Mountain Quest: Crow Hills

Today's adventure began at historic Redemption Rock in Princeton, MA. I departed my car at 1 pm, with a long-sleeve thermal weave shirt under my brown sweatshirt. Since the temperature was in the high 40's, I had more clothing: thick over the calf socks, with gloves and a t-shirt (in case I needed a 3rd layer) in my backpack. Since Crow Hills isn't a mountain per se (it's a twin-peaked glacial cliff), the hike was a little different than the previous two: It was 3 miles of gradual ups & downs in, then a steep vertical climb, and then 3 miles back. The other two trips were both under 4 miles, but steeper grades overall.

I felt in better shape because of all the prior legwork, which was nice. I am proud to say that except for the vertical climb, I didn't stop once to catch my breath. It was cold out, but not uncomfortably so (I even took off my ball cap a few times to cool down), and the scenery was spectacular. There was a wide variety of tree species (oak, maple, birch, etc...), the leaves of each changing at their own nature-dictated pace. And there wasn't another human in sight the entire three hours I spent walking and taking pictures. Amazing.

It's funny, often there are times I notice that I have what must be a stupid grin on my face when I am doing these hikes/climbs. It's the mix of sunshine, exertion, and fresh air of New England. I was thinking to myself that as much as I love the smell of the ocean, I'd gladly give that up for life if I had to choose between the sea and inland New England in the fall.

Once I got to the summit, I ate an apple (as is my tradition), and as I headed down, the music on my iPod that I chose to listen to this time was The Mark Zaleski Band's self-titled album. It took me 80 minutes to get to the top, and 50 minutes to make the return trip. Total distance traveled: 6 miles round-trip plus and additional several hundred feet (I can't find an exact number anywhere!) vertically up and down, between each 3-mile leg. What a day...

The next few climbs on my planned list before Old Man Winter says "No more!" are Mt. Greylock, Mt. Monadnock, and one of the peaks near Bennington, VT, so I can hit the museum there too. Plus I am going to Yosemite with my youngest brother next week when I am in northern CA, so I will add at least one more while I am out there!