MA NET Section 17a - Northfield State Forest

I am so sorry, Florida.

On the second day of our stay in the Quiet Corner we woke up to the news that Hurricane Irma was hitting the Florida Keys. But it was so pleasant here in Massachusetts. I felt a little guilty.

I expected my left foot to be much worse in the morning after hiking seven miles the day before, but it actually felt about the same as usual. No better, and no worse. And that was great news. I really thought I'd be sorry for pushing it.

8.2 Miles to Northfield Road

Section 17 is 10.2 miles long, ending with a climb up Mount Grace. That's more than I was up for in one day, especially with a bad foot, so my plan was to hike to Northfield Road, a distance of 8.2 miles, and leave Mount Grace for the next day.

People don't bring maps

The Richardson-Zlogar cabin on Stratton Mountain is definitely the highlight of this section. In fact, it may be the highlight of the NET from Millers River to the New Hampshire border. It's a lovely stroll up to the cabin. It wasn't long before I passed a group of what looked like Boy Scouts and their involved fathers hiking down from the cabin. The dads look like they were carrying some pretty heavy packs and possibly did not get much sleep the night before, but they had almost made it and there was light at the end of the tunnel.

A beautiful morning stroll

I got into a nice walking rhythm carrying my commuter cup of coffee down the trail. You know when you're deep in thought, and that ancient part of your brain screams out "SNAKE!"? And then you look down and it's a hose or a stick? I had one of those moments when my brain interpreted a snake up ahead in my peripheral vision. But then it turned out to be a root. A very snake-like root, though, and as I stepped over it I turned my head back to marvel at its snakishness.

And that's when I stepped on a snake. A real one. The big fat garter snake bolted out from under my feet and froze beside the trail.

SNAKE!! Wait, no, not a snake

SNAKE!! 

Mother Nature had just played a pretty good mind trick on me. Did that really just happen? A group of mountain bikers came up the trail just then, and I turn to them, pointed, and said stupidly, "I just stepped on that snake." But we all had fun admiring the big fat garter snake and it's likeness made of root. Then the mountain bikers were on their way and I didn't another person for the rest of the hike.

Great Swamp or Hidden Pond

After about a mile of traveling east, the trail comes to Great Swamp (aka "Hidden Pond" on the entrance map) and turns north to head up Stratton Mountain. It was worth a short bushwhack to the shoreline for a break. I was happy to notice my left foot wasn't bothering me too bad, which was a real surprise.

Passing through a Hemlock forest 

I still took it nice and slow. I like knowing that I have all day long with nothing to do but walk and no reason to rush it. The relaxed steps become almost meditative, an antidote to daily to-do lists. No tasks to prioritize. Just the footsteps and leaves and trees and rocks. All day.

Heading up to the cabin

It was a gradual climb up Stratton Mountain to the cabin clearing. The camp was deserted and I had the majestic view all to myself. It was amazing.

Richardson-Zlogar Cabin

In addition to the cabin there are wooden platforms for tents and a large fire ring surrounded by benches. I could imagine the Scouts that I had passed on the way up sitting around a roaring campfire the previous night. I wondered what the sky would look like at night under the stars and whether the distant mountains would be visible on the horizon.

Trail Register. Mt Grace & Monadnock in background.

There's a trail register at the cabin for hikers to sign in and I did so. Over the winter, my husband and I built a trail register for a section of blue-blazed trail that we maintain for CFPA in Connecticut, so now I'm newly interested in how each trail register is constructed.

Hmmm.. Their trail register has pencil holder slots.

The view faces east with Mount Grace in the foreground and Mount Monadnock beyond. I think the first view of Mount Monadnock along the NET had been back at Mount Tom. The end of the trail is getting closer.

Mt. Grace and Mt Monadnock

The cabin is located on private property owned by Trail Heroes Sam and Barbara Richardson. Here is an excerpt from a web page about the cabin:

"In 2011, NET landowners and maintainers Sam & Barbara Richardson donated a Conservation Restriction to the Town of Northfield on a  38 acre lot  on Stratton Mountain." I told you they were heroes.

True Class.

