3.4-mile run around the Bridge-Main-Kent-Wisteria-Dylan-Bridge loop.

Late morning drive to Clinton, Massachusetts to visit our niece.

4.4-miles on the Southwick - Suffield Bike Path (Farmington Canal Heritage Trail).

It was a great day to continue on my Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Adventure.  Low temperature as well as low humidity, and the bugs didn't seem to be out either.

My last visit on June 10th had me turning at a brook crossing in the Town of Washington.  Today, I parked on Blotz Road with intentions of traveling to Grange Hall Road.  This would allow me to run through Washington, Hinsdale and Dalton today.

I climbed Warner Hill and Tully Mountain, and actually went a bit past Grange Hall Road to the Barton Brook crossing before turning back, finishing with 11.1-miles.

Looking at Saddleball and Greylock from Warner Hill

Beautiful morning, sixty-degrees and no humidity (or bugs).  

Took another route up Sodom Mountain, this time completing 5-miles. 

Two great discoveries today...

• another balanced / perched rock
• so far, the quickest route to the "top" I've found

Turned around at the rock outlook just north of the cell-tower.

Many new paths again today for the database.

Later on, my appointment with the ortho doc revealed a fracture in my wrist.

Balanced Rock

Off the Ledges, with Cooley Pond in distance

Off the Ledges, with Cooley Pond in distance

Penwood Pinnacle & Heublein Tower in the distance

On this day in 2012, Wuzzam and I completed a Metacomet Marathon, with a time of 7:00:00.  

Tippi ran the first section with us, from Route 20 to Phelps Road, and back (about 10.5-miles). 

Weather report was that heating up was very possible - so DL grabbed Tippi early.  

This was my 48th marathon completed.

Our Route for the Marathon Distance.

First part of the day was picking out and purchasing a new dining room table & chairs combo. 

With the rain present throughout, I thought I'd take a hike on Sodom Mountain, climbing up the old forest road from Route 57.  I followed it up to the gas-line crossing, which was about a mile.  

Felt good, so I continued on a bit of single-track, which looped around itself multiple times before reconnecting.  Good use of my time, as I had not been on this single-track before.  

Ended the day with 4.5-miles.

Granby Land Trust to explore the Mary Edwards Mountain Property and the Godard Preserve.

Completed 5.5-miles in brutal humidity;  or at least it felt that way.

Top of East Hill

Balanced Rock on south sider East Hill

Mary's Rock

... And on this day in 1998, my Pop and I completed the 1st Greylock Centennial Marathon in Adams, Massachusetts.  Our time was 6:55:38.  This was a very difficult course, with 5 lengthy climbs.  This was my 21st marathon completed, and my dad's first.

Granville to attempt a connection to the Phelon Forest from Blandford Road.

Ended with 8.1-miles, with good connections to Phelon, North Lane, and Wendy's Road from Friday's run.

Various side trails yet to explore, and a nice small waterfall along the way.

Visited Sodom Mountain and the Granville Gorge today.  

Found a good spot to cross the brook at the Gorge to enter the trail network below Drake Mountain.  This was a great "find", and means that I can avoid a bushwhack to go from Sodom to Drake Mountain across Munn Brook.

Then to Sodom Mountain, to explore another route "up".  Excellent route that exited onto the old forest road across the top, and then re-entered back to the intersection.  Much of the route tread is decent shape, the only drawback to this trail is the steepness of the initial climb.

Ended the day with 4.6-miles, with a bonus of a nice balanced rock about a mile up.

Afterward, drove to Adams to visit the folks, including a Father's Day lunch of Fish and Chips I carried from the Williamburg Snack Bar, and donuts from Mrs. Murphy's.  Pretty wonderful day.

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock

Out to Granville after work, totaled 5.4-miles on Wendy Road and some surrounding spots.

 

It looks like our bird-feeders will be on-hold for a while, as we had a visitor with two cubs today.

3-miles at the end of work. 

"High Points" along the trails I've visited during May, 2021...

• Sodom Mountain, Southwick-Granville, MA
• Saddle Ball Mountain, Mt Greylock Reservation, Appalachian Trail, Massashusetts
• Kitchen Brook Ravine Climb, Mt Greylock Reservation, Appalachian Trail, Massashusetts
• Drake Mountain, Southwick / Granville, Massachusetts
• Becket Mountain, Appalachian Trail, Massashusetts
• Walling Mountain, Appalachian Trail, Massashusetts
• Pine Mountain, Tunxis Trail, Connecticut
• Baldy Mountain, Appalachian Trail, Massashusetts

Music 2021...

Effort #15,  "Heart of Gold"...  Reverend King with a recording of Neil Young's classic.

Back to Shenipsit and the Bald Mountain Pond area to run with Wuzzam.  This time, we were planning on 7 - 10 miles to see if his knees handle that ok.

We stuck to many of the soft, single track mountain-bike trails as much as possible.  We did intersect the Blue Blazed Shenipsit Trail (which was really badly grown in with fern on the section we navigated) and stuck with that over Balanced Rock Hill.

From there, we headed toward The Pinnacle on opened-up motorcycle path.  Climbed to the northern intersection of the Pinnacle at "Twin Birch", and rambled back south toward Bald Mountain.

By the finish, we had totaled 8.1-miles for the day.

I returned to Granville to tie some tracks up from yesterday.

There is an abundance of trails, old roads, forest roads, right of ways and motorcycle path - and it will take some time to piece it together so I can understand (see it all in my head).

Absolutely beautiful morning, the light rain had finished and it was still very cool with dropping humidity.

I rambled on through the route I had hoped to, completing 9.6-miles with a second half at a speed of over 5-mph (great for me).  Dozens of additional side-trails revealed themselves today, which will certainly increase my need to continue visiting this area.