Sharon's Trail Walk

I've been walking the trails on Sunday mornings and having a blast. Today was my first foray off the Moose Odyssey - I did Deer Run and Holmquist Hollow. Deer Run was absolutely beautiful - I just felt like I was covered in a soft, green blanket! It must be lovely in the fall. Holmquist Hollow had interesting terrain, but it was quite buggy. In fact, I'm sure it's the same darn horse fly who welcomes me at the trailhead every time I arrive, and buzzes me during the whole hike. No amount of bug spray seems to deter him.

One cool thing -- as I was going along Holmquist Hollow, I heard sounds in the woods, but couldn't see anything. Just as I joined up to MO again, I saw that blaze of a white deer tail bouncing through the trees! Wish I could have seen more, but that was a nice start.

Birds were very loud at the bottom of the hill, but very quiet up top. Interesting.

And I saw that place where the lightening hit the trees - whoa! What I noticed first was that big shard of tree sticking at an angle into the ground, and then I looked back and saw the tree. I figured it was lightening, but wasn't sure until I came home and read your report about it on the blog.

Anyway, just thought I'd report in! Hope you're having a nice weekend!

....submitted by trail user, Sharon Caufield, Gray, Maine

Real Fireworks on Libby Hill

There's always something new to discover as you wander the trails at Libby Hill! A couple of weeks ago, a strong lightning storm hit 3 large pine trees on top of the hill between the cellar hole and view 1 on the Moose Odyssey Trail. The strikes hit the 3 trees about 50 feet up and exploded many shards of wood into the surrounding woods. All trees are still standing but will most likely die in a year or two. If you examine the 'strike zone' you can find shards of wood up to 25 feet long 'harpooned' into the wood soil (see photo of me and one shard on left). It is one of the best displays of a lightning strike on a tree that I have seen. This area has already survived a microbust tornado 4 years ago but for these 3 trees, this was one storm that had their name on it!

Turkey in the Grass

A couple of Sundays ago, I heard a comotion in the grass near the top of Libby Hill. Next thing I heard the chirping of lots of chicks and saw them scrambling around in front of us. There were over a eight turkey chicks trying to find their mother who was about 50 feet away in the grassy clearing off the Moose Odyssey Trail. I got this photo of one of them and then saw another chick turned upside down with its legs moving but unable to turn over. So I helped turn it over and felt the soft down of its feathers which must have only been a couple of weeks old. I then found a second chick upside down but this one was not doing well. It had a twisted neck and some blood below its eye. Apparently we had interrupted some sort of attack by a predator, perhaps a hawk? That little chick didn't make it and we both went from elation to saddness as we saw the cycle of nature played out on Libby Hill. We withdrew from the clearing and made sure the chicks ran back to their mother before we went back down the hill. Once again we were amazed at how every time we go up the hill we discover something new!

National Trails Day June 7th

National Trails day is the first Saturday in June every year (June 7th). It is a day for you to go out and hike a trail, any trail, to celebrate what trails provide! This year you can celebrate by coming to Libby Hill! This year I will take hikers to all the highlights of the trail and give them lots of options for future hikes. With over 21 miles of trails in the area, there is no end to where you can hike at Libby Hill! Our event also helps raise funds to 'Save Libby Hill' so you can have a very strong impact on supporting hiking in your own back yard. So, if you can, register for our hike or at the very least, go out on the trails and celebrate in your own way! Happy National Trails Day!

There's Always More to See!

We have lots of events coming in the next few weeks, all of which help raise money for our "Save Libby Hill Campaign". One event, our "Birds of Libby Hill" event on June 15th, spurred a pre-walk by Derek Lovitch of the Wild Bird Center in Gray. In his blog he documented that he found over 35 species of birds on his walk a few weeks ago! I was very curious on how he found so many. So the past two weeks I have been taking my binoculars and a bird book.

What I've discovered is how many different warblers are coming through the pine thickets near the cell tower and the Harold Libbey memorial! I discovered 4 species of birds just yesterday that I have never seen before (Redstart, Yellow throat, Black and White Warbler, and Magnolia Warbler) on all the trips I have made into the woods these past 5 decades! The truth is, they have been there all along but I'm just learning to better observe the wildlife that exists in the woods.

