Ritzhikes

Where: Mt. Monadnock When: 11/23/96 With: Solo It was a beautiful day on Mt. Monadnock. The late fall air was cool enough to keep the crowds away and make the hiking comfortable. Visibility was virtually unlimited, except for a slight haze that settled in as the day progressed. Mt. Washington's snow-covered mass was clearly evident to the northeast, as was Boston's skyline to the southeast. To the west and north, the ski slopes of Vermont presented their trails like advertisements, already covered with early season snow. I'd climbed for a number of reasons. First, it was a nice day and I had no other obligations. The chores were done and the family was otherwise occupied. Second, this climb had been on my to-do list for some time. The last time I'd climbed had probably been 10 years ago, when I journeyed up from Boston with a car full of friends and a lot of youthful male enthusiasm. After climbing to the top, we ran down, terrorizing others on the heavily travele...

Where: Charles River above Bellingham When: 11/02/96 With: Solo Last Spring, I'd paddled the first of four sections of the Charles River, as listed in the AMC River Guide for Massachusetts. My journey had started in Bellingham and continued downstream to Medfield. Above Bellingham, said the guide, the river really wasn't worth paddling. Nonetheless, I wanted to check it out. My opportunity came on a Saturday following an overnight gathering of the B.U.M.S.. Jane and Andy had wisely gone to Maine the previous evening and weren't due back until late in the evening. When the guys all cleared out around 10:30AM, I found myself with time on my hands, so I tossed the Keowee on the car and headed to Bellingham. My put-in spot was a small pond above a broken dam, just upstream of where I'd started my journey downstream in the Spring. The day was cool, but not too cold, and the water was moderately high from a recent rain. I got the boat into the water pretty quickly and...

Where: Mt. Greylock When: 10/20/96 With: Bill, Mary, Kevin, Andy Back in the Spring, I suggested the idea of a father/son hike up Mt. Greylock to Bill. We made one attempt in May, but got rained out and the idea lay dormant all summer. A run of nice weather in October revived it, and I sent Bill & Kevin an e-mail suggesting a second attempt. "Sounds great!" was the reply, and the trip was on. In the intervening week, Mary got invited too, so Sunday morning I piled Andy and our gear in my car, picked up Mary, and we headed west. Andy almost didn't make the journey...he'd spiked a high temp the night before. But Sunday morning, his temp was way down (though still slightly elevated) and he was cleared for the trip. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed the views as we drove west on route 2. We'd arranged to meet Bill & Kevin at 10 at the summit and we arrived just 15 minutes late. They'd been there since 9:30. Our plan was to leave one car at the t...

Where: Westfield River (Mr. Beaver's Paradise) When: 9/21/96-9/22/96 With: Bill I was sorely in need of some woods time, so when the opportunity presented itself for a weekend trip I took it. Though I'd been yearning for a solo hike, I decided to give Bill a call to see if he and/or Tom would be interested and available for a trip. I was only giving them a few days notice and I didn't really expect much, but I felt I owed it to them. The last time I talked with Bill, he'd seemed really in need of a camping trip. Good thing I called, because it turned out that he was free for the weekend. Debby & Kevin were off to Maine! There was a small matter of finding someone to take care of the cats, but that was resolved quickly and we made plans to meet in Chesterfield. Tom was iffy, because of some recent toe surgery. Saturday morning I was on the road by 7. After several days of heavy rain and cool temps, the forecast was for sun and warmth. I made the mistake of taki...

Where: Sudbury River: Fruit St. to Cedar Swamp Pond When: 8/24/96 With: Solo Years ago I'd read a newspaper account of a canoe trip up the Sudbury River to its headwaters at Cedar Swamp Pond. I was intrigued, because most descriptions of the river said this beginning section wasn't worth the trouble. The article did indeed mention lots of tough going, but said the objective - the pond - was a worthy goal. I started looking at maps and did some exploring to find the put-in spot and review the route. Whenever my commute took me over portions of the river, especially near the Turnpike/495 interchange, I'd look to see what the water levels looked like. At last, I had my opportunity. Jane & Andy had plans for a Saturday morning and I was free to do whatever I pleased. Though summer water levels had been low, a heavy rain the night before was perfectly timed to add some needed volume to the river. Saturday morning, the rain continued and I carried the kayak to the water...

Where: Collinsville, CT When: 7/20/96-7/21/96 With: Chip, David, Seth Sometime back in June, Chip called to say that Wendy was urging him to go camping, or at least asking him when he planned to go next. We agreed to set the weekend of July 20/21 aside for "something" and Chip made calls to Dave and Seth. Remarkably, everyone was available. The activity was still undetermined however. A camping trip seemed like the best way to get as much of what we wanted into the time available. That still left us a lot of latitude though. A long hike or a short one? In New Hampshire, Connecticut, or Massachusetts? We started investigating various options and destinations. One idea that popped up was a water trip. We'd had fun on the Farmington River the previous year and a river expedition seemed like fun. Chip latched onto the idea. It was something new for us and seemed a good bet to meet our usual demands for adventure, solitude, physical exertion (though not too much), and gene...

Where: Charles River, Part I When: 4/21/96 With: Solo The Charles River originates in Hopkinton and then flows some 80 miles to Boston Harbor. At its beginning, the river is no more than a small brook but eventually it widens into a something paddleable. The AMC River Guide describes the lower 64 miles of the river, splitting them into four sections, each a day's journey. The first section, beginning in Bellingham, is described as being rather pretty with some Class I-II rapids in high water. Recent heavy rains and snow melt had raised the water level and I thought it would be a good place to try out my paddling skills and my Keowee kayak on some rough water. I'd only paddled on flat lakes and ponds before and was curious to see how my boat and I would do in rapids. The Keowee is not designed for whitewater, but what it lacks in maneuvering ability it makes up for in stability, so I figured it could handle this easy stuff. The day was beautiful - warm and sunny. I left my...

Where: Westfield River When: 16 April 1996 With: Solo I'm a-going fishing, all of the time, My baby's going fishing too. Bet your life, that your sweet wife Is gonna catch more fish than you. Little fishies bite if you've got good bait, That's a little tip that I would like to relate. With my pole, and my line, I'm a-going fishing, yes I'm going fishing, And my baby's going fishing too. - Taj Mahal I had this song playing on my tape deck when I got onto the Turnpike, heading west. I'd hoped to get out at the same time as Jane and Andy (7:30), but I'd neglected to pack up the night before so I didn't get going until 8:30. The weather was perfect...sunny, cool, a few clouds and a light breeze...and traffic was light. I took a slightly different route that avoided downtown Northhampton and made it to the parking area for the Westfield River by 10:00. I decided to forgo the waders, opting instead for scuba boots, river sandals, and s...