Date(s) Hiked: July 2, 2005
Trail(s) Hiked: Wapack South and Kidder Mountain Spur.
Total Distance: 5.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Conditions: Trail was wet in some places, buggy on Conant Hill.
Special Required Equipment: Map, bug spray.
Trip Report: WAPACK TRAIL SOUTH TO KIDDER MOUNTAIN
Though not nearly as interesting as the hike that we had done to the top of North Pack Monadnock earlier in the day, this section of Wapack was still one that we had to hike for our ‘end to end’ mission. We parked in the small lot off of Temple Road in Sharon (across from the Temple Mountain S trailhead) and walked down the road to the trailhead which was .4 miles to the south. Along the way we passed a barbecue a trampoline party :O
This section of the Wapack follows an eroded woods road for 1.6 miles or so crossing by a nice pond complete with a ”root beer crossing”. From here, the road/trail angles upwards over Conant Hill. Unfortunately, the stream to our left made for a nice mosquito breeding ground and we were attacked for about 15-20 mins before we came to the Wildcat Hill Commune :O ? The folks of this little community live off the land and enjoy a nice small pond that we had lunch beside. The folks that we met were friendly. After eating by the pond, we hit the trail which skirted alongside the Wildcat woodlot before passing through some nice shade. Within minutes, we were at the powerline clearing and the spur that leads 1 mile up to Kidder Mountain.
By now the afternoon sun was beaming down on us and heating things up. Like the last time we ascended Kidder, the sun and lack of wind made the short hike up a real slog. The trail is cool though—having been laid out by the founder of the Appalachian Trail, Kidder features some sections of fern-lined trail before opening up to the summit area, which is an old blueberry patch that offers spectacular views south toward the southern end of the Wapack (Watatic, Barrett, New Ipswich Mountains) as well as a glimpse of distant Boston. :blink:
A recent clear cut at the very top also offers a nice view of Grand Monadnock. We relaxed up here while I took several photos of the top including this cool shot of the stonewall at the top with the brick mill building in New Ipswich. 
We shared the top with another gentleman who was enjoying the views. By and large, this appears to be a local favorite with many folks not knowing about it. The trail was well traveled, but not over-run. Kidder offers nice local views and a charm that her crowded neighbors of Wachusett, Monadnock, and Watatic lack on busy days.
After resting and reapplying our bug spray, we began our descent which was easy. The afternoon breeze was cooling things down and the bugs did not seem as bad, partly because we were moving faster and descending down Conant Hill. We made it back to our car in good time, having hiked both this and the North Pack Monadnock trail, we had done about 10 miles for today. The only piece of the Wapack that we have left to do is the section from Nutting Hill to Stony Top, which we hope to do later this month.
Here are the rest of my photos for this hike.
Trail(s) Hiked: Wapack South and Kidder Mountain Spur.
Total Distance: 5.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Conditions: Trail was wet in some places, buggy on Conant Hill.
Special Required Equipment: Map, bug spray.
Trip Report: WAPACK TRAIL SOUTH TO KIDDER MOUNTAIN
Though not nearly as interesting as the hike that we had done to the top of North Pack Monadnock earlier in the day, this section of Wapack was still one that we had to hike for our ‘end to end’ mission. We parked in the small lot off of Temple Road in Sharon (across from the Temple Mountain S trailhead) and walked down the road to the trailhead which was .4 miles to the south. Along the way we passed a barbecue a trampoline party :O
This section of the Wapack follows an eroded woods road for 1.6 miles or so crossing by a nice pond complete with a ”root beer crossing”. From here, the road/trail angles upwards over Conant Hill. Unfortunately, the stream to our left made for a nice mosquito breeding ground and we were attacked for about 15-20 mins before we came to the Wildcat Hill Commune :O ? The folks of this little community live off the land and enjoy a nice small pond that we had lunch beside. The folks that we met were friendly. After eating by the pond, we hit the trail which skirted alongside the Wildcat woodlot before passing through some nice shade. Within minutes, we were at the powerline clearing and the spur that leads 1 mile up to Kidder Mountain.
By now the afternoon sun was beaming down on us and heating things up. Like the last time we ascended Kidder, the sun and lack of wind made the short hike up a real slog. The trail is cool though—having been laid out by the founder of the Appalachian Trail, Kidder features some sections of fern-lined trail before opening up to the summit area, which is an old blueberry patch that offers spectacular views south toward the southern end of the Wapack (Watatic, Barrett, New Ipswich Mountains) as well as a glimpse of distant Boston. :blink:
A recent clear cut at the very top also offers a nice view of Grand Monadnock. We relaxed up here while I took several photos of the top including this cool shot of the stonewall at the top with the brick mill building in New Ipswich. We shared the top with another gentleman who was enjoying the views. By and large, this appears to be a local favorite with many folks not knowing about it. The trail was well traveled, but not over-run. Kidder offers nice local views and a charm that her crowded neighbors of Wachusett, Monadnock, and Watatic lack on busy days.
After resting and reapplying our bug spray, we began our descent which was easy. The afternoon breeze was cooling things down and the bugs did not seem as bad, partly because we were moving faster and descending down Conant Hill. We made it back to our car in good time, having hiked both this and the North Pack Monadnock trail, we had done about 10 miles for today. The only piece of the Wapack that we have left to do is the section from Nutting Hill to Stony Top, which we hope to do later this month.
Here are the rest of my photos for this hike.
