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Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

              by Bruce B. Beckley


Issue #94, January, 2001
New Hemlock Trail Open

A new trail, called the Hemlock trail, has been developed on the west side of Joe English Reservation. The trail is laid out for hikers, snowshoeing and competent XC skiers but still offers a good share of challenges. It provides an alternative route to the steeper north end of the Bicentennial Trail. In part, the trail follows the route of a logging road constructed half a century ago and used again during the 2000 timber harvest.

Logging for a selective harvest of pine, hemlock and hardwoods is finished in the area the Hemlock Trail traverses. The heavy rain of December unfortunately forced the ACC to stop all cutting two weeks short of overall completion. Come drier conditions, the remaining selected trees will be cut in the woods on the southerly bounds of the reservation. These logs will have to be skidded out over the lower part of the Hemlock trail, an operation that should not affect trail users.

The new trail which derives its name from the stand of hemlock on a knoll at the western boundary of Joe English is three-quarters of a mile long. Yellow blazes mark its route. A note at this point on trail identification. The ACC has adopted three systems of trail identification.

  1. Color - This traditional system uses dollar-sized paint blazes on trees to identify the trail. As trails become more heavily used and hence defined by foot traffic, the frequency of blazes will be reduced. A double blaze indicates a sharp change in direction, usually 90 degrees. Trails are blazed for travel in either direction. If you do not see a blaze ahead, look back for a blaze that will let you verify the trail's alignment.
  2. Names - With new maps prepared by the Nashua Regional Planning Commission and the ACC's Bill Wichman, names have been given to each trail. New signs identify each trail at the trailhead and junctions.
  3. Numbers - Sign posts at each trail junction bear numbers that also show on the new maps.

Combining these systems leads to: Hemlock Trail, yellow blazed and running between posts 1 and 23.

Hemlock Trail Description: The trail leaves the Hammond Brook Trail at Post 1 going south. It immediately crosses a bridge over Hammond Brook and begins to climb on the former skidder road. Follow the yellow blazes carefully as there are several points at which the skidder routes cross. These are somewhat blocked and will be allowed to grow back in.

At 1000 feet from Post 1 the trail turns left following the former logging road. At 2000 feet a larger opening on the left has been created to allow an entire new stand of pine to start. Note that any blue markings relate to the logging. Blue marks in this area are not trail markings.

Continuing to rise, the trail leaves the hemlock area and at 2500 feet enters an area of beech, oak and maple. The old wood road ends and the new trail route skirts a small vernal pool. At 3300 feet, the trail reaches its high point in an area where mosses and lichen cover an area strewn with small rocks split from the underlying ledge by thousands of years of frost action.

Descent begins at 3500 feet as the trail takes a sharp turn around a glacial erratic. Note that this boulder is not completely rounded indicating a short travel distance. It still shows the fracture where it was plucked from a bedrock ledge (Joe English Hill?) by the moving ice. At 4100 feet the Hemlock Trail joins the white-blazed Bicentennial Trail at Post 23. Combining the Hemlock and northern section of the Bicentennial Trails provides a loop of 1.6 miles.

We would appreciate receiving comments from users on the trail and this description.

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