Unnamed 2k hill near Spruce hill

Trails are snow-free but otherwise messy. Understandably, it appears that Savoy SF is investing into road improvements to keep the area open to visitors rather than to maintaining trails. A mix of roads, trails, power lines, and bushwhacks allowed us to summit the 2k peak near Spruce, then to short cut our way from Florida (alleged) trail to North Pond. Our 'whacks were easier than this lesser-maintained trail. It's been easily several years since this trail last saw any maintenance. Blackburnian was easy enough to follow until we hit a jeep road intersection just south of the southern power lines. The power lines were easy to follow. Old FL road was easy to follow, if messy. How those two trucks got from the Busby TH to beyond FL trail along Old Florida Road, I will never know. The road itself was a ditch at least a few feet deep (deeper than RnR in some spots) though go 'round foot trails were easy enough to find. Between the power line cuts and the alleged route of Florida trail, one would be well advised to wear pants due to the many clumps of briars.

We were surprised to see the scale of repairs to route 2, and even more so the damage apparent to either side. We saw at least a couple of roads still closed due to tropical storm Irene of last summer. Kudoes to Mass DOT (Flickr site for getting this critical stretch of route 2 open so quickly.