Quabbin Gate 12

Another new gate explored, this time while snowshoeing in a foot of new snow! Followed the road down, paralleling Purgee Brook as it tumbled out of the beaver pond (pictured) and down through a series of steep ravines. Eventually the road and brook meet up with the same terminus of my Gate 11 hike - a peninsula with a nice view to the southern half of the reservoir. The sand on the shore was thawed, and it was a welcome change of ground texture to press my boot into soft sand as opposed to shifting snow.

I decided to hug the shore of the brook on my return hike, which brought me across this bizarre relic - a rusty old bed frame! Whoever last slept on that bed is surely enjoying the deepest form of sleep nowadays. Further along, those steep ravines proved increasingly formidable as I tried to sidehill along in my snowshoes, which are designed for flat to rolling terrain. So, after a few moments of minor peril trying to prevent myself from sliding into the icy stream and the ensuing arduous hill climbs to circumvent the ravines, I retreated to the road again and made my way back. Four hours of snowshoeing, five pounds of sweat lost, and nothing but solitude and sunshine. Spring now seems infinitely farther off, buried beneath a foot of snow (15" in Montague), but this was a good way to spend the first day of my "spring" break, even though I'd much rather be canoeing.