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Franconia Ridge Loop

The big day finally came, which is more than I expected.  All week long, the forecast looked as though the weekend was going to have some type of rain-with-thunder combo on both days, making this hike unsafe.  Friday arrived and suddenly the days looked a bit better.  We decided to head up to NH and just see what happened.  Even the night before our hike, the forecast sounded as if there may be thunder in the mix. We were looking at a shorter hike of Moosilauke with a later start, that would allow us to avoid it, instead.

Sunday morning arrives and I hear Greg say "no rain just clouds, we're good to go."  I actually don't remember his exact words, but that was about the gist of it.  I was nice and cozy and sleepy and warm, wrapped up like a cocoon, and this wasn't what I wanted to hear.  Combined with the doubts about my fitness level, his proclamation elicited a groan from me.  But I got up and got ready.

The Franconia Ridge Loop is a hike that brings you up and across a good portion of Franconia Ridge, made up of a number of mountain summits in Franconia Notch.  A traverse of the entire ridge would include Mount Liberty (4459') and more than one car, but you can start and end at the same parking area for a loop that brings you up Little Haystack (4780'), over Lincoln (5089') (and Truman, 5000', which isn't marked on most maps), and finally up Lafayette (5249'), the tallest peak in the Franconia Range and highest mountain outside the Presidential Range.

Franconia Ridge Loop

We got ourselves over to the trailhead and started our hike right around 7:40.  Conditions were cloudy and cool, which was great for a hard hike.  I was just hoping to have a chance for the fantastic view coming across the ridge which I was denied to me the previous time I did this hike.  If the clouds were high enough, or lifted during the hike, it would happen.

We worked our way up Falling Waters Trail, which is the best way to begin this loop.  You can start by going up Old Bridle Trail, but you'll reach the AMC Greenleaf Hut when you're about 1/3 done with the hike and most of the way up Lafayette.  You may not feel like stopping or need to stop for anything at that point.  If you begin with Falling Waters, (which is slightly steeper), you get the hard climb out of the way when you're fresh, and can look forward to resting at the hut after crossing over the peaks.

I used my poles the whole way.  For every big step up, I assisted with my arms. We also took a very slow yet steady pace, allowing all other hikers to pass us.  Because of this, we did not need to stop for anything other than quick sips of water or to look briefly at something.  No real rest stops, just a steady plodding along.

When we emerged out of the trees and onto the top of Little Haystack, the wind was blowing enough for us to put our jackets on.  Greg had on long hiking pants but I remained in my shorts.  It was damp and foggy, so the wind was cold, but we kept moving along rather than stop for a rest.

Unfortunately, there was no view.  The ridge was all clouded up, but I was actually happy to be able to see further than the first time, when visibility seemed to fluctuate between 10 and 30 feet for much of the traverse.  We could see ahead for at least 100 feet, and could see the top of the sides of the mountain sloping away into the fog.  This was great!!!  I remained hopeful that the clouds would lift before we reached Lincoln or Lafayette.

It didn't happen.  Once we passed the summit of Lincoln, reality set in and I wondered if we would be given any sort of views at all on this very cloudy grey day.  The great news is we were both feeling pretty good and not getting footsore or exhausted.  I was definitely feeling better than the hike two years ago.

The summit of Lafayette.  Check out that gorgeous view!!

We finally got to Lafayette.  I could actually see it coming this time!  Unlike last time, when we had lunch right on the summit and had no idea we were on it because we were on the other side of a pile of rocks and couldn't see for $h!t.  So I was happy to see it just ahead.  We stopped and stood there for a few minutes, snapping a couple pictures and enjoying the idea that the climbing was done.  It was too chilly to stay and we felt good enough to continue on to the Greenleaf Hut where we could really enjoy a rest.

As we began our descent on the Greenleaf Trail, the clouds began to give us peeks of the green hills beyond.  There for a moment... then disappearing.  Then the clouds parted to show larger views.  Hikers all around were stopping to watch.  Soon, the clouds had all lifted to reveal everything, hanging just above us in a dark grey flat line, as if to say "Here you go!  Here's your reward!  Don't worry I'm leaving!"  The journey to the Greenleaf Hut included many pauses to dig out the phone for pictures, and the mood of all the hikers was noticeably changed.

The clouds begin to thin just enough to show a peek of Cannon Mountain

As we descend Lafayette, the clouds continue to lift, revealing the summit of Lincoln behind us

We rested at Greenleaf Hut for about 40 minutes, enjoying some food (we hadn't stopped to eat much as we hadn't been hungry) and enjoying the real bathroom (I have gotten very comfortable with just going on the side of the trail when no one seems to be around).  

