rail trail – The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma

I will have sections of my blog that I will title “Throwback Adventure”, and will plan on posting them every Thursday. These are journeys we have taken before I started the blog, but are well worth sharing. Many of these Throwback Adventures will include our Buster, who was known for his crazy tail, his happy howl, and his zest for life. We miss him dearly…he is forever in our hearts!

Shadow, Buster, and I had many, many Adventures to The Nashua River Rail Trail between 2015-2016 while living locally. The Nashua River Rail Trail is an approximately eleven mile trail that runs from Nashua, New Hampshire to Ayer, Massachusetts. As expected it is built on a former railroad. The Nashua River Rail Trail is popular for biking, horseback riding, walking, fishing, and roller blading.

We had many wonderful Adventures to the Nashua River Rail Trail. Our walks always began in Pepperell, and I often wondered if we ventured into another town as we wandered for hours. We found trails off the paved trail to rivers, and scenic, quiet spots. One time we even spotted a horse, who was far from thrilled to spot two large dogs. Even after heading far off the trail to avoid the horse, it just about bucked the rider off. Luckily she stayed on and we returned to the path to continue our walk.

I found the Nashua River Rail Trail to be especially pretty in the Fall months, the sun streaming over the water. The trail did parallel homes at some points, but often was deep in the woods, quite peaceful. There were some simple fences along the trail, in one location framing a marsh-like area. I did my best to locate a variety of photographs from our many Adventures. Definitely a lovely rail trail to explore (Rating: 4).

On August 7, 2019 Wilma and I Adventured to the Amesbury Riverwalk while Shadow spent the morning with my parents. The Amesbury Riverwalk is a 1.3 mile paved, rail trail located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The Riverwalk follows the Powow River which is distantly visible through the trees on several occasions. The Amesbury Riverwalk connects downtown Amesbury and the Carriagetwon Marketplace. It is a popular walk for bikers, joggers, and dog walkers.

We had a steady paced Adventure to the Amesbury Riverwalk. Shadow was thrilled to spend the morning at Grandma and Grandpa’s spa, so I decided to take an extra long walk with Wilma, and work on some on-leash training. We had a little bit of difficulty locating the trail, walking around the area a bit before finding what appeared to be the beginning of the trail. The entrance was not labeled but we began walking and soon spotted a mile marker noting we were officially on the Amesbury Riverwalk. The trail started in the parking lot before heading into the woods, and bordering many homes, an apartment complex, and then became a little farther away from the residences. The trail was simple, full of many walkers, families, and our furry best friends. There were benches along the route, wildflowers, and very distant views of the River. Often you could hear the sounds of the highway, and children playing. Wilma took several breaks to nap, but overall we had an energetic walk, enjoying a new experience. We turned around at Elm Street as I was a little unclear if the trail was merging into another, or if it was about to officially end. I did not want to push Wilma too much in the heat, and we were past the 1.2 mile mark, so it is possible that we missed the last .1 mile.

The Amesbury Riverwalk was not a very scenic walk, but yet always nice to experience a new location. Wilma did extra-ordinary in her training, ending our walk with a very proud mama. We missed our Shadow today, but know he would not have appreciated an extra-long walk in the heat, with no swimming opportunities. A good excuse to say thank you to my amazing parents! (Rating: 3).

I have begun reading more about Rail Trails so you may see more Adventures to Rail Trails in the future. I would love to hear if you have any favorites of your own??