ATHOL — Up until two weeks ago, getting over the Lower Kendall Brook Crossing at Ben and Susie Feldman’s Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm required some rather impressive balancing skills.

But through a combination of hard work and community support, two new bridges can be found crossing the brook where the Whitney Road trail connects to the Nameless Road.

Walking along the trails on Tuesday, Susie and North Quabbin Trails Association (NQTA) founder and President Bobby Curley said the project’s origins go back to 2013, when they were planning a five-mile section of trails at the tree farm. Much work on trail planning and mapping had to be done first, but the bridges were always on their to-do list. Prior to the bridges going in, the only way across was to step onto a submerged rock. On some days the ground is very muddy and on others, it’s all water, said Susie Feldman. 

“The finances came together, the community came together and one day you can see them now in front of us,” said Curley. The NQTA helps maintain several of the farm’s trails.

One bridge is 10 feet long and the other spans 25 feet, both made of eastern red cedar from T.S. Mann Lumber. They were built by Curley over the winter and installation was done two weeks ago, taking a day to complete. Curley credited Mann Lumber for supplying the wood, as well as the many volunteers who lifted the bridges onto the crossing. Funding came in part from the Rotary Club in the form of a $4,000 Stewardship Grant, with the main contribution from the Feldmans to cover the cost of materials. Gravel from down the trails was brought and placed to create a foundation for the bridges.

Cutthroat Brook is a 350-acre Forest Stewardship Council certified tree farm that abuts Harvard Forest, according to Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. There are a total of about 15 miles of available trails for exploration. Marked routes vary from the short Flatlanders’ route to the hillier five-mile Curley-Q Trail. Garden gnomes and the occasional mermaid can be found throughout the property. At one point on this trail there is the Tri-Town Marker, where hikers could physically be in Athol, Phillipston and Petersham all at the same time.

The land has been in Susie Feldman’s family since 1947 when her parents, Barbara and Richard B. Ellis, purchased 40 acres for around $3,000. The Feldmans put most of the land into a stewardship with Mount Grace in 2016, permanently protecting roughly 297 acres with a conservation restriction.

“And all of this gradually melded into a network of trails, because you’ve built one trail to connect to other trails,” said Susie, a former art teacher in the Orange elementary schools.

Curley pointed out that the bridges don’t just help get across the brook — by doing so, it helps tie together eight miles of trails along three loops of the second section of the farm, which is located in Athol. Additional planking bridges are being installed to get across other soggy areas.

“We all had to raise it up and drop it into place,” said Curley. “And that was a sight to see. Everybody, all in sync.”

More information on the North Quabbin Trails Association can be found at NQTA.org. The association is always looking for new members and stewards to help maintain the trails.

Max Bowen can be reached at mbowen@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 265.

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