I guess we must be on the right trail.
Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.
— William Blake
There is a ski resort on Mount Wachusetts, with several lifts to the top. It replaced a hotel that was at its summit, built in 1870, expanded in 1884 and 1908, and burned down in 1970. There is only a watchtower at the very top now, with a small parking lot at the end of a road. The road starts at the main buildings of the ski lodge at the mountain’s bottom. We reserve the hike over the mountain (not by way of the road) for another day – a day when that is all we have to trek. Today, Christine meets us at the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain, today’s end point, and takes us a few miles north, to the rehab center where we ended our walk yesterday.
I’m looking forward to another easy walk, like yesterday’s. Things start out that way, but after about a mile, we come to a steep slope. Waldo and I scramble over large rocks with frequent stops, so I can catch my breath and rest my leg muscles. Waldo, bless his heart, waits patiently for me when I have to do that and doesn’t make a fuss. He just stands up ahead, where I have yet to go, looks down at me and gives me a, “Come on, old man, you can do it,” look.
“I’m coming,” I tell him. “I’m coming,” and carry on.
The hill isn’t high and its top is overgrown with a lot of vegetation, so there isn’t a great view. Going down the other side is as steep as the side we went up. Soon, we’re at the bottom and following alongside a beautiful mountain stream on a gentle slope. It gurgles and trickles, creating an ambience of white noise most deliciously. Despite the fact that the temperature is only in the low 60s, I’m soaked with sweat from all the work of climbing and the sound alone makes me feel cooler. The trail also passes through a very shady part of dense forest which helps. I swear I can feel the cool refreshing water just by walking next to it.
That doesn’t last. We cross over a bridge and head up yet another, even steeper hill. This hill is topped by a huge slab of granite with an escarpment higher than I am tall. Looking at the trail app, I see that people come up here for rock climbing. I can see why. The path proceeds up the slab through a break in its side. I don’t need rope, pitons and carabiners, but it’s still a steep scramble over huge rocks. On top, I can see, through the foliage, Mount Wachusetts poking its head up in the near distance. The trail takes a sharp turn to the left and over what looks like a cliff. I edge over to the edge and look down. It’s not as steep as it looked a few feet away and it looks doable, but I’m going to have to be careful with my 77-year-old bones. Waldo looks down the same place and balks. I can hear him thinking, You want to go down that? I figure I might have to go down first and coax him down behind me, but as soon as I move forward, he’s in front of me and going down like it’s no big deal at all. I follow him cautiously and there are no mishaps. We make it to the bottom and there’s a picnic table right there in the middle of nowhere. Curious. I wonder who put it there and if it is often used. The trail continues on to the right, along only a gentle slope, and we continue on. Damn, I hope there aren’t any more of those hills we have to climb.
The rest of the hike has a little up and down to it, but they’re short and not nearly as taxing. Which is a good thing, because, unlike yesterday, I am spent. Waldo doesn’t seem bothered, but then I wouldn’t be at his age either (he’s in his early 50s, in human years). He stays up ahead, panting at the front end of his 26-foot leash, and trots along. We continue through the woods, skirt some ponds and a beaver dam, then come to the ski lodge parking lot and the car.
We’ve gone 5.9 miles in 3:44:03and made it over 866 feet of elevation gain. The numbers don’t reflect the effort, though. Those hills were steep! The most telling number just might be the 3:44:03. Going 6 miles, with that much elevation gain, in that amount of time, tells me that I kept up a really good pace. I was pushing hard, right up to the point of exhaustion. I could only do that because I am getting in better mountain hiking shape!
That’s a very good thing, because the next leg is over the top of Mount Wachusetts and I know that’s going to be a hard slog. I’ve done it before – when I was much younger. But, for now, it’s home to dinner and my recliner.
All we need to continue is another cool, dry day.
Uh, nope. Can’t go this way!