Yours truly, very happy to be able to see.  Check out the way the clouds are still hanging just above us. (photo courtesy that guy Greg)

After lunch, we picked up Old Bridle Path and began the rest of our long descent.  Poles were my best friend, saving my knees and keeping me from getting too tired.  They slowed me down to use them so much, but it was worth it.  When you leave Greenleaf Hut and begin down Old Bridle Path, you continue along the ridge that spurs out from Lafayette.  This section is sometimes referred to as “Agony Ridge”. The hardest part (for me) are the sections of very smooth, slippery-when-dry rock that give you no grip at all and has no good places to plant feet or poles.  Fortunately there are not too many sections like this, but there are enough to have slowed us down a fair amount.  I don't want to risk hurting myself by falling, since my job is physical and I work for myself. The highlight is that there are some fantastic views looking back at Franconia Ridge as you come through this area.

Looking back at the ridge from Old Bridle Path

The last portion of Old Bridle Trail seems to stretch on for a long time; a dirt path with a lot of rocks to step over, on, and between.  But during all this, I was keenly aware of how my feet and knees were only mildly sore, and how my legs were tired but not completely shot.  Thank you trekking poles!  The next thing we knew, we were emerging back to the parking area.  We couldn't believe how much better we both felt in comparison to our first hikes of this trail.  I still had a slight spring in my step!  We got back to our cottage, got cleaned up, and enjoyed a fantastic large dinner with drinks, followed by ice cream.

The next day my legs were sore, but not painful.  I feel good enough two days later to say I look forward to hiking it again at some point.  WITH a view!  I highly recommend this hike for those who are in condition to do some serious long hiking, and who know how to prepare for hikes above the alpine zone with the possibility of fast changing weather.  Terrain is challenging and rocky.

Total elevation gain, about 4000'.  Total miles, 8.05.  Total time hiking not including lunch break, 8:45.

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Mount Greylock, Western MA

Mount Greylock is the tallest peak in Massachusetts.  At 3491′, it actually stands taller than the more popular Mount Monadnock, which is 3166′.  It is deceiving; Greylock is a gently sloped rolling hill by appearance, a sharp contrast to Monadnock’s bald, rocky, weather beaten top.

Greylock is a mountain within driving distance that we had never hiked, so this seemed like a good option to try as we prepare for Franconia Ridge.  After looking at the different trail options, we chose the Cheshire Harbor Trail (CHT).  On AllTrails.com, this is labeled as "hard", and the description uses the word "difficult".  In reading comments, we saw a couple of references to 5 hours round trip, one that mentioned 5-6 and another that cited 2.5 to the top.  These all crosschecked to point to our estimated 5-6 hours, expecting closer to 6 since we are somewhat average paced hikers.  Being older than we once were, we tend to slow down a fair amount on difficult climbs and when footing isn't great.

We parked at the trailhead which was located at the end of a residential road.  There were about 6 other cars there at 10am.  The day was overcast, but not wet or humid.  The trail begins in a sweet little meadow with wildflowers, but you are quickly in the woods on a wide road-like trail.  This is how the majority of the trail is.  The footing for the most part is dirt, roots, and loose stones, with some rock, so you need to watch your step a bit.  Due to being in the trees with the same type of trail and no views along the way, it can get a little monotonous.  

At left, parking for Cheshire Harbor trailhead.  At right, one of only a couple of wooden bridges along the trail.

We had read that the trail crosses the road a couple of times, and that once it joins the Appalachian Trail (AT), it becomes much steeper and harder.  We were prepared for the worst... but it never arrived.  Yes, it does get steeper in some places, but other than going a little slower, none of us really found it "hard".  In fact compared to Monadnock's Pumpelly Trail, it was downright easy.  This is actually the most beautiful part of the trail.  Some sections were actually flat, with board footbridges, and we were pleasantly surprised by the small pond with a hut which was so picturesque.

At left, pond and hut along the AT portion of Cheshire Harbor Trail.  At right, road crossing where CHT meets the AT.  These actually happened in reverse order, apologies!

Before we knew it, we were at the top, and all commenting on the unexpected ease of the trail.  It only took us an hour and 54 minutes.  We had anticipated 2.5, perhaps even 3 hours.  We are not "fast" hikers, although not terribly slow either.  The summit is really lovely!  There is the war memorial, which offers spectacular views in all directions.  There is a little more climbing involved however (89 steps up a spiral staircase).  There is also Bascom Lodge, where AT through-hikers can stay and rest for a bit, complete with restaurant, small gift area, porch, cozy fireplace seating, and restrooms.  

