Walk ‘n Work Hike – East River Woodlands

Our Walk ’n Work hike this month takes us to another corner of Guilford: to a small (at least compared to Westwoods) preserve on the southeast side of town and close to the Madison boundary. The East River Woodlands is a little over 100 acres of mature 2nd growth woodlands with trails that mostly follow the old woods roads that circle the forests. We’ll be walking to one of several small stream crossings, with our work for the day to drag a wooden bridge fifteen feet upstream and place it back on its footings. It’s work that benefits from many hands, and we welcome people of all ages to join us. And after the job’s done, we’ll continue our hike around the property and catch views of old stone walls, expansive fields, and a giant tulip tree that would look at home on a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie set. Wear comfortable shoes, a warm coat and mittens and (if you have one) a Land Trust hat. You can bring along a set of garden clippers too, which is useful for trimming any branches you might find leaning into the trail — no motorized saws are allowed on these hikes! We’ll meet at the East Gate Rd. trail entrance (cul-de-sac) at 10AM … that’s a left turn, a little more than 1/2 mile north on Nortontown Road from the intersection of Green Hill Road [est 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours]

Rain or significant snow will usually cancel any of these work parties, so if you have questions about the schedule, please feel free to contact me stewardship@guilfordlandtrust.org or Paul Proulx pauljproulx@comcast.net on the morning of each event. We’ll also announce cancellations or schedule changes by email, so it’s a good idea to check your mail before you leave the house. Paul also carries his cell phone (203-687-7756) on these events, so if you’re late and want people to wait, give him a call.