So, if you want a new experience, take a pair of binoculars and walk a little slower up the hill. Listen for birds and watch for bird activity higher up in the trees. If you take some time and observe you discover so many things that you never saw before. You also don't have to walk 5 miles to see them! Many birds are very active around the school and pond or just up the hill toward the cell tower. Make your next afternoon on the hill something different but doing a little bird watching; you won't be disappointed! And... if that gets you excited, consider joining us for the 'Birds of Libby Hill' where you can spend a few hours with Derek and learn new ways to observe wildlife. The birds are out there just waiting to see you!

Also visit our Spring 2008 Flower and Wildlife sightings to see what is blooming or visiting the trails. You can also post an entry of what you see!

Shifting Seasons...Trails are ready!

Lots of people think Libby Hill Trails are just for skiiing. The secret is, the trails are truly a four season destination and if you go out this weekend you can see why it is so special. I made two trips out to check how the spring melt was progressing. Ten days ago I had to wear snowshoes but when I went out on April 18th and 20th, I found 99% of the snow gone. The higher up the hill you go the less snow you'll find.

If you want a great spring walk, try the Moose Odyssey trail with an optional loop on Deer Run. You'll see yellow warblers flitting between young pine trees and if you cross a sunny spot you may see a garter snake sunnying themselves (see photo). Our new trail stewards are removing small branches that have fallen into the trails. You can help by tossing any branches into the woods when you come across them.

If you want more adventure, then go out on the Harold Libbey and Outback trails. We found a wood thrush calling to us from the culvert area on Harold Libbey and also heard many birds in the distance. When we took a rest at Porcupine Rock on the Outback we heard a Barred Owl about 100 feet off the trail. Also high above a nearby pine tree a large hawk (broadtail ?) was hovering and calling frequently screeching . We think there be a nest nearby. We also came across a pile of deer fur by Moose point. I looked about 40 feet off trail and found a complete deer carcass with just fur and bones remaining. You can do your own CSI investigation but be aware it may be graphic for children.

At Thayer Brook, the beavers continue to craft works of art with very detailed carvings. See our spring photo show to see it all.

If you can, take some time and sit high up on the esker view of the beaver pond and watch for wildlife. You'll really enjoy the strong sun, sounds of birds, and come to know that Libby Hill has so much to offer after the snow goes!

What if you couldn't get to the Trails?

Monday was a good day. The Gray Community Endowment negotiated a buy agreement to purchase 29 acres next to the Gray - New Gloucester Middle school from Hancock Land Management. This property already contains 1/2 mile of trails that link the Libby Hill Trail system to the school and parking lot. We have sought to obtain this property since we began the trails in 1999 and now finally we have a unique, one time option to forever guarantee Libby Hill Trails will remain an unspoiled open space!

For many years, I envisioned what might happen if this property became developed. How would we get to our trails? Rebuilding the Old Libby Hill Road to our main property would cost in excess of 1 million dollars. The schools would no longer have access to the trails or outdoor classrooms that the Libby Hill Forest had provided. Should developers get the land, a new crop of a half dozen 'McMansions' would pop up having their own private trail system all built for them. Traffic would increase through the school zone and future expansion of the schools would be limited. All these things, haunted me year after year as I made the trek up the hill to the trails.

So, now it is time to act. We have to find funding for $160,000 to secure this critical piece for Libby Hill Trails. We have applied for a grant from the Land for Maine's future for $110,000. This grant will get a decision by July and is a very competitive process with other non-profits. We also have asked the town to provide $25,000 from the "open space" fund. This fund was created more than a dozen years ago to purchase open space to offset land lost to development. The money in this account (which now is over $100,000) was completely funded by developers and has no tax payer money.

At a minimum we need to fund raise $25,000 and at worst $160,000. If you are a trail supporter, we now need your help. Perhaps you can contribute money (see our donation page), you could give time (volunteer), network with others to tell our story, or maybe you would like to leave a legacy like Harold Libbey and forever be remembered by thousands of trail users. If you can't do any of these but still use the trails, at a minimum consider completing our online trail registry which assists us with grant applications.

Finally, don't take your time on the 'hill' for granted. Last weekend one of the founders of the trail system suffered a major medical event that nearly took him from us. It scared all of us who are lucky to know how much he has done for our trails. We now feel very lucky is now doing well and able to go back to the hill he loves so much. It made me think that I need to treasure each trip to Libby Hill like it might be my last romp in the woods. So whether it be the challenges of life or politics, it is time for us all to see the "Forest through the trees" and do what we can to make Libby Hill Forest a permanent open space for generations to come! Just keep thinking....."what if I couldn't get on the trails?"