Post by Pat on Nov 16, 2017 13:33:55 GMT -5
Russell Hill Rd Ashburnham north to Watatic then MA-NH border
11-10-2017
7.3 miles plus 1.25 mi back to the car
Two years from when I started in September 2015 I've finished the Midstate Trail. No wildlife, no issues with any trail blockages and very well marked, this last leg started at Russell Hill Road in Ashburnham straight up the hill. Winding through the woods to the iconic view of Stodge Meadow Pond and Mt Watatic from Mount Hunger we passed one woman walking with her dog. From there it was a pleasant, but increasingly cold trek to the Mt Watatic parking lot. We enjoyed the warmth and sandwiches in our car for twenty minutes before heading up Watatic. It's a busy area, second only to Wachusett in popularity. So we saw a lot of people, including kids coming back down the mountain. They warned us that the air was "refreshing" at the top, meaning windy and brisk, but had a long, beautiful view. We could see snow on the trails of Wachusett which opened the next day and the outlines of tall buildings in Boston on the skyline. Though it felt like the end we still had to reach the border and get back to the car and we were losing daylight fast. Once back on the trail north there were no more people and it got a little sketchy as the sun went down, the temperature dropped and we were unsure how far we needed to go. I finally used my phone to track us moving toward the border which I was never so happy to see! We then followed the blue trail back to the car and checked the temp at 26 degrees, just as darkness took over. All in all a good hike and glad to be looking for a new challenge. The northern half of the Midstate is by far the best and though I rarely saw other hikers it is in great shape and I'd highly recommend it.
11-10-2017
7.3 miles plus 1.25 mi back to the car
Two years from when I started in September 2015 I've finished the Midstate Trail. No wildlife, no issues with any trail blockages and very well marked, this last leg started at Russell Hill Road in Ashburnham straight up the hill. Winding through the woods to the iconic view of Stodge Meadow Pond and Mt Watatic from Mount Hunger we passed one woman walking with her dog. From there it was a pleasant, but increasingly cold trek to the Mt Watatic parking lot. We enjoyed the warmth and sandwiches in our car for twenty minutes before heading up Watatic. It's a busy area, second only to Wachusett in popularity. So we saw a lot of people, including kids coming back down the mountain. They warned us that the air was "refreshing" at the top, meaning windy and brisk, but had a long, beautiful view. We could see snow on the trails of Wachusett which opened the next day and the outlines of tall buildings in Boston on the skyline. Though it felt like the end we still had to reach the border and get back to the car and we were losing daylight fast. Once back on the trail north there were no more people and it got a little sketchy as the sun went down, the temperature dropped and we were unsure how far we needed to go. I finally used my phone to track us moving toward the border which I was never so happy to see! We then followed the blue trail back to the car and checked the temp at 26 degrees, just as darkness took over. All in all a good hike and glad to be looking for a new challenge. The northern half of the Midstate is by far the best and though I rarely saw other hikers it is in great shape and I'd highly recommend it.