From Saturday-Monday I hiked, unsupported, from the Vermont to the Connecticut border on the Massachusetts Appalachian Trail. To my knowledge this crossing represents the Fastest Known Time for women.
The most noteworthy thing about the hike was the unseasonable weather! Despite it being early November, the temperature barely dipped below 60 degrees, including overnight.
On Friday night, I drove to North Adams and parked my car about four miles South of the Vermont border. I climbed the 1,700 ft. up to the MA/VT state line at a leisurely pace while my legs woke up from the three hour drive. The moon was luminescent and the tree branches above me were dark against the bright sky. All night gusts of wind swept up the valley; I could hear each one roaring towards me before I felt it.
A short rest and some food in Vermont and I was off, southbound, at 3:30 am. I saw glowing eyes next to the trail as I made my way back down to North Adams.
Across the valley began the climb over the lesser peaks to Greylock. The sun rose in a pink sky just as I passed over Mount Williams.
It was sunny on top of Greylock, Massachusetts’ tallest peak at 3,489 ft. A blanket of clouds covered the landscape below. Descending was like passing through a rain forest.
It was fun to walk through the Berkshire towns. In one of the neighborhoods, a little kid followed me on his bike and told me his dad’s flight had been delayed in Chicago. In Cheshire an immense pig lounged happily in a front yard.
I spent the first night at the October Mountain shelter after almost exactly 50 miles. I arrived around 8:30 pm and promptly fell asleep. I woke at 6:00 am to a dim sunrise and realized daylight saving time had occurred overnight.
After the long hike down to the Mass Pike, I was walking along the path to Upper Goose Pond when I noticed porcupine quills scattered across the trail looking as though they had been forcibly separated from their owner. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence but two miles later I saw a large black porcupine lumbering across a marsh and then up a tree.
The hardwood trees were completely and recently bare of leaves, and the leaves collected on the trail so thickly that almost every step was a guessing game as to how far your foot would sink and what would be the character of the terrain below. Almost all of the leaves were beech or maple, especially in the lower elevations. The one exception was the hemlocks. You always know when you’ve entered a stand of hemlocks because the world suddenly gets very dark, and there is almost no vegetation besides the towering trees. The shade of a Hemlock is a great place to stay dry in the rain and the animals must agree, because I saw three red efts sheltering between two different sets of roots under the same tree.
My favorite stretch of the day was the short climb to Tyringham Cobble, a pastoral hillside that overlooks a village, including a church and old cemetery.
With the time change, I turned on my headlamp at about 4:30 pm, right as I was passing the turnoff to the North Wilcox shelter. For some reason the next 7 or so miles to the Tom Leonard campsite seemed to take an eternity. I descended into marshy lowlands where frogs were calling.
By the time I made it to the shelter, it was raining again. 35 miles done today. My feet hurt and I didn’t sleep very well. I was back on the trail at 4 the next morning, again in the rain. There was fog so thick I would barely see the white blazes. At a double blaze, I got turned around and ended up back at the Tom Leonard campsite about two miles later. I was discouraged by the mistake but glad it only burned about an hour total. In that fog I could have just as easily found myself back at the Mass Pike before realizing something was off.
The Taconics reminded me of my backyard trails in the Blue Hills in Eastern MA. I liked the climbing and liked the wide views from the tops of the ridges.
After all the rain, the sun was out in force the second half of the day. As I neared the Connecticut line, the trail followed a river in a deep gorge and formed a natural air conditioner, which was a welcome relief from the blazing sun.
I crossed the state line around 3:00 pm and walked another short way to a trail head where my ride was waiting. Another 35 mile day, and 119 miles total since leaving my car on Friday evening. Total elevation gain was just shy of 21,000 ft. 59 hours and 34 minutes on my watch.
Gear Notes: 70 degree days helped make for a simple and lightweight pack. Shorts and a tank top in November were unexpected. Carried a 28 L Mammut Ducan Spine. 1 rain shell, 1 light puffy, and two changes of socks. Hiking poles were invaluable with the ground hidden under a blanket of fresh leaves. Adidas Terrex Free Hiker GTX’s paired with Heavyweight Darn Tough socks kept my feet moving forward. 15,000 calories of Green Belly Bars and leftover Halloween candy fueled adventure.
I’m happy to add an Unsupported women’s finish to this FKT route and am looking forward to seeing more women take on this crossing!