Dugan
New member
We gathered before dawn with the goal of getting an early start to hiking the 18 mile Tully Trail which runs through Warwick, Royalston, and Athol MA. We hiked clockwise from the southern crossing of route 32.
The sunrise was dimmed by the heavy overcast but we had enough light for a group photo, and more importantly, enough light to see our feet. Whether it was the dim light or the excitement to get moving, we got off to a less-than-inspiring start by missing the first turn of the trail from Royalston Road into the woods. Luckily BrianW, who was with us only to the top of Tully Mountain, noticed the lack of blazes and got us back onto the trail. Tully Mountain, the first big hill of the day at a towering 1,163 feet, offered excellent views to the east. We could see the top of Monadnock hidden in the clouds, the Wapack ridge, and Wachusett. BarrySr decided to turn around at Tully Mountain with Brian due to allergy problems. Unfortunately for Barry, we'd left our lunches locked in a car at the northern crossing of 32. Barry generously offered his lunch to the remaining hikers. We later found that it included a stack of Oreos!
As we continued Jade's amazing hiker-dog Carmen, who must be part mountain goat, led us astray several times but we managed to keep finding the yellow blazes. The two other view points marked on the map on the west side of 32 have either grown in or were located on side trails that we didn't see. In one sparsely blazed stretch, Cantdog's trail finding skills honed in her quest of the NEHH kept us headed in the right direction. We found some cellar holes and an old well along with newer evidence of humans, including an upside down old car missing every part that could be stripped (was that a VW something?), and what looked to be a squatters camp complete with rug and desk chair.
We got to the northern crossing of route 32 and recovered our lunches from the car. We layered up to stay warm while taking the only long break of the day. We got moving again pretty quickly since it was chilly to keep sitting. As we crossed the bridge in front of the shelter, Carmen took a quick dip. We admired the brook, the rock formations, and especially Royalston Falls. We regrouped at the crossing of Route 68. Again, there were several stream crossings that Carmen took advantage of. Little did we know what Mother Nature had in store for us...
In the area marked as boggy near the transmission lines, the rains and beavers have been hard at work since I originally scouted the area a month ago. We discovered the worst stretch as Carmen ran ahead. She hopped onto a puncheon then immediately off as it swam beneath her slight weight. The puncheons were no longer firmly on the ground, they were afloat! Several times Carmen was a willing canary as we picked our way through this area. Those with boots were able to keep their feet dry. This area could be gotten around if you stay on route 68 at the crossing, and continue south on 68 'til the Tully Trail nears 68 again. It was very interesting to see how much this area had changed in just a month or so.
Then we scaled the last hill of the day. The trail was easy to follow under the transmission lines. There were beautiful views toward the north. The skies still looked threatening. We didn't stop long because we kept imagining thunder. We took another food break at the next view point which overlooks Long Pond. Food was shared among all, except the well-mannered Carmen who doesn't beg. We continued southward along the ridge, then descended the ridge on the newly relocated Tully Trail on the north side of Spirit Falls. Be careful at the top of Spirit Falls - all trails are blazed yellow! From there it was another few flat and easy miles to our cars. The best wildlife sighting of the day occurred when Cantdog helped me retrieve my car from Newton Cemetery. We saw a red fox cross the road.
All in all, a thumbs up. Had I known about the boggy area getting worse, I'd've brought dry socks for afterwards.
The sunrise was dimmed by the heavy overcast but we had enough light for a group photo, and more importantly, enough light to see our feet. Whether it was the dim light or the excitement to get moving, we got off to a less-than-inspiring start by missing the first turn of the trail from Royalston Road into the woods. Luckily BrianW, who was with us only to the top of Tully Mountain, noticed the lack of blazes and got us back onto the trail. Tully Mountain, the first big hill of the day at a towering 1,163 feet, offered excellent views to the east. We could see the top of Monadnock hidden in the clouds, the Wapack ridge, and Wachusett. BarrySr decided to turn around at Tully Mountain with Brian due to allergy problems. Unfortunately for Barry, we'd left our lunches locked in a car at the northern crossing of 32. Barry generously offered his lunch to the remaining hikers. We later found that it included a stack of Oreos!
As we continued Jade's amazing hiker-dog Carmen, who must be part mountain goat, led us astray several times but we managed to keep finding the yellow blazes. The two other view points marked on the map on the west side of 32 have either grown in or were located on side trails that we didn't see. In one sparsely blazed stretch, Cantdog's trail finding skills honed in her quest of the NEHH kept us headed in the right direction. We found some cellar holes and an old well along with newer evidence of humans, including an upside down old car missing every part that could be stripped (was that a VW something?), and what looked to be a squatters camp complete with rug and desk chair.
We got to the northern crossing of route 32 and recovered our lunches from the car. We layered up to stay warm while taking the only long break of the day. We got moving again pretty quickly since it was chilly to keep sitting. As we crossed the bridge in front of the shelter, Carmen took a quick dip. We admired the brook, the rock formations, and especially Royalston Falls. We regrouped at the crossing of Route 68. Again, there were several stream crossings that Carmen took advantage of. Little did we know what Mother Nature had in store for us...
In the area marked as boggy near the transmission lines, the rains and beavers have been hard at work since I originally scouted the area a month ago. We discovered the worst stretch as Carmen ran ahead. She hopped onto a puncheon then immediately off as it swam beneath her slight weight. The puncheons were no longer firmly on the ground, they were afloat! Several times Carmen was a willing canary as we picked our way through this area. Those with boots were able to keep their feet dry. This area could be gotten around if you stay on route 68 at the crossing, and continue south on 68 'til the Tully Trail nears 68 again. It was very interesting to see how much this area had changed in just a month or so.
Then we scaled the last hill of the day. The trail was easy to follow under the transmission lines. There were beautiful views toward the north. The skies still looked threatening. We didn't stop long because we kept imagining thunder. We took another food break at the next view point which overlooks Long Pond. Food was shared among all, except the well-mannered Carmen who doesn't beg. We continued southward along the ridge, then descended the ridge on the newly relocated Tully Trail on the north side of Spirit Falls. Be careful at the top of Spirit Falls - all trails are blazed yellow! From there it was another few flat and easy miles to our cars. The best wildlife sighting of the day occurred when Cantdog helped me retrieve my car from Newton Cemetery. We saw a red fox cross the road.
All in all, a thumbs up. Had I known about the boggy area getting worse, I'd've brought dry socks for afterwards.
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