Emerging from CHT/AT onto Greylock’s summit

Upon reaching the summit and walking to the east side to enjoy the view, I immediately recognized the outline of Mt. Monadnock in southern NH.  This prompted me to see if I could see Mt. Wachusett, which is home.  I saw a mountain that did in fact look like the familiar lump with a hump.  Shortly after this, we discovered the long labeled photograph, which pointed out everything in the view to the east, from Mt. Snow down into Connecticut.  Yes, that was Mt. Wachusett in the distance.  Even Watatic was labeled, along with a number of others.  Worcester could not be seen according to the chart.

Looking East from Greylock’s summit

We spent maybe 45 minutes on the summit, having lunch and exploring the lodge and views.  We chose a slightly different route to come down, taking Gould Trail for the first part, and connecting back to CHT.  Gould Trail was narrower, more grown in, but also more interesting.  At one point you descend down a steep slope to cross a stream, then climb back up again.  As you are climbing, the trail is narrow and drops steeply off on your left.  It made for some good variation and what I'd call "entertainment factor".  

Views from the war memorial tower.  At left, looking West; at right, Bascom Lodge.

At some point on our way down, the sun broke through the clouds and remained out.  The sudden streams of sunlight filtering down through the bright green leaves after the grey, overcast conditions, reminded me of Dorothy walking out her door into Munchkinland.  It seemed so bright and colorful.  There was another place along this trail that I realized there was not a single sound except for our own breathing.  We stopped and listened.  No planes, no traffic, no voices, no birds (at that moment), and no breeze.  It was as silent as if you were in a room with all doors and windows shut; quite unusual and surreal!

We were back at the car in one hour 46 minutes.  Because we had extra time and a DCR pass with us, we then decided to drive around to the road and drive up the mountain, just to enjoy the experience of doing it.  It took about 15 minutes each way.  

CHT going up

Gould to CHT coming down

All in all a great hike, beautiful summit and view at the top (although none on this trail along the way).  Total time 3 hours and 40 minutes of actual hiking, total elevation gain 2056 ft, total distance 6.64 according to my usually-mostly-accurate Garmin watch.

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Super Weather, Boot Lacing, The Trail I Despise, and more

I wasn't going to do a write up on today's hike simply because it was local.  But it wound up being such a beautiful day, and the hike so incredibly enjoyable, that I changed my mind. I wanted a medium length, rambling sort of hike and it wound up being shorter than I wanted, but still good enough.  I had hoped for close to 3 hours and it wound up only being a bit over 2.  I could have continued it longer but as I was back at my car I just decided to stop.

I also tried a different lacing technique on my shoes today.  I often wind up with sore toes after longer hikes, even if I clip my nails short.  My hiking shoes were fit to me at REI, and they're extremely comfortable in general.  I also always hike in hiking socks (merino wool) which gives extra cushion.  I think the added pounds I'm carrying hasn't helped in this regard.  So, I decided to try toe-relief lacing.  You basically remove your laces and then re-lace your shoe, skipping the holes closest to the toes.  It allows for the toe box to be less tight, giving your toes ample room.  You can read about a few lacing techniques here.

Toe relief lacing

When I first put my hiking shoes back on it felt noticeably different, roomy, and comfy.  I would say for the majority of my hike it was really comfortable.  Toward the end however when coming downhill, I felt like I sort of missed the support and snugness in that area, and it almost felt like my toes were moving to the front of the shoe more.  That may be due to the placement of the lace holes on my shoes, hard to say.  I may try another lacing approach to remedy this, called the heel lock, but as I don't hike with a mid or tall height boot and instead wear a hiking shoe, I may need to fiddle with it.  I've tried taller boots, but it's very irritating to the front of my leg above the ankle.

Anyway, back to the hike.  I took a different route on Wachusett (Princeton) today.  I began by parking at the Windmills (Administration Road) on Westminster Road.  First, I took Echo Lake trail to High Meadow.  But instead of continuing on High Meadow, when I reached Bicentennial, I took a right onto that.  This wraps sort of around the mountain and brings you over closer to the Visitor's Center etc.  My initial plan was to take it all the way over to Pine Hill, but when I reached Mountain House Trail, I realized I seldom take that trail.  So I went left and reached the summit this way.

