Report submitted by Jeff Sturgis
The temperatures were in the low 20’s this morning as eleven Denmark Mountain hikers gathered under partly sunny skies at the trailhead of the Twin Bridges Reserve in Otisfield, ME.
The preserve is administered by the Western Foothills Land Trust and contains over five miles of trails including some along the shores of the Crooked River. We have often hiked Twin Bridges in the winter as it is a very nice spot for snowshoe hikes. Today, because of the lack of significant snow storms recently, microspikes, rather than snowshoes, were the order of the day. Hiking today were Dale and Kitty Nelson (the birthday girl), Jeff Sturgis, Jean Murch, Sandy Bell, Sheldon Ashby, Greg Moulton, Geneva Barker, Jacob Schor, Mary Lou Moulton, and Kathy Huchthausen. (dogs Piper and Ruby wearing blue jackets, not to be confused with Mary Lou who is wearing a blue coat)
The trail was fairly compacted by previous hikers with a light cover of fluffy snow and the footing was easy. We left the trailhead at 9:21 am after our obligatory picture and started down the Peirce Trail. We soon decided to spilt up into two groups as we had spread out quite a bit along the trail.
The Peirce Trail heads southerly towards the southern boundary of the preserve, then loops into the Hankins trail which reverses direction and heads into a northerly direction along the banks of the Crooked River. This is a very picturesque trail as it follows the various twists and turns of the river.
The river was frozen in many spots, but the faster current in same areas prohibited the ice from forming. Also, along this stretch of the river were several striking, huge pine and hemlock trees that had escaped the lumberman’s axe over the years.
About a half mile up the riverbank we came to an Aldo Leopold bench perched in a small bluff over the river. We stopped there for a short break at 10:10 am to enjoy our hot drinks and snacks.
After enjoying our refreshments, we started the final short segment of the trail back to the parking lot. The first group arrived at the parking lot at about 10:35 am followed shortly by the second group after a very pleasant hike of about 2 miles through a very picturesque landscape. Most of us gathered at the Cafe Nomad in nearby Norway for hot drinks, sandwiches and camaraderie after a very pleasant day.
Next Week’s Hike:
January 30 Sebago Cove Forest, Naples, ME. MORE INFO
Trailhead: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yX7vrYUoVN56e6fJ6
the trail parking is at 55 Burnell Road, Naples, which is about a 35 minute drive from Denmark. Those meeting at the trailhead might expect the group meeting at Denmark to arrive at 9:00 AM.
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