Post by Pat on Apr 9, 2017 9:25:42 GMT -5
This is a 3.5 mile section but there is no parking at the RI-MA border. So like last time we parked on the shoulder of SW Main street and hiked south. About a 1/2 mile after crossing the Grand Trunk Trail (a dirt road) the trail takes a very sharp right turn south. It is not marked well in the southerly direction so we missed it and walked about 3/4 of a mile off track in an easterly direction until we passed the Grand Trunk junction and then could see Wallum Lake Road in the distance. We backtracked on the wide dirt path and corrected our mistake.
Further south there is a flooded section where a stream bubbles up from rocks and settles in the trail for several yards. Careful footing on rocks, roots and squishy moss mats will get you through it. This was a really nice hike. It was a beautiful sunny day in the 40's. Windy, but the forest kept it away from us except for the howling and creaking of trees. There's lots of water; the lake, streams, brooks, with very nice wooden bridges and footpaths kept up well by maintainers.
Since it's state forest the area is fairly remote. There are only trails and dirt roads and compared to other sections it was remarkably clean, very little trash and no junk. That was a nice change. There are also many long, old stone walls and various stone foundations. We saw a few holly berries along the way too. We also saw a large, rectangular piece of granite that had grooves carved in the edge every 5 or 6 inches that looked like a giant ruler. Love to know what that was for.
Just before the southern terminus there is a Park sign with an arrow pointing left
I wasn't particularly thrilled about doing this section after seeing a lot of the southern section, but this is well worth the hike and quite enjoyable!
We did about 8.5 miles total including our 1.5 miles sidetrack.