Serene Echo Lake

A word about Bicentennial Trail.  I hate it.  Most of the trail is rock, but it's not nice large rocks, it's not small rocks you step around, and it's not flattish rocks that give you flat footfalls.  No, the trail is basically made up of medium sized angular rocks that have you picking your way along, putting each foot down at an odd angle, and searching for a place to put your foot next.  I really have to be in the right mood to tackle this trail, and I only wind up doing it about once a year.  It makes for very slow going, at least for me.  I thought today was the day, I was certainly in the right frame of mind and not in any hurry.  But the lure of Mountain House Trail had me turn off of it before it got bad.  Incidentally, when I first turned onto Bicentennial, a couple was coming the other way and the man said in a very bitter tone, "Lovely trail."  I replied that I hate this trail with all the rocks, and they eagerly agreed.

Once I reached the summit I spent about 10 minutes eating half a sandwich and deciding which way I wanted to go next.  I opted to descend Old Indian Trail, and then connect with West Side Trail.  When I got to Semuhenna, I took that to Harrington, turned right and took Harrington all the way back to Stage Coach Trail which goes past the two huge windmills in town.  I had not been on this trail in some time and it is always sort of eerie listening to the hum and whoosh of the giant blades going around in the otherwise peaceful setting.  

Windmill site off Stage Coach Trail

The air today was dry and not hot, and so it was very comfortable.  It was really a fantastic day and there were all sorts of people out, even on the less popular trails.  Lots of dogs, but most were leashed, and the rest stayed very close to their owners. I also used my trekking poles today, which isn't something I often do.  They do really help alleviate stress on your knees though, and I am planning to use them on an upcoming hike so I wanted to give them some use.

The downside of today's hike is that I somehow wiped the recorded information from my Garmin and so I'm not sure of things like elevation gain, and I don't have a nice map to put with this entry.  I do know, however, that the hike took me about 2 hours and 15 minutes, and was a hair over 4 miles long.

Stay tuned for next weekend's hike of Mt. Greylock, tallest peak in Massachusetts.  This will be a new one for me and I'm really looking forward to it!

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Painful Pumpelly

Well, at least if you’re close to 50 and weigh more than you’d like.  

Alltrails.com calls this hike “difficult” and has it tagged as “hard”.

Honestly, I did a lot better mentally on this hike than I did two years ago.  I knew what was ahead, I knew it would seem long, challenging, and endless.  My leg strength held out a lot better than two years ago because of the conditioning I did during the past couple of weeks.  The hardest part, though, was my aging joints especially my knees, because of the terrain.

The first couple of miles in, this trail is a piece of cake.  A gentle slope upwards on a quiet peaceful logging road type of trail.  It has plenty of roots and rocks so you need to keep your eyes on the ground, but it’s enjoyable.  After a couple of miles, you hit a short section with some “stairs” made out of the rocks, and then the trail gets steep.  It’s work, but I’m used to this kind of hiking so it isn’t too bad other than just being tiring.  

Once you finish the steep, tough climbing, you are rewarded with a nice flattish section that makes you feel like you’ve gotten a good chunk of the climbing out of the way. That may be true in a sense, but what is ahead is a lot of up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down.  Not a path, but rocks you often have to figure out how to get up or down.  You can’t just do it on your feet; you need hands, you need to squat, you need to sit, you need poles, you need to jump, then you need to squat and use your hands again... and it’s sort of constant.  After a while this is tiring for older knees.  I’m sure in my 20s I’d have been bobbing along a lot more comfortably.

Still some distance from the top; looking back over the ridge we’ve hiked up so far.  Looks quite tame in the picture!

Despite the tough terrain, this trail is absolutely beautiful.  There is a lot to see; woodsy areas, beautiful views of the ridge you are hiking, peaceful quiet shady spots, and of course the barren yet striking rocky summit.

The route to the top is 4.54 miles according to my GPS watch, but because of the terrain, (combined with our age and fitness level) it took Greg and me close to 4 hours.  I think the last time I hiked it, it took me somewhere around 3 - 3.5 hours.  

However, I reached the top seemingly more easily than before.  My legs were very tired, but not completely shot.  Not bad for this person who took time off from hiking and didn’t do a lot over the winter.  We had a rest and some food, enjoyed the view, and lamented the trek back downward.  This trail is long, but it sure seems a LOT longer than it is just in measured distance.  

It was a perfect day, a bit warm but not hot, and quite breezy.  The top was refreshingly windy.

For us, the going was VERY slow.  There are places where the rock looks different than the typical granite, and it’s smoother, and slippery even when it’s dry and you have good hiking boots or shoes.  There is nothing to really grab hold of and you are concerned your feet will slip out from under you.  This is what Monadnock is like, from many angles, but when you hike in on Pumpelly you sort of feel like you’re hiking two mountains; one with more of a path with regular terrain, with Monadnock sitting on top of that.  It feels pretty endless.  It’s kind of hard to describe.  Hiking Franconia Ridge was, in many ways, easier.  Doing two long days in a row on the Wapack Trail was definitely easier!

