Date(s) Hiked:
Saturday April 8, 2006
11am - 6:30 pm
Trails(s) Hiked:
Hopper Trail from Hopper Road to Overlook Trail to the summit. AT from the summit to Money Brook Trail.
Total Distance:
11 miles? we took a slight shortcut off an excellent trip report (http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~wilsonm/hiking/greylock.html) that said it was 12 miles
Difficulty:
Moderately Strenuous. just a long day, more than anything.
Conditions:
Hopper Trail was muddy but easily navigated. Overlook was icy, especially the last 1/2 mile to the summit, but there was enough snow & rock patches to ascend without the need for any gear.
Special Required Equipment:
none used.
Trip Report:
Karen (26), myself (30), Isobel (7 year old lab/rott/beagle mix), and Kona (6 year Alaskan Malamute) left out of West Roxbury, MA and made it to the trail head in about 3 hours. saw little rain and the clouds lifting as we headed west so we felt confident with the weather.
got on the trail right at 11 and headed up the Hopper Trail. pretty consistent grade, but the dogs were excited & eager to pull so we obliged. Made it to Sperry Campground in just over an hour so we stopped for lunch. It was below freezing so I relayered and continued on. We switched to the Overlook Trail from Sperry.
Overlook was a good choice, as we were treated to several beautiful vistas of the valley as well as several bear tracks in the snow. Two bears, pretty recently, heading away from the summit on Overlook. About halfway up Overlook, the bear tracks stopped. The trail was wet, muddy, and icy, but was easily manageable. I got wet due to impatience more than anything. The last 1/2 mile to the summit was mostly ice and required the most caution of any section of the trail.
The summit was a real treat, with views in every direction. We finished lunch and headed back down the AT. Our only regret was hitting the Robinson's Point side trail. Trail was extremely icy and frustrating with the dogs, and the vista, while very nice, was not any more spectacular than what we had seen from Overlook or the summit. we're spoiled.
We took a shortcut off the AT before Mt Williams onto Old Summit to get on the Money Brook trail a little sooner. Money Brook Falls were raging! We continued the descent through the valley on Money Brook. By the time we reached the car, the clouds had lifted, blue sky and sun were all around, and just made for a beautiful sight with the fields and summits in the background.
we're all sore this morning, but this was one of the best hikes we''ve ever done. It's long, but none of the inclines or declines are that intense. The entire trail varies in terms of views and plants & rock types. There's lots of rocks, but also plenty of dirt & leaf stretches to relieve your joints. The falls are nice, and the Money Brook metronome practically walks you the whole way down! highly recommended hike.
Saturday April 8, 2006
11am - 6:30 pm
Trails(s) Hiked:
Hopper Trail from Hopper Road to Overlook Trail to the summit. AT from the summit to Money Brook Trail.
Total Distance:
11 miles? we took a slight shortcut off an excellent trip report (http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~wilsonm/hiking/greylock.html) that said it was 12 miles
Difficulty:
Moderately Strenuous. just a long day, more than anything.
Conditions:
Hopper Trail was muddy but easily navigated. Overlook was icy, especially the last 1/2 mile to the summit, but there was enough snow & rock patches to ascend without the need for any gear.
Special Required Equipment:
none used.
Trip Report:
Karen (26), myself (30), Isobel (7 year old lab/rott/beagle mix), and Kona (6 year Alaskan Malamute) left out of West Roxbury, MA and made it to the trail head in about 3 hours. saw little rain and the clouds lifting as we headed west so we felt confident with the weather.
got on the trail right at 11 and headed up the Hopper Trail. pretty consistent grade, but the dogs were excited & eager to pull so we obliged. Made it to Sperry Campground in just over an hour so we stopped for lunch. It was below freezing so I relayered and continued on. We switched to the Overlook Trail from Sperry.
Overlook was a good choice, as we were treated to several beautiful vistas of the valley as well as several bear tracks in the snow. Two bears, pretty recently, heading away from the summit on Overlook. About halfway up Overlook, the bear tracks stopped. The trail was wet, muddy, and icy, but was easily manageable. I got wet due to impatience more than anything. The last 1/2 mile to the summit was mostly ice and required the most caution of any section of the trail.
The summit was a real treat, with views in every direction. We finished lunch and headed back down the AT. Our only regret was hitting the Robinson's Point side trail. Trail was extremely icy and frustrating with the dogs, and the vista, while very nice, was not any more spectacular than what we had seen from Overlook or the summit. we're spoiled.
We took a shortcut off the AT before Mt Williams onto Old Summit to get on the Money Brook trail a little sooner. Money Brook Falls were raging! We continued the descent through the valley on Money Brook. By the time we reached the car, the clouds had lifted, blue sky and sun were all around, and just made for a beautiful sight with the fields and summits in the background.
we're all sore this morning, but this was one of the best hikes we''ve ever done. It's long, but none of the inclines or declines are that intense. The entire trail varies in terms of views and plants & rock types. There's lots of rocks, but also plenty of dirt & leaf stretches to relieve your joints. The falls are nice, and the Money Brook metronome practically walks you the whole way down! highly recommended hike.
