Throw off those mid-winter blues!
Throw on those skis or snowshoes!
Come to Winterstock 2011 and join like-minded deep woods cachers
for an hour of good times and winter wonderland
camraderie!
Woodstock 2011 will be held---snow, sun, sleet
or rain*---deep in the winter woods of Harold Parker
State Forest, from 10-11 AM on Saturday, February 5,
2011. The Winterstock site is on a small hilltop at
the end of a peninsula, surrounded on 3 sides by a huge beaver pond
which should be nicely frozen in early February (it is already
frozen in late December as you can see in the 180 degree panorama
shot above).
This is a B.Y.O.S. (bring your own snack)
affair, so be sure to come with a thermos of your
favorite hot liquid and whatever munchies you'll want
to sustain you for the hour and to steel yourself for the return
trek to your car. Pay attention to the temperature and
weather, and be sure to wear enough warm clothes,
especially on your feet! We'll have a
raffle at 10:30---I'll provide some swag
for sure, and if anyone else wants to add to that, so much the
better! Winterstock will also be a great
opportunity for TB swapping, so be sure to bring all
of those TBs that are wintering over in your top drawer at
home!
Although completely accessible by trail,
Winterstock will be at a pretty isolated place in Harold Parker
that few people go to or even know about. Depending on snow
conditions, you can snowshoe, ski, or simply hike there, on trails
or off trails as you wish. If taking trails the whole way (good
idea for skiers!), the shortest route is about 0.75 miles from the
nearest trailhead on Middleton Road (Stearns Pond Road Trailhead
SOUTH in table below). Bushwhackers can shave some distance off of
that, particularly if coming in from Sudden Pond Trailhead.
If you take trails all the way, you'll come in from one
of 2 directions on Stearns Pond Road, and you'll first want to head
for the trail junction marked "Winterstock Trail Turn-off" in the
table below. An online map of Harold Parker State
Forest can be found here, or you
can download a printable version here.
There are 4 parking locations of varying
distance and "winter parking reliability" in the table below. At
least one---the parking lot at the Harold Parker Ranger Station on
Middleton Road---should be a sure bet no matter what the snow
conditions. The others may or may not be available depending on
whether the trailheads are plowed out and/or the size of roadside
plow piles; please see comments in the table below.
*Winter Storm
Emergency: The only reason Winterstock would not be
held would be if there is a serious life-threatening winter storm
emergency. I don't want Winterstock to be the cause of anyone
getting hurt driving on roads when they should really be hunkered
down at home. If there is a serious winter storm emergency on
2/5/10 and you have any question about whether Winterstock will be
held, please check this webpage for any last-minute announcements,
which I will attempt to post---as long I've got power and my
internet connection remains intact!
Let's keep our fingers crossed for
great outdoor mid-Winter weather! See you
at Winterstock!