Hike of the Lakeshore Trail at Buffumville Lake

Charlton, MA

Sunday November 6th, 2005

Our hike of the 7-mile Lakeshore Trail around Buffumville Lake began at Buffumville Dam, a US Army Corps of Engineer flood control project. The view from the top of the dam offered some of the best fall foliage colors of the afternoon.

	The initial part of our hike cut through a Frisbee golf course (or "folf" course, as Lauren says they call it in Idaho). Below, one of its baskets is affixed to the rocks between the two small trees on the right.

The scene from our first trek down to the shoreline. The lake itself is 2.4 miles long, but only about a quarter mile wide at its widest point and no more than a couple of hundred feet wide at its narrower passages.

Hannah and Sophie - Women of the wilderness.

There were many streams emptying into the lake which we needed to cross. Some had nice foot bridges to get us across.

	With others like the one at left, the bridges were non-existent or had been washed away; and we had to carefully skip across on the rocks. We were very happy not to have to skip across the one below!

	Sophie demonstrates her gymnastic ability using a fallen tree to cross a marsh. The rest of us took the easy way out and simply walked around it. Below, Tuan, Sophie, Lauren, Greg and Namita stop to rest near the halfway point of our hike.

	Moving toward higher ground, we pass through a parting of the shrubbery. Then toward the end of our hike, the fog rolled in.

Together with the setting sun, the fog gave the lake a very eerie appearance. But we were undaunted.

We bravely climbed aboard our ship and set sail across the foggy waters.

Back on shore, Hannah and Sophie enjoy a peaceful moment as darkness sets in over the lake.

[Back to Past Events] [Home]