A Fool's Errand?

Where: Mt. Wachusett
When: October 6, 2026
With: Solo

Though the day was on the chilly side, I left my fleece hoodie in the car as I headed to the trail, figuring I'd warm up as I got going. I began questioning that decision when I was a fair way up the trail and still a bit cold. "Perhaps I'm on a fool's errand," I thought, given my motive for today's hike.

My goal was to find a feature I'd spotted on a LIDAR image. It seemed to show a square-ish depression deep in the woods about midway between the Balance Rock Road and the North Road, at the intersection of two stone walls (center of the image below). Maybe a cellar hole?


There was also an indication of a path in the woods just north of the Balance Rock Road that I thought I'd check out as well, beginning at the stream flowing out of the Needham Pool.


I started my hike at the Bolton Pond Trail trailhead. I haven't been there since my first hike up Wachusett, which I did with Wilma in 2014. This seemed like a good opportunity for a return visit. I had a flash of recollection as I approached Bolton Pond itself, but the rest of the trail wasn't familiar at all. Rocky, rooty, and muddy in spots. Quite short though, and I was soon at Balance Rock. From there it was up the Old Indian and Semuhenna trails to the paved Summit Road, then a short walk to the unpaved North Road.

I was now heading downhill, my climbing for the day finished (or so I thought). I'd "pinned" a few key locations on Google Maps to guide me on my bushwhacks, and the first one was along the North Road, the start of a stone wall that would lead me to the feature in the woods. The feature itself was another pin, and a third pin marked the start of the path north of the Needham Pool.


I strode down the North Road, thinking I had a good idea of the location of the first pin. I was wrong. When I got to what I thought was the spot, a check of the map on my phone found I'd walked past it. Back uphill I went, looking for the wall on the side of the road while also watching the map on my phone. I didn't see the wall, but trusting my pin, I hopped off the road and began bushwhacking through the woods. I knew the stone wall was a straight line to the feature itself, so I aimed for that next pin. Just when I was considering getting back up on the road, the stone wall appeared.


I was now feeling pretty good about my adventure. With the stone wall for guidance I made my way through the woods, enjoying the scenery and the weather (I'd warmed up!). Fairly quickly I came to a point where the wall made a sharp turn, and my map confirmed I was at the feature I was seeking. According to the LIDAR, it was just north of that point on the wall, so I climbed over the wall and began looking.

There was indeed a large hole in the ground. A stream was running through it, and at first glance it appeared to be a natural formation (sometimes a hole in the ground is just a hole in the ground). Upon further inspection however it began to reveal signs of construction. Roughly square, with mounds of earth on the sides, and a constricted exit for the stream. Not a cellar hole for a dwelling, but perhaps a water hole for livestock.


I poked around the area a bit, just to be sure I wasn't missing something else, then headed northwest toward my next target, the Needham Pool and the path in the woods. It was very pleasant, easy walking through a beautiful open woods, and all downhill. I hoped I'd spot a deer or something, but I seemed to have the forest to myself.

My bushwhack brought me back to the Balance Rock Road just a short distance east of the Needham Pool. Unlike my last visit a couple of weeks ago, when it was just mud, the pool was now overflowing with water, with a colorful layer of fall leaves for an extra sparkle. Very pretty.


I admired it a bit before crossing the road and heading into the woods on the other side. I followed the stream coming out of the pool until my final pin let me know I was close. Sure enough, there was an obvious road/cart path leading east. Mission accomplished!


The path was easy to follow, though there were a few spots where it had deteriorated a good bit. Eventually it kind of just petered out.  I wandered through the woods a while, paralleling the road, then decided to just get back on the road. Looking back at the LIDAR, the old path continued and crossed the road a bit further along, but I hadn't pinned that crossing so I didn't aim for it.

Returning to the Balance Rock Trail, I stopped for a silly photo before continuing back down the Bolton Pond Trail.


Back at Bolton Pond, I stopped for photos. I got a nice one of the pond, and noted a beaver dam at the pond's outlet.


Resuming my hike, I took a different trail than the one I'd followed up. Just a few steps along I noted a side path toward the pond. Perhaps a better angle for a photo? I followed it and found it continued across a stone dam, which had been partially hidden by the beaver's work. And on the other side it continued further, crossing a bridge of logs (with one log missing) resting on their own stone supports. Beyond that, the trail just kept going.



What the heck, I thought, it's a beautiful day and I had nothing better to do. I spent the next half hour or so exploring a couple of trails on that side of the pond. Both went up to a nearby road and I also followed a stone wall above the pond. Returning to the pond, I found an open, grassy spot that even had a small bench. I sat and enjoyed the pond, the trees, the singing birds, and all of it for a while before returning to the Bolton Pond Trail.

It followed the pond's outlet stream, passing over an exposed section of water pipe (presumably supplying water from the pond) before rejoining the path I'd taken up at an intersection. I could have taken that path back, but a check of my map app revealed another trail at the intersection I hadn't walked. Best of all, it led back to the Bolton Pond Trail and my car, so off I went.

Definitely not a heavily used trail, it had a number of trees fallen across the path, but I had no trouble following it. As I walked, I kept watching for a side trail to the left that I needed to take. The trail continued, then dropped to a somewhat sketchy-looking bridge (though it wound up being quite solid) with the ski slope visible just a bit further on. I checked my trail app and once again found I'd missed my turn. I made another about face and headed back.

I only found the side trail because my trail app showed it. Even then, I looked at the woods a few times before finally seeing a clear route beyond some initial overgrowth. It was even less traveled that the other path, but I was able to follow it to where it ended back at the Bolton Pond Trail. From there it was just a few steps back to trailhead and my car. A fine time in the woods.

About 4.8 miles, 2.2 hours.


BTW, this was another "commando" hike.  I carried nothing but my phone and my wallet. No backpack, water bottle, or hiking poles. And, for much of the hike, no trails! Whee!

Final note: Apparently I did NOT complete my redlining of Wachusett on my last hike. The little trails I walked from Bolton Pond back to my car were all new to me. In my defense, they do not appear on the official Wachusett Mountain State Reservation map, which has been where I've been highlighting the trails I've walked. Maybe NOW I'm done!

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