Dickenson Creek Hike

Photos
Top Left: Dickenson Creek meets the Salmon River.
Top Right: At the bottom of the Lyman Viaduct where Dickenson Creek flows.
Bottom Left: Beautiful stone wall.
Bottom Right: Garter snake.

What started out as a chilly, murky day ended up sunny, warm and exhilarating. I joined a group of about 25 people hiking with the Colchester Land Trust along Dickenson Creek. Our trek took us from Comstock Bridge Road to the base of the Lyman Viaduct and back. This was not a walk along established paths. We bushwhacked along the paths worn by fishermen.

Along the way we saw where Dickenson Creek met the Salmon River; where Dickenson Creek flowed through huge conduits under Lyman Viaduct; cool shady places covered with moss along a creek that sang it’s heart out for us; a beautifully built stone wall; and a garter snake.

There was one challenging hill, and as luck would have it, there was a path of least resistance for those who didn’t want to be challenged. We had a few people who were not up to the challenge, so I volunteered to wait for them and show them around the base of the hill and meet up with the main group on the other side. Someone had to do it! ☺☺☺

Other than the challenging hill, there were several wet spots we had to jump or use stepping stones to cross. In one case someone chose to just slog through the mud – that someone was not me! All in all, it was a pleasant walk just under two hours.

The Colchester Land Trust sponsors a hike the first Sunday of every month. June’s hike will be on Saturday June 7th to correspond with National Trails Day. Hikers will gather at the commuter parking lot on Route 149 at Route 2 for a bus ride back to the Bull Hill Road parking lot on the Air Line Trail. From there we will probably hike back to the Lyman Viaduct, turn around and hike back to the parking lot where our cars are parked. All in all that will be a 4.5-mile hike (I’ve been on this one before with my pedometer) on a good hard-packed stone dust surface. An historian will come along on this hike and gives us a lot of information about the old rail line. It has a fascinating history. See you there!