More Nipmuck Please

On Saturday, four two-legged Bimblers and three four-legged Bimblers set out to explore the southernmost reaches of the famous Nipmuck Trail. Transport was generously provided by Bounce for Snobody, Ultra, Sadie, Lamb, Fruit Punch, and me. The run was both a long training run, as well as a BARE run (see bulletin board for sketchy details), and of course, an opportunity to run some new trail (except Ultra, who was our tour guide).

Why were we assembled for this grueling run? Well, Ultra, Bounce, and I needed some miles for our Promise Land training. Sadie, Lamb, and Fruit Punch go wherever their masters take them. Snobody…. well, sadly, he just doesn’t know any better. So, what/where is the “Southern Nipmuck”? Well, for those with a wealth of local trail race experience, the explanation is simple: it is the part of the Nipmuck Trail that is not covered in either the Northern Nipmuck or the Nipmuck Marathon races.

We arrived at the trailhead at approximately 7:40, and were immediately greeted by a woman from a neighboring house who strongly suspected we were runners (how flattering!). She introduced herself as a prior Nipmuck Marathoner, and advised us that her husband was a trail maintainer on the Nipmuck Trail. In reasonably short order, we headed off into the woods. Bad news: almost immediately, we lost the trail! Good news: we didn’t notice! Ignorance truly is bliss… It wasn’t until we rejoined the Nipmuck Trail that we realized we had been off trail for some time. Clearly this one (thousand or so) little misstep(s) was due to our starting exuberance, as the trail was definitely clearly marked and very easy to follow.

The first major milestone was Wolf Rock, a notable glacial erratic perched, seemingly precariously, upon a summit along the trail. Ultra found a cell phone at Wolf Rock which may, or may not, have been reunited with its owner by now. Other way points I remember were a few low traffic roads, a power line, a pipeline, an historical society building, a REALLY BIG HILL, several ruins of old mills, dams, and canals, and a really wide and deep water crossing. Snobody was the only Bimbler confident enough of his swimming to not use the slight detour to the bridge. Once past the big water crossing, the trail stays near and/or in the Fenton River the rest of the way. It is very scenic and highly runnable for most of it’s length. We got to the turnaround point, about 10 miles, in about 2 hours. On the way back, we were slightly faster, mainly because Snobody was tired and wanted to be done quicker so he could rest sooner. Yeah, I know, but it made sense to him.

The day that started, pre-dawn and cool, with some Bimblers running in hat and gloves ended uncomfortably warm and possibly dehydrated, with one Bimbler finishing topless (no, it was not Sadie). Munchies and beverages were available at the “finish line” to restore our strength for the drive home (a little over an hour). A good time was had by all, and it was agreed that more Bimblers should try to experience this trail, particularly the run along the river. Now, we have Bimbled the entire Nipmuck trail (except for the “other” Southern Nipmuck Trail). Maybe Oddjob can sponsor that run, as she seems to handle the “other” details so well.

8 thumbs up for the Southern Nipmuck (the dogs have no thumbs)