Last weekend I helped do trailwork with the Conn. Section of the GMC. Afterwards I hiked another section of the West River Trail.
Long Trail
I drove up Friday afternoon and took the secret trail into Story Spring Shelter on the Long Trail (which is also the AT there). The sun set while I was hiking in.
The Conn. Section of the GMC maintains about 12 miles of trail between Glastenbury Mountain and Kelly Stand Road. We worked on the northern half of that this trip. There were 13 of us, which was one of the bigger turnouts we've had. Besides us a couple of AT through hikers (nobo, started in Feb.) stayed at the shelter Friday night, and four guys out for the weekend stayed there Saturday. The weather was fine the whole time we were on the trail, although it rained a bit at night.
On Saturday I was part of the crew which went south, to Lydia's Rest. We mostly trimmed back the hobblebush, but we also cleared waterbars and removed some blowdowns. Saturday night got quite cold.
On Sunday morning we hiked out.
West River Trail
From Kelly Stand Road I drove to the intersection of Rtes. 30 and 100 to hike the middle section of the West River Trail (which is officially part of the upper section). The West River Trail consists of several disconnected sections of trail which follow the West River from Londonderry to Brattleboro. The section I did went from East Jamaica to Townshend Dam.
The beginning of this section isn't marked at all, with signs or blazes. It's just a dirt road through the woods with a short roadwalk on Rte. 30. I got off the trail, and ended up starting the roadwalk at the wrong place. When I finally figured out where I was I backtracked, found the real WRT, and continued east from there.
The next section of the trail is the best part, walking along the river or one of its tributaries, or through nearby fields. It had purple blazes. This section is probably very muddy and buggy at times, but I didn't have any problems on either account.
After a while it becomes an asphalt road. It was on this section I met one of the two other hikers I saw on the trail that day. He didn't know about the WRT but he confirmed that I was headed towards Townshend Dam.
When I got to the dam I missed the turn up to the trailhead on Rte. 30, but walked up the edge of the dam to look at the outflow on one side and Townshend Lake on the other. I took a break for lunch on a field overlooking the lake. At this point it started raining.
On my way back I noticed the turn I had missed and took the steep climb up to the trailhead. There I saw the only "West River Trail" sign of the day. About half way back to my car the rain stopped. I'm pretty sure that on the way back I followed the real trail the whole way.
So it was a nice hike, but I still think the best part of the West River Trail is the part between Jamaica State Park and Ball Dam.
Here are the pictures.
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 51/115 (39/67, 11/46, 1/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 40/48; NEHH 84/100
LT NB 2009
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
Long Trail
I drove up Friday afternoon and took the secret trail into Story Spring Shelter on the Long Trail (which is also the AT there). The sun set while I was hiking in.
The Conn. Section of the GMC maintains about 12 miles of trail between Glastenbury Mountain and Kelly Stand Road. We worked on the northern half of that this trip. There were 13 of us, which was one of the bigger turnouts we've had. Besides us a couple of AT through hikers (nobo, started in Feb.) stayed at the shelter Friday night, and four guys out for the weekend stayed there Saturday. The weather was fine the whole time we were on the trail, although it rained a bit at night.
On Saturday I was part of the crew which went south, to Lydia's Rest. We mostly trimmed back the hobblebush, but we also cleared waterbars and removed some blowdowns. Saturday night got quite cold.
On Sunday morning we hiked out.
West River Trail
From Kelly Stand Road I drove to the intersection of Rtes. 30 and 100 to hike the middle section of the West River Trail (which is officially part of the upper section). The West River Trail consists of several disconnected sections of trail which follow the West River from Londonderry to Brattleboro. The section I did went from East Jamaica to Townshend Dam.
The beginning of this section isn't marked at all, with signs or blazes. It's just a dirt road through the woods with a short roadwalk on Rte. 30. I got off the trail, and ended up starting the roadwalk at the wrong place. When I finally figured out where I was I backtracked, found the real WRT, and continued east from there.
The next section of the trail is the best part, walking along the river or one of its tributaries, or through nearby fields. It had purple blazes. This section is probably very muddy and buggy at times, but I didn't have any problems on either account.
After a while it becomes an asphalt road. It was on this section I met one of the two other hikers I saw on the trail that day. He didn't know about the WRT but he confirmed that I was headed towards Townshend Dam.
When I got to the dam I missed the turn up to the trailhead on Rte. 30, but walked up the edge of the dam to look at the outflow on one side and Townshend Lake on the other. I took a break for lunch on a field overlooking the lake. At this point it started raining.
On my way back I noticed the turn I had missed and took the steep climb up to the trailhead. There I saw the only "West River Trail" sign of the day. About half way back to my car the rain stopped. I'm pretty sure that on the way back I followed the real trail the whole way.
So it was a nice hike, but I still think the best part of the West River Trail is the part between Jamaica State Park and Ball Dam.
Here are the pictures.
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 51/115 (39/67, 11/46, 1/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 40/48; NEHH 84/100
LT NB 2009
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
