Parking: Notch Road ( 42.669884,-73.167740)
Elevation at top: 3,489 ft
Mileage: 11 miles
Wildlife: Frogs, thru-hikers, mosquitos, tourists, chipmunks
And: Money Brook Falls
Mileage: 3 miles
This weekend, I tackled one of a series of state high points I will be doing, Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts. For this hike we started out at the trail head parking on Notch Road. From here we proceeded on the Appalachian trail southbound, passing through Mt. Williams and onto Mt. Greylock. We then did a loop on Overlook trail leading back to the summit of Mt. Greylock and headed back along the AT on the same path we took. In total, this was about 11 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Most of this gain, was again in the beginning of the hike, up to Mt. Williams. It's not hard to not get lost, as the AT goes directly to the summit, but maps are available at the trail head parking lot.
The summit is one of the ones you have the choice to drive up to. It kind of defeats the purpose and takes away from the feeling of accomplishment of hiking up to a grand summit when you choose that option. But it is a great option for those who are unable to hike and still want to have that chance to take in the beauty of a view from the top of a mountain. That said, the summit does not afford the peace and serenity you may be looking for when hiking, as it is much more accessible to everyone. It does offer lodging and a cafe/gift shop at the top. It reminded me very much of Mt. Mitchell, the high point in North Carolina. As you can also drive up there and the road to drive there has many spectacular viewpoints you may pull off to the side of the road to view.
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| Actual High Point |
Mt. Williams is on the way up to the summit and also affords a nice view. This spot has an Appalachian trail book log you can sign into. Remember to bring a pen with you!
It was in the Mt. Williams area that 3 thru-hikers in a row passed by us. It looked to be 3 solo young-ish guys. I still have not seen a female thru-hiker. The third thru-hiker seemed to be a bit bewildered. We were resting at the summit of Mt. Williams and he comes blazing thru asking repeatedly and agitatedly "Where is the white blaze? Where is the white blaze???" pacing back and forth. For the most part the thru-hikers I've seen are friendly, but this one seemed to be on the trail too long. Interestingly, I passed him on the trail again the next day. He must have stayed at Wilbur's Clearing shelter. And he seemed to be a lot calmer. :)
Our group stayed at Birch Campground. It's a drive to the parking area and then just over a mile hike in to the site. This was the first time I got to test out my new backpacking gear before I do a real trip. I'll post my gear list, once I do my first backpacking trip.
The next day, I did a 3 mile out and back hike to Money Brook Falls. This trail also starts at the same parking area, but in the opposite direction. It starts on the AT north bound and then goes onto the Money Brook Falls trail. It's definitely worth a side trip if you're a waterfall lover. The Wilbur's Clearing AT campsite offers ample room for thru-hiker's to camp out at for the night, with many platforms, a lean to, a camp fire and bear box.
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| Tent platform |
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| Lean-To |
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| One Section of Money Brook Falls |
Scenic drive by
Along the drive, there were many chipmunks darting across the road! Be careful not to run them over. Just like the butterflies of the catskills. :)
Me
Music for this hike:
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