Hikes #143, #144, and #145
Appalachian Trail
Housatonic River (Sheffield, MA) to Main Road (Tyringham, MA)
Dates Hiked: 11/7/2015, 11/9/2015, and 11/11/2015
Date Published: 11/13/2015
Earlier this week, I had a couple of days scheduled off from work. With Veteran’s Day also in play, I planned to make three hikes along the Appalachian Trail in a five day span. Including a local hike on Day 2, my hope was to hike more than fifty miles over the five days. I made the first of the three AT hikes on Saturday.
MA Route 23 (Great Barrington, MA) to Housatonic River (Sheffield, MA)
Direction of Travel: Southbound
Hike Distance: 15.6 Miles
On my previous Appalachian Trail hike (Hike #142), I made my way from Jug End Road in Egremont, Massachusetts to the bridge which brings Kellogg Road over the Housatonic River in Sheffield. For this hike, my plan was to park 7.5 miles to the north…off of Route 23 in Great Barrington…and make my way southbound back to the Housatonic.
To reach the trailhead:
Approximately 6/10 of a mile in, I crossed Deerwood Circle…
Approximately 1.8 miles in, the trail took me through a nice stand of pine. I followed the edge of a ravine and stopped to take a picture…
Approximately 4.4 miles in, after descending a short steep section, I saw a white blaze on a large rock to my left. This is noteworthy because the trail turns to the right and the only reason I can think of for the one random blaze to the left is the trail maintainers want hikers to take in the view from the ledge near the standalone blaze. Never one to turn down a view, I made the left and even took a picture. But, looking back on it now, the whole thing seems pointless because there are way better views coming and those views didn’t require any additional effort. I don’t understand the point of confusing people, especially thru-hikers, with a random blaze in the wrong direction. As I would later find out, this standalone blaze wouldn’t be the only oddity along this section of trail.
Roughly 4.7 miles in, I passed the first in a series of views to the east…
Approximately 5.9 miles in, after a descent which was steep in spots, I reached and crossed Home Road…
Roughly 7.5 miles in, I reached Boardman Street and Kellogg Road…
Approximately 7.8 miles in, I reached my predetermined halfway point at the Housatonic River…
After a short break to rehydrate, I turned around and started making my way back to my car. Along the way, I noticed the trail doesn’t actually follow Kellogg Road. It leaves the road for a minute to enter the woods on the left and then cuts through a field before returning to the road closer to Boardman Street. I happily followed this little “detour” on the way back. Not only did this allow me to actually complete this section, it allowed me to justify a mini-shortcut I took later when I bushwhacked my way around a steep descent/re-ascent on the south side of East Mountain.
For a map and an elevation graph of my outbound trip, please click here.
For a map and an elevation graph of that local hike, please click here.
Direction of Travel: Northbound
Hike Distance: 12.1 Miles (Includes Mount Wilcox North Shelter Trail and Pond Loop Trail)
Two days after my southbound AT hike, I was back at the same parking location and ready to tackle the next section. This time, the hike would take me due north from MA Route 23 to the Mount Wilcox North Shelter…
Approximately 1.0 mile in, after descending from the first hill, the trail passed by a large field with a farm and some cows in the distance…
Approximately 1.8 miles in, after another gradual descent, I crossed a gravel road. According to MapMyHike, this is Beartown Mountain Road. But, GoogleMaps has it listed as Old Beartown Road…
Approximately 2.4 miles in, I came to what I consider the highlight of this section. From “The Ledges”, I could see all the way over to Mount Everett, more than 20 miles from where I was standing…
Roughly 3.0 miles in, I crossed a power line cut…
Approximately 3.2 miles in, I passed the side trail to the Mount Wilcox South Shelter on my right…
Roughly 4.3 miles, after descending again, I crossed Swann Brook and made my way around the northeastern edge of a beaver pond…
In an effort to save some of my phone’s battery, I stopped my MapMyHike app. Then, I made my way down the trail for roughly 3/10 of a mile to the shelter. I had lunch and took a few minutes to shoot a video about the shelters along the AT, before starting the return trip to my car.
I made such great time and still had plenty of sunlight left. So, I decided to take a quick detour and hike the Pond Loop Trail around Benedict Pond. I put together a mini-recap for that mini-hike, which you can read here.
For a map and an elevation graph of my outbound trip, please click here.
Direction of Travel: Southbound
Hike Distance: 15+ Miles (Includes Mount Wilcox North Shelter Trail and Cobble Loop Trail)
Two days later, after a much needed day of rest, I made the final AT hike of the five day period. This one would take me from Main Road in Tyringham due south, through a torrential downpour, back to the Mount Wilcox North Shelter.
To reach the trailhead:
Approximately 1.0 mile in, as I was nearing Jerusalem Road, I came to a cow pasture. I found a welcoming party waiting for me…
Roughly 1.1 miles in, I crossed Jerusalem Road and entered Tyringham Cobble Park. The park, which sits on 206 acres of land, is managed by The Trustees of Reservations. The Cobble, which loosely translated from German means “a small rocky rounded and exposed hill”, ascends to 1348 feet from the valley below.
Roughly 1.6 miles in, I reached the summit…
Approximately 2.1 miles in, the AT and Cobble Loop Trail part ways…
Roughly 3.0 miles in, after reentering the woods on the other side of the field, I passed the side trail to the Shaker Campsite on my left...
Sadly, the picture of the second Jerusalem Road crossing is the last one I have. I tried to take several others but the rain was really making it an event every time I tried to stop and take pictures. I didn’t really have the patience and I was growing increasingly focused on just getting to the shelter so I could dry off.
There wasn’t much to see in the next 2.7 miles. But, I found one piece of trail really neat. After ascending the other side of Jerusalem Road over a series of countless switchbacks, the trail heads straight for a rocky ledge. Just as I was thinking there is no way I was going to be able to climb over the boulders in the rain, the trail swings right for a bit and then back to the left. It eventually makes it to the top of the rocky ledge, but it does so over much safer ground than I originally thought. This is one of my favorite things about the AT. For as challenging as it can be, I rarely feel unsafe.
Roughly 6.0 miles in, now soaked to the bone, I came to a series of crossings over East Brook. There is a foot bridge at one crossing, but it was slick from all of the rain. I was more concerned about another slip and fall than I was with my feet getting wet. At this point, even my wool socks were already soaked. So, I just decided to walk through the water.
Approximately 6.4 miles in, I crossed Beartown Mountain Road. And, shortly after, I crossed the Airplane Trail.
Roughly 7.2 miles in, I reached the side trail for the Mount Wilcox North Shelter. With my phone battery almost completely drained, I stopped my MapMyHike app. Then, I sent a text to Jaci to let her know I reached the halfway point and I was going to hunker down in the shelter for a bit in an attempt to dry off. While I was there, I shot a quick video on my GoPro. I also ate lunch and rested for a bit.
Even with the downpour, this was a great hike. While there were some challenging sections, it wasn’t too challenging overall. And, I’ll never forget the experience of walking through that pasture within a few feet of a herd of cows.
I covered a pretty significant section of the Appalachian Trail over the five day stretch. I’ve got some plans for this coming weekend which will prevent me from being able to make the 90 minute drive out to the AT. But, I’m hopeful to return the following weekend and cover the next section of trail to the north. Hopefully the next hike will be in dryer conditions.
Until next time…
For a map and an elevation graph of my outbound trip, please click here.
Total 2015 Distance: 371.0 Miles (129.0 to Goal)