham/New Salem line, the Long Trail at Tully Lake, trails in the Wendell Sate Forest, the Erving State Forest, the Otter River State Forest, the Lake Dennison Recreation Area, the Mt. Grace State Forest, the Rutland State Park etc. etc. etc.

And if you love to climb while you hike, Mt. Monadnock is just a short drive away in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.  It is the most climbed mountain in North America and there are many different trails leading to the top.

Mt. Monadnock, one of the most frequently hiked mountains in the world.

So there is an abundance of opportunity for hiking, trekking, rambling, tramping, bushwhacking or whatever term you happen to use for walking in a natural environment here in Central Massachusetts.   And not only are the Clamber Hill innkeepers ready and willing to offer advice and maps, but they also have a library of books on hiking opportunities in the area.  Come for a day or come for a week–but come to Central Massachusetts because August, September and October (up to the start of hunting season) is the best time of year to get out there and discover the truly “Great Outdoors”.

Clamber Hill Inn & Restaurant offers a Beer Lovers Package (Gift Certificates are a great Father’s Day present hint, hint) and happily shares information about the best places to sample great micro-brews mid-state Massachusetts.  There are many micro-breweries and/or brew pubs within a 45 minute drive.   Several of the micro-breweries offer tours of their facilities, all offer great beer.

Wachusett Brewing Company is located approx 20 miles east of Clamber Hill in Westminster, MA.  This brewery was founded in 1993 by three graduates of  Worcester Polytech.  It has grown tremendously, but still delivers a wonderful variety of high quality beers.  The brewery is open for tours on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Saturday and has a gift shop where you may purchase beer and souvenirs, but alas no food.  The Wachusett beers are available in many many Massachusetts restaurants.

The Gardner Ale House, located in Gardner MA of course, is a full service brew pub just 11 miles east of Clamber Hill.  They are open seven days a week and have entertainment on Monday nights (yeah!) and the weekends.  They rotate their beer list and also carry some guest beers.

About 45 minutes north of Clamber Hill is Elm City Brewing located in the Colony Mill Marketplace in Keene, NH.  Brewing fresh beer since 1995, it’s also open 7 days a week, a great place for fresh beer and good food.

Back in Massachusetts and 30 minutes west of Clamber Hill in Greenfield MA  is The People’s Pint.   Started in 1997 they have a 15 bbl brewery on Hope St and a restaurant open daily for lunch and dinner on Federal St.   A relatively new addition to the business is Gill Tavern located in the very center of Gill MA.

Also in that direction is Berkshire Brewing Company started in 1994 in South Deerfield, MA.   These delicious unfiltered, unpasturized ales are what you will find in Clamber Hill’s restaurant.   Berkshire Brewing does not serve food, but the brewery is open for tours on Saturday at 1pm.

Then there is the Amherst Brewing Company, centrally located in Amherst.  Once again good pub food is combined with great beer and being located in a college town there is often high quality entertainment.

A little bit farther away in the same direction one can find the Northhampton Brewery, the oldest operating brewpub in Massachusetts (founded in 1987 a whole decade before the others) complete with a European-style rooftop beer garden.

Not to be missed is Paper City Brewery in Holyoke MA.  Sorry no restaurant but they hold an open house every Thursday and Friday night.

And if you’re in that direction there is also Opa- Opa Steakhouse and Brewery in Southhampton.

The Clamber Hill innkeepers can highly recommend the beer and food at all of these fabulous places.  If you come to Clamber Hill on the Beer Lover’s Package you can visit many of these places to sample great beer and dine at one or two.

How did something so huge come to be located in a town so small?  The antique show started in 1959 as an outdoor auction held by Gordon Reid.  At first it was called the “Auction Acres”, starting small with only 67 antique dealers on the Reid property.  Due to the Reid’s success, the neighbors starting copying the idea, turning their own land into additional antique fields.  By the 50th anniversary in 2009, the Brimfield Antique Show had  grown to 21 “fields” in a one-mile stretch along Rt. 20 in Brimfield.   Each field (also called a show) is managed by a promoter, in  most cases, these are the local property owners.   Some open shows are open for only one day, and some open for the entire week.   There is no central organization –it’s 21 individuals working together to pull off this event.  The “Show” always starts on a Tuesday and ends on a Saturday.  The different fields/shows open at staggered times throughout the week, so be sure to check the schedule carefully.  There is usually a mad rush to get into a field/show on when if first opens.  The original Reid field , called J&J Promotions, is still one of the most famous, is now operated by Gordon Reid’s daughters, Judy and Jill.

Some of the promoters specialize, accepting only certain types of dealers and others accept a wide variety of dealers.  Between the 21 fields you may find almost anything.  Rugs, lamps, furniture, silverware, jewelry, paintings, glass, china, linens, primitives, hardware and so much more.  It’s fun to just go browse but if you are looking for something in particular, it pays to educate yourself before you arrive.  Easy to do these days with the internet.

An unexpected find at the Brimfield Antique Show

Brimfield is an ideal place to browse for hard to find items.  Everything from small things such as sterling silver napkin rings and demitasse spoons to large Oriental carpets may be found if you know where to look.  Some golden rule of open air markets include 1) shop with cash to get the best deal 2) buy it when you see it –it won’t be there later or you will be too tired to go back 3) “buyer beware” –you are the judge of the quality and the value.   Be sure to take plenty  a backpack, shoulder bag or plenty of shopping bags.  Carts come in handy for heavier items.  A hat, sunglasses and/or an umbrella may also be found useful.  Be ready for the weather to change — you are in New England.  Wear comfortable shows and travel light, you will be walking several miles.  You will be tired by the end of the day, but hopefully you will be going home happy with your amazing finds.

