Digging Up The Past

 

Just a series of photos spanning West Peak, showing the haze from the mildly humid day.

Visit #1089, Saturday 22 July 17, 0930-1130hrs, 4.5 miles.
Temps in the low 80's, sunny and mildly humid.

Thanks to Paul Bernier for joining me this week.

After reading a recent article regarding graffiti on a new building on Colony Street,  I was reminded of graffiti problems in Hubbard Park, so I decided to check on some I'd painted over recently at West Peak. That's where todays route would lead.

Paul and I hiked the trails from the parking lot up to Merimere Reservoir and to the Halfway House, where we encountered our Find of the Week.

Someone has planted TWO of these American Chestnut trees in the clearing surrounding the Halfway House. The reason my weekly blog entry is late is because I called the number on the tag hoping to talk to the person who planted the saplings, but they never returned my call.

This isn't the first time someone tried planting chestnut trees in Hubbard Park. In my pre-blog days, November 2008 to be exact, a number of saplings were planted adjacent to the Soap Box Derby Track. Below are archival photos of them.

They didn't survive because the bank they were planted on is mowed by the Parks Department. Oops.

The first attempt at introducting the chestnut trees to Hubbard Park was made by local resident Dick Kearney. While the phone number on the tags I found Saturday didn't lead to Dick, I wonder whether the two incidents are related.

I'll keep an eye on the new plantings and report on their survival.

Paul and I hiked up to West Peak where the graffiti has mostly remained at bay. We cleaned the parking lot and collected enough trash to leave a bag for later pickup.

We took in the panoramic view you see at the top of the post, then hiked our way back to the park and deposited our remaining trash for the week.