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Observed Wildlife- Wild Turkey Day
In the suburbs of Stratham, NH this small park is a great place to get out in the woods for those who live nearby. There are multiple entrances surrounding the park for those lucky enough to live on this park’s doorstep. It’s mostly composed of trails meandering through classic New England hardwood forest. Near the main entrance are a handful of fields and a pavilion. The peak of Stratham Hill is a quarter-mile from the entrance and has a tower which offers surprisingly expansive views for a park of this size.
Happy Wild Turkey Day 2020! Going into the day I had not made plans to celebrate. However I was excited to discover my brother-in-law’s employer also observed this wondrous holiday and we decided to get together at his house in Stratham.
For those still unfamiliar with the holiday here is a quick rundown of how it came to be and how it is continued to be celebrated. It was at the peak of this country's infatuation with holiday shopping and rushing to get the best deals on the day after Thanksgiving. The originators were annoyed and put off at the way capitalism had been sucking the life out of the holidays and deliberated as to how they could embrace the complete opposite of this frenzy. They decided to be outside, and go deep into the woods far away from the lines of shoppers. In addition, it was decided to imbibe with the namesake whiskey of the bird which still occupied so much real estate in their digestive system, Wild Turkey. So they set off into the woods of eastern Connecticut with a bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey and their inner outdoorsman. Those who continue to commemorate buy a bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey, set off into the woods, and hope to find what all those shoppers are missing out on.
After I had arranged a designated driver, my brother-in-law and I filled a few flasks, laced up our boots and ventured out walking to Stratham Hill Park. We arrived at the Long Hill Trailhead and set off without much direction. Due to the fine weather we crossed paths with many other hikers enjoying this popular park. The trail alternated between narrow woods trails and wider old roads.
We roughly followed the Perimeter Trail around the park. After a couple miles we made it to the tower atop Stratham Hill. The roughly one-hundred-fifty foot tower has steep metal stairs which would be uncomfortable for those who dislike heights. There are two platforms separated by a flight of stairs atop this tower. We could clearly see Great Bay to the north and some hills and mountains off in the distance. There is also an old wheel at the base of the tower which can advise hikers what lies in each direction.
We descended the tower and the hill passing a rock with a plaque commemorating the reading of the Declaration of Independence by Abraham Lincoln’s son in the very place. Then we passed a clearing at the main entrance to the park with a couple baseball fields, a basketball court and pavilion. Then we passed through some fields and a Pump Track with about a dozen bikers zooming around the track.
Eventually we reached an intersection where we passed up the opportunity to climb Jewell Hill and shortly after entered Fire Pit Trail. By this time our flasks were nearly empty and our spirit was quite full. The meandering trail concerned us as my usually high confidence in my sense of direction was being tested by the trail turning in all directions. We finally reached the end of this trail and a tral map showing us how close we were to where we started. Then we proceeded to take the wrong turn and end up at the Scammon Road Entrance instead. This elongated our road walk back to my sister and brother-in-laws house.
Though this was a very impromptu Wild Turkey Day, it was one we thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to celebrating again next year in just about the same way.
