Grace Greylock Niles Day Hike Honors Local Author| 09:33AM / Wednesday, May 26, 2010 | |
Photo courtesy Trustees of Reservations
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POWNAL, Vt. — For the third year in a row, The Trustees of Reservations will host a "Grace Greylock Niles Day" to bring together new and old fans of the local botanist, author and artist who once made Mountain Meadow her home – an area that straddles the border between Massachusetts and Vermont.
Niles authored "Bog Trotting for Orchids" in 1904. The book was well received in her times and continues to be sought after by naturalists to this day.
The Trustees plan a free guided hike on Saturday, June 5 from 10 a.m. to noon to some of the landmarks that Niles wrote about in her book, sharing observations of plants, birds, and landforms along the way.
"On June 5, we will celebrate the wild places of Pownal and Williamstown that mattered so much to Grace Greylock Niles," stated Trustees educator Tammis Coffin. "We will read her words aloud close to the places they were written more than 100 years ago."
Co-leading the hike will be Williamstown naturalist Pam Weatherbee and Pownal volunteers John and Judy Blackmer.
As a preview for the walk, Coffin shares this excerpt from "Bog Trotting for Orchids":
'There is a beautiful cold spring under the hill near the swamps of Etchowog. I have known of it all my life… It is here that I quench my thirst and rest after wading through the neighboring swamp… In the sweet solitude I have dreamed many dreams, mingled with the music of the stream.'
Hikers will meet at the Vermont entrance of Mountain Meadow, located on Benedict Road in Pownal. More information, including directions, can be found here or by calling 413-298-3239 ext. 3003. Although the event is free, donations will be accepted to support Trustees educational programs.
Mountain Meadow Preserve is open daily for hiking and nature observation, with entrances in Williamstown, Mass. and Pownal. The next guided program at this property will be a free butterfly walk with Pam Weatherbee on Sunday, July 11 at 1 p.m. at the Mason Street (Williamstown) entrance.
The Trustees of Reservations invite Berkshires residents and visitors to explore Mountain Meadow and their 12 other historic and natural properties in the Berkshires, and to participate in the protection of the cultural and natural landscapes found in the Berkshires and statewide.
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