But there's more: "This cabin was built by Appalachian Mountain Club-Berkshire Chapter volunteers in the Fall of 2011 and the Spring of 2012, whose combined efforts contributed over 1000 hours of work.  The name "Richardson-Zlogar..." reflects the special efforts of one volunteer in particular-Mike Zlogar, who proved himself invaluable throughout the course of the project. Mr. Zlogar is also a long-time NET/M-M Maintainer."

Some people are amazing.

I still don't know how to go northbound...

When it was finally time to head on down the trail, I did have some trouble finding the trail northbound. There were blazes heading straight for the cabin that seemed to be northbound, and then nothing. It turns out those blazes leading to the cabin reflected a short spur off a hairpin turn and not the main trail. I finally figured it out when I saw a sign for the West Vista and headed in that direction.

West Vista...What the heck??? 

The West Vista made me laugh out loud. There's some kind of Stonehenge rock work going on there that I don't fully understand but enjoyed none-the-less.

Hobblebush berries

As the trail heads north towards Alexander Hill Road, it passes through an area that was recently logged over and overgrown. The logging had let in the sunlight and the brush was growing up fast over the trail. It's the type of vegetation where the blazes can go missing in the blink of an eye. It was passable, but won't be for long. That's why you want a good map.

OK, this part is getting a little hard to follow

The Alexander Hill Road Trailhead appears to be the most popular access point for the trail network on Stratton Mountain. My husband and I had played with the idea of him parking there and heading south while I was head north from Gulf Road, but he didn't get there until after I had passed. (He walked up to the cabin based on my recommendation and really enjoyed it).

Alexander Hill Road Trailhead

There were a number of hemlocks  throughout the region sporting dramatic fungi known as the Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsuga). It's woody and looks like it has a coat of varnish, hence the name. People who are into medicinal plants refer to this as the Hemlock Reishi, and the Chinese know it as songshan lingzhi. It has a long history as a sort of Panacea for all sorts of ailments.

Hemlock Varnish Shelf

For a mile or more after the Alexander Hill Road the NET loops around and meanders, and you don't seem to get very far very fast. Checking my time and my progress, I began to wonder if I should pick up the pace.

Hobblebush invading the trail

And then the trail crossed a stream and took a right onto an old road. This was a branch of the 5th Massachusetts Turnpike, 1799-1832. Per Wikipedia: 

"Whereas the high way leading from Northfield …is Rocky & Mountainous, & the expense of straitening, making & repairing the same through the said Towns so that the same may be conveniently travelled with Horses & Carriages is much greater than reasonably ought to be required of said Towns; Be it therefore Enacted…"

And with that, in 1799 a corporation was granted the right to build a road and collect tolls. Most of these roads are today busy roads, so hiking down an old one through the forest is different.

Heading east on the old 5th Massachusetts Turnpike

The various trail descriptions mention that the trail follows the old turnpike on Section 17, and I thought this might be the place, but I wasn't sure. Back home I found a custom Google map showing the route. Took a screenshot of that, and a screenshot of the NET online map, and did an overlay in Google Earth, and here's what it looks like:

Map overlay: 5th Mass Pike (red) and NET (faded brown line)

The NET is on the lower layer and faded, while the turnpike is in red. So that confirms it.

The trail/turnpike crossed Bass Road and then a stream that must be part of Bass Swamp. The next landmark would be Shepardson Road. I was making great time now, but my left foot was in agony and I had to stop and take my boots off for awhile before continuing down the old road.

Upper end of Bass Swamp

It seemed like Shepardson Road never came, and I wondered if the trail had been rerouted. Finally I saw blacktop up ahead and the trail curved right to follow it.

Really? State Forrest boundary or what?

Wait, that's Northfield Road. What happened to Shepardson Road? Who knows. Maps can be deceiving. Fortunately, it didn't really matter, and my ride had just turned up. Great timing!

Northfield Road at the base of Mt. Grace

Mt. Grace waits on the other side of the street, but that's for another day.

MA NET Section 16: Hermit Mountain

Miller's River

I'm back!!  After almost a year of Real Life and ongoing issues with my left foot, I was finally back on the trail following the little painted rectangles that lead from Long Island Sound to Mt. Monadnock. My goal is Mt. Monadnock's summit before the end of the year, and I had four days to make some progress. It was a long, busy year, but it was finally time to hit the trail. Yes!!

