Bittersweet pg 12 12-24-14
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caption:
Jay Wade, left, and John Dignam
Hiking buddies Jay Wade and John Dignam recently completed a hike that was unusual for them in that it went straight, instead of up. Last month they finished that 94-mile Midstate Trail, which runs down the center of Massachusetts from the New Hampshire line in Ashburnham, Mass. to the Rhode Island line in Douglas, Mass.
Jay, a financial adviser and former Putnam resident who has hiked all his life, said “the experience was very rewarding although somewhat bittersweet. It’s like reading a good book, you can’t wait until you finish it, but when it’s done you want it to continue.”
Jay has hiked all the New England 4,000-foot mountains often accompanied by his sons, Aaron, Nick, Zachary and, most often, Ryan. John started hiking 20 years ago when son Tim was in high school. For many years Jay and John have been hiking, kayaking and cross-country skiing together.
John, a Putnam resident and retired Telegram & Gazette reporter and editor, called the Midstate hike a “great walk in the woods. Climbing a mountain is a more intense experience, takes more planning and has a certain amount of time to start and finish. This was like being a kid and playing in the woods for the day.”
The two hiked the first segment on Nov. 11, 2013, and did the last on Nov. 21 this year. They liked that they could make last-minute decisions to go walking in the Midstate woods depending on weather and their own availability and inclinations.
The total walk actually took nine days of hikes that ranged from 6 to almost 15 miles, starting each hike about 8 a.m. The two would leave a car at the end point of that day’s hike, then drive to the starting point. When they completed that segment they would go back to pick up the other car.
The longest hike was 14.7 miles from Westminster, Mass., through the Leominster State Forest and over Mt. Wachusett. Most of the hike was through undeveloped land down the center of Massachusetts along wooded trails, abandoned roads and cart paths.
Mt. Watatic at the trail start, Mt. Wachusett, Barre Falls Dam, miles of stonewalls, abandoned cellar foundations, cliff views, wooded lakes and streams were among the trail highlights. Their least favorite segment was through Oxford, most of which was on roads. Most of the segments were 10 miles or longer. They saw few other hikers and, except for John’s wife Lauren, retired Putnam teacher, joining them on the next to the last segment, they hiked alone.
Their final segment was about 6 miles through the Douglas State Forest to the Rhode Island line, but they kept going another 5 miles on a trail called the North-South Trail, which is their next woods hike. That trail goes about 78 miles from the Massachusetts line to the Atlantic Ocean in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Police pg 12 12-24-14
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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 963-0000.
Dec. 15
Tracy Wilson, 46, Battey Street, Putnam; following too close, operating without insurance, operating with a suspended registration.
Dec. 17
Robert McKiernan, 25, Sabin Street, Putnam; sixth-degree larceny.
Dec. 19
Mario Knott, 27, Morin Avenue, Danielson; disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, possession of less than ½ oz. of marijuana.
Dec. 20
Nelson Cardona, 19, Providence Street, Putnam; first-degree failure to appear.
Dec. 21
Steven Horn, 36, Hawkins Street, Danielson; second-degree failure to appear.
Holidays pg 1 12-31-14
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Girls’ Wrap-up
Holidays
filled with girls'
basketball
action
By Ron P. Coderre
Following a brief hiatus for exams and holiday cheer, girls’ high school basketball action took center stage as the prep school teams went home for Christmas.
Woodstock Academy, hosting its 1st Woodstock Academy Centaur Holiday Classic, won an initial round contest and then Monday night the Centaurs beat Griswold 46-20 for the title. Putnam, the host of the Annual Clipper Holiday Classic, was beaten in the first round of its event.
Tourtellotte, which is looking like the female team to beat in the area, won a first round battle in the Clipper Holiday Classic and will face off against Windham Tech for the 2014 crown. Killingly, which lost to Tourtellotte, struggled losing two games in a week. Plainfield split a pair of contests and lowly Ellis Tech lost its only game of the week.
Woodstock Headed
to Holiday Classic Title Game
One of the best moves Woodstock athletic director Aaron Patterson has made during his brief tenure with the Centaurs was luring Willie Bousquet to coach the Academy lady hoopster. Bousquet, one of the area’s most successful coaches, is already paying dividends.
The Acads reached the championship round by rolling past Parish Hill 50-21. The Lady Centaurs, who were led by Galina Gruder’s 18 points, jumped out to a 30-12 halftime advantage and never looked back. The Woodstock defense stifled the Lady Pirates, as they were unable to score in double figures in any of the four quarters. Rebecca Messier chipped in eight points in the win. Earlier in the week the Acads lost to Bacon Academy 52-27. Gruder with nine points was high scorer for 2-4 Woodstock.
Putnam was not as fortunate as Woodstock as it lost in the opening round of the Clipper Holiday Classic 35-20 to Windham Tech. The Tech defense, which held Putnam scoreless in the first period, was too much for the Lady Clippers to overcome. Ashley Burke, with 10 points, was the high scorer for 3-2 Putnam. In its first game back from exams Putnam doubled up on Cheney Tech, winning 32-16 behind sophomore Alyssa Espinosa’s game-high 14 points.
Tourtellotte, boasting a 4-1 record beat Killingly 43-40 in overtime, in what might turn out to be the best contest of the Clipper tourney. The Lady Tigers of coach Carla Faucher rode the leadership and scoring of senior Jess Dodd, who took the team on her shoulders scoring 16 points. The teams were knotted at 34-34 at the end of regulation but thanks to Dodd and Allie Ablondi (14 points) they outscored the Redgals 9-6 in the overtime period. Deanna Lazzarra added 10 points for the winners. Megan Bianchi with 14 points paced the Killingly offense.
Plainfield, which went 1-1 on the week, opened with a 59-41 win over Killingly. The Lady Panthers were led by Madeline L’Orange who was game-high scorer with 22 points. Her sister Adrienne L’Orange chipped in 11 markers and Julie Jordan added 10 for 3-3 Plainfield. Bianchi and Karissa Slowik each had 14 points to lead the Redgals. The Lady Panthers were topped by Cromwell 63-53 despite a double digit performance by the trio of Madeline L’Orange (17), Adrienne L’Orange (10) and Jordan (12).
Ellis Tech fell to 0-5 on the season, losing 52-16 to Wolcott Tech.
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Gray p 1 12-31-14
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Gray Day
This photo of the Pomfret Street bridge in Putnam was taken from the corner of Rotary Park on one of the many gray, cold days of late. Linda Lemmon photo.