The first part of our descent took us a lot longer than it probably should have.  We were both tired, both watching our footing very carefully, and both aware of our aging bodies.  I don’t feel the least bit like this when hiking Wachusett, even twice in a row in one hike.  This is an entirely different animal, for me.

Lovely little mossy pool along Pumpelly Trail, not too far from the summit.

When we were about 2/3 of the way down, both completely sick of hiking and wanting to be done, I said to Greg, “I am NEVER hiking this trail again”.  I’m pretty sure I meant it, and I’m pretty sure I will think twice before considering hiking it again.  You need to be in good shape or else younger, to comfortably do this hike.

The last two miles are seriously “the longest two miles in the world” - Greg.  You feel like the road where you parked is just around the corner, and it just never is.  When we finally reached the car, we were too tired to even be happy about it.  The round trip time, including maybe 4 stops, was close to 8 1/2 hours.  Pretty humbling; it took Greg only 5 hours and 20 minutes when he did it a couple of years ago and it took me around 6 hours.  I’m sure if we were a bit more in shape, we’d have done better.

After several hours (more like the next day) I think we both felt very accomplished, but still sore.  I felt soreness in my knees and in my arms (from using them to scramble and climb so much).  Now, two days later, I am mostly recovered.

Total miles was 9 according to my GPS watch, although is probably closer to 8.5... total elevation gain was 2200+ feet.  Next weekend we are staying closer to home and thinking of a “short” hike of 2-3 hours.

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Pumpelly Prep

I haven’t written about any hikes in the past couple weeks, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been hiking.  I’ve been keeping local and just trying to build up slowly to get in shape for a long Monadnock hike on July 1, which is only 1.5 weeks away now.  Pumpelly Trail is long and tiring and the last time I did it, I wasn’t mentally prepared for it.  I had hiked Monadnock plenty of times, but not from such an indirect route with so many ups and downs.  My legs lost their strength before I reached the summit and I wound up taking far more breaks than I’d expected.  It was also around 88 degrees that day and I nearly ran out of water.

This year, I know it’s long, and I’ve probably done more hiking in the weeks leading up to it.  I’ll bring more energy snacks and make sure I have a little extra water, too.  Plus I’ll have Greg with me which will make for a nicer journey.

I’ve been increasing my hike lengths and difficulties slowly.  On Sunday I hiked Pine Hill Trail here at Wachusett twice in a row, which was a pretty good leg workout.  Some days I walk the road to the top, just for a change.  Today I started at the windmills and took Echo Lake Trail to High Meadow Trail, to Jack Frost Trail, to Mountain House Trail to the summit.  I like this route and I’ve done it a lot.  It is beautiful out today and the humidity has been burning away.  

This precariously built cairn on the top of the summit marker was blown over by a gust of wind moments after I snapped this picture.

Of course what would a Wachusett hike be without a loose dog??  Today’s encounter was an off leash dog who bounded over to me and jumped up on me.  This is NOT welcome!!  I scolded the dog and I’m sure I looked pretty crabby, but how dumb do you have to be to ignore the leash rule in the state reservation?  The girl apologized but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

High Meadow Trail

Next, on Thursday I will probably try to do a route that brings me up and over the mountain, to the opposite side, and back again, thereby summiting twice.  Once I can do that a couple of times, I should be fairly ready for Pumpelly.

Keep in mind I am coming off a winter of no exercise and a lot of eating!  Not in good shape, as a starting point.

All of this of course is to get in shape and prepare for some seriously fun but challenging hikes.  I know I’ve mentioned that we’re planning to hike Franconia Ridge in early August, and the Wapack Trail (with overnight) in late September.  Hoping for something else fun too... maybe Moosilauke?  Or perhaps one I’ve not done before!

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Mount Watatic

On this beautiful Sunday morning, Greg and I took a ride over to Mount Watatic in Ashby to hike the loop that goes up to the summit then over Nutting Hill and back down.  There were a lot of hikers out and we parked alongside route 119.

I’ve hiked this mountain several times in the past.  It is also part of the Wapack range, the southernmost peak, and my friend Laura and I hiked the Wapack Trail last fall.  We’re planning to tackle it again this year, probably in late September.

I grew up skiing on this mountain.  At three years old I rode with my feet on my mother’s skis.  At four I had my own but sat at the bottom and ate snow.  At five my parents got me into the lesson program to motivate me, and it was all downhill from there (pun intended).  My parents met skiing (on Wachusett) and we were regulars at Watatic.  I could negotiate a t-bar at age 5.  I don’t even know if ski areas use t-bars anymore!

