I had a very pleasant run in Maudslay State Park in Newburyport this weekend. Once the private estate of the Moseley family, the park was an undiscovered gem for me until I ran the Trav's trail race two weeks ago. I wanted to come back and enjoy the park at a leisurely pace so I could take in it's beauty without all the huffing and puffing associated with racing three miles. Being unfamiliar with the park I needed a tour guide to show me around. Emily, aka Trail Pixie, was my gracious and knowledgeable guide for the morning run. We ran many of the trails passing several stands of flowering rhododendron, azalea and mountain laurel. In fact, Maudslay boast one on the largest naturally-occurring stands on mountain laurel in eastern Massachusetts. On one trail we saw a large colony of pink lady slippers (Cypripedium acaule) slightly past their peak but still something to see.
Tall and proud and in full bloom.
Delicate and delightful.
An enjoyable run in spite of the heavy humidity, capped off with a very delicious lunch of fresh fish on Plum Island, made me forget all about the "fun" I was missing at the Nipmuck Marathon. Thanks again Pixie!
Weekly Recap:
Total Miles: 34
Long Run: 13
# of Runs: 4
Avg Miles: 8.5
Trail Miles:71%
Maybe 20 on Monday?
What a beautiful trail setting. I would love to run this some time.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics.. looks like an awesome place to hit the trails
ReplyDeleteWow! lady slippers used to be prominent in these parts but are very rare now....it is illegal in Maine to pick them.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan! You are most welcome! Nice photo of the slippers....I wonder how they would feel slipping them on and going for a little shuffle...I'll post this week. I want more fish!
ReplyDeletePathfinder, I guess they are rare here also but we saw a lot. Also protected in MA so look but don't touch!
ReplyDeletePixie, next time I'll bring the beer!