alspal
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I’ll get to the Woody Guthrie part in a bit, but I thought it made for a good title. Albee surprised me by calling and saying he was interested in my planned run on the Wapack trail. I foolishly thought he was only interested in peaks that were over 4K’ or on a 100 highest list. I like lists and when there isn’t one, I’ll make one up for my particular idea of what might be fun. In this case the plan was to hit the high point in Middlesex County. Friday was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 50’s and the sun peeking in and out of the clouds. We met up and cruised the 45 minute drive from Andover to Ashby, with Al navigating through the wilds of Fitchburg. He also amused several truck drivers with his “swollen tongue”, which he fashioned out of a red pepper he was eating. He ate it like an apple, making me shudder with every bite.
The parking area was a sloppy muddy mess, but there were four other cars, so “it can’t be that bad”. We quickly determined what footwear and outerwear would be appropriate. I went with running shoes with little traction; Albee went with the same but carried yak-tracks. The temps were still in the 50’s and the sun was shining brightly when we took off running up the Midstate trail (also Wapack and Stateline trail at this point) at 3:00 PM. The trail was a torrent in spots, snowy and slushy in other spots but rarely icy. We quickly covered the distance up the aptly named Stateline trail and as it leveled off at 1,600’ (about 350’ gain from the parking lot), we turned onto the single-track trail. This segment of the Stateline trail was much less used by snowmobiles and hikers and as such was much nicer for running. We had nice soft snow to run through and reached the stone wall that marks the NH border twelve minutes into our run. I took a couple of pictures of the Midstate trail marker and NH border monument and after Albee crossed over into NH we were off.
We turned south on the Wapack trail and could see the stone wall that apparently marks the border of Middlesex and Worcester county. Our goal was along this wall. The high point in Middlesex County is not a summit, but the Eastern slope of Nutting hill. We ran up to a point just before Nutting hill and there was a very distinct trail heading off to the Northeast. We ran down the trail into a shallow reentrant and as we came up the other side we spotted the remnants of the stone wall. We trotted down the along the wall and looked for a “distinct tree” that is noted on the County highpoint website (http://cohp.org/ma). We found it immediately and check a couple of knolls that looked like they might be higher. Both of our altimeters pegged us at the right height (1,580’) and none of the other spots were higher. We did not find any canister, and next time we go back we’ll put one in the tree. After a couple of pictures we were off again.
Nutting hill was nice, it was our first opportunity for a view, and the summit was clear of snow. We continued southeast, carefully working our way down into the saddle between Nutting and Wattatic. The trail was slushy and icy in spots. The 300’ climb out of the saddle was the toughest climb of the day. The footing was difficult in a few spots but we were able to run almost all of it. We ran into a confusing path junction near the summit. A new road has been built and some of the woods had been cleared. We cut across the road and stuck with the trail. The summit was clear of snow and there was hardly any mud as it is mostly bare rock. The view was sweet! We could see Monadnock and looking north we could see the Wapack range (at least up to Pack Monadnock). We could also see Mt Rose (1,700’) and the Pinnacle in Lyndenboro about 15 miles away. We debated the bumps we could see further away and I concluded later that they were the Uncanoonuc mountains which were about 25 miles to the North.
The run down was a bit tricky. We took the Wapack trail which drops down the west side of the mountain. It was very steep in spots and Albee was a bit surprised that I had survived racing up/down that trail during the Wapack trail race. Fortunately the race is in September and there wasn’t any snow. We cautiously made our way down, passing a couple of surprised hikers who noted that we were moving a lot quicker than they were. They should’ve seen us on some of the steeper parts; we did some bushwhacking where the snow looked good off-trail.
We ran into the parking lot at 4:15, with a total time of 75 minutes and 56 minutes of running over about 5.5 miles and 700’ climb/descent.
During the run, Albee discussed several different hike/run combinations that he’d like to do after we finished the initial run. I dismissed a few of the ideas (Wachusett – still has skiers, Pack Monadnock – too far) but liked the idea of going to Holt hill which is the high point in Essex county. We piled into the car and with just a quick stop at Dunkin’s for the “big chunk cookie” we made our way to North Andover’s Charles Ward Reservation.
