Gap Mountain

It's a holiday!  Even though we've already been plenty busy this Columbus Day weekend, there's still time to squeeze in one more hiking adventure.  It will just be Betsy & me today and we need to be home in time for Betsy to teach afternoon lessons.  I check out my Southern New Hampshire Hiking Guide and find an "easier" hike less than an hour away.  This one is called Gap Mountain in Troy, NH.

  

There are two approaches to climb to the summit of Gap Mountain.  We opt for the one from the north parking lot because the book says that it is a little less steep in the approach.

It's always a good idea to double check the directions and trail maps before hitting the trail.

See?  We just have to follow the white rectangular blazes to get to our destination.

The treckking poles really help when you have to ford a stream.

Yes, lots of green still on the trees, but lots and lots of leaves falling, too.

You'd think this would be the top with a flag planted here, but as it turns out, it was just a false summit.  Some other hikers who we started with turned around here without knowing they missed the summit.

Finally we see lots of fall colors.  But the haze persists, so we aren't able to see
 the top of Mount Monadnock to the east.

Here's the proof that we we really did make it to the top.

We had to hoof it back down the mountain, since as I mentioned, the Music Studio of Betsy Fiedler did not take this as a holiday.  We worked up a sweat, but we made it with a little time to spare.  Our adventure today was 2.66 miles with an elevation gain of 817 feet.  I promised Betsy it would be less of climb than Wachusett, but it turns out it was only 200' less.  

I've included the elevation chart, so you can see it pretty much up then down.  Next time, maybe I'll try the approach from the south to compare.

Mountain Meadow Preserve & Field Farm

The next stop on our Columbus Day Weekend explorations will be to western Massachusetts and some Trustees properties that until now, have remained unvisited.  In fact, in 34 years living in New England, we have never ventured this far west on Rt. 2.  Today's the day we change that.  For company, we bring along my parents, and for them, I choose a mostly flat easy-going trail.  

Even though it is part of the Trustees of Reservations in this state, he Mountain Meadow Preserve actually straddles the Massachusetts-Vermont border.  We actually drive up a dirt road out of Massachusetts into a parking lot in Vermont.

Being a little uncertain of where we may find our next meal, Betsy wisely packs lunches for everybody.
Believe or not, we were not the only people finding this remote parking lot.   There was one other car and several other dog-walking locals who visited while we were here.  

Now fortified, it's off on to the trail, trekking poles in hand.

Although hiking in Vermont, we're just a few steps away from walking back into Massachusetts.

You could say that I'm "out-standing in my field."
I won't, but you could :)

The trail signage was very good.  The trick was to avoid looping on the same trail over and over.

Of course we did make it out, and here's the property marker proving we were there.

You'll be glad to know my mid-80 year old parents survived this 1.11 mile hike.  The elevation gain was extremely modest 99 feet.

Afterward, we still had some time as the gray skies continued to clear.  We headed next to Field Farm, another property of the Trustees, less than 15 minutes away.  The property consists two architecturally interesting houses one of which is a guest house (B&B) and the other now a small museum.

The color-soaked Berkshire mountains provide a sweeping backdrop to the beautiful manicured grounds surrounding the houses.

This house had a silo built right into the exterior.

I crossed two Trustees properties off my list, but there's still more to see in this corner of the state.  Mount Greylock (the highest peak in Massachusetts) was just a little further drive to the south.  We had to choose between going there and going for ice cream back in Williamstown.  You can probably guess where we wound up.  Yum.

Visit to Apex Orchards

Yankee Magazine, Sept/Oct 2021

One of the fun things about living in New England, is that you can visit a lot of the cool places you see in the pages of Yankee Magazine (see our visit to Lobster Landing in Clinton, CT).  This past month I read a story about Apex Orchards in Shelburne, MA where a cooperative approach was able to keep a family farming tradition "growing" strong..  In the photo at right, Courtney poses with Tim, the 7th generation co-owner.  As co-owner, she now  manages the hill top orchard while Tim continues to drive the tractor.

I  recalled my experiences as a teenager working at Highland Orchards outside West Chester, PA, and resolved to visit Apex on my next visit to western Massachusetts.  I was inspired by the story so on our visit I thought a similar photo would be appropriate (below).

Not far from I-91, the orchard sits atop a hill affording stunning views in three directions.  Mount Monadnock can even be seen to the northeast.

Thanks, Courtney, for taking time out of your busy Saturday to chat with me.  I wish you both all the best.