Date(s) Hiked: August 6, 2005
Trails(s) Hiked: Midstate and Wapack Trails
Total Distance: About 9.0 miles
Difficulty: Medium.
Conditions: Dry, bugs at Nutting Place were bad. :x
Special Required Equipment: Good map of area, latest info from the The Wapack Trail Association, bug spray and plenty of water :wink:
Trip Report: As many of you have read, Ms. Trailboss and I have spent the last few years doing pieces of the Wapack Trail including Kidder,, the interesting Pack Monadnocks (which I have written about our trip up North Pack), Temple Mountain and its ghost ski area, the other ghost ski area of Watatic and the section from NH Route 124 to Stony Top. In total, the trail is 21 miles long.
We got a later start than usual, arriving at the MA 119 Trailhead at about 11am. We geared up and ascended the 1.2 mile section of the Midstate Trail to the Nutting Hill Junction. This piece of trail is an old, eroded woods road and the Wapack cuts off of the trail and ascends Watatic before returning to the Midstate Trail at the Nutting Junction (thus, a nice 3-mile loop of Watatic can be completed which we had hiked twice before). We stopped for a minute at the intersection where the bugs were bad :x before heading north on the Wapack towards the state line.
About 25 minutes after starting, one comes to a recent logging clearing that offers a nice view towards Kidder Mountain and the hills around Manchester.
Be careful here because there are many side trails which a local trail association has constructed, but for the most part the Wapack continues on an obvious old woods road before coming to another road and turning to the right (NNE). After passing through a recent large clearing, which is now a large sandlot, one comes to the Binney Hill Road which the Wapack follows south (left) for a short distance before turning back to the north (right) past an old homestead with evidence of the Wapack's agricultural past. The Wapack was original a trail used by farmers to once move their sheep north from Massachusetts to the hills around Peterborough.
After passing by this old homestead, the trail descends to the shoreline of Binney Pond. After crossing the last inlet via a wooden bridge, the trail enters the Binney Pond State Forest, which is a remote stand of old pine and other softwoods on the western shore of the pond. There was much evidence of beaver and I scared a good sized partridge here.
Immediately after catching the glimpses of the pond, the trail angles to the west, crosses a spur to a spring, and begins a short, consistent, steep pitch up Pratt Mountain. This section was about .25 miles long and took about 15 minutes before leading to an opening near the summit and a spur to an unlisted but obvious impressive view over Binney Pond and the surrounding area. We had lunch here and rested...allowing enough time for our shirts to dry. The views were expansive including Watatic, and even the distant Wachusett with its ski trails.
After resting, we headed back to the trail, which was a bit tough to find here because this minor summit is pretty open and the blazes were a bit faded. The trail heads north to the real summit of Pratt Mountain with some nice open sections along the way and views of Pratt Pond as well as impressive previews of what lies ahead. Finally, the trail descends a bit, rolls along the top of Stony Top and its open ridgeline before coming to an impressive overlook which is perched on some flat ledges on the northern shoulder of this ridge (before the col with New Ipswich Mountain).
Here we relaxed and took in the views. We also celebrated the completion of the trail with a Nalgene toast before heading back to MA 119, about 2:15 back in the afternoon sun.
During the entire trek we ran into just 2 people after leaving the Watatic Trail network--I also scared a good sized fox on Stony Top as well. This section is remote and not well trodden, but it is a rewarding trek. :beer:
We did try to do some swimming in nearby Willard State Park, but the pond was closed due to bacterial problems :angry:
In all, the Wapack is an under-rated trail that offers incredible vistas, good ridge walking, varied landscapes, and more room than her northern peers. Definitely worth a visit as opposed to just driving by on your way north. :wink: Now having completed the trail from end-to-end, we look forward to wearing our Wapack Patches with pride.
Oh, and here are the rest of my pics.
Trails(s) Hiked: Midstate and Wapack Trails
Total Distance: About 9.0 miles
Difficulty: Medium.
Conditions: Dry, bugs at Nutting Place were bad. :x
Special Required Equipment: Good map of area, latest info from the The Wapack Trail Association, bug spray and plenty of water :wink:
Trip Report: As many of you have read, Ms. Trailboss and I have spent the last few years doing pieces of the Wapack Trail including Kidder,, the interesting Pack Monadnocks (which I have written about our trip up North Pack), Temple Mountain and its ghost ski area, the other ghost ski area of Watatic and the section from NH Route 124 to Stony Top. In total, the trail is 21 miles long.
We got a later start than usual, arriving at the MA 119 Trailhead at about 11am. We geared up and ascended the 1.2 mile section of the Midstate Trail to the Nutting Hill Junction. This piece of trail is an old, eroded woods road and the Wapack cuts off of the trail and ascends Watatic before returning to the Midstate Trail at the Nutting Junction (thus, a nice 3-mile loop of Watatic can be completed which we had hiked twice before). We stopped for a minute at the intersection where the bugs were bad :x before heading north on the Wapack towards the state line.
About 25 minutes after starting, one comes to a recent logging clearing that offers a nice view towards Kidder Mountain and the hills around Manchester.
Be careful here because there are many side trails which a local trail association has constructed, but for the most part the Wapack continues on an obvious old woods road before coming to another road and turning to the right (NNE). After passing through a recent large clearing, which is now a large sandlot, one comes to the Binney Hill Road which the Wapack follows south (left) for a short distance before turning back to the north (right) past an old homestead with evidence of the Wapack's agricultural past. The Wapack was original a trail used by farmers to once move their sheep north from Massachusetts to the hills around Peterborough. After passing by this old homestead, the trail descends to the shoreline of Binney Pond. After crossing the last inlet via a wooden bridge, the trail enters the Binney Pond State Forest, which is a remote stand of old pine and other softwoods on the western shore of the pond. There was much evidence of beaver and I scared a good sized partridge here.
Immediately after catching the glimpses of the pond, the trail angles to the west, crosses a spur to a spring, and begins a short, consistent, steep pitch up Pratt Mountain. This section was about .25 miles long and took about 15 minutes before leading to an opening near the summit and a spur to an unlisted but obvious impressive view over Binney Pond and the surrounding area. We had lunch here and rested...allowing enough time for our shirts to dry. The views were expansive including Watatic, and even the distant Wachusett with its ski trails.
After resting, we headed back to the trail, which was a bit tough to find here because this minor summit is pretty open and the blazes were a bit faded. The trail heads north to the real summit of Pratt Mountain with some nice open sections along the way and views of Pratt Pond as well as impressive previews of what lies ahead. Finally, the trail descends a bit, rolls along the top of Stony Top and its open ridgeline before coming to an impressive overlook which is perched on some flat ledges on the northern shoulder of this ridge (before the col with New Ipswich Mountain).
Here we relaxed and took in the views. We also celebrated the completion of the trail with a Nalgene toast before heading back to MA 119, about 2:15 back in the afternoon sun.
During the entire trek we ran into just 2 people after leaving the Watatic Trail network--I also scared a good sized fox on Stony Top as well. This section is remote and not well trodden, but it is a rewarding trek. :beer:
We did try to do some swimming in nearby Willard State Park, but the pond was closed due to bacterial problems :angry:
In all, the Wapack is an under-rated trail that offers incredible vistas, good ridge walking, varied landscapes, and more room than her northern peers. Definitely worth a visit as opposed to just driving by on your way north. :wink: Now having completed the trail from end-to-end, we look forward to wearing our Wapack Patches with pride.
Oh, and here are the rest of my pics.