Anyway, back to hiking.  There is a parking lot off of route 119 (which was full) and the South end of the Wapack trail begins here.  The beginning is fairly flat and wide, then becomes slightly rockier and more sloped.  After about maybe a half mile, you can go either right, continuing on the Wapack Trail to Watatic Summit, or continue straight, and the rough road name changes to either/and State Line Trail/Midstate Trail.  I’ve seen it referenced as both, depending on the source.

The Wapack Trail takes you directly to the summit with a heart-pumping climb!

We stayed on the Wapack Trail to the summit.  Shortly after you make this turn, the trail gets fairly steep.  And it stays that way.  It’s an excellent workout, and will have you breathing heavily.  You basically get all your elevation gain at once, bringing you right up to the summit.  

It gets pretty steep here!

On the way to the summit

After reaching the summit, there is a pretty good view.  There is the usual summit marker and an engraved stone with the name of the mountain and some verse (I neglected to snap a picture of it).  However, if you take the short, dead-end trail that connects to a bald “second summit” (you can see it from the actual summit), you are rewarded with an AMAZING view of everything all around.  Greg and I took the time to do this and poked around a little on the summit.  

Beautiful view, sort of Northeastish

As a side note, we encountered a fair amount of OFF LEASH dogs during our hike.  Additionally, we saw dog poop on the trail.  The trail clearly says leashed dogs.  In fact at the end of our hike, we saw one woman in the parking lot walk her dog to the start of the trail, bend over, and let him off the leash, and he bounded away. I am always surprised the way people do not consider other hikers when letting their dogs off leash, and figure since their dog is “good” and stays with them, it’s okay.  It’s NOT okay.

Mount Wachusett (home!!!) in the distance

After checking out the view, we retraced our steps the short distance back to the summit and continued on the Wapack trail, heading a bit more North toward Nutting Hill.  There is another climb to the top of that but it’s not too bad and you don’t really mind it.  I like this section through here, it’s pretty.  

Morning sunlight filters through the leaves

As we descended from Nutting Hill, we stayed to the left, leaving the Wapack trail and joining up with the State Line/Midstate trail.  It becomes wider again more like an old cart path but rather rocky.  Sections of this can be muddy depending on what the weather has been doing but it was not too bad today.  Eventually this joins back with the very start of the Wapack Trail and brings you right back to the parking area.

Our hike today took us perhaps about an hour and a half (my GPS watch wasn’t cooperating) and is roughly 3 miles long, with an elevation gain of about 800 feet.  This is a great trail for getting in shape due to the quick steep climb to the summit (if you go in that direction).  Check it out if you haven’t done so already!

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Gorgeous Wachusett Hike

The weather is PERFECT today for a hike, and I had a nice chunk of time between my morning job and the time I need to pick my daughter up from her school’s DC trip.  Now before you go getting bored with my Wachusett hikes, I should mention that I do plan to blog about a few hikes on my hometown’s mountain, but those will taper off and I plan to write about different hikes/mountains/locations after that.  There’s a lot more out there than Wachusett, but it just happens to be close by for me.

Today I wanted a decent workout so I chose a loop route starting at Bolton Pond Trail, connecting to Balance Rock/Old Indian Trail to the top.  From there I took Harrington Trail down to Semuhenna, and then connected back to Old Indian briefly, then Balance Rock back to Bolton Pond.

I tend to avoid Bolton Pond Trail until the heat of summer because it tends to be pretty wet.  I don’t know what made me think it would be ok today, because it wasn’t.  I had to leave the trail in several places in order to get around thick mud or running water, and I generally try to avoid doing this as it causes more erosion and isn’t great trail etiquette.  But I really needed to today.

Trailhead for Bolton Pond Trail

There were a few mosquitoes in this area but they really were not bad and I had forgotten my bug spray.  I stopped briefly to enjoy the pond view and noticed some fresh beaver activity, which was great.  I adore beavers, but it was too early in the day to see any.

Mr. Beaver was here

The whole of Bolton Pond Trail was riddled with wet spots.  However once I connected through Balance Rock to Old Indian Trail things were much better.  I had gorgeous views along the ski slopes where the trail cuts across them.  The sky was a beautiful blue with white puffy clouds.  The only thing I didn’t enjoy was seeing litter in a couple of places.  I really had to shake my head at the Dunkin’ Donuts styrofoam coffee cup.  Seriously, this person couldn’t manage their hike without their Dunkin’s??  And then carelessly left it there.  Probably a Trump supporter.  Really though, please carry in and carry out if there are no trash bins.  Be a responsible hiker.  And drink water, for goodness sake!

