Rick's Pioneer Valley Fun Group

The Keystone Arch Bridges Trail is one of the most interesting and scenic hikes in Western Massachusetts. It is a relatively easy 5-mile out and back hike with about a 500 ft. elevation gain.

The Keystone Arch Bridges Trail follows the West Branch Gorge of the Westfield River though the towns of Middlefield, Becket and Chester. These 70 ft. high stone bridges were engineered in the late 1830s by Major George Washington Whistler, father of the artist James Whistler and husband of the model for his son’s most famous painting, “Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother”, more commonly known as “Whistler’s Mother”. The painting was purchased by the French government in 1891 and is in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The railroad from Boston to Albany was the highest and longest railroad in the world at the time, and it could only be accomplished with the construction of these remarkable keystone arch bridges. As a result of this feat, Major Whistler was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas to build a railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Five of the ten original bridges remain (3 destroyed by floods a century ago, and 2 removed during a railroad realignment) and two are included in the National Registry of Historic Places. The trail passes old stone foundations and follows portions of the old Pontoosuc Turnpike. There are other highlights and informative kiosks along the way. If you like trains (and who doesn’t?), we will likely see a CSX freight train up close, hauling a couple hundred freight cars.

As a side trip of this hike, we will visit the ruins of the never completed Berkshire Cultural Center, usually referred to as the Artist’s Colony, directly off the trail. Built by a wealthy Hungarian couple from New Jersey, construction abruptly ended in a lover’s triangle in 1963, where the husband murdered his wife but was less successful in his attempted suicide. You can read more about the ill-demised Berkshire Cultural Center here: https://gombessa.tripod.com/scienceleadstheway/id25.html

The trail is accessed from Herbert Cross Road, off Middlefield Road, in Chester. Park at the trailhead. There is a secondary parking area a bir further down the road, if needed. Your well-behaved dog is welcome to join you!

This is a relatively easy 2.5 mile hike at the fairly new and somewhat unknown Conwell Property, a 175 acre parcel of the Hilltown Land Trust. I took the photo above during my first hike there in January, when Jackson Swamp was iced over but there was a lack of snow. You can see two beaver huts and other signs of wildlife inhabitants. I have since returned, and this is one of my favorite short hikes in the area.

The property is named for Russell H. Conwell, Worthington’s favorite son, who was born in South Worthington (possibly on this property where the pond bears his name). Conwell was one of America’s most prominent orators of his time, where his “Acres of Diamonds” inspirational lecture was delivered at the turn of the 20th century over 6,000 times from church pulpits and Chautauquas around the world.

We will hike the entire loop on The Damway, Two Ponds Trail, and Eagle Nest Ridge Trail and take the spur trails to to Jackson Swamp and the top of Eagle Nest Ridge. We will look for wildlife and native plants, while encountering a cellar hole and other signs of earlier habitation.

The tricky factor regarding the Conwell Property is the parking. Both the trailhead and the small parking area are located directly on Route 112 in South Worthington, on opposite ends of a short highway bridge. There is only parking for about 4 cars, so I will limit the attendance unless people can carpool. If there is adequate interest, I can probably make arrangements for an alternate parking and car pool site up the road a short distance.

Click here for more information, a trail map, and parking guidelines:
https://www.hilltownlandtrust.org/hiking-at-the-conwell-property

Bring water, suitable footwear and clothing, and an interest in nature. Friendly dogs (like mine) are welcome to join us!

Note: Our pitch games seem to have started to attract a following. This particular event had its 8 original slots filled shortly after posting, with 4 more people on the wait list. I have asked people who have attended previous game nights, and it appears that they support increasing the attendee limit so we can play at TWO TABLES, with teams of either 6 or 8 players at each table.

You do not need to be an expert to play, since your partners will support you if you are still learning, although winning strategy seems to come with greater experience. The play can typically get pretty competitive and somewhat boisterous, but you do NOT need to be a highly experienced player to participate. By playing, we all learn to improve.

For our games, we will play the partners version, with a winning score of 15. The game can also be played “cutthroat”, where single players compete against any number of opponents.
https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/pitch
https://medium.com/@rm6744b/how-to-play-pitch-a-card-game-71d98def513d

Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton is open on Thursday nights until 9:00 PM. The Riff’s Joint Food Truck is often set up out front on Thursdays from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, serving up some good food, but the brewery does not have a calendar posted yet for the month of May. If you want to get food before playing, I recommend Daily Operation, a bit further down the parking lot, with some great food, including several vegan options, that you can order online earlier in the day for pickup prior to playing. Abandoned Building has plenty of long tables available where we can accommodate up to 8 players, plenty of free parking, and great beers!

This is a somewhat challenging 5 or 6 mile loop hike at Chester-Blandford State Forest, with scenery that is well worth the effort! We will start up the H. Newman Marsh Trail (which is a VERY STEEP half mile or so!) to the Memorial Trail and its several outstanding views of the Westfield River valley. We will then take Observation Hill Road to the top of the restored CCC ski trail. We will head down the old ski trail to the foundation of the warming hut and over to the spectacular Sanderson Brook Falls, easily one of the prettiest waterfalls in Massachusetts.

Bring plenty of water, suitable footwear and clothing, hiking poles if you like them, snacks, and your camera. This hike might easily exceed the 3 hours indicated, so keep that in mind. Friendly dogs (like mine) are welcome to join us.

There is plenty of parking available. There are several entrances to the state forest, but this parking area is directly on U.S. Route 20, opposite Bannish Lumber, which you may want to enter into your GPS.