We had a large turnout on May 1st to develop the Rocky Ledges Trail in Essex. As people grabbed their tools, made introductions, and learned about the project, they enjoyed some delicious scones donated by Dogwood Bakery in Wadhams. Yum!

The project began with a fairly effortless hike because a lot of work had already been done before Saturday by several volunteers. So we walked, cut a few overhanging branches and removed fallen limbs. We went below a beautiful cliff that looked almost iridescent blue in the spring early-morning sunshine and then went up a rocky draw. Just beyond that, the trail split into an easy and more difficult route to the Boquet Mountain Trail. I shall tell this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence, two roads diverged in a wood, and we took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Yes, that is Robert Frost’s poem about the road not taken—in case you want to step back into your old English class, the entire poem follows this report.

We did take the less traveled route, climbing up the steep trail through some slick dry beech leaves. This part of the trail did need to be cleared so everybody got to work, cutting, sawing, and moving branches out of the way. Because we had a big crew, it seemed fairly easy and the next we knew, it was 11:30 and we intersected the Boquet Mountain Trail. We followed it left for several hundred yards until we met the more level route and then hiked back to Leaning Road.

Alvin Reiner of the Plattsburgh Press Republican was there as was the Rob Ivy, the Essex journalist-scribe for the Valley News. So, this may be a trail project that will go down in history—in upcoming issues of their respective newspapers and maybe 50 years from now, one of their articles will be featured in the “50 Years Ago” archive section of the paper.

Our next trail project is scheduled for Saturday, May 15—the third Saturday of the month. We are still planning for that so more information will be provided later. And finally, we hope you saw Dennis April’s column in the Outdoors section of Sunday’s Plattsburgh Press Republican about CATS and his hike on the Wildway Overlook Trail with Elizabeth Lee. It features two beautiful pictures of the view and the map of our trails. You can see it online at http://pressrepublican.com.

The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.