Today I took a mid-afternoon break from reading and writing, writing and reading to venture up one of the leafy trails on Mount Wachusett. Warm temperatures lured many hikers (and their dogs!) outdoors to enjoy the clear blue skies and views from the summit. Saturday's rain courtesy of Hurricane Noel washed away the atmospheric haze and revealing Boston skyline, to the east and Mount Monadnock to the north. These days Wachusett draws thousands of visitors. The summit is accessible also accessible by car. One of the most famous people to walk up this "monadnock" was Henry David Thoreau. In 1843 Thoreau and a friend walked the distance from Concord to the summit to take in the vista. In a line from his essay "Walk to Wachusett," he writes, "From the foundation of a wooden observatory, which was formerly erected on the highest point, forming a rude hollow structure of stone, a dozen feet in diameter, and five or six in height, we could see Monadnock, in simple grandeur, in the northwest, rising nearly a thousand feet higher, still the far blue mountain." They camped overnight and ate wild blueberries and milk, and read Virgil and Wordsworth by the light of the moon. There is no camping now but the mountain trails are accessible throughout the year.
The Department of Conversation and Recreation (DCR) posts maps in pdf to state parks and reservations online. DCR offers a Wachusett Mountain Trail Map in a printable version or for more information on the regional history, geology, and advice on hiking, you can stop by the John Hitchcock Visitor Center
So hit the trail and enjoy autumn!
Clair
Photo: Monadnock from Wachusett
