With little time to head north, I decided to venture west just a bit _ about 45 miles from Boston to Mt. Wachusett.
It's a small peak, at just 2,006 feet, but this is a spot for skiing in winter, and it was a summit I'd yet to go to. (The title of this article is from one of those jingles this ski area runs, which is a tad annoying but sure does stick in your memory banks!)
This would be the first mountain I'd ever hiked in Massachusetts despite living here off and on for a decade, and growing up just over the border in Connecticut.
It was one of those Indian summer days, with temps approaching close to 70 when I hit the parking lot for the Stage Coach Trail.
The trail was a blanket of leaves, and I took care in my step since some of the rocks were obscured. Within only a few minutes, you come across a wind farm -- the first time I'd been this close to one of them, having read so much about the controversy of the one proposed for the Cape. There was little wind, so very little "whirring."
From here, I hopped on the Harrington Trail, part of the Midstate Trail that traverses the state. There are nice small bridges along the way crossing small brooks. Once the trail intersects with the Link Trail, it gets a bit rockier -- the closest this gets to anything as steep or rough as up north.
Just before the summit, you cross a road for cars. It's a bit disconcerting to be on the lookout for cars!
The summit gives you a taste of suburbia: picnic tables, a parking lot and a few summit buildings, as well as a fire tower. However, the views toward Boston's skyline were breathtaking, and I think I could see Monadnock off in the distance. I checked out one of the ski lifts and vowed to return once snow was here.
I ended up taking Mountain House Trail to Jack Frost Trail to High Meadow to Echo Lake back down, looking for a little variety.
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