Don’t be a douchebag

Old Indian Trail has a few steep sections but after West Side Trail shoots off to the right, it gets steeper.  You’ll be making a bunch of switchbacks here if you are not in terrific shape, which I’m not.  However, it took a good deal less effort than the last time I hiked it, only a couple weeks ago.  So progress is being made.

Near the summit; Old Indian Trail.  A beautiful view peeks through the trees.

Just a stone’s throw from the actual summit, there’s a cool little area with the top end of the ski area’s summit chair, and a veteran’s memorial.

After the summit, I started down Harrington Trail.  Not far after you begin down, there is a little offshoot to the left with a sign that says “VISTA”.  If you’ve never gone over there to check it out because you think you are too tired, make a point to do it next time.  It’s really lovely!

Josti’s Vista

View from Josti’s Vista.  Picture doesn’t do it justice!

After a short time descending on Harrington Trail (this portion near the top is rocky and you do a bit of scrambling here and there), I took a right onto Semuhenna.  Semuhenna is a wonderful trail, one of my favorites on the mountain.  It is quiet and woodsy with easy footing and a gentle slope.  You can make some good time on this trail.  It had a few muddy spots today, but nothing too difficult to negotiate.  Question: Do you know why the trail is named Semuhenna???  I’ll give the answer at the bottom... think about it for a minute.  Hint:  it has absolutely nothing to do with Native Americans.

After an enjoyable time on Semuhenna, I was contemplating trying to avoid the wet Bolton Pond Trail altogether by perhaps taking Balance Rock Trail all the way to the ski area parking, then just walking on the road the short distance around the bend to the Bolton Pond trailhead where my car was.  I decided against it, as I figured it would take more time than I really wanted to spend.  As it was, coming back through this trail didn’t seem too bad.  

I want to mention something about Bolton Pond Trail when you’re on your way down.  It is very easy to make a mistake here and take a turn that is actually not Bolton Pond Trail.  I actually did this last fall because I hadn’t hiked it in awhile.  When you are at the pond, there is a trail that goes off to the right which looks exactly like where you want to go.  This is not Bolton Pond Trail.  Go past this a little further and you will see the blue blazes you should be looking for, and will wind up on the correct path.  For what it’s worth, if you DO make the wrong turn, it does meet back up with the correct one a ways down... it’s just a bit confusing, and you wonder where the stream went that you swore was there on the way up.

So, Semuhenna?  I always thought t was a Native American word.  Turns out one of the men who helped to build the trail years and years ago named it after his wife, Anne Humes.... spelled backwards.  How’s that for a bit of trivia???

I do recommend this hike when things have been pretty dry; portions can be unpleasantly wet otherwise.  It took me about 2 hours and 15 minutes, and is 4.25 miles long, with an elevation gain of 1053 feet.  Until next time, stay safe!*

*This term blatantly copied from Greg Harrington’s NFPA blog and used without permission.

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Quick Short Hike

I didn’t have to work today, so this morning after seeing my daughter off on her class trip to DC, I decided to use some of my free time to get a hike in.  I would have done a longer one but I’ve got some other things to try to get done today.  I parked at the Visitor’s Center at Wachusett and took the most direct route to the top, Bicentennial to Pine Hill trail.  

Pine Hill is a lot like climbing an endless flight of stairs.  So while it’s not a very long route to take, it’s a pretty good workout for your legs.  It was very cloudy and misty up on the mountain today.  Not much of a view!!!

Where is the fire tower in this fog??  Oh, there it is!

I didn’t feel like dealing with slippery rocks on my way down, so to make my hike a little longer, I simply took the down Summit Road back to my car at the Visitor’s Center.  

I used my Cho-Pat knee brace again, but I also wore running tights under it, and the material is very slippery.  The brace stayed in place while hiking up, but walking down the road I found it kept slipping down.  So I removed it for the rest of my hike, since I didn’t really need it anyway on the road.  I don’t often wear these this time of year so I don’t anticipate a problem in general with the brace.

Greg and I have made tentative plans to hike Franconia Ridge together this coming August.  We have done it separately about a year and a half ago and decided it was time to set a goal and finally hike it together. Hoping I can be prepared in time!

Wet grassy ski slope and fog... still pretty on this quiet morning.

Today’s route wound up taking me a bit under an hour and was about 2.5 miles long.  Hard to make excuses for not hiking when you live close to a (albeit small) mountain.  Hope to do a longer one in the next couple of days!

