Mt. Lincoln rescue mission

Where: Mt. Lincoln, Pelham MA
When: 8/16/2023
With: Solo

I check the trail reports on the New England Trail Conditions website from time to time. I mostly look at the New Hampshire reports, especially when I'm planning a trip north, but I make a point of checking the Massachusetts reports as well to look for new places to explore.

I checked the MA page yesterday, and saw a report from the previous day for a peak I hadn't heard of - Mt. Lincoln in Pelham MA. I did a quick search and found it was just west of the Quabbin Reservoir, near Amherst. Intrigued, I opened the report and found this note in the Lost & Found section of the post:

I lost my beloved walking stick at the summit, I put it aside to take a picture and then had a senior moment and walked away. It was polished brown with black hockey tape on the handle with a leather strap. If anyone finds it I would like to get it back or at least know someone else is enjoying it...

Forsooth! A quest! I'm familiar with having a deep attachment to certain objects, so I appreciated what the walking stick means to this person and thought I might try to retrieve it. The question was when. That question was answered when my plans for lawn mowing today were thwarted by a steady drizzle. With nothing else on my schedule, I was free to make the quick drive west on the Mass Pike.

I landed at the small (3 car) parking spot a bit before 11:30. I was parked next to a utility road leading to a radio tower at the summit. I could have followed that, but a trail - the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail - was just a quarter of a mile away back up Packardville Road. It also went to the peak and offered a more rustic approach, so I began my hike with a road walk to the trail head.

The M-M trail was in great shape - clear, well-marked, and easy walking. Basically level most of the way, then a gentle climb at the end. Fifteen minutes after leaving the trail head, I was at the summit. I looked around the summit area for a view of the Quabbin, but finding none, I turned my attention to looking for the hiking stick. It was a quick search - the stick was lying on the ground next to a summit marker.


With my primary goal now achieved, I began my return journey. I'd already decided to take the tower road back down, making the hike a loop. I paused briefly just below the summit, debating whether to climb the fire tower steps to try to get a view, but decided to just keep going. The road descended steadily a good ways, then made a sharp turn to head back toward where I was parked. As I made the turn, I noticed a footpath heading off into the woods. I launched my trail app on my phone and found it connected to another path that also came out near my car. I did a quick backtrack, and hopped back into the woods.

It soon became apparent that the path was following an old road, with a level surface and stone walls on either side. Off to one side, a stream flowed through the woods. Much nicer than walking on the access road from the tower! After a bit, I arrived at an intersection of sorts, with paths leading off in three directions. I knew the one I needed to follow, but I explored another one a short distance just to see what was there before returning to the intersection and the path back to my car.

The new path was less traveled than the previous one, but easy enough to follow. I was concerned it might be some landowner's access path, and that I'd wind up in someone's backyard, but I noted white blazes on the trees, indicating it was a "real" trail. Within just a few minutes, I was back on Packardville Road, a few steps away from my car. The hike had taken about 45 minutes, including the initial quarter mile walk from the car to the trail head.

With nothing better to do with my day, I decided to make it a loop trip, and headed north to Route 2 rather than return back south to the Pike. I missed a few opportunities to pull over for Quabbin views, but I was enjoying the ride and wanted to get home. Four hours after I'd left, I was back.

Back home, I emailed the owner of the walking stick to let them know I'd retrieved it and had it in safekeeping. I got a reply saying they live just a couple of towns over, and would swing by to retrieve their "little buddy".  The next day he (Dave Tucker) came and was reunited with his cherished walking stick. Happy ending.

The numbers: 
  • Just over 2 miles of walking (including the roadwalks from/to the car)
  • 45 minutes round trip
  • Just over 500 feet of elevation gain
  • Drive times were about 80 minutes each way

Photos, and a short video are here

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