With all the recent snow and radar loops showing a snow band pluming over S. Vt. and N. Mass. Friday night and Sat., my friend Bob and I decided to take advantage of an opportunity Tues. March 2,2010 to ski the Thunderbolt Trail on Mt. Greylock, Ma.. Bob had been one of my original compatriots back in 2000 on our inaugural visit.
We left the park and ride lot on the Merritt and drove straight up Rt.8 to Adams Ma., where we stopped for a very nice breakfast at the "Miss Adams Diner", and proceeded to the parking spot at the junction of Gould and Theil Rd.'s. As we drove thru town the sign on the bank read 34 degrees. We decided to park and boot up there as Theil rd. was still snowpacked. We could have driven down as it was frozen but decided against that because we figured as the day warmed the snow would melt and become a deep mucky mess from which we would not be able to extricate ourselves.
So we proceeded to ski down Theil Rd. and turned left at the base until we came to a well cut and seemingly groomed track marked "to Thunderbolt and Bellows Pipe". This seemed to me a new trail as it went up thru the old Greylock Glen ski area. We put our skins on there and proceeded to skin up. After awhile we jumped off and started to follow a fresh snowshoe track just for the tour. Just as we topped out of the Glen where the Thunderbolt and Bellows Pipe cross we saw three skiers and a dog come down the Thunderbolt. They must have gotten a very early start. It was around 10:30am and the snow was already soft and mushy down low.
We continued on up the Bellows Pipe trail to the lean-to that is about 15min. up the trail. There we took a break and I shoveled the snow off of the front of the lean-to so it would dry out. This is a very well placed shelter and resting point as the trail steepens above. But the skinning was easy as the snow was soft and grippy, so we made good time to the ridge line where the Bellows Pipe links up with the AT trail to continue on to the summit. At this point (and for the upper section of the Bellows Pipe) the trees were covered in icy snow and bending low across the trail. The sun was dazzling brightly and melting was releasing snow bombs constantly all around us and sometimes on us too! The sight and sounds of this was spectacular and reminds one of why we spend time in the wilderness.
From this point It is a short distance to where the Thunderbolt drops down at "the Big Bend" and an easy jaunt on to the summit cabin. Arriving at the cabin we found both doors open and snow pouring into the cabin. I was amazed and chagrined to think that with all the traffic it sees that no one had done any housekeeping. So out came the shovel again. I was able to dig out the southern door and shut it. As I dug out the eastern door a stench hit me and I realized that the beer and party crowd had been using this doorway as an urinal. The snow was yellow and frozen hard. I abandoned the project dismayed.
After a leisurely lunch and a lengthy safety discussion, we headed down. The fine job of trail maintenance and trimming done earlier this year by the Mt. Greylock club became immediately apparent on the section between the cabin and the road. It has been widened and is eminently skiable. With a hop over the road we schussed to the "Big Bend" . Where as the section we had just traversed was rather flat with heavy snow the trail now drops down off the ridge in a nice pitch, steep enough to make real turns. We proceeded down each pitch. The trail had seen much traffic over the weekend and was ski packed in the middle. If you stayed in the middle packed zone the skiing was not to bad, but stray off the track onto the sides and you became mired in the glop. It look inviting off to the sides but... We schussed down across the new bridge and down the trail. At a point where the trail follows into the creek gully we hiked a short way back up the ridge on a snowmobile trail back over to the old Greylock Glen ski area. But the pitch thru the meadows was to shallow and we ended up skiing down the same trail that we had ascended earlier in the day. The snow was so sticky at this point we did not need our skins and it was a kick and glide back to the car. A most successful day all in all.
The amount of work and effort that was done to this trail is truly amazing. There is no grass or pricker brush impeding the way top to bottom! And with the addition of the bridge over the creek makes for a pleasant run top to bottom. The Club and all that contributed their time and effort deserve kudo's for a job well done!
We left the park and ride lot on the Merritt and drove straight up Rt.8 to Adams Ma., where we stopped for a very nice breakfast at the "Miss Adams Diner", and proceeded to the parking spot at the junction of Gould and Theil Rd.'s. As we drove thru town the sign on the bank read 34 degrees. We decided to park and boot up there as Theil rd. was still snowpacked. We could have driven down as it was frozen but decided against that because we figured as the day warmed the snow would melt and become a deep mucky mess from which we would not be able to extricate ourselves.
So we proceeded to ski down Theil Rd. and turned left at the base until we came to a well cut and seemingly groomed track marked "to Thunderbolt and Bellows Pipe". This seemed to me a new trail as it went up thru the old Greylock Glen ski area. We put our skins on there and proceeded to skin up. After awhile we jumped off and started to follow a fresh snowshoe track just for the tour. Just as we topped out of the Glen where the Thunderbolt and Bellows Pipe cross we saw three skiers and a dog come down the Thunderbolt. They must have gotten a very early start. It was around 10:30am and the snow was already soft and mushy down low.
We continued on up the Bellows Pipe trail to the lean-to that is about 15min. up the trail. There we took a break and I shoveled the snow off of the front of the lean-to so it would dry out. This is a very well placed shelter and resting point as the trail steepens above. But the skinning was easy as the snow was soft and grippy, so we made good time to the ridge line where the Bellows Pipe links up with the AT trail to continue on to the summit. At this point (and for the upper section of the Bellows Pipe) the trees were covered in icy snow and bending low across the trail. The sun was dazzling brightly and melting was releasing snow bombs constantly all around us and sometimes on us too! The sight and sounds of this was spectacular and reminds one of why we spend time in the wilderness.
From this point It is a short distance to where the Thunderbolt drops down at "the Big Bend" and an easy jaunt on to the summit cabin. Arriving at the cabin we found both doors open and snow pouring into the cabin. I was amazed and chagrined to think that with all the traffic it sees that no one had done any housekeeping. So out came the shovel again. I was able to dig out the southern door and shut it. As I dug out the eastern door a stench hit me and I realized that the beer and party crowd had been using this doorway as an urinal. The snow was yellow and frozen hard. I abandoned the project dismayed.
After a leisurely lunch and a lengthy safety discussion, we headed down. The fine job of trail maintenance and trimming done earlier this year by the Mt. Greylock club became immediately apparent on the section between the cabin and the road. It has been widened and is eminently skiable. With a hop over the road we schussed to the "Big Bend" . Where as the section we had just traversed was rather flat with heavy snow the trail now drops down off the ridge in a nice pitch, steep enough to make real turns. We proceeded down each pitch. The trail had seen much traffic over the weekend and was ski packed in the middle. If you stayed in the middle packed zone the skiing was not to bad, but stray off the track onto the sides and you became mired in the glop. It look inviting off to the sides but... We schussed down across the new bridge and down the trail. At a point where the trail follows into the creek gully we hiked a short way back up the ridge on a snowmobile trail back over to the old Greylock Glen ski area. But the pitch thru the meadows was to shallow and we ended up skiing down the same trail that we had ascended earlier in the day. The snow was so sticky at this point we did not need our skins and it was a kick and glide back to the car. A most successful day all in all.
The amount of work and effort that was done to this trail is truly amazing. There is no grass or pricker brush impeding the way top to bottom! And with the addition of the bridge over the creek makes for a pleasant run top to bottom. The Club and all that contributed their time and effort deserve kudo's for a job well done!
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