The Wapack - Hike #4 - Section 1A

Sunday, May 25

It is  unseasonably cold for Memorial Day weekend.  Gray clouds are overhead threatening rain and it is very windy.  Nonetheless, it is a good day to finish up the last segment of my current hiking adventure.  Matt is visiting from Philly for holiday and Nathaniel is home, too.

However, it has been raining hard for a few days, so it is going to be damp.  Muddy, actually.  Muddy with puddles to be more precise.  Fortunately, Mt. Watatic is close by so we can hike and still be home in time for home-cooked baby back ribs.  Barely.

The Wapack into New Hampshire and the Massachusetts Mid-State are co-incidental on most of this hike.  Check back to the Section 1A of last year's Mid-State hike to see how similar picture from both these hikes are.

A family of 6 hikers.  Only Betsy couldn't make it today, but it was just as well, because the hike took a little longer than anticipated.

For now, there is sunshine filtering through the trees shining on this babbling brook.

The excellent trail maintenance (i.e. the rocks) made it much easier to get through some  big puddles.

It doesn't take too long to get to the summit of Mt. Watatic.  However, it's still a mountain  at 1831' and there's a really big cairn at the top.

Part 1 of a 360 degree view from just below the summit.  The far left is due north.

The next 120 degrees sweeps past Mt. Wachusett in the distance, just to the left of center.

Finally a westerly view, with the summit of Mt. Watatic just a 5 minute walk above us (a bit to the right of center).  Notice all the gray clouds whichever way you look.

Here's a  better view of the that same big cairn on the summit of Mt. Watatic.

And zoomed in, the quintessential silhouette of Mt Wachusett, just like the logo from the ski area.  Happily, ski season's only 6 1/2 months away.  

Dominic got a new hat and enjoys many more trail snacks as he walks around the summit.

We're all chilly, but Nathaniel in t-shirt and shorts doesn't notice.  The "branches" graphic on the t-shirt print is a nice touch.

We made it to the state line.  The Mid-State sign is somwhat dilapidated compared to the Wapack sign.

Nathaniel's big hiking stick (actually more like a small tree), allowed him to explore some of the water features (aka hazards)  today.

At Binney Hill Road, I left everybody and hiked the last 1/4 mile to the point where Brian & I started  this trek several weeks earlier.  The sign behind me proves I was there.  Standing here, I have officially finished the Wapack Trail.  Now, we have to walk back to the car.

Matt, Nathaniel and I try an alternate route back:  the State Line Trail.   The large marker in the background is the former end of the Mid-State trail before it was rerouted.

At times it seemed longer, but today's hike covered 6.1 miles for me and 5.6 miles for everybody else.  The total elevation was also respectable:  1000'.  In all, it took us 2:45, and we were a little later than planned for those baby back ribs (sorry).  I'm going blame all the puddles on the trail for slowing us down.

The total mileage for the trail was 24.4 miles over 4 hikes, including the out-and-back on today's hike.

The ultimate prize:  the Wapack Trail Patch.

Stay tuned for another upcoming hiking adventure.  I hope to see you out on the trail soon.