TRIP REPORT SMITH BRIDGE PRESERVE.
2/13/2026
On a bright and sunny Friday the 13th morning with temps in the low teens, 16
hikers converged at the trailhead in Oxford, Maine. Some came from the 8:30 meet-uo at the Denmark church while others came directly from home. Hiking today were the usual suspects; Greg Dean, Geneva Barker, Dale and Kitty Nelson, Janet Arens, Laura Sullivan, Sandy Bell, Mary Lou Moulton, Tom Dugas, Kathy Huchhausen, Robin Marciello, Phil Johnson, Pat Marchetti and Sheldon Ashby. Also joining us today were Marie and Henry Coons fromthe Otisfield hiking group.
After our trailhead group photo, we began the hike
with the intent of doing the entire White Pine Loop trail (2.2 mi.) with Janet
leading and Phil acting as sweep. The trail was mostly packed down by snowmobiles as setions of the trail are shared-use so bare booting was the order of the day although some of the group wore traction. By the first junction with the Tamarack cutoff, it had become obvious that there was enough of a difference in hiking speeds between individuals that we split up into 2 groups.
The faster group arrived at the far junction and decided to do the 2 short spurs to the remnants of what had been thr covered Smith Bridge (.1 mile) and to where the Webber Brook Trail crosses Webber Brook (.2 miles) while waiting for the second group to catch up.
Apparently the slower group didn’t recognize the frozen brook as they crossed over it and went way past it before turning around. No harm. Dale stayed back and waited for the second group to arrive, then the slow gang departed up towards the trailhead even before the first group came back from their little forays. After a short break at the afore mentioned junction, the first group took a break enjoying Sheldon supplied raspberry pastries (similar to the ones he had brought up Pleasant Mountain last week). We all then headed back toward the trailhead, overtaking the second group on the way with the last hiker arriving back to our vehicles at 11:30 AM.
Next week’s hike:
Brownfield Bog Feb 20, 2026. The Reverend John Patrick has been known to wax poetically about this beautiful bog just down the road from Denmark and this has inspired us to schedule it as a destination. Hopefully he or someone else will supply directions and other pertinent details in the coming week. Watch for an email post.
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