Today at 4:30 pm I began Mountain Quest 2011 with a repeat of last year’s first climb. I went up the Mountain House Trail, and though it was very muddy from the week’s rain, I made the ascent in a swift 36 minutes. There were a lot of people on the trail (there were ten cars in the lot when I parked), but they were all headed down so I didn't get passed on the way up like I did last year. The final short portion of the trail above the summit road was closed for construction, so I hoofed it up the tarry surface to the top, which was dominated by a huge fenced-in area full of holes, digging vehicles and other non-naturey eyesores. I spent ten minutes or so enjoying the view (both Boston and Worcester were easily seen on the eastern and southern horizons, respectively), taking a few photographs, and reading while I ate an apple and drank some much-needed water.
The descent took a startlingly swift 28 minutes. It felt like I hadn’t even made a climb today. On the way down as I listened to Ambrosia, England Dan & John Ford Coley, and Train on my iPod I passed several sets of dogs and their owners making a sunset ascent. I ended the afternoon down at the lake, where I floated in the middle of the water for a half hour, and then read my book (Dewey Lambdin’s “
Jester’s Fortune“) for another half hour as I dried off. The sunset was amazing, as always, and I drove home tired and content, from an honest day’s outdoor exertions…
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