Snowy Sunday

I suspect we won't be in sitting these again for awhile.

Cooks Pond Madness!!

4.5 hrs.
10 Volunteers
42 Bags of brush
Including Bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, Norway maple, and Black locust, among other invasives.

Thanks to the Tatnuck/Cooks Island Cub, GWLT Volunteers, for an EPIC cleanup, IN A SNOWSTORM no less!

We started with a few flakes on the ground and ended with a full snowman out on the ice! It snowed A Lot! The whole time!

Free tomorrow? Come help us clear!

Just in case you are looking for a little bit of outdoor volunteer work during this winter month, we have an opportunity available!

On Saturday, January 18th (tomorrow!), a group of volunteers will be gathering at 11:00 am near the benches that overlook Cooks Pond.  The plan is to cut back the vegetation in that area to make the pond more visible and to remove some invasive species.

If you are sensitive to poison ivy, you may wish to miss this one ... there is definitely some in the area of work.

There will be some tools available, but feel free to bring your favorite pair of loppers or small clippers!

ATTENTION: Trail Closure, Cascades East Work

Any hikers in the Cascades this weekend noted one thing: MUD. Lots and lots of mud.

Please Remember to stay on the center of the path, walk through the mud, and do not widen the trails by skirting the edges or heading off the path. The trail will do better if you keep to it and keep the foot traffic damage to it.

TRAIL CLOSURE: Until further notice

Any hikers who happened upon the Cascades East trailhead off of Olean Street probably noticed a new roll off dumpster, and a few might have happened upon the prints left by a rubber tracked bobcat. We have a cleanup operation just firing up now.

Cascades East was once a place where a number of metal objects ranging from cars to pots were taken and left. The Trust has been working with volunteers and metal scroungers to clear the trail corridor of the unsightly debris, and we made large strides this past Earth Day. A new player has come to the table this winter, who petitioned the Worcester Conservation Commission, and received permission this past week to begin to remove the surficial metal debris from the site.

TRAIL CLOSURE: Until further notice

We will be be closing the Cascades Trail from the Olean Street trailhead to the intersection at the Silver Spring Trail. This is to keep folks off the segment of trail while it is in use by the metal removal operation. Caution tape is up and trail closure signs are going up this morning.

Please be advised that this is an effort to keep folks safe while the site is active and the trail will reopen in time for spring hiking.

Thank you so very much.

Cascades are ROARING!

Very unusual in January, of course, but given the rain and melting snow, not surprising!
If you've never seen the Cascades in action, come by tomorrow!

The Cascades are frozen!

If you've ever wanted to see the Cascades frozen (or for you artists looking for subject matter!), the Cascades are now frozen. Yesterday, they were running full spate despite the cold (as it had gotten cold so fast), but now they're ice.
Quite lovely!

Skiiers and snowshoers

...it's that kind of day. The trail here at Cascading Waters has been busy all day, with cars in and out of the parking area, and hikers, snowshoers, and skiiers coming through regularly. Plenty of people out enjoying the snow and (comparatively) milder temperatures while we have them. We have as much as six inches, still, in some spots, so conditions are good.
If you were out there, though, you heard lots of dripping and trickling. Between that and tonight's forecasted rain, we won't have much snow cover for long.
Today at the Lodge it's been in the high 30's all day (35 degrees now) with humidity hovering around 50%.
Enjoy, while we have it!

Parking is open!!!

Today we shoveled out the snow in the parking lot at Cascading Waters. Thanks to our neighbor, Shawn, who helped us with his plow. 

 You can park to go on the trail. Have fun!!!