I had orienteered at Ward reservation and hiked there a couple of times but hadn’t run there in a couple of years. We quickly looked over the map and worked out a circuitous route that would have us going up Boston Hill and then Holt Hill (named for Nicholas Holt who settled there in the 1600s). Boston Hill (and Wattatic) at one time had a small ski area, and I wanted to check that out. There is a cool website about abandoned ski areas at: http://www.nelsap.org/
We both groaned as we started to run, nothing like an hour in the car to tighten up those muscles. About ½ mile in we missed a turn and were headed in the wrong direction. We passed some hippies smoking something while standing on the solstice stones at the summit of Holt hill and dropped down on the Graham trail. The footing had been just a little muddy, but became more mush and snow as we entered the more shaded areas. We crossed Old Cheshire street (a wide trail) and then headed up Boston hill.
We made a brief stop at Elephant rock, a glacial erratic in a clearing near the summit. Albee did some rummaging around in the rocks in a little patch of woods. He hadn’t checked if there were any Geocaches, but was thinking like a Geocacher (or is it geocashier?). Much to my surprise, and his delight he found a hidden container. It turned out to be a letterbox. This is sort of like Geocaches but with a box containing a stamp and pad. You follow instructions on a website to find the box and stamp the pad with your own personal stamp. It is sort of like a treasure hunt.
Next we scooted up to the top of Boston hill (380’), hoping to get a look at the abandoned ski area. So this is where the Woody Guthrie part comes in. We went up the trail and then reached a big fence with “No Trespassing” signs on them. This is when I started thinking “This Land is my Land” by Guthrie and my favorite lines -
“As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me”.
So we followed the fence line and lo’ and behold the fence ended. My feeling was that there was no way we could be trespassing if there was no fence or sign. Off we went to the summit. There were a lot of humming radio towers and a pile of stuff that looked like it came from NASA. We found some remnants of the ski area and even climbed up one of the towers for a better view.
I took my only spill of the entire run, while on top of Boston hill. Go figure, it was on just about the only paved part of the entire run. I caught my foot on some brush and took a teeth rattling spill. This definitely knocked the adrenaline out of me. We got back on the trail and dropped down to Old Chestnut street then climbed up to the Sanborn trail and on up to the 420’ summit. We took some pictures at the solstice stones and then after some debate decided to get another 30’ of altitude via the Fire Tower. Then we finished the run with a quick downhill trot to the parking area. We completed the 4.5 mile run in 44 minutes (75 minutes with stops).
The parking area was a sloppy muddy mess, but there were four other cars, so “it can’t be that bad”. We quickly determined what footwear and outerwear would be appropriate. I went with running shoes with little traction; Albee went with the same but carried yak-tracks. The temps were still in the 50’s and the sun was shining brightly when we took off running up the Midstate trail (also Wapack and Stateline trail at this point) at 3:00 PM. The trail was a torrent in spots, snowy and slushy in other spots but rarely icy. We quickly covered the distance up the aptly named Stateline trail and as it leveled off at 1,600’ (about 350’ gain from the parking lot), we turned onto the single-track trail. This segment of the Stateline trail was much less used by snowmobiles and hikers and as such was much nicer for running. We had nice soft snow to run through and reached the stone wall that marks the NH border twelve minutes into our run. I took a couple of pictures of the Midstate trail marker and NH border monument and after Albee crossed over into NH we were off.
We turned south on the Wapack trail and could see the stone wall that apparently marks the border of Middlesex and Worcester county. Our goal was along this wall. The high point in Middlesex County is not a summit, but the Eastern slope of Nutting hill. We ran up to a point just before Nutting hill and there was a very distinct trail heading off to the Northeast. We ran down the trail into a shallow reentrant and as we came up the other side we spotted the remnants of the stone wall. We trotted down the along the wall and looked for a “distinct tree” that is noted on the County highpoint website (http://cohp.org/ma). We found it immediately and check a couple of knolls that looked like they might be higher. Both of our altimeters pegged us at the right height (1,580’) and none of the other spots were higher. We did not find any canister, and next time we go back we’ll put one in the tree. After a couple of pictures we were off again.
