Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Hog Swamp outcrop

Driving south on Rt 495 in Bolton/Berlin MA, there is a cut through the bedrock on the right a short ways (perhaps 1/2 mile) before you get to the Rt 62 exit. I have been trying to figure out how to get to this outcrop from the land side, but it appeared to be surrounded by the swamp there, called "Hog Swamp". I realized, though, that I could go to end of Quaker Lane and sneak through backyards. I actually knocked on a door for permission but, getting no answer, I snuck around without it. The area I got to was not as isolated as I had hoped, as there was an old stone causeway in one place leading over to the higher ground from Quaker Lane. I figure the Quakers had used this ground systematically. Nevertheless, possibly because of Indians coming back afterwards, there were a couple of little signs of ceremony on the southeastern side of the rise of land cut by the highway - a couple of rock piles a few yards from the highway.Seems like there is always a little something, if you look for it.Just for my own recollections: there was a brown creeper (a small bird) that wouldn't leave me alone when I got to the highpoint. It is fun being superstitious and I imagined it was telling me to look closer - which I did until I found the couple of rock piles.

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