Coming from Lincoln, this cache is right near the entrance of Adams Woods. Adams Woods is a 104-acre property that is situated in both Lincoln and Concord. The Andromeda Ponds are the gem of this conservation area and were named by Henry David Thoreau. The property also has abundant forestlands and a meadow near Fairhaven Bay. On a clear day, Sunny Meadow is spectacular.
Adams Woods was acquired by the Town of Lincoln in 1977 with substantial assistance from the State, the Adams family, and a fundraising effort.
As mentioned, the highlight of this area is the Andromeda Ponds. They are beautiful string of three glacial kettle ponds fed by groundwater originating in Walden Pond. These ponds afford rich wildlife habitat surrounded by Adams Woods, conservation land in Concord, MA. The Andromeda Ponds were the subject of some of Thoreau’s journal entries. Depending on the season and weather, the ponds are very different.
Andromeda Phenomenon:
On some sunny days, the Andromeda Ponds produce a visual effect known as the “Andromeda Phenomenon”. This visual effect can be best characterized as a glow from the water. Thoreau suggested that the glow from the Andromeda Ponds may be a unique phenomenon.
I derive more of my subsistence from the swamps which surround my native town than from the cultivated gardens in the village. There are no richer parterres to my eyes than the dense beds of dwarf andromeda…which cover these tender places on the earth’s surface. (Thoreau, Walking)
This is a very child friendly cache stocked with trinkets, part of my series in conjunction with the LLCT to make Lincoln a great place for family caching!
LLCT Suggested Route
Park at the Mount Misery parking lot on Route 117. Take the main trail towards Mount Misery and skirt around the Mount. Once you reach the fields, keep left to follow the trail to Old Concord Road. Cross the road and follow the trail north. Cross Old Concord Road again and enter Adams Woods. Take the main cart path and walk through the meadow. The trail splits as it enters the woods. Adams Woods has many side trails but all of them are connected to the main loop. For this suggested walk, bear left. Take your next right and approach the railroad tracks. Now the trail splits again. Both paths lead back to the trailhead. Take a left and then your third right to skirt the edge of the woods and return to the meadow. Return to the parking lot via the Mount Misery trails. This route is approximately 6 miles, round trip.
The cache is just a 2 minute walk away from the trailhead on the north split of Old Concord Road, if you choose to go that route. These woods border Walden Woods and can easily be combined with a trip to the bond.
FTC: ecstaticbroccoli