The Life Norwottuck

The Norwottuck rail trail is virtually snow and ice free right now and we joined many, many others for a Sunday visit along the venerable ol' path. Trip number two for the punkin' seed, incidentally...



Throw a couple of extra layers on, or not, and the weather's fine...







Although the trail is dry, there still is some rapidly mushifying iciness coating the water on the Amherst end. This might have led to the lack of flying wildlife on that day. I was hoping to catch some of the returning birds making a pit stop in the wetlands, but all was quiet on the avian front...





I'm not sure if the paved trail's snow melt was due purely to the warm temperatures or if plowing was involved, but if it was, it was most likely private work rather than state. The Norwottuck trail is a state park rather than community owned, and the state apparently considers it a warm-months only recreational trail, not bothering to clear it for the use that it gets year round.



There are no leaves yet to rustle in the wind and cast shimmering shadows along the sparkly way, but even the dead limbs and trunks over the wetlands can hold some natural, if stark, beauty.







Bikers, joggers, walkers, and us strollers were in attendance. But motorized vehicles are prohibited on the trail, so they kept far off to the sides....



...and above...



Every once in a while, an Amtrak train will whip along the Norwottuck's still-employed twin railway across the water.



The four main local paths (Norwottuck, Northampton and Manhan) will be linking up soon, creating a non-motorized super highway. It's surely another major step in linking/creating the long hoped for state-wide trail system...