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Beautiful Saturday!

This morning I dragged Greg out of bed around 6:30 so that we could get out for an early morning hike and beat the black flies.  We had a quick breakfast and got out the door and over to the mountain by 7:45.

I wanted to try out my new knee brace, and Greg wanted to try some new hiking poles he got from his daughter for his birthday.  The knee brace is very easy to put on.  It was very comfortable, and I had no trouble bending my knee at all.

We did the same loop I did on Tuesday, which was Balance Rock Trail, Old Indian Trail, Pine Hill Trail, Donbrowo Trail.  Greg loved this loop and he likes his new poles.

Donbrowo Trail

It was a gorgeous hike and I saw a bird I was not familiar with (I’m not an avid birder) and later identified it as a golden crowned kinglet.  Cute little bird.

I can’t say for sure if the knee brace is helping, but I know it can’t hurt and it felt somewhat good to have on.  My knee felt fine during my hike, which was about two hours long.  So I will continue to use it for the time being.

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Knee’s Needs

My right knee started giving me trouble a couple years ago when running.  It wasn’t all the time and it wasn’t bad.  Then, after a particularly long hike (Franconia Ridge Loop, about 9 miles) a year and a half ago, it seems to act up a lot more easily.  If I’m out of shape, do too much hiking, or if my weight is up.  I can’t even entertain the idea of running right now-- bad idea.

I know that a good part of the solution is keeping it strong and to stretch.  And to lose weight.  So the more I exercise and strengthen my legs, the better it will do.  And the more I do that, I will lose a bit of weight, which will help even further.  It’s a win-win!

However right now, coming off a winter of pure lethargy and gluttony, it’s not happy.  So to help bridge the gap to better knee health, I decided to get myself some knee support for hiking.

I did a search for “hiking knee brace” and found some good stuff.  After a bit of research and reading, and thinking about my specific knee issue, I decided to go with a highly rated (and very affordable) knee brace that a lot of hikers give kudos to-- the Cho-Pat Dual Action Knee Strap.  Never having used any sort of knee support, I don’t know how much this will help or how it will feel, but I figure it’s worth trying.

So I placed my order today.  It should arrive in time for the weekend, when I can give it a test hike.  Hopefully I’ll have some good feedback to share.

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Ski Area Loop

Today I did a loop that put me on a trail I’ve not hiked before.  I live near Mt. Wachusett in central MA, and I have hiked the mountain hundreds of times.  Today I parked at the ski area parking lot and started up Balance Rock Trail, which was a bit wet from recent rains.  This trail is short and basically runs from the parking to a dirt road on the mountainside where Old Indian Trail begins.  It’s not too steep but like most trails on the mountain it is fairly rocky.  I’m out of shape and overweight right now so I could feel it already on this first section of trail.  

I connected to Old Indian Trail to the summit.  Old Indian Trail is picturesque, crossing several of the mountain’s ski slopes which give you a great view looking North and North East.  From there the trail gets quite steep in general.  I have had some issues with my right knee and so I took it slow.  I really need to get a hiking knee brace at least until I’ve shed a few pounds.  I found myself stopping a lot, which isn’t something I generally do.  I prefer to slow my pace to a rate at which I can still continue forward.  No way, today!  Start of the season and these legs are weak and I’m feeling like Jabba The Hutt.

The black flies are usually much better in the morning but my sweating combined with Darth Vader-like breathing (must have Star Wars on the brain) really attracted them to me.  They weren’t terribly aggressive with biting but I had a good swarm around my head by the time I was going up the steepest part of Old Indian Trail, which was unfortunate because that is where I did a lot of my stopping.

I was VERY happy to get to the summit.  There was a breeze which kept the flies away, and I sat briefly to rest my wobbly legs and text Greg.  Views were pretty good today.  

I took Pine Hill Trail down to the Visitor’s Center.  It’s quick and direct, but hard on my knee, so again I didn’t go too fast.  At the Visitor’s Center you can walk a bit up Summit Road to the overflow parking area and pick up Donbrowo Trail, which runs along Mountain Road back to the ski area parking lot.  

I’d never taking this trail, and it was lovely!  A gentle smooth descent with easy footing (no rocks) that was just the right ending for these tired legs.

This hike took me an hour and 50 minutes.  Someone in good shape could do it in an hour and 30 no problem.  My Garmin Forerunner tells me I did 3.47 miles, and it usually shortchanges me a half mile or three.  My iPhone says I went closer to 4 miles.  Elevation gain on this hike was 962 ft. I recommend this hike for a nice loop to avoid repeat trails.