Mountain Quest 13: Wachusett 5

Today, on an unseasonably warm (62 F) afternoon, from 2:47 pm to a little after 5 pm, I completed "Mountain Quest 2011" #13, hike number five of the "Wachusett" series.

I began on the West Side Trail. The beginning of it was a couple of steep scrambles up some treacherous rocks (with several inviting slabs that wobbled under my weight), and then a leveling out as I came to the junction with the Semuhenna Trail. That leg of the hike was pretty smooth and rather boring, as there was no discernible incline for much of it. Then when it met the Harrington Trail, it was all near-vertical scrambles again, as expected from MQ #4 (Wach 2). It took me an hour to ascend, and while I was at the summit the sun began to slowly set. I ate my apple, talked to an older gentleman about hikes we have both completed, and then I began my descent.

I raced the sunset back down to my car and lost, but I enjoyed every minute of the hike down. I listened to Kristin Cifelli, Shania Twain, Mojave 3 and Vanessa Kafka. I took photos of the spectacular sunset. And I had great fun with the spooky downward scrambles in the near-dark. I have great night vision, so I was always able to see the trail blazes, and the fallen leaves that had filled in the trail kept it lighter than the surrounding brush.

If my day off next week is as unseasonably warm as today was, I plan on climbing one of four peaks: Gap Mountain in southern NH; Bald Mountain near Bennington, VT; or one of the last two peaks I need for the entire Wapack Trail series, Kidder or New Ipswich.