Lenox Mountain ~ Lenox Massachusetts

Yes, I realize the name of this blog is Hiking Maine!! However, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hike Lenox Mountain when I went to Mass. to visit my longtime friend. I grew up in Berkshire County Mass. Dalton, to be precise. I had hiked places before, but never the ones right in my backyard. That's one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place, to let people know what is right here in Maine. Well today I am telling you about what is in Berkshire County Massachusetts. Just in case you find yourself in that neck of the woods. Lenox Mountain is located in the town of Lenox. The mountain climbs to 2,116 feet above sea level at latitude – longitude coordinates of N 42.401474 and W -73.306218.
I was up early on Saturday and loaded my pack into the car. It's only about 20 mins from Dalton to Lenox. It took me another 10 to actually figure out where I needed to be. The actual trail head that is listed in the books and on Trails.com is inaccessible. I had the opportunity to park down the road at the Audubon location or off to the side f the road. I chose the road. From their it was about .8 of a mile up to the trail head. While I started off the incline at an easy pace I was quickly passed by a runner, drenched in sweat and breathing like he was being chased by a bear!! I should mention it was a bit humid and warm on April 18, 2010.
Ok so I am a bit behind in posting as well!!
Lets get back to the story :)

I began the 1.9 mile hike to the peak. As the runner passed me he did exclaim that I had a nice camera (yes he actually meant the camera) and asked if I had seen the Trillium. As I had just started on my way, I replied that I had not, but would be on the lookout. Well it wasn't difficult to see, the whole hike was lined with Trillium. Yet, I don't seem to have any in the photos I took. The walk to the trail head was pleasant and took less than 15 mins. Of course, I stopped a number of times to take pictures of the birds fluttering across the road and back. The area, which is heavily wooded, was filled with chickadee, nuthatch, robin, finch and of course woodpeckers.

Once I hit the trail head the woods became more dense and there were far more birds. I was hopeful that I would see some critters, so I marched on, camera in hand. As I rounded the corner, my attention was caught by the beautiful stream that meandered down the side of the hill. I spent much of the next hour walking through the wooded hillside, over the brooks and boulders. I couldn't help but stop frequently and take photos. I usually end up with a few dozen to a few hundred depending on how long I hike.

As I came upon a clearing I was struck by the oddest tree I had seen. The tree was bent in two, but not broken. It was if it were merely reaching down to touch the ground. It was still early in the season, so the trees had not leafed out. The surrounding trees were also bare so it made for a pretty nice view. The remainder of the hike to the top was pleasant. The trail was easy to follow, although it was cluttered with roots and loose stone. The water that flowed back and forth across the trail was gentle and very beautiful to see. The rocks, covered with moss, hung over the path worn by the water, while trillium and other foliage lined the way.

I continued along for a while longer before reaching the top of the mountain. Except for the two people I saw at the beginning of the hike, I was alone. It was quiet except for the birds and the wind. As you approach the peak, the forest gets more dense and is predominantly conifer, mostly hemlock. You can start to see a view of the surrounding towns, and then you emerge on to the peak to a spectacular view of Richmond Pond and Bartlett's Orchards. There is even a bench so you can sit and take in the view. I spent a few minutes in awe at the site that had been so close to me while growing up, yet I had to travel 8 1/2 hours to hike to it!

Once at the top I had to decide if I wanted to hike back down the mountain trail or take the Overlook Trail that would lead me back through the Massachusetts Audubon Pleasant Valley Sanctuary. I usually prefer to not hike in and out the same way if I can prevent it, so the Audubon trail it was.

The Overlook trail goes down the back side of Lenox Mountain. The Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Sanctuary has over seven miles of trails. I choose to hike the Overlook Trail to the Old Lodge Trail. the Overlook Trail was an easy hike down the mountain. The trail follows the brook and connects to the Old Lodge Trail. The Old Lodge Trail winds around the pond and back out to the Bluebird Trail then to the road. I took my time hiking down, snapping photos all along the way. When I reached the pond I spent some time with a lone duck. The hike was just over 4 miles long and was one of the most enjoyable I had hiked to date. I would recommend this hike and plan on heading back this fall.

