News

Notice the stone wall that runs parallel to the railroad at the bottom of the slope.  At one time much of NH was dedicated to pasturing sheep to provide wool to the mills in Manchester and Lawrence.  The stone wall was likely the edge of a pasture that has now returned to forest.  In another … Continue reading Stone Walls

You are standing over a large culvert that was built when the railroad was constructed, so that water could flow out of the large wetland on the north side of the trail, underneath the railroad, and continue on downstream to the south side of the trail.  Culverts maintain the natural flow of water—if they are … Continue reading Culverts

If you are here in late April or early May, at the base of the large tree on the far side of the brook you can see the broad, upright, bright green leaves of skunk cabbage emerging from the forest floor.  This is an early sign of spring, as the skunk cabbage tries to get … Continue reading Skunk Cabbage

Look carefully near the ground at the tree just off the trail.  It is a red maple that has “root sprouted” into at least three main stems, one of which was cut off to clear the rail trail.  The bark of the tree is covered with lichens, an association between an algae and a fungus:  … Continue reading Root Sprouts and Lichens

You are standing in a “cut” made through a small hill, so that the rail bed remains level.  Earlier in the walk you went through a “fill” where the rail bed had to be raised up to keep it out of the wetlands on either side.  Now these cuts and fills make it easy to … Continue reading Cuts and Fills