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 o
n 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!).
A little after 5 pm this evening I packed the car with necessities, stopped at the Wachusett Brewery to fill my growler with fresh Larry IPA, and headed down to the lake. I always bring 'too much' to do with me, and so my sketchpad and my book, "The Wreck of the Medusa" both sat neglected. I sunscreened up, filled my pint glass with beer, and proceeded to spend the next hour paddling around the lake and floating in the center of it, watching the sun slowly set as various other watercraft sped or meandered by. There is nothing like staring up at the sky on a dry warm 
evening, the smells of lake water, early autumn breezes, and hop-laden local beer vying for the attention of one's nose. Midway through the sunset I paddled back to shore for a refill, and then headed right back out. What a picture (as you can see!). Afterward I dried off, and then grilled up a trio of hot dogs, to eat in peaceful twilight, before packing up and heading to my sister's house to watch a movie ("Killers") with my 3 nieces and brother in law (she went to a friend's birthday party). Great movie, awesome kids, good ice cream (haha).
