Back to Hampden and a bit more "attempt" at piecing together the Old Simon's Run. Weather was bad, 40-degrees and pretty heavy rain during the drive to South Road. Once I arrived, the rain sort of stopped, and I was on my way.
I parked adjacent to where we would exit onto South Road at the most southern point... the trail still looked like it was being used by motorbikes at least occasionally. I followed through the mud, brier, and water further than I thought I should have, and came upon a busy intersection and a house up on the western most portion of a hill. I stuck with the northern route, placing the southern option in my memory bank for another day,
This intersection was the climb up to Pine Mountain, and it did not look familiar to me until I was at the top. Truthfully, we always navigated this course in the opposite direction of what I was doing today, and it has been about 20-years since I was on it. I guess this explains my lack of noticing.
So, the good news is the other option at the base of this climb should bring me to Rattlesnake, or in the general vicinity. That gets me across from the Camp Ayapo trails from yesterday's run.
Sticking north, I dropped off Pine, and from the top down the north-side it was totally familiar. I thought about the Wednesday night run long ago in a tremendous Thunder and Lightning storm, with huge chunks of hail tormenting us and lightning crashing right around the group. God Bless Tippi for hanging in with me during that night.
Up 880, which I remembered well, but down the north-side seemed a little different. Toward the bottom it was really different, and I have to also admit that we always ran this in the summer with leaf on the trees. The forest was open and bare today.
Exited on South Road exactly where I had hoped to, across from the power-lines heading up the Minnechoag Mountain Trails. The old Simon's Route is really coming together.
Once back at the car, I headed a bit more south on the road to see if I could spot the re-entry into the woods to join the Skyline Trail, but it began to rain hard again and I called it a day with a little over 5-miles total. A wonderful, rewarding day.
On the top of 880, looking at Pine Mountain to the south
Foundation along South Road
