Basin Pond trails, east of Lee, Massachusetts (oeo2oo's "back yard," as it were).
Never hiked here before; not a lot to see, but there
are a lot of 1.5 to 4m high boulders/erratics along or near the trails. First and last parts were out and back but there was a split partway along where one segment went farther up the hill.
The dam here (breached, for the last time in 1968; now with a much smaller beaver dam) that was at the turnaround point was first built to hold water to make a mill downstream more productive (i.e., so they didn't have to wait for rainfall). It was then called Lee Lake. The breach in 1886 killed 7 people; one in 1968 killed a woman, whose estate won a settlement that included the land around the pond, later donated as a state reserve. A much smaller version of the Johnstown, PA, flood three years later....
Added: Lots of rock adjusting was done to make this a fairly easy trail. Several of the large rocks in stream beds had been scored (criss cross shaped cuts) to make them even safer.
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On a downed birch log near the trail, a bright orange fungus or mold caught my eye. Investigation seems to imply it's an
orange slime mold.
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