Breeze, Thunderstorms, and Haying

So, today starts out on the warm side of cool, and climbs in temperature, BUT the atmosphere is very unstable and this will develop to evening and night time thunderstorms. Your best hiking is in the early part of the day and afternoon.


Sibley Farm

The haying has begun out at Sibley Farm!
The hay is being cut, and the farmer managed to get down into some of the field sections to the south that had been neglected for years in an effort to reclaim more of the haying potential of the site. This is great news!
This year's hay is of high quality and low abundance according to the farmer, and his bet is that the dry period is why the hay is a little less abundant. Nevertheless, he is very positive about the situation.


Some weather warnings from our friends at the National Weather Service:

SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
WILL RESULT IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME
STREET FLOODING

A SECONDARY CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING 

Trailhead Conditions at 9:30 a.m. at Cascading Waters (630'):

Temperature is 78.4 and rising;
Humidity is 79% and falling;
Pressure is 29.77" and steady;
The wind is stirring;
The sky is clear and there is sun through a light haze;
The Cascades are still;
The Cascades Brook is pretty much dry;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 87.
Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 60%.
New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

A Hot Day!

Today is going to be hot, and the air will be still. The saving grace will come in the afternoon when the wind will start to pick up to 5-7 mph, if you are in a place that gets wind.

Yesterday saw a very significant downpour from the passing line of unstable weather, and with the West always in mind, rain is appreciated.

Tomorrow afternoon will also see unstable air with the chance of Thunderstorms again.

Remember to keep a water bottle handy today!
Remember that the higher elevations and deeper valleys will have a chance to break through the heat.
Remember that when you leave the downtown area you lose 3-5 degrees, and some days even more.
 

10:30 am Trail Conditions at Cascading Waters (630'):

Temperature is 79.0 degrees and rising;
Humidity is 82% and falling;
Pressure is 29.88" of Hg and steady;
The sun is out;
The air is still;
The Cascades are not running;
The Cascades Brook is pretty much dry;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Cool, Breeze, and a Touch Humid

Settling Back Down Again

So, last week was the due date for State Grants to Acquire land, and that meant that leading up to last Monday things were pretty jam packed. As soon as the grants went in it was time to turn to the Annual Meeting preparations for this past Sunday. The Donker Farm Celebration was beautiful. After that Mary and the Crew hit the Asnebumskit Ridge Trail yesterday for some clearing work. Summer is busy season!

Annual Meeting & Donker Farm Celebration

 

GWLT Directors Huck and George testing out the trail stile 

Yesterday also saw the crew from the Lodge duck out and head west along the Mohawk Trail (Route 2), and along the way spend time at Savoy State Forest admiring the gate work, the Appalachian Trail crossing admiring the information kiosk, and the deep river ravines and glorious hilltops admiring the views. We took pictures! We have ideas! We love taking the best we see elsewhere and bring it back for the Cascades!

Speaking of which, last week saw the completion of the trail stile at Donker Farm, and part of that crew was Edward and Dan, from the Worcester Public School, CCC program! They were great help, and really enjoyed the project as well as the sheep, chickens, and geese that were keeping an eye on us as we did our work. Sadly the WPS program drew to a close last week and we had to say goodbye to our new friends who had worked at Crow Hill, Cascading Waters, Cascades West, and Donker Farm.



Ted is in Maine!
Based upon our tracking, Ted should have crossed into Maine by yesterday. While he is in a cell phone signal deadspot, and will be for much of his Maine trek, he reports in when he is able to catch a signal.
Follow Ted's travels here: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at 8:00 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 70.7 degrees and rising;
Humidity is 90% and steady;
Pressure is 29.88" of Hg and steady;
The Wind is stirring, but not registering any speed;
The skies are sunny;
The Cascades are quiet;
The Cascades Brook is pretty much dry;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon.
Patchy fog before 8am.
Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the morning.
Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Overcast but cooler

While there's still plenty of humidity in the air, it isn't quite as oppressive as it was yesterday.
At 8:30 am, it is 70.2 degrees and steady.
The humidity is 82% and steady.
The barometer stands at 29.56 inches of mercury and steady.
USFS Fire Danger for today remains LOW.
The National Weather Service forecast for today: A slight chance of showers between 3pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Another Cool Sunny Summer Day!

The weather is hard to improve upon of late!
Sunny, cool, with a light breeze.
Pretty amazing really.

If you are looking for somewhere to go out and hike you might want to check out www.hikeworcester.com


CASCADES WEST

After a two year period of examining the possibility of closing off Silver Spring Road (Howard Street) as it runs through Cascades West, including a meeting with user/hikers, discussion with Trust volunteers, discussion with Holden and Paxton and their public safety officers, and internal review, we have decided to move forward with making the road into a pedestrian recreational corridor that can be opened to address specific maintenance and public safety needs.

There would be one gate to the north close to Camp Street, and one gate to the south at the edge of the pavement in Boynton Park.

The reasoning is simple:

1. The road is only one lane wide for most of its length, posing a traffic problem.

2. Because the road sees extensive use as a recreation corridor, limiting vehicular traffic would promote user safety.

3. The road is neither plowed nor maintained by the towns, and remains impassable for much of the winter. It may appear passable at the lower end when the unpaved upper end remains blocked by snow.

