Sip Pond Peninsula Trail

Tucked away in the sprawling boggy wetlands and marshes that border Route 12 in Fitzwilliam, you will find the Chamberlain Conservation Area and Sip Pond Peninsula Trail. On a cloudy day in mid-May, with the temperature in the high 50s, I headed out for this 1.6-mile round trip trail which offers scenic views and easy walking on a rail bed path. The trail starts beyond a metal gate in the parking area and moves slightly downhill. After 100 yards I turned right on the Cheshire Recreational Rail Trail, a straight-as-an-arrow gravel path which is lined with tall pines and hemlock trees. Before continuing my hike, I stopped at a wooden bridge, under which the Sip Pond Outlet Brook flows, to get a closer look of the shrubs and grassy tussocks. After observing a turtle slip off a rock and plunk into the water with a soft splash, I continued on the easy-walking rail trail. On this spring day, I was treated to explosions of showy rose-purple rhodora flowers erupting alongside the trail. There were also blue wild violets and plenty of bird twitters to enjoy. Soon I met up with Fitzwilliam resident, Corey Goodwin, and his nine-year-old daughter, Miranda, and their dog, Charlie, a one-and-a half-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer. Corey explained that hiking the rail trail with Charlie was a nearly everyday routine. After a brief chat, I continued on the trail. The scattered trees, grasses and shrubs of the marsh were impressive in and of themselves. To the right, the distinctive shapes of Gap Mountain and Mount Monadnock showed themselves on the horizon to the north. Fifteen minutes from the start (0.4 mile) of my hike, I turned right at a metal gate. Here is where the Peninsula Trail branches off from the Cheshire Rail Trail. Big pines and hemlocks lined the path, which soon was brightened by the light green leaves of beech trees. I noted a vernal pool on the left where spotted salamanders deposit their eggs. I observed ground cover of partridgeberry and wintergreen, spring ephemerals (painted trillium, star flowers) and clusters of fiddle head ferns in the woods. Soon I reached a junction. I turned left and followed a gravel path a short way to what looked like a wood frame foundation and several concrete support piers. These were the remains of ice cutters' cabin foundation. Ice cutters lived in this cabin throughout the winter. Ice harvesting (the frozen water trade) was big business at Sip Pond beginning in the late 1800s. The Fall River Ice Company used the back side of the pond, and the Boston & Maine Railroad had a spur line so they could haul ice in boxcars to Boston. The surface ice first had to be cleared of snow before it was deemed useable. It was then incised with three-to-six-inch grooves and cut with a saw. A heavy chisel was used to break the blocks apart. Once the "cakes" were separated, they floated in the water like icebergs, some weighing as much as 300 pounds. The blocks were then harvested and loaded onto railcars. In days past, it was common practice for homeowners to have an ice box in the kitchen. The ice block was placed at the top of the box and air circulated around it. Mechanical refrigeration sounded the death knell for the ice industry in the early 20th century. I returned to the junction and continued strait on a needle-softened path which led to the tip of the peninsula marked by a large pine tree. Here I was treated to an outstanding view of Mount Monadnock on the horizon to the north across the broad waters of the 141-acre pond. The peninsula itself is dominated by high bush blueberry plants. But on this spring day, only the tiny, white tubular corollas showed themselves. The pond is surrounded by a wetland habitat, cranberry bog and wild blueberries. After enjoying a snack and brief rest, on this cloudy day, which soon turned to rain, I turned around and made the short walk back to the car. But if you are in the mood for more hiking there is plenty of opportunity on the Cheshire Rail Trail which goes on for miles. The trail itself runs from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border to Walpole, a total of 42 miles. The Chamberlain Conservation Area and Sip Pond Peninsula Trail are Monadnock Conservancy properties. To get to the Sip Pond Peninsula Trail at the Chamberlain Conservation Area, from the blinking light in Fitzwilliam, drive south on Route 12 for four miles. Turn right onto Old Turnpike Road (dirt). Continue driving 0.6 mile and look for a Chamberlain Conservation Area sign. Turn right and follow the driveway to the parking area.