Madame Sherri's Forest

 I've had this area on my radar for a while, but the long drive is always a negative when selecting my destination. Today I decided to go for it. We have had some unseasonably hot days and I just wanted no snow/ice. I got a late start, and by the time I arrived at the trailhead on Gulf Road, the lot was almost full. I chatted with a couple ladies who I would encounter several more times throughout the day, and geared up, excitedly leaving all traction in the back of my car! What I should have had with me was bug spray. Note to self to repack that for next time. Starting out by crossing a marsh, a spur to the old ruins of Madame Sherri's castle is almost immediately on the right. I headed up and took some pictures. I would have loved to have seen the ruins before the staircase collapse, but it's still a neat area to explore. I headed back to the main trail and continued on the Ann Stokes Loop. At the intersection for the loop, I took a right towards Indian Pond wanting to get the steeper side out of the way first. Immediately it started a moderate climb up towards the pond. The leafless trees made the entire forest so light and bright. At the next intersection, I stayed right again onto Mine Ledge Trail. Very shortly after this intersection is a short spur to an overlook of Indian Pond. After this the climbing started in earnest. Thankfully alternating between quite steep and some flatter sections, the trail climbed up and through lots of mountain laurel, which must be spectacular when in bloom. The trail was well marked and really well maintained, I was loving it. Again, with the leafless trees, I could see all the surrounding views. I reached the Mine Ledge spur, which was my turnaround point. The guide says to use caution on this spur as it traverses the top of a cliff, so I was a bit worried it would be rather scary.. but I actually found it quite safe (but yes, I can see the need for concern especially with little ones or dogs) as it does drop right off. This was a great view over to Wantastiquet Mountain and beyond into Vermont. I encountered a couple here thinking they were on a loop back to the parking area. I let them know that in fact they were heading for Brattleboro and got them back on track before doubling back myself to Indian Pond. I continued around Ann Stokes Loop, which climbed up and over East Hill before meeting up with Daniels Mountain Loop Trail. I stayed on Ann Stokes Loop which took me back to the trailhead. Once over East Hill in the lower part of the trail was the only area where I really encountered any water or mud, but this seems to be a permanent fixture on the trail as there were plenty of well placed rocks for hopping across these areas. Maybe it was the bright sunshine, maybe it was the no snow.. but I found myself really enjoying this area. 

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