Virginia Creeper berries

Section 16 is seven miles long, including about 2.5 miles of road walking, mostly at the end of the section on Gulf Road. I had hoped to be backpacking this part of the trail, but doubted my left foot would make it. So my husband dropped me off at the old bridge across Miller's River for a day hike.

This is definitely the best time of year to be outside, so we took a long weekend and reserved a room at the nearby French King Hotel, where we stayed last year. It's located on MA 2 where the highway crosses the Connecticut River.  We were gifted with four days of temps in the 70s and low humidity and no bugs. And school was back in session, so the trails were oh so quiet.

No blazes at Rt 2. The trail goes across and up Holmes Street

From the Farley Bridge, the northbound trail came quickly to MA 2, and there were no blazes. I thought I saw one on a telephone pole down the street to the left, but I'll not be tricked by those white rectangular reflectors again. This road crossing was the only spot during four days of hiking where I really could not find a blaze. I stopped to look at the Massachusetts NET trail map, but that didn't help much other than to show the trail apparently followed the highway a short ways to the right before turning up a sidestreet. How far? Which sidestreet? I pulled out the AMC trail map for the area and still had no idea. The scale was too broad. Finally, I checked some photos I had stored on my phone from the M-M guidebook. Bingo. This map prominently labeled the road "Holmes Street" in green and I was in business.

M-M Guidebook Map to the rescue

Where the trail has not been rerouted, the M-M Guidebook maps are definitely superior in Massachusetts. They have contours, are at a closer scale, and critical landmarks are called out in bold green ink. In the map above, landmarks like Holmes Street, the Bridge, Erving Castle Site, and the vista all jump out at you. Sadly, much of the trail was rerouted, making many of the maps obsolete. For the most part, I used an AMC trail map for this area. The NET reroutes all seemed to be shown on this map, and there are contours so you know where to expect the hills.

Shared access point for rock climbers at Rattlesnake Mtn

Very soon after crossing MA 2 and walking up Holmes Road was a small parking lot for about eight cars. The lot was full already on a Saturday morning at about 11 a.m., so it's a good thing I was dropped off down by the bridge. I suspect most of the cars belonged to rock climbers because I saw only a couple hikers

A very welcoming trailhead

There's a beautiful trail entrance near the parking area, one of the most welcoming trail entrances I've ever seen, and a great way to slip back into NET hiking mode. Side trails soon diverge from the M-M Trail as the white blazes follow the rocky channel of Briggs Brook up the hill. I passed two sets of hikers along this section, and no one else the remainder of the day.

Briggs Brook

There are are a number of handmade trail signs along the route from here all the way to the New Hampshire border. I like the signs. They have a lot of personality and charm.

Some of the local folk art

After following the brook up the hill for a bit, the trail takes a right turn and heads towards Hermit Mountain. There's a side trail leading to where "The Hermit" once lived, but I did not take it. 

More artwork

I passed a small boulder with six parallel lines on it. Mystery lines. I've seen a lot of marks on rocks, but not like these. Your guess is as good as mine. Any ideas?

The mystery lines

Off to the left on top of the hill is the noteworthy Northfield Reservoir. This is not your average reservoir. Below it, inside the mountain, lies a hydroelectric plant that consumes more energy than it creates. Yeah. Water from the Connecticut River is pumped up to the reservoir when electric rates are reduced (like at night), and then dropped through a set of turbines when the rates are high. It supplies energy during peak need, so it makes money.

Northfield Reservoir

You can't actual see the reservoir from the trail, just the very long dam holding the waters back.

White Snakeroot thrives in the reservoir seepage

Water seeps out from the reservoir in one or two places, and thru hikers are advised to assume the water in the area is contaminated since it was pumped out of the Connecticut River.  White Snakeroot was in bloom at one of the seepage areas. The plant is highly toxic and once caused "Milk Sickness" when people drank milk from cows that had eaten the plant. Abraham Lincoln's mother was said to have been killed in this way.