4. Restricting vehicular access will assist in curbing illegal dumping.

5. Restricting vehicular access will eliminate "cruising."

6. Reducing vehicular traffic is very good for wildlife habitat.

7. You! We want your experience of the Cascades to be an enjoyable one!

This project will not happen until the end of July or the beginning of August and comments and thoughts can be directed to cascades@gwlt.org

Sadly, yesterday, when we went to post signs informing users, we had a new and pretty nasty illegal dumping to deal with, and while this was very unpleasant, it really drove home in an unambiguous way the undeniable need to better secure the conservation land from abuse so that we can all benefit.

Hopefully this will be a site improvement that everyone will come to enjoy in the long-term.


The Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters at 10:00 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 66.6 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 61% and falling;
Pressure is 30.00" and steady;
Skies are sunny;
Breeze is moving but not registering any mph;
The Cascades have minimal flow;
The Cascades Brook has minimal flow in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon.

A Beautifully Chilly Morning!

What a wonderful summer!
Rare have there been really hot days.
Today's cool morning is fantastic!


DONKER FARM

We made a first step on an hiker stile at Donker Farm Monday night.
The idea is to make it possible to have a hiker pass through the meadow where the sheep graze without the sheep being able to escape.
It is going to take more work, but we had a huge crew that managed to dig 4 holes simultaneously and set four posts, and that is a fantastic start!

ALSO, on Sunday, July 26th, the Trust will hold its Annual Meeting out at Donker Farm!

Mark your calendars!





     "ONE IF BY LAND"

If you can,
hike in from Cook's Pond, parking on either Olean Street or Tatnuck Garden...
Or
hike in from Cascading Waters, parking on Olean Street...
Or
hike in from Cascades Park, parking on Cataract Street...
Or
hike in from Cascades East, parking on Olean and Cataract...
Or
hike in from Boynton Park of Cascades West, parking on Silver Spring Road...
Or
hike in from Southwick Pond, parking on Walbridge Road!

     "TWO IF BY SEA"

You could also canoe or kayak over, parking on Olean Street!

As this is part of the 4 Town Greenbelt, and if you are up to it, make the most of it!


TED'S AT TREK

Ted has taken a hiatus from the Appalachian Trail to atend a week long music festival, and when he returns next week he will hit the trail in Franconia Notch.
Happy jamming Ted!
tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters at 7:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 61.0 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 61% and falling;
Pressure is 29.91" of Hg and steady;
Skies are clear with sun;
There is movement of air, but no recorded air speed;
There is minimal flow of the Cascades;
There is minimal flow in both channels of the Cascades Brook;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind 5 to 9 mph.

Sunny, Humid, Summer Morning, with a Breeze

As with any hot, humid summer day, there is a small chance of a thunderstorm.

Sorry for the gaps in updates. As it isn't the school season the normal pattern of mornings was lost and along with it the time to get this out. We will try to get this back in order again!


WORK PROJECT TONIGHT!

Tonight we are looking to start work on a trail stile to allow movement of hikers and keep safe the livestock at Donker Farm. We will be meeting at the Donker Farm trailhead on Tory Fort Lane at 5:00 p.m., having some pizza, and getting digging by at the latest 5:30 p.m.!


TED'S AT TREK!!

Ted is in the White Mountain National Forest, has summited Mount Moosilauke, and was headed for the Kinsmans! Follow Ted here: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 9:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 74.7 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 70% and falling;
Pressure is 29.85" of Hg and steady;
Skies are hazzy with sun;
Wind is stirring;
The Cascades have low flow;
The Cascades Brook has low flow in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm.
Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Chance of precipitation is 20%.

A Fine Day Starts With Birds Chirping

Another fine day begins with sun and bird chirpping!

It is a fantastic day to be outside, and as tomorrow will have occasional isolated thunderstorms, this is the better of the two days to head out for a hike!


BEAR IN NICK'S WOODS

Last night we had a report come in from Nick's Woods (between Holden Street and Grove Street (122A)) of a black bear!

This is exciting, but it also means that for the time being early morning and late evening walks at Nick's Woods are not advised.


TED IS CLOSE TO FINISHING VERMONT

Ted's Trek up the AT had him past Killington and well on his way to the New Hampshire border!

Follow Ted's Trek here! tedatgwlt@blogspot.com


Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 8:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 66.9 degrees and rising;
Humidity is 92% and steady;
Pressure is 30.03" of Hg and steady;
Skies are clear;
The air is still;
There is flow on the Cascades;
There is flow in both channels of the Cascades Brook;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. 

Sunny, Cool Morning!

Hope that everyone had a great 4th of July!
Today is another magnificent day for hiking!
This week is going to get warmer, so savor the cool start!


Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters at 7:45 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 63 degrees and rising;
Humidity is 87% and steady;
Pressure is 29.91" of Hg and steady;
Skies are clear and sunny;
The wind is stirring and up to 1.0 mph;
The Cascades have flow;
The Cascades Brook has flow in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 81. West wind 6 to 8 mph.