While the virtual map for Chip Stockford Reserve shares some information about the stories along the trail, there isn’t enough space there to get a better understanding of this space so join me for a trek.
We’ll meet in the parking lot on Ladies Delight Road. Note that it’s located diagonally across from the trailhead.
It’s there that I’ll share with you a copy of the 1858 map, the area we’re exploring noted by the black circle. The Greater Lovell Land Trust acquired the Chip Stockford Reserve on December 14, 2000 with generous help from the Ladies Delight Association to protect the water quality of Kezar Lake’s Lower Bay. Not only does it provide a vegetative buffer between the road and the wetland as one enters the neighborhood, but the land trust also provided septic sites.
Perusing the Registry of Deeds in Fryeburg some years ago, I learned that the property had passed through many hands but one of the first owners was Elbridge Gerry Kimball, who also owned the general store at #4, known today as the Kimball-Stanford House and home of the Lovell Historical Society. Mr. Kimball was also a farmer and in his journals he writes of this particular piece of land and the livestock as well as the crops that were part of the landscape, including pear trees.
To the left of the trailhead for what is now known as the Bill Sayles Trail (Bill and his neighbor, Ed Clout, carved out the trail system on the property) we’ll look for two depressions that served as the cellar hole.
We’ll also explore the barn sight located by the foundation. Throughout our tour we’ll see stonewalls here and there as in the 19th century this place was not forest, but rather used as pasture and garden. I’ve been told it was also possibly an infirmary for sick cows.
Back on the trail, it’s bud burst season and so many are suddenly springing forth such as this striped maple that we must admire.
In a matter of minutes, because I really can walk a bit faster if you encourage me, we’ll enter the former log landing, which provides a fabulous example of forest succession.
Among the pines are others and it’s a great classroom to introduce a couple of members of the birch family. A pioneer species, meaning it’s one of the first to regenerate a disturbed area, is the Gray Birch (Betula populifolia). Feel the bumpy twig.
Of course, if a dried leaf just happens to still be attached, or a new leaf has burst its bud, you can be certain of its identification by the shape—rather triangular. Sometimes we say it looks like an elephant’s face. I don’t always see that, but in this case . . . you be the judge.
In the same tunnel, paper birches do grow. Instead of a bumpy twig, theirs are hairy.
At the end of the tunnel, we’ll turn left. On the virtual map we went straight up the hill, but by traveling in the opposite direction we may see different things.
Along the way the red maple leaves are beginning to open and in these early stages they are works of art.
Okay, so we did stop at The Rock on the virtual tour, but . . . we didn’t climb up to it. It’s only a few steps up and the top is worth noticing.
For here, a few pine saplings have taken root.
Pine trees occasionally take advantage of such a spot, but it’s much more common for Eastern hemlocks such as this and also yellow birch trees to grow upon rocks. Their seeds readily germinate upon the moist substrate and with a shallow root system they become established.
It’s the lichens and mosses and leaves and needles that gather there first which create enough dirt for such to occur.
Not only will we consider all of that, but we’ll also take time to honor the beauty of the haircap moss and its splash cups, the tiny cup-like structures made from modified leaves that hold its male reproductive organs.
Rounding a bend, we’ll pause by a second smaller foundation. We’re not sure exactly who lived here, but it’s a great place to share an expert from Pauline W. Moore’s book about the history of Lovell, Bueberries and Pusley Weed: “Loneliness was a hazard as well as never-ending hard work. “Ladies Delight,” that beautiful little hill that overlooks South Bay, was not named for the view. Nor was it named because it made a delightful walk for ladies to take on a Sunday afternoon or because it was covered with wonderful blueberries. It was named in sarcasm because women who tried to live in the two homes built there, could not endure the loneliness and isolation.”
Continuing on, we’ll give thanks once again for another look at a red maple as its leaves begin to unfurl. We may all be in pause mode right now, but nature certainly isn’t.
If only these spring moments could last a wee bit longer.
A bit further on, we’ll stop for a lesson offered by the evergreens. And on the way back on the other side of the loop, you can pause and quiz yourself to see if you remember all of this. So, these are hemlock needles. Though they may look long here, they are actually only about a half inch in length. And if you look closely, you’ll see that each is attached to the twig by a little petiole or stem. Hemlocks have a graceful lacy look and lean over like ladies curtseying in the breeze.
Balsam firs, on the other hand, stand military straight. Their needles are attached directly to the stem and measure about an inch in most cases. Plus many are notched at the tip.
White pines have packets of five needles each, spelling their name: W-H-I-T-E; or the state’s name for they are the state tree: M-A-I-N-E. You might also think of them as wiggling their fingers at the end of the twigs.
Spruce also stand military straight, but their needles are round and pointed. Shake the hand of a fir and it will be friendly (fir friendly), but shake the hand of a spruce and you won’t soon forget it (spiky spruce).
At the top of the hill, the blue loop meets the red spur trail.
We’ll turn left and head out toward the observation point.
For the weary, there’s a bench upon which to rest, so placed to honor Chip Stockford for whom the property was named.
We’ll take in the view offered on this fine spring day as it shows off the bright blue of the sky reflected in the water of the Lower Bay looking toward the fen on the left and stretches across to Kearsarge North’s pointed peak. This view was cleared two years ago by members of the GLLT’s trail work crew known in-house as the Groundhogs.
After a break at the bench, we’ll turn around and head back. If you looked at the virtual map you might be able to locate the cancer-root that grows on the forest floor right beside the trail or a couple of paper birch hearts that decorate a tree. I’ll leave that challenge to you.
As our journey continues back along the blue loop, we’ll take a look at the double-wide stone walls and pasture pines that grow there and consider the hard work that went into building such structures as well as maintaining the fields for produce.
And . . . for those who wish to fill their spirits with a most delightful scent, we’ll get down on all fours to sniff the Trailing Arbutus that is now in full bloom.
There are a few wet spots from last week’s rain that we’ll easily make our way around, and then we’ll take a look through the forest and wonder—did families ever have the time to come up here for a picnic? Can’t you just see the ladies decked out in long dresses and bonnets, and carrying baskets full of food? Blueberry pie perhaps for dessert?
On our way down, we’ll honor the emerging beech leaves the same as we did the maples. Ah, those hairy fringes.
Back through the pine tunnel at the old log landing we’ll walk and as we pass through another small wet area, we’ll discover a quaking aspen right in front of us. Of course, we’ll have to examine the corky leaf scar below the bud and notice its bud scars, those circles within that supported the vascular system of last year’s leaf. It almost looks like a face and the bud could be a hat.
Because we can, before we finish up our adventure, we’ll walk down the road a bit to the wetland that serves as a buffer between the road and the lake.
At the edge we’ll dip some cups and look through hand lenses to see who lives there. Here are a few of the aquatic species we might see: Aqua Bugs.
By then it will be time for us all to take our leave. But I hope your smiles will be as big as mine for traveling this route with you and sharing all that it has to offer has been this lady’s delight.