A repeat of the post I somehow lost yesterday morning...
For the final day of our walking tour, we again needed to be dropped at our staring point. We were given the choice between starting at the bottom of Howard Hill Rd., or being driven to the top, where there's a golf course and Pro Shop that sells cool drinks and has "facilities". We were on this tour with 2 other couples, a pair of sisters and their husbands: Karen and Dave and Janice and Tom. We'd not spent time with them on the road, but we did enjoy many a meal with them. It was fun comparing notes from that day's walk and plans for the walk ahead. We, of course, decided to climb Howard Hill; the other group did not.
Howard Hill Rd. is a dirt road; loose dirt and gravel as the pitch is steep and the rain loosens the rocks on the way down. The climb lasted for 2 miles with the first mile being the steepest. When we were about 0.5 miles up the road a car with the other party passed us. It was the first time that they were ahead of us all week, as they preferred a more leisurely breakfast. We were wiped out by the time we reached the top of the hill. We stopped at Tater Hill Golf Club, named for the potato farm that it replaced, and had a drink and a rest. Only 9 more miles to go....
Most of this walk was on Popple Dungeon Rd. The road gets its name from the Poplar trees that closely lined and shaded it, so that the darkness reminded folks of a dungeon. Most of that new growth is now gone, being replaced by maples; it must be stunning in the fall! Popple Dungeon Creek meanders close by the road for most of the walk, providing some beautiful walking music. I experienced an unfortunately timed call of nature about 8 miles into the walk. Happily, we were near the old Popple Fields B&B. It's closed now, but Conrad and his wife are still welcoming walkers in need (ie: me, that day) and we spent a lovely 40 minutes visiting and viewing the gorgeous reproduction home that Conrad built. I've never seen such a perfect and beautifully kept place.
Once we left their home, we faced yet another challenging hill on Dodge Rd. which also seemed to go straight up for at least 0.5 miles and then it just petered out. No, really, .. the road just sort of ended in a cul-de-sac, of sorts. We needed to then get really off road and hike through the woods for a bit to find Dodge Rd. again, which then descended, quite steeply in places, to the High St. After taking some pictures of the calves and alpaca's on High St. we were in the woods again to get to the swinging bridge that brought us back to Chester. A very tired, foot-weary pair of hikers entered Chester for their second stay at the Inn Victoria.
As we were walking down Main St. we saw the other 2 couples limp out of one of the local cafes after their late lunch. We were lucky enough to meet up with them at the Inn and wish them well before they began their journey home. We, on the other hand, went into the Inn to clean up before our afternoon tea. I'm so glad that we planned that evening's stay. We were exhausted from the hike and ready to just rest for a bit.
You two earned that afternoon tea...and a good night's sleep!
ReplyDeleteDespite the hills at the beginning and end, this was a nice walk. Most of the length of Popple Dungeon Road was the creek and later the Williams river babbling along side or under the road. Of course there was the construction on the road, as there was every day except the rain-shortened one. No dog issues this day, it seems the first walkers on the road had to deal with the dogs watch day.
ReplyDeleteThe former Popple Fields Inn was an incredible piece of workmanship. Built to look like an old New England salt box with a later addition, the interior was more stunning than the outside; from the exposed barnboard ceiling in the dining room, to the fire places, to the period wood trim, to the paint colors, it was a real showpiece. The work of a Craftsman and artist.
As Patti mentioned above we caught up to the other couples that had hiked that day, walking like they had just come in from a long horseback ride. I imagine we looked the same. We really appreciated the jacuzzi that evening before we went out to dinner.