Copy/Repost Hike

As we emerge from a painfully long stretch of gray and wet weather we were rewarded with a blissful day of hiking in the northern stretch of the Berkshires along the Taconic Trail which crossed states to New York, Vermont and back to Massachusetts.

As I got up, prepped and hit the road I am sure my comrades due to meet me at the trail head were wondering why.. why… why…     Why are we heading out in this rain to hike.  We headed out because it is FUN… and… the beautiful part was on arrival it wasn’t raining.  The forecast for that section of the state had 15% chance of showers, with winds of less than 6 mph and total precipitation of 1/10th of an inch or less.  A massive kudos to Greg and Tom for hanging in there with me!!

Greg was running a little late and so Tom and I started the hike at a moderate pace .  It was nice of Greg to call ahead and let us know.  Tom and I have hiked together before (as have Greg and I) and we hadn’t seen each other since January so we quickly settled into a nice exchange of catching up.  The early part of this trail was educational as you’ll see from the photos – a nice bonus in my book.  The trail was wide… the forest pristine… the sky was blue in parts, cloudy in others but it wasn’t raining – pure joy.  What surprised me a bit was how gray everything still was.  Slivers of early spring growth were in appearance but nothing too dramatic.  Spring seems late this year.  As promised, the trail was blazed but truly littered with multiple colors to identify the study plots for Williams College.  There were lots of them, some intriguing, and some with “do not enter” warnings which we abided.  Given the frequency of access, it’s no wonder this trail is well maintained.  Tom and I meandered on and were so engrossed in conversation we missed the  described “well marked” Birch Brook Trail Head.  We hiked a short ½ mile beyond then realized upon coming at a trail junction that we had to turn around.  As luck would have it… Greg, who so enjoyed his early solo hike, was meandering his way towards us and we convened as a group.  Now… I certainly wasn’t expecting flashing lights but this trail head was an easy miss.. another winter and I say this sign will be on the ground!

A unique characteristic of this hike was that all the elevation was truly along the Birch Brook Trail.  It was easy enough to follow… a steady climb… and we kept a moderate pace…  1600 or so feet later we found ourselves on the Taconic Trail… and meeting up with fellow hikers and two beagles – I love dogs, woof woof.  Turns out the young couple led by their beagles were also going to snow hole, off they went,  nearly running, towards their goal.  A trail hike in recently soaked woodland is like a good book for beagles – nose to the ground taking it all in, I can relate!!  We took a break, snacked and made our way north.

This part of the trail was ridge like…. not truly above the tree line but offering some modest views through open field like terrain… at one point we hiked out onto summit like area where many of the trees were deliberately cut.  They were cut to create a successional habitat for species not able to live in dense woodland.  There is a lot to read up on for this hike!!  We carried on, took in some views and soon found ourselves at the destination – SNOW HOLE.  We took in nature’s creation, lunched, and experienced a short burst of rainfall.  We suited up in rain gear, I explored the geophysical feature, Greg and Tom were not so eager, and I managed to bury my extraordinary sense of imagination.  Indeed there were cave like openings but I had to tell myself, nothing lives there (at least not today).  True to description there was ice at the base of the hole.  I did not have my microspikes and chose to stay in the middle… it was clear… additional exploration seemed to reveal a deeper descent.  I finished my Lewis & Clark moment and then we started our return trip back to the cars.  I had thought s of carrying on to Bald Mountain – it was a only a ½ mile or so away, but sadly the rain socked in the summit so I’ll save it for winter.  At this point there were no views to be had.  Greylock – which is an upcoming hike – was solidly absent from the skyline.

The return hike gifted us with a beautiful surprise.  The passing rains layered a dense fog on us… when we reached the field of cut trees it was rather mystical… somewhat dark… yet light… with a heavy fog creating a beautiful backdrop for some nice photos.  I’m a little “romantic” in that sense… maybe you see it, maybe you don’t… but it was nice all the same and offered a variation on what we’d just seen an hour earlier.  Honestly… where do you experience this unless you hike… I don’t think you can or do.

We descended the way we came… we’d started hiking at around 10:30am and finished at 5pm… hiked roughly  9.5 miles.  As we descended the fog lifted and the forest seemed just a little greener.  We agreed the short burst of rain enhanced the emerging green landscape.  Tom and Greg became fast friends and we had a brilliant day bantering.   Along the parts of the trail loop were joggers, walkers and appreciators of nature.  While we encountered other hikers along the Taconic, it seems we were the only brave souls who entered via Hopkins Memorial Forest and journeyed our way up the Birch Book Trail.  We took our group photo at journey’s end.  The return trip home was rain all the way – somehow we lucked out in our little isolated corner of the tri-state area. 

Today I spent the day working the gardens – yes it rained – but it was beautiful and I loved it.  I got muddy, wet and the best part – I made progress on my latest (slightly crazy) project without any mini black flies to bother me.  I hope you enjoy the photos….  don’t be shy… join me on the next hike and we’ll see you on the trails!!

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