Hothole Pond Trail

I'm a little late getting this post up. Last week I decided to go back to the Great Pond Mountain Conservation area to hike the Hothole Pond Trail. This was the first trail I hiked last summer, in the conservation area. It was where I lost my prescription sunglasses :(
They have made some improvements to the trail, so I decided to take another look.
It is a short hike to the trail head from the North Gate, about .8 of a mile.
I started off down the road at about 9 am. I was hopeful that I might see some critters. It was cool, but not freezing cold. My first real stop was at the beaver pond where they did most of the upgrades. This past fall they added a large amount of rocks to the road, to help with the runoff. The beaver pond was beautiful. It was quiet and there were only a few birds about. I had hoped to see the Great Heron that I saw last fall, but no such luck.
I moved on down the trail to the area where the beavers have been pretty busy. Last fall there was a significant evidence of beaver work. I was surprised to see that there was even more evidence of recent beaver work.
The hike continues along the road and up an incline until you reach the pond trail. This trail branches off to the left, though some brush. It was great to see the buds on the trees. The trail branches to the right and leaves the Conservation Land and goes down the the pond. The wind started to pick up and I approached the pond. The view at the pond was beautiful. It started to snow a little while I was at the pond. It was cool, quiet and relaxing.
After hanging out at the pond I decided to head back to the brook that leads to the pond. The trail to the brook was still a bit wet and I had to muck through a couple muddy and wet spots. Once I made it to the brook, I just had to hang out and listen. We have had so much rain that the brook was running real fast and sounded great.
It turned out to be a beautiful day for a hike. I am looking forward to hiking this trail again everything is leafed out..

Peaked Mountain/Chick Hill Clifton, Maine

So as I was hiking up Peaked Mountain, at 5:30 am last Saturday. I said to myself- Self- why in heaven's name are you here? I mean, here at 5:30 in the morning, cold and tired, hiking up a hill. Of course the only answer I could come up with at the time was, where else would I see the sunrise?

I have been hiking for a while now. I started out with little hikes here and there, then progressed to longer and more intense hikes. Some days I start out early, other days I finish with a sunset hike. I will take a day and head to Acadia National Park and do Sergeant and Penobscot Mountains. I also try and hike closer to home when I can,

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Last Saturday's sunrise hike!! I am up and out the door at 4:45 AM, yes folks, in order to do a sunrise hike you have to start out in the dark!! I drive the 20 minutes to the parking area, don my gear and hit the trail at 5:00 am sharp. It was a bit on the chilly side, about 40 ° F and little wind. The trail started up at a nice incline, not to steep but enough to make it work. I had poles, which was nice, as the road was mostly gravel and medium sized rocks. It is something that could be driven on, in fact a young man in a pickup truck came down the hill about 20 minutes into my hike. By 5:30 I had made it to the first significant mark on the trail. I was following the directions from Trails.com. Apparently it is time to update the book!!

Another 20 minutes into the hike I decided that the directions were seriously lacking. Apparently when the cell tower was put in, the "tote road" became a real gravel/rock road. This means if you take what you believe to be, the right road, you end up at Little Chick Hill, a completely different place. I am sure the view is nice, but lets face it, I wanted to be on the mountain I was hiking that morning, for that sunrise!!

I did make it to the top at 6:15, 2 minutes after official sunrise. Ok, so a little bit beyond the goal, but OMG what a view it was. No matter how rough the journey I have never been disappointed by the view at the end of the road!!

I would recommend Peaked Mountain/Chick Hill to anyone who wants a moderate 1.2 mile hike to a beautiful sunrise view.

In the beginning

Why a Blog? Well it is pretty simple, I want to share my experiences with people and a blog is so much easier than telling a story over and over again. If you enjoy hiking, then I would love to have you follow along.

My goal this year is to do 36 peaks and 36 flats (or limited inclination) including Mount Katahdin and the Downeast Sunrise Trail. I am in the process of putting that list together. I will post it as soon as I have something concrete.

I hike alone and with friends. I am sure they will be happy to know they will be talked about in my blog as well.

My blogs will include maps and links as possible, to each location. Of course, they will also include my opinion of the hike, the map and the company...

So here we go Hiking Maine 2010

Angel