When times get tough, a return to nature is sure to lift your spirits. Nestled between busy I-384 and not quite as busy, Spring Street is a quiet little valley cut by Birch Mountain Brook. The Manchester Land Conservation Trust owns the land.
A short hike down the embankment from the Spring Street boulder will take you to the brook.
Upon reaching the brook, a right turn will take you to Wyllys Falls. However, the embankment on this side is too steep to walk along. You must find a way to cross the brook to get to the hiking trail on the other side.
If you feel nimble and brave, there are plenty of fallen trees you can balance on to get across the water.
If you have a dog on a leash, a camera, and backpack, and your sense of balance isn’t what it used to be, and your legs have been around for six decades or more, you might just take off your shoes and socks and wade through the brook to the other side. It isn’t too deep, but spoiler alert, it’s frigid.
Wyllys Falls is a short walk down the path. You will find a peaceful, joyful escape from hard times and be blissfully unaware of the highway nearby. Birds and moving water will be the only sounds! Aaaaahhhh!!!!
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have lingered too long around my door.
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
Ohhhhh, hard times, come again no more.
Song by Stephen Foster, Sung by Joan Baez & Emmylou Harris
Maybe walking sticks next time (to balance on the logs)? You don’t want to lose your toes to frostbite! Nice photos. It must have been a very restorative day.