Chicken of the Woods

From the highly toxic, to the delicious: Sulfur Shelf, or Chicken of the Woods, is a delicacy that tastes like (what else) chicken sauteed in mushrooms. I only saw a small patch. Sometimes there are huge patches that can be harvested.

The trail goes along the ridge and the top of a sharp drop off, and I was teased with seasonal views, blocked by it being the wrong season. This went on for a bit and I feared there would be no real views. Until this...

Wow.

...a cave of sorts with amazing views of Millers River Valley. Time to stop for lunch!

Miller's River. Note the black dead liverworts on the boulder.

So peaceful. A Bald Eagle soared over the river far below. Ahhhh. Time to rest the left foot. It was already hurting.

The boulders there were covered with black, dead liverworts, victims of the severe drought last year I assume. Liverworts will brown up and curl when stressed, but these were completely dead.

Fern-Leaved False Foxglove

I love running into plants that are new to me. From this rocky overlook to the next was a showy yellow flower in bloom I later identified as Fern-Leaved False Foxglove.

Second overlook

The well-maintained trail then left the ridge and meandered pleasantly and quietly through Erving State Forest. My left foot told me to stop. I told it to shut up.

Hobblebush

Eventually the white blazes crossed Mountain Road alongside farmland, and the character of the trail changed a bit.

Trail goes behind this farm at Mountain Road

After following an old woods road a short ways, the trail turned behind the farm and became a bit overgrown in places, although it was never too hard to follow. One just had the feeling that not many people hiked this section.

Old woods road

I started seeing good sized droppings full of dark berries, maybe viburnum. Bear? Coyote? Not sure. As I got closer to South Mountain Road, there was a set of droppings filled with apple chunks. Bear? Deer? Really, it seems like wild animals would do a better job of digesting their food.

I'll call this one "Toasted Marshmallow"

There were plenty of black and white fuzzy caterpillars creeping across the trail throughout the four days of hiking. At home I was able to identify them as Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillars. Several years ago people started sharing warnings about "new" caterpillars that are "poisonous" on social media, and there is a Snopes entry about the claim ("Partly True").  The long black hairs can inject an irritating substance into your skin that some people react strongly to.

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillars. Don't touch!

And then I came out onto South Mountain Road and the beginning of a 2.3 mile road walk on a bad foot. Sigh. This is another one of those sections that used to be amazing but was closed down by the landowner after the Federal Government officially noticed that the trail existed and said it was nice. There were views of Monadnock on the old section, now reserved for the birds.

Road Walk for 2.3 miles (sigh)

The landowner had plastered "POSTED" signs to guard the woods on both sides of South Mountain Road. At one point there had been some utility work, and POSTED signs were stapled all over the cut logs.

"Mine! Mine! Mine!"

It brought to mind stories from my husband's family of rural Vermont. It was said that generations of Vermonters had by tradition allowed people to cross their land for hunting, fishing, or walking. Then rich New Yorkers started buying up properties and the first thing they did was put up 'no trespassing' signs that looked obnoxious and blocked people from getting where they wanted to go. Maybe that's when they started saying, "Can't get theah from heah."

Rogue camera shot on South Mountain Road

Ah, the left foot. The screaming left foot. I took it real slow, but every step hurt. I was limping now and stopping from time to time. The podiatrist had tried a few cortizone injections, suggested a possible nerve issue, and more or less gave up. I dread what my foot would feel like the next day.

New England Aster and Goldenrod

It's not a bad road walk, though. South Mountain Road is mostly woods and no cars. Gulf Road is a lot busier, but there is working farmland and logging operations on either side alongside a few homes.

Gulf Road

About half way up Gulf Road, my ride pulled up behind me. I wanted to finish the section, so I tossed my pack in the car, grabbed a cold drink from the cooler, and continued walking. My patient husband drove on up to the trailhead to wait. Shortly after, I passed a sign that said, "Free Stuff" and I gave it a look.

Huh. Let's check it out.

Not much there, but I did nab a Christmas coffee cup as a souvenir, and continued on to the end of the section.

There's my souvenir coffee cup for 2017

And although I was a disappointed to not be backpacking, I cannot lie: That hot shower was amazing. Also the cushy bed. And dinner at a restaurant.