masshysteria
Member
My original intention with this hike was to start at the top of Rt. 20 in Hancock, and head north to Berry Pond on the Taconic Crest Trail. I had spent the previous night searching the internet for trail descriptions of the TCT, but there were very few descriptions, and most were hazy at best. The trail is not shown on USGS maps, or my 2003 version of NatGeoTopo.
So as I pull into the large parking area at the top of the mountain, I see the Taconic Skyline Trail right there, which shows on the maps. I figured I would take that instead, as it goes to the same place I intended to finish at, Berry Pond in the Pittsfield State Forest. The climb from there to the top of the ridge was pretty straight forward, even though the trail obviously receives a heavy dose of ATV traffic. It was when the trail started leveling off that the ever persistent mud wallows reared their ugly heads. What a mess!
It looks like in the last couple of years, a bulldozer was brought in to fill in some low spots, and provide drainage for the larger wallows. Obviously the ATV riders like to hit those wallows at full speed, judging by the mud caked leaves 8-10 feet off the side of the trails. So now the wallows are lower than the drainage ditches that were put in, and the bulldozer work was wasted.
Cranberry Pond is the first place of interest I came to. A very pretty body of water, with a ton of salamanders swimming in its shallow depths. Nearby Twin Ponds were cool also, Both of these were man made, perhaps of Shaker origin? The upper pond has beaver activity in it, while the lower pond looks as if it might have powered a grist mill. Just past the outlet to the pond, I found a ledge that looks to have been quarried, perhaps for the dams to the Twin Ponds. There was a trail here that came in from the west that had TCT signs (a blue diamond with TCT hand written on it), but it looped back south. I couldn't find any signs heading north from here.
The trail gained the ridge line, with faint views of Lebanon Springs below. After a gradual descent, the trail crossed the outlet to a beaver swamp, and met the old Lebanon Springs Trail. Here I saw 3 TCT signs again, but they didn't seem to continue anywhere. Gaining elevation again, the TST slabs along the west side of Smith Mnt., before dropping down to cross Brickhouse Mnt. Road. After climbing the shoulder of Tower Mnt., I left the TST, and took a right onto the Tilden Swamp Trail. The swamp is beautiful with its two floating bog/islands, and is also under siege from beavers.
The walk to the Berry Pond Circuit Road was easy, but the steep downhill on the pavement was taking a toll on the old knees. Paralleling Parker Brook on the way down, it's strange how it 'disappears'. It must go underground at some point, as the brook bed near the entrance to the PSF was bone dry, while farther up the mountain it's a sizable flow. That will have to be investigated at a later point. From there, my Knight in shining armor,(my son) picked me up for a ride back to my truck. As I was leaving the parking lot, I saw the trailhead for the TCT at the lower end of the lot. Dohh!
All in all, a nice hike. But the hundreds of ATV mud wallows on the TST were discouraging. It's a shame, but I guess there's not much you can do about it?
Where can one get a detailed map of the TCT from Rt. 20 north? The PSF trail map shows the TCT as running parallel to the TST, but it's a vague map at best. Any suggestions?
Pictures;
http://community.webshots.com/album/575470973aYKteL
So as I pull into the large parking area at the top of the mountain, I see the Taconic Skyline Trail right there, which shows on the maps. I figured I would take that instead, as it goes to the same place I intended to finish at, Berry Pond in the Pittsfield State Forest. The climb from there to the top of the ridge was pretty straight forward, even though the trail obviously receives a heavy dose of ATV traffic. It was when the trail started leveling off that the ever persistent mud wallows reared their ugly heads. What a mess!
It looks like in the last couple of years, a bulldozer was brought in to fill in some low spots, and provide drainage for the larger wallows. Obviously the ATV riders like to hit those wallows at full speed, judging by the mud caked leaves 8-10 feet off the side of the trails. So now the wallows are lower than the drainage ditches that were put in, and the bulldozer work was wasted.
Cranberry Pond is the first place of interest I came to. A very pretty body of water, with a ton of salamanders swimming in its shallow depths. Nearby Twin Ponds were cool also, Both of these were man made, perhaps of Shaker origin? The upper pond has beaver activity in it, while the lower pond looks as if it might have powered a grist mill. Just past the outlet to the pond, I found a ledge that looks to have been quarried, perhaps for the dams to the Twin Ponds. There was a trail here that came in from the west that had TCT signs (a blue diamond with TCT hand written on it), but it looped back south. I couldn't find any signs heading north from here.
The trail gained the ridge line, with faint views of Lebanon Springs below. After a gradual descent, the trail crossed the outlet to a beaver swamp, and met the old Lebanon Springs Trail. Here I saw 3 TCT signs again, but they didn't seem to continue anywhere. Gaining elevation again, the TST slabs along the west side of Smith Mnt., before dropping down to cross Brickhouse Mnt. Road. After climbing the shoulder of Tower Mnt., I left the TST, and took a right onto the Tilden Swamp Trail. The swamp is beautiful with its two floating bog/islands, and is also under siege from beavers.
The walk to the Berry Pond Circuit Road was easy, but the steep downhill on the pavement was taking a toll on the old knees. Paralleling Parker Brook on the way down, it's strange how it 'disappears'. It must go underground at some point, as the brook bed near the entrance to the PSF was bone dry, while farther up the mountain it's a sizable flow. That will have to be investigated at a later point. From there, my Knight in shining armor,(my son) picked me up for a ride back to my truck. As I was leaving the parking lot, I saw the trailhead for the TCT at the lower end of the lot. Dohh!
All in all, a nice hike. But the hundreds of ATV mud wallows on the TST were discouraging. It's a shame, but I guess there's not much you can do about it?
Where can one get a detailed map of the TCT from Rt. 20 north? The PSF trail map shows the TCT as running parallel to the TST, but it's a vague map at best. Any suggestions?
Pictures;
http://community.webshots.com/album/575470973aYKteL
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