Reader Rob Sirois writes:PART 1
Hello Everyone:
Sunday I had gone to Little Sabattus Mountain in Greene to see what I could find. Sabattus was the name of the Abenaki chief who lived in this area. I had intended for some time to check the area out and had time on Sunday to do so. I parked at a boat launch off the Hooper Pond Road in Greene. Little Sabattus Mountain was on the other side of Hooper Pond (also called Little Sabattus Pond). Some large rocks on the side of the hill across the road from the boat ramp had caught my attention, so I climbed that hill first. The rocks were an assemblage of erratics which seemed quite natural, yet also nifty.
I explored the hill a bit more and came upon a cairn not far from the path.
Not far from the cairn were two stone walls that were at right angles to each other and a 30 foot gap between them. There also appeared to be some smaller rock piles nearby, but the snow was just deep enough not to get a clear picture of them.
Further down the trail I found one more cairn that was backed against a boulder. It wasn’t far from someone’s backyard. A bit more exploring on the hill produced nothing else, but I was in a hurry to get across the pond to see what was on Little Sabattus Mountain.
PART 2
Sunday was chilly, but I didn’t feel it until I crossed that pond, the wind seemed to cut right through me. On the far side of the pond were some boulders and next to them was trail up the mountain. When the trail leveled off I spotted a rock in the woods with a nice tidy pile on top of it.
A bit further in the woods beyond that was perched boulder that looked as if it would be quite at home in a Japanese Zen garden.
It’s eight to nine feet tall and seems to be supported underneath by a few small rocks. Some animal had dug a hole under it and judging by the scat, it’s probably a porcupine. There may be some small rock piles nearby, but it’s hard to say for sure with the snow on the ground. I searched the top of the mountain and found little else but the remains of long lost farmsteads. I noted that an old road had once traversed the top. I circled back to the propped boulder and found some low stone mounds. The snow wasn’t deep, but it still coated everything evenly and was quite crusty. It would a good idea to revisit the area in the spring to check it out better.
The good thing about this time of year is the ability to walk on water. Swamps are no longer an impediment. The other thing is that snowmobile clubs open up trails that would otherwise be posted to trespass.
This site is not posted, but you'll need a boat to get to it after March unless you find someone who doesn't mind you crossing their property to get to it. A canoe would add a little adventure to getting to the site.
Increasingly I am unable to read the words I am supposed to transcribe in order to "prove you are not a robot". Can you make out the 2nd letter of the 2nd word? Anyone else having this problem? I almost gave up on trying to post a comment over at "Waking up...".
FFC has his "STUPID SHEET" for examining alignments, and is trying to line up his compass and paper with the edges of the central hollow. Closeup, it is a little easier to see rectangular elements.
If you like, click in to magnify the picture and take a closer look: parallel with the closer edge of the paper and in line with his foot, there is one line of cobbles edging the hollow. In front of his foot is a white rock - part of another line of cobbles perpendicular to the direction of his foot. What FFC points out, with his eye to detail, is that this perpendicular line of cobbles begins with an upright flat rock, and comes outward through a white rock, a pointed rock, and another white rock. Here is a view back towards his foot:
Detail of the lower right:
I explored the hill a bit more and came upon a cairn not far from the path. 
Not far from the cairn were two stone walls that were at right angles to each other and a 30 foot gap between them. There also appeared to be some smaller rock piles nearby, but the snow was just deep enough not to get a clear picture of them. 
Further down the trail I found one more cairn that was backed against a boulder. It wasn’t far from someone’s backyard. A bit more exploring on the hill produced nothing else, but I was in a hurry to get across the pond to see what was on Little Sabattus Mountain.
A bit further in the woods beyond that was perched boulder that looked as if it would be quite at home in a Japanese Zen garden. 
It’s eight to nine feet tall and seems to be supported underneath by a few small rocks. Some animal had dug a hole under it and judging by the scat, it’s probably a porcupine. There may be some small rock piles nearby, but it’s hard to say for sure with the snow on the ground. I searched the top of the mountain and found little else but the remains of long lost farmsteads. I noted that an old road had once traversed the top. I circled back to the propped boulder and found some low stone mounds. The snow wasn’t deep, but it still coated everything evenly and was quite crusty. It would a good idea to revisit the area in the spring to check it out better.
The good thing about this time of year is the ability to walk on water. Swamps are no longer an impediment. The other thing is that snowmobile clubs open up trails that would otherwise be posted to trespass.
It also has elements of white, red, yellow, and black (easier to see if you click on the photo to magnify).
Another view with a 2nd pile in the background:
Closeup of that pile:
And nearby, a split-filled rock:
Another scene. A spring with several structures:
Some "gap"-type structures:
Another split-filled rock:
These were all in a small portion of the overall conservation land, just as you enter from the east from Brooks Rd.
I was coming home disappointed from Drake Hill and driving east on Rt 113, just before French Street in Dunstable when glancing into the woods to the left (north) I thought I saw a rock pile in the bushes. I know this is adjacent to a conservation land; so I made the turn, parked on French Street, and walked back around the corner and into the woods. Unfortunately my camera has been acting up and auto focus was not working for some of the pictures. Here is what I saw from the road:
When I went to investigate beyond this pile there was something next to an outcrop:
I thought it was a rock pile coming out of a trench or break in the underlying bedrock. Actually, after a gap, the pile continues as a short stretch of wall (behind the tree) and stops a few feet later in the wetland.
So I continued into the woods following the edge of the wet area. What is this?
Certainly a legitimate rock pile. Looks pretty old. And another few steps and...ta da!
To me, this looks like a rectangular pile with a hint of a hollow, you can see one corner, suggested by this sketch.
Another view of this pile:
In this case, the hollow is towards the viewer and to the left. Here we are looking out and can imagine the view from this place. Today, it is in the suburbs:
It was hard to get a good grasp of the overall shape of this mound because it had a tree growing out of it. Here is a last view, with stone wall behind. It is a non-trivial structure.
Something a little like this:
Seen on the way back from Drake Hill.
