"I found my thrill..."
by Rob

Okay, so I doubt that anyone locally would refer to Ragged Mountain as "Blueberry Hill," but it works for me. Today, Friday, Nate, Abbie and I were able to hit one of the trails at Ragged Mountain. Paul, our friend the pastor, suggested the hike yesterday, and this morning he and Toby (their dog) came to pick us up at about 9:30.

It was less than a 30 minute drive to the trail head, just off of Route 17, north of Rockland. The trail that we used is rated as "difficult," but it didn't give us too much trouble. Except for one stretch of steep trail, it was really pretty easy. It seems to me that on this trail, even in the steeper sections, we had much easier time getting our footing than on many of the sections of trails that we've done at home in the Adirondacks.

The trip to the top was probably a couple of hours long. The weather is very comfortable and there very few bugs to speak of right now, so the whole thing was very, very pleasant. Once on top, Paul took an opportunity to point out towns, islands, mountains and bodies of water that could be seen in the distance. Many of the places that he referred to are spots that I have heard of, but I'd be hard pressed to remember many of them. Nonetheless, the view was beautiful and it was great to have the chance to see this place from a different perspective. Having a guide from the area is a huge bonus. We so enjoy Paul's company, but are also grateful for his willingness to share what he knows about this place with us.

Paul knew that there would be blueberries at the top and he had mentioned that we would pick some. I didn't know what to expect, but didn't pack for the trip with the thought that we'd see enough berries to be bringing any home. Fortunately for us, Paul was better prepared. We might have picked berries for 30 or 45 minutes before we headed back down the mountain. Paul insisted that he only be given half of the bag that he and Abbie had been using. That has left us with plenty of berries for the week. At this point, we'll need to decide whether to make a pie... or muffins... or pancakes... or all of these. Who knows? Regardless, we have many of them to enjoy.

Along the trail, Paul took time to point out some of the plants and things that he felt were special. In addition to seeing countless mushrooms in an amazing array of colors and sizes, we also saw these "Indian Pipes," which Paul felt were especially rare because of their pink hue, and these mature trillium plants which are mature and "ripe with fruit."