Where: Wachusett Mt.
When: 11/21/2022
With: Solo
This was a quick test drive of my post-Covid lungs & legs, and my new trail runner shoes. The lungs & legs did just fine, and the shoes were wonderful. Light, good grip, and very comfortable. The wide toe box was appreciated on the downhills. With winter on the doorstep, they'll likely go into hibernation until next summer, but I'm pleased with how they worked today,
I parked at the park headquarters and followed the Bicentennial Trail a short distance to the Pine Hill Trail, my primary goal. It was the only trail on Wachusett that I haven't hiked (though there are still a number of roads to follow). I was immediately struck by the trail's construction - stone steps with stone sidings. I figured it would just be for a short distance, but it wound up continuing nearly the entire way to the summit.
My guess is this was the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who did a lot of work at Wachusett. It was very impressive.
I emerged at the top quickly, and shared the summit with two women and their dog. I got a summit photo with my new footwear and another of a USGS reference marker before climbing the summit tower.
It was a crystal clear, blue sky day, and the views went to the horizon in all directions. I made my way around the tower base, checking out the views and verifying what I saw with the plaques on each side. One indicated where Mt. Washington was, but noted it was not visible (beyond the curve of the earth). Others let me know I was looking into New Hampshire and Vermont. I took pictures of the Boston skyline and Mt. Monadnock.
After descending from the tower, I made my way to the traditional spot for a summit selfie.
Now it was just a matter of finding my way back down. I usually have difficulty with that on Wachusett, due to a tangle of roads and trails at the summit, but not today. I followed the summit road through the parking lots to a sign for the Mountain House trail, then followed that down to the Loop Trail. Along the way I met a man hiking up. Youngish, and he had a full backpack, boots, gaiters, and hiking poles. He mentioned he'd expected snow at the summit before departing. I wish I'd asked about his gear. Too much for that small peak. Perhaps he was thru-hiking the Midstate Trail (something on my to-do list), or training for a hike elsewhere.
The Loop Trail was rougher walking that the highly groomed Pine Hill Trail, and occasional spots of flow ice and piles of leaves meant I had to be a bit cautious, but none of it was especially tough. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures of interesting stuff before arriving back at the base of the Pine Hill Trail.
From there it was just a few more steps back to the headquarters. I went inside, hoping to find someone to confirm that the rock steps were the work of the CCC, but no one was around so I just returned to my car and headed for home.
2 miles of hiking, 700 feet of climbing, and it took me an hour (including the time spent admiring the views at the summit). A nice time in the woods.
