Bushnell, Everett & Race from At & Route 41 junction

[Mike P.]

b]Date(s) Hiked:[/b] 10-292-2006

Trails(s) Hiked: AT, race Brook Falls

Total Distance:10.3 hike 4.1 bike ride

Difficulty: moderate

Conditions: cold, windy, wet but not bad considering rain yesterday, occasional snow flurry, bottom crossing of Race Brook required getting wet of being very careful

Special Required Equipment: None, nothing you wouldn't normally carry in late October, a bike if you were going to do the same trip sicne you can't park along Route 41 where the AT crosses.

Trip Report: I was supposed to head to Franconia Ridge yesterday in the storm & decided to wait a day & head some place closer to home. This was perfect. Got To Race Brook Falls at 6:30 & then road my bike 4.1 miles to the AT junction of Route 41 in Ergmont, MA. No place to park cars but I found a place to lock the bike. Right away I saw a red tail hawk & a coyote, first hikers I came across was on Everett. They passed me on the way down & did not see anyone until I headed down Race Brook was had been relocated up top since I was there last in 2004. (saw plenty of people on the Race Brook trail.) Here is a picture of the falls on Sunday afte the rain:

img]http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery/data/604/medium/Race_Brook_Falls.jpg[/img]

First time on Jug End & Mt. Bushnell in over 10 years, forgot how neat these places are, underrated compared to some other places on the South Taconic plateau. Jug End would be super foliage spot. Did get one nice foliage shot while on the bike, low shoulder of Race full of oaks with early AM sun providing color you typically don't get from oaks.

 

[threecy]

What's Bushnell like vs. Everett/Race?

 

[Mike P.]

I can only really guess at which bump along the ridge is the summit, I believe (as I did back in 1995) that it's actually wooded. The AT crosses it though looking at the maps. B

Back in 1995 (the winter in CT was virtually snow free) we also bushwhacked off the AT to what we guessed was the Undine summit. (From AT bushwhack generally west up short nut steep terrain, the summit is plateau like & wooded, in mid March you could see through trees, we found what appeared to be highspot on the plateau

From the time you break out into the open on Jug End until just before the Bushnell summit though teh ridge has several wide open views. From the usual trailhead for Jug End, it's maybe a mile to the first wide open view, the trail climbs pretty good to get there, similar to Brace but that means you get there quicker. The view North to Greylock is great from Jug End. The other views encompass Greylock most of the time & point generally east with a few to the west also.

The ridge walk is similar to Bear when you get the first views, sometimes you have a view, sometimes you don't. Saw blueberry plants too.

It's still fresh in my mind since it was yesterday & i have not been to Alander but I'd list my top five summits & Ridges in this area as:

Race (including the cliff walk south of the summit)
Brace (west side of ridge so Catskills right in front of you & the view from the East is the more impressive view of the Cats
Bushnell & Jug End
Everett (probably more because of the height, more views on Bear)
Round (The summit area is kind of neat, IMO)

Then

Bear
Frissell, When the leaves are off the trees, (from memory) the walk from Brace to the summit has a lot of open views

I want to do Alander with Bish Bash & driving there from CT is longer than going to all the other peaks on the Riga Plateau.