Hike Tully Trail
April 22, 2006

Earth Day Hikers on the Tully Trail

Nineteen people and two dogs hiked a segment of the Tully Trail in Royalston on Earth Day (April 22), passing through dense forestland, crossing the rushing waters of the Fish Brook Wildlife Management Area and enjoying hilltop vistas.

Leading the hike were Clare Green of Warwick, educator and naturalist, and Allen Young of Royalston, author of the regional guidebook ³North of Quabbin Revisited.² It was sponsored by the Athol Bird and Nature Club, the region¹s oldest environmental organization.

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, giving an important boost to the embryonic environmental movement in the United States.

Hikers came from Athol, Royalston, Orange, Petersham, Warwick, Bernardston, Northfield, Boston and East Norwalk, CT, and ranged in age from 17 to late 70s.

Tony Brighenti of Athol, a state environmental police officer, met the hikers before they set out from Butterworth Road in Orange and informed them about a recent incident involving coyotes and a hiker. Brighenti said there was no reason for panic and said environmental police should be notified in case a sick coyote was observed.

In fact, the only wild mammal seen on the trip was a chipmunk scurrying to hide in one of the many stone walls created by settlers in this region an estimated 150-200 years ago. Chickadees flew about as their sing-song mating call could be heard.

Young explained how the Tully Trail, well-marked with rectangular yellow blazes, was created mostly by volunteers starting in 2000. It is an 18-mile loop through forestland in Royalston, Orange, Warwick and Athol.

Green pointed out various forms of vegetation, including a ³nurse tree² (a blow-down with substantial new growth), fragrant trailing arbutus in bloom, hobblebush preparing to emerge its cluster of white flowers, tri-leafed, scalloped golden thread visible with wintergreen and partridgeberry

Geology was also mentioned, especially the deep Fish Brook Gorge, occasionally outcroppings of quartz, and a formation which Green dubbed ³Old Man of Tully Mountain.²

It was an overcast, cool day without precipitation until the group picnicked in the historic Gale and Gates Cemetery off Bliss Hill Road, at which point light sleet commenced. About this moment, Green said, ³The sleet resonated with the remaining leaf litter and provided us with a simple musical tribute to our sojourn along the Tully Trail on this 36th anniversary of Earth Day.²

If you wish to volunteer to lead a trip please contact
Dave Small or
Events Coordinator Sue Cloutier 978-544-7500