Nutting hill was nice, it was our first opportunity for a view, and the summit was clear of snow. We continued southeast, carefully working our way down into the saddle between Nutting and Wattatic. The trail was slushy and icy in spots. The 300’ climb out of the saddle was the toughest climb of the day. The footing was difficult in a few spots but we were able to run almost all of it. We ran into a confusing path junction near the summit. A new road has been built and some of the woods had been cleared. We cut across the road and stuck with the trail. The summit was clear of snow and there was hardly any mud as it is mostly bare rock. The view was sweet! We could see Monadnock and looking north we could see the Wapack range (at least up to Pack Monadnock). We could also see Mt Rose (1,700’) and the Pinnacle in Lyndenboro about 15 miles away. We debated the bumps we could see further away and I concluded later that they were the Uncanoonuc mountains which were about 25 miles to the North.
The run down was a bit tricky. We took the Wapack trail which drops down the west side of the mountain. It was very steep in spots and Albee was a bit surprised that I had survived racing up/down that trail during the Wapack trail race. Fortunately the race is in September and there wasn’t any snow. We cautiously made our way down, passing a couple of surprised hikers who noted that we were moving a lot quicker than they were. They should’ve seen us on some of the steeper parts; we did some bushwhacking where the snow looked good off-trail.
We ran into the parking lot at 4:15, with a total time of 75 minutes and 56 minutes of running over about 5.5 miles and 700’ climb/descent.
During the run, Albee discussed several different hike/run combinations that he’d like to do after we finished the initial run. I dismissed a few of the ideas (Wachusett – still has skiers, Pack Monadnock – too far) but liked the idea of going to Holt hill which is the high point in Essex county. We piled into the car and with just a quick stop at Dunkin’s for the “big chunk cookie” we made our way to North Andover’s Charles Ward Reservation.
I had orienteered at Ward reservation and hiked there a couple of times but hadn’t run there in a couple of years. We quickly looked over the map and worked out a circuitous route that would have us going up Boston Hill and then Holt Hill (named for Nicholas Holt who settled there in the 1600s). Boston Hill (and Wattatic) at one time had a small ski area, and I wanted to check that out. There is a cool website about abandoned ski areas at: http://www.nelsap.org/
We both groaned as we started to run, nothing like an hour in the car to tighten up those muscles. About ½ mile in we missed a turn and were headed in the wrong direction. We passed some hippies smoking something while standing on the solstice stones at the summit of Holt hill and dropped down on the Graham trail. The footing had been just a little muddy, but became more mush and snow as we entered the more shaded areas. We crossed Old Cheshire street (a wide trail) and then headed up Boston hill.
We made a brief stop at Elephant rock, a glacial erratic in a clearing near the summit. Albee did some rummaging around in the rocks in a little patch of woods. He hadn’t checked if there were any Geocaches, but was thinking like a Geocacher (or is it geocashier?). Much to my surprise, and his delight he found a hidden container. It turned out to be a letterbox. This is sort of like Geocaches but with a box containing a stamp and pad. You follow instructions on a website to find the box and stamp the pad with your own personal stamp. It is sort of like a treasure hunt.
Next we scooted up to the top of Boston hill (380’), hoping to get a look at the abandoned ski area. So this is where the Woody Guthrie part comes in. We went up the trail and then reached a big fence with “No Trespassing” signs on them. This is when I started thinking “This Land is my Land” by Guthrie and my favorite lines -
“As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me”.
So we followed the fence line and lo’ and behold the fence ended. My feeling was that there was no way we could be trespassing if there was no fence or sign. Off we went to the summit. There were a lot of humming radio towers and a pile of stuff that looked like it came from NASA. We found some remnants of the ski area and even climbed up one of the towers for a better view.
I took my only spill of the entire run, while on top of Boston hill. Go figure, it was on just about the only paved part of the entire run. I caught my foot on some brush and took a teeth rattling spill. This definitely knocked the adrenaline out of me. We got back on the trail and dropped down to Old Chestnut street then climbed up to the Sanborn trail and on up to the 420’ summit. We took some pictures at the solstice stones and then after some debate decided to get another 30’ of altitude via the Fire Tower. Then we finished the run with a quick downhill trot to the parking area. We completed the 4.5 mile run in 44 minutes (75 minutes with stops).
