Cloudy with periods of rain. High 44F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Rain likely. Low around 40F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

The beauty of New England trails comes with the changing of seasons.

A single trail can include so many sights (and sounds) as snowfall, foliage, and springtime buds change the scenery and experience.

While exploring the Essex County Greenbelt’s Donibristle Reservation in Topsfield for the first time this spring, I found myself disappointed by the scenery.

Nature’s pubescent age between winter and spring left bare trees, trails flooded and a myriad of briers as the main attractions.

But then I remembered that there is so much here than just a trail.

In the early 1900s, this reservation was the country farm estate of historian James Duncan Phillips. Phillip’s wife, Nannie Borden Phillips, was key in developing a model dairy farm with registered Guernseys.

According to Greenbelt, “Indigenous people known as the Pawtucket had a village in Topsfield not far from this land at the junction of Fish Brook and Ipswich River. The original name of Topsfield, Shenewemedy, was an English corruption of an Algonquian place name referring to level ground, ideal siting for corn-planter villages. The people would have used the natural resources found here and on surrounding lands. They also mined raw copper from Nichols Brook nearby, which they pounded into disks to wear as jewelry or body armor.”

With a rich history and in dire need of care, the community of Topsfield, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and private donors came together in 2017 to permanently protect the property with a Local Acquisition for Natural Diversity Grant.

Now open to the public, these woods include a wooded hillside, mature oaks, maples and birch, deer, coyote and red fox.

After researching more into the history of this reservation, I felt bad about my negative review and decided to take a second walk.

What I saw was a totally different trail: one filled with potential and promises.

Trailhead: Hill Street and Rowley Bridge Road, Topsfield.

Parking: There is enough room for five cars.

Activities: Birding, dog walking, hiking, horseback riding, and snowshoeing.

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