Mountain Quest: Wachusett

I climbed the Mountain House Trail on Mt. Wachusett this afternoon. I had on jeans, sturdy black sneakers with socks, a bright yellow t-shirt, and a sweatshirt tied around my waist in case the summit was a lot colder than the base. I had a backpack containing: a bottle of water, a small bit of food, my digital camera, my iPod, my cellphone, a sketchpad, a pencil & sharpener. I forgot a baseball cap for my shaved head, but it wasn't missed. The climb is .9 miles long, with a vertical ascent of 740 feet from the entry point. It was an intermediate challenge to go up the trail (since I haven't climbed any mountains in well over a decade, or any stairs for that matter, since I moved from my last apartment back at the end of May), with several stops to catch my breath and drink some water. I only met one person on the way up, an older (late 50's-early 60's) gentleman who, I found out during our quick exchange of pleasantries, does this kind of climb rather frequently, as he passed me during one of my rests, and got to the top before I did. The ascent took me 40 minutes, which isn't bad at all I think.

Once I was at the top I rested for a bit, basked in the late afternoon sun, took many pictures, and ate a small repast of almonds and an apple. The sun was shining, the strong breeze was invigorating, and for the most part, I had the summit to myself for a good 15 minutes, before the 'after work' crowd slowly trickled up. Just before I headed down I listened to "Surry Hospitality" (a little Almanac Mountain on Wachusett Mountain - ba-DUM-chh!), and then was motivated on my descent by a chunk of Abbie Barrett's "Dying Day" album on my iPod. What a fun first climb in my Autumn 2010 Mountain Quest series!

Next week: either Mt. Watatic in Ashburnham, MA or a peak local to Bennington, VT if I decide to hit the museum there (thus fulfilling two series entries with one road trip!).