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

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.

In “our spare time” we research and visit interesting places to send our guests. Often our guests help out by telling us about places, which we then go visit.

That was the case with Magic Wings, a Butterfly Museum located in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. A lovely, elderly couple from Connecticut told us about Magic Wings, so the next time our nieces and nephews came to visit we went.

It truly is a magical place. The old Candlelight Restaurant owned by Francis Redmond was converted into an 8000 square feet conservatory (new construction), gift shop, and food court (located in the old restaurant).

You enter through an air lock to protect the butterflies. You are not allowed to touch them, but if you are lucky, they will land on you!

As with Old Sturbridge Village, this is a great place for people of all ages — and if you plan to go, be sure to allow enough time — you need at least a half a day! And don’t forget to take your camera–they do allow you to take photographs inside the conservatory.

And again, Magic Wings is only about 35 minutes from the Inn at Clamber Hill!