Sterling silver demitasse spoons found at Brimfield

If you want to spend a couple of days and really see the show, plan ahead.  Lodging is scarce during show weeks, so plan ahead.  Both dealers and shoppers stay in hotels, motels and B&B’s up to an hour’s drive from the show in Worcester, Springfield and even Connecticut.  If you are looking for a quiet place to relax at the end of the day, Clamber Hill in Petersham MA is just 30 miles and 35 minutes to the north.  One or two Brimfield shoppers stay at Clamber Hill during each show.   Innkeepers Mark and Deni have mapped out and personally tested the best way to drive to either end of the show.  Best of all, once you arrive at Clamber Hill, you don’t have to leave again, you may just relax and the innkeepers will serve you cocktails and dinner right there at the inn.  Early breakfasts to start your next shopping day are not a problem if you are headed back for another day of bargain hunting.

Clamber Hill's dining room carpet was found at Brimfield!

There is a heated debate if Brimfield is truly an antique show or just a flea market.  It for sure the largest show of its kind in New England and some say in the world.  It rates right up there with the antique market in Tongerin, Belgium.  Both offer a mixture of everything from high quality antiques to junk.  Flea market or antique show,  truly does not matter, for shoppers and collectors, the fun is all in the thrill of the hunt.  This makes Brimfield an adventure not to be missed!

The show dates for 2011 are May 10-15, July 12-17 and Sept 6-11.  For a map of the fields, the schedule, parking and more general information visit either www.brimfieldshow.com or www.brimfield.com.

Happy Hunting!

And this is the crux of what makes an inn different from a hotel.  Innkeepers put their individual “stamps” on their Inns.   Not surprisingly innkeepers support a variety of cultural organizations and events in their local communities  —and sometimes they even organize them.

The Back Road Inns of Central Massachusetts is a group of six country Inns, each with their own unique style.   These inns have chosen to work together in an association and one of the outcomes of that is an annual event called “Arts at the Inns”.  This year’s “Arts at the Inns” is coming up April 17th from 11 am to 4 pm.

The Back Road Inns of Central Massachusetts

This is a marvelous event and free to the public.  It is open to all ages, anyone who is an inn-lover or an art-lover or both.  Each Inn is holding an open house with all their guest rooms on display.  And make no mistake, Innkeepers are Artists—the Guest Rooms are their canvases.

A Guest Room is an Innkeepers Canvas

The open house will provide tours of the artistically decorated guest rooms, and most of the inns have  collections of artwork which are always on display in the common areas.  On April 17th each Inn will also be hosting area artists and photographers who will have their portfolios on display and for sale.  Among the participating artists are Julie Pepper, Jeffrey Anderson, Joanne Quinn, Mary Lou DiPietro, Gary Lippincott, Pat France, John Burk and Lynn Hartman.

The participating Inns are Colonial Hill Alpaca Farm and B&B, Clamber Hill Inn & Restaurant, Winterwood at Petersham, Hartman’s Herb Farm, Jenkins Inn & Restaurant and Stevens Farm Inn.  These six Inns are located along an eight mile stretch of State Highway Rt 32 in Petersham and Barre –right in the very center of Massachusetts.  See Goggle Maps for directions.  Colonial Hill Alpaca Farm is the northern most inn in Petersham MA and Stevens Farm Inn is the southern most inn in Barre MA.

Light refreshments will be served at each Inn and again this is a free event.

If you’re touring on the 17th–just look for the purple, gold and blue balloons at the end of each driveway.  If Sunday is anything like today– the gorgeous drive along the Massachusetts back roads makes the day in and of itself!

Tracks in the freshly fallen snow

We are privileged to live in a town with thousands of acres of conservation land and my husband and I are privileged to be neighbors of Harvard Forest with miles of hiking trails right out our back door.

Because we live so close to nature, we see or hear wildlife on a daily basis.  Inn guests often ask us what animals that might see during a stay at Clamber Hill.  The list is long: fox, coyote, racoon, porcupine, bear, deer, moose, fisher cat, beaver (down the hill in the swamp) and of course a wide assortment of birds including owls, hawks and wild turkey.

The Elusive Fisher Cat

And if you would like to discover more about this lost art of tracking, Walnut Hill Tracking and Nature Center is located right here in the North Quabbin region.  They have a wonderful calendar of programs for people of all ages and all levels of experience.  On January 15th there is a half-day introduction to tracking.  This requires no previous experience and is great for families.  It will be led by Nick & Valerie Wisniewski.

Some of the more advanced classes are led by nationally recognized tracking expert and wildlife photographer Paul Rezendes who wrote “Tracking and the Art of Seeing” in 1992.

“Ultimately, tracking an animal makes us sensitive to it
– a bond is formed, an intimacy develops.
We begin to realize that what is happening to the animals
and to the planet is actually happening to us. We are all one.
Tracking and reading sign help us to learn not only about the animals
that walk in the forest — what they are doing
and where they are going — but also about ourselves.
For me, this interconnection is survival knowledge
and the true value of tracking an animal.”
- Paul Rezendes, Tracking and the Art of Seeing

So if you are looking for something different to do this winter, plan a trip to Central Massachusetts and investigate the back roads and forests of the North Quabbin area.  You might be amazed at what you find.