Lincoln
- Poor Mt. Misery. This
227-acre slice of doggy heaven in Lincoln has been saddled with the most unfortunate
of names. Barely 300 feet above sea level, it hardly qualifies as a mountain,
although the term is somewhat subjective. Also, about half of this town-owned
conservation land's gorgeous trails allow dogs to romp off-leash, so you won't
find any misery here.
Located on Route 117 (South Great
Road), the parking area is less than a mile west of the intersection with Route
126. Mt. Misery's popularity is such that the decent sized parking lot can fill
up on nice weekends. There is also parking at the canoe landing just down the
street although that can get bottle-necked with pickups hauling boat trailers
(plus the connector trail is loaded with burrs right now).
If this is your first time here,
be sure to start at the trail at the far end of the parking lot. The second
information kiosk usually has brochures, which include dog-walking regulations
and a trail map. Mt. Misery may take several visits before you get the feel of
the place because the trail names aren't marked on the map and there seem to be
a few more trails than what the map suggests. It's easy to get confused but
tough to get really lost here because most of the trails interconnect and there
are usually regulars who are willing to point you in the right direction.
The trail that starts out from
the two information kiosks passes by the one pond that allows dog swimming.
After about 20 minutes, the trail, which is leashes only, cuts across open
fields that are used by Codman Community Farms and Lindentree Organic Farm and
ends at Old Concord Road.
It is the trail that starts
before the swimming pond, runs along the east bank, then along the eastern base
of Mt. Misery (to end just before the fields) that is one of my favorites. It
offers nice foliage, more rustic trails such as Wolf Pine Trail and a view of
Mt. Misery's glacier scarred granite base. The trail also skirts wetlands that
are more of a macabre, yet interesting, graveyard of standing dead trees. If
you should venture to Mt. Misery's peak, you will find the climb to be easy and
the view non-existent even though there is a viewing platform called overlook.
Again, this is not a mountain. There is a pile of rocks at the top that grows
larger each time I see it. Not quite the zen art of balancing stones, still
hikers feel compelled to add to it now and then.
The real must-see for Mt. Misery
has got to be Krackers Point. Located on the western portion of the property,
this small sandy beach on the shore of the Sudbury River offers a tranquil view
of the river and great spot to swim for your dog. If you and your dog are going
to achieve zen anywhere on Mt. Misery then it will be here. My dog, Leo, and I
just sit on the sand and enjoyed life.
Perhaps Mt. Bliss would be a much
better name.
For more
information, visit www.mtmisery.org.