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I'm thinking of doing a week or so on the AT in MA in early August. What's the best section to do? How are the bugs?!
Thanks,
Stump
terrapin_too
04-01-2007, 10:05
I'm thinking of doing a week or so on the AT in MA in early August. What's the best section to do? How are the bugs?!
Thanks,
Stump
The bugs are starting to die out by August. If you're in any kind of shape, you should be able to do the whole AT in MA in a week, easily. Most thrus probably push through MA in five days or less. The central section is really quite flat -- from, say, Rte. 20 to Cheshire. Greylock is the highest peak, and not all that high. But nice views, and Bascom Lodge up on top.
If you are planing to hike in Mass. include a stop at Upper Goose Pond. You won't be sorry you did. Nice cabin, on a great swimming pond, sleep indoors and a pancake breakfast with coffee. You can't beat that for any hike.:)
terrapin_too
04-01-2007, 14:26
If you are planing to hike in Mass. include a stop at Upper Goose Pond. You won't be sorry you did. Nice cabin, on a great swimming pond, sleep indoors and a pancake breakfast with coffee. You can't beat that for any hike.:)
I showed up at the cabin late in the morning, having camped in the woods a few miles south. There was a stack of mildly burnt pancakes on the table on the porch. They looked like they were there for the taking. As I was thinking about it, the caretaker came out and said to me, "A real hiker would eat those." That was all the encouragement I needed. They were gone a minute or two later. Yum.
I'm thinking of doing a week or so on the AT in MA in early August. What's the best section to do? How are the bugs?!
Thanks,
Stump
It all depends on how many miles per day you plan to do. All of Mass can be done in a week if you are a fast hiker or like to put in long days on the trail. If you want to give yourself more time to enjoy the hike and the camping, you can break it into two trips (north and south). The southern section is fairly gentle and scenic. In the north, Greylock is the only significant elevation gain, but it is not too bad and the climb is gradual.
Chef2000
04-01-2007, 19:13
The Massachusetts AT can be done in a week easy, be aware that Bascom lodge is closed this year as well as all road access to Greylock. The state is rebuilding all roads to Greylock summit.
I'm thinking of doing a week or so on the AT in MA in early August. What's the best section to do? How are the bugs?!
Thanks,
Stump
August is a wonderful time to do southern, NE, The bug situation, can never be predicted. It changes annually. But once I did the trails in Connecticut and Massachsetts, I was pleasantly surprised. I skipped them in "93 because I wanted Katahdin before snow made it unavailable.
But when I went back in '95 to pickup missed sections needed for an ATC patch, I found the two states to be an easy and delightful hike with many merits of its own, compared with more popular AT sections.
Weary
I'm thinking of doing a week or so on the AT in MA in early August. What's the best section to do? How are the bugs?!
Thanks,
Stump
Thanks, all, for the help! I guess I'll start in the south and go north!
Stump