Hadlock Footbridge

Took an icy walk around Lower Hadlock Pond in the middle of the day. On the pond itself, the sun reflecting back off the snow was blinding, and there were several groups of people gathered around portable ice shanties fishing. Someone was on a snowmobile, someone else drilled a hole with a gas powered augur, one group had a radio playing. Around the edges of the pond though there was more shadow and less wind. The only tracks were raccoon, squirrel, snowshoe hare, and lots of voles and mice. As I approached the waterfall a couple of deer and I startled each other, and one stood snorting and staring at me disapprovingly. I think the noise of the rushing water disguised my approach. The brook was running rather high, and it was loud coming down the rocks and disappearing under the ice of the pond. The rest of the walk was uneventful, and I was glad not to feel cold or tired when I got back to the car. Starting to feel optimistic about